Mailchimp alternatives
7 email marketing tools people switch to from Mailchimp, with free plans and starting prices checked 2026-10-29.
Short answer
MailerLite and Brevo are the two best Mailchimp alternatives for most small senders. MailerLite has a free plan with 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, and Brevo's free plan is built around daily send limits instead of a small contact cap.
Mailchimp alternatives compared
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | small lists and simple automation | Yes, up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month | from $12/mo (Growing Business); annual billing saves 10% |
| Brevo | transactional plus marketing email | Yes, 300 emails/day with no contact cap on the plan | $9/mo billed monthly, $8/mo billed annually (Starter, 5,000 emails/month) |
| Kit | creators and newsletters | Yes, up to 10,000 subscribers (Newsletter plan, no automations) | $39/mo monthly, $33/mo billed annually (Creator, 1,000 subscribers) |
| beehiiv | newsletter publishers | Yes, up to 2,500 subscribers (Launch plan) | $95/mo billed annually, or $109/mo monthly (Scale, up to 1,000 subscribers) |
| Zoho Campaigns | teams already on Zoho | Yes, up to 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails/month, 5 users | $3/mo billed annually, $4/mo billed monthly (Standard, 500 contacts) |
| ActiveCampaign | advanced automation | No | $19/mo monthly, $15/mo billed annually (Starter, 1,000 contacts) |
| Klaviyo | ecommerce stores | Yes, up to 250 active profiles and 500 email sends/month | $20/mo (Email, 251 to 500 profiles, 5,000 sends) |
1. MailerLite
Free plan includes 3 automations and 3 signup forms, plus 2 user seats and 1 landing page. Sending locks once you pass 250 active subscribers until you upgrade or remove contacts. Mailchimp's free plan is smaller at 250 contacts and 500 sends/month.
2. Brevo
Prices by emails sent rather than by contact count, so a large list that is mailed rarely stays cheap. Combines marketing email, transactional email and SMS in one account. The free plan carries Brevo branding and the 300/day cap.
3. Kit
Formerly ConvertKit, built for creators selling digital products, paid newsletters and email sequences. Visual automations and sequences need the paid Creator plan. Price rises with subscriber count, about $59/mo at 3,000 subscribers.
4. beehiiv
Newsletter-first platform with a built-in web archive, referral program and paid subscriptions. Its free Launch plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers, ten times Mailchimp's free contact cap. Paid plans start higher than Mailchimp Essentials.
5. Zoho Campaigns
Free plan allows 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails/month, the biggest free allowance in this list. Paid plans are priced by contact tier and annual billing saves 25%. Integrates natively with Zoho CRM and the rest of the Zoho suite.
6. ActiveCampaign
No free plan, only a 14-day trial. Its automation builder and CRM go deeper than Mailchimp's mid-tier plans, including lead scoring and conditional automation paths on higher plans. Starter send limit is 10 times the contact count.
7. Klaviyo
Built around ecommerce store data from Shopify and similar platforms, with segmentation on purchase behavior. Bills on all active profiles, including inactive ones. Cost climbs fast with list size, about $150/mo at 10,000 profiles.
Why people look for a Mailchimp alternative
- The free plan was cut to 250 contacts and 500 sends/month, with Mailchimp branding and no automations
- Paid plans are priced by contact tier, so cost rises as the list grows even if send volume stays flat
- Send limits are a multiple of contacts (10x on Essentials, 12x on Standard, 15x on Premium), which caps heavy senders on small lists
- Premium jumps to a custom-priced tier for lists over 250,000 contacts
Who should stay on Mailchimp
Stay if your list is under 500 contacts on Essentials, you rely on Mailchimp's templates and integrations, and the per-contact price is still low for you. Migrating costs time you may not recover.
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Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Mailchimp alternative?
Yes. MailerLite offers a free plan up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month, beehiiv's Launch plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers, and Zoho Campaigns allows up to 2,000 contacts and 6,000 emails/month.
How much does Mailchimp cost?
The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 sends/month. Essentials starts at $13/month for 500 contacts, and Standard and Premium are priced by contact tier. Mailchimp shows promotional pricing that varies by region, so check the live pricing page.
What is the cheapest Mailchimp alternative for a large list?
It depends on send volume. Compare per-contact pricing (MailerLite, Zoho Campaigns) against per-send pricing (Brevo) using your own list size and monthly send count before switching.