Pricing · Independent breakdown
Free, then $13/month
Mailchimp pricing.
Content updated: January 2026· January 2026 Editorial Baseline
Plans, real costs, and a straight answer on whether Mailchimp is worth paying for.
The short answer
Mailchimp is free for up to 500 contacts and paid plans start around $13/month. It's worth it for small businesses sending broadcast newsletters — but most serious creators graduate to ConvertKit and most e-commerce brands to Klaviyo within a year.
Disclosure: Some links may earn FutureFounder a commission at no extra cost to you. Recommendations are based on our editorial methodology.
What is Mailchimp pricing?
Mailchimp is small businesses sending newsletters and campaigns, priced from Free, then $13/month.
Mailchimp plans
Essentials
$13 /month
Small businesses sending newsletters
- ·Remove branding
- ·A/B testing
- ·Email support
Best pick if: You're sending weekly broadcasts to a real list.
Standard
$20 /month
Teams running real campaigns
- ·Customer journey builder
- ·Predictive segmentation
- ·Send-time optimization
Premium
$350 /month
Large lists and enterprise
- ·Unlimited seats
- ·Advanced segmentation
- ·Phone support
Is it worth it?
Mailchimp is the lowest-friction on-ramp in email. The trade-off is feature stagnation: anything past basic broadcasts now lives somewhere else.
When to upgrade
Upgrade to Standard the day you outgrow basic automations. Switch platforms the day the bill stings.
Pay for Mailchimp if…
- ✓You're a small business sending occasional broadcasts
- ✓You need a huge template library and zero learning curve
- ✓You already use Mailchimp and the bill hasn't started to hurt
Don't pay if…
- ×You sell physical products — Klaviyo earns its price fast
- ×Email is your primary sales channel — ConvertKit is built for that
- ×You're treating the newsletter as a real media business — Beehiiv
Cheaper or better alternatives to Mailchimp
Beehiiv and ConvertKit have stronger free tiers if your list grows past a few thousand.
Mailchimp vs the competition
Mailchimp vs ConvertKit
Mailchimp if you're broadcasting. ConvertKit if email is your sales engine. Most creators graduate to ConvertKit within a year.
Mailchimp vs Beehiiv
Mailchimp for the small business newsletter. Beehiiv for the founder newsletter that wants to become a media business.
Mailchimp vs Klaviyo
Klaviyo for any real e-commerce brand. Mailchimp for everyone else. If you sell physical or DTC products, Klaviyo every time.
Mailchimp vs Beehiiv
Beehiiv if the newsletter IS the business. Mailchimp if the newsletter is a channel for a different business.
Mailchimp vs HubSpot
HubSpot if you're tracking deals and contacts. Mailchimp if you just want to send the email.
Mailchimp vs Substack
Substack if subscribers pay you directly. Mailchimp if they buy something else.
How consensus ranks Mailchimp
Synthesized across G2, Capterra, Product Hunt, Futurepedia, Tool Finder, AI Tools Directory, Reddit, and FutureFounder. How this is calculated →
Compare pricing head-to-head
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