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    Mailchimp

    A freemium email marketing platform: campaigns, automation, and segmentation, free up to 250 contacts, paid from $13/month, scaling with list size.

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    ToolTrim verdict3.4/ 5Average

    Below the Essentials plan's list price of $13/month (about $156/year before any promotional discount ends), the free plan's 250-contact cap likely suffices.

    Mailchimp, preview 1
    About

    In practice. What you can do with Mailchimp.

    Mailchimp is a freemium email marketing platform for building campaigns, forms, and landing pages, with marketing automation, audience segmentation, A/B testing, and reporting. Higher tiers add predictive segmentation and branching automations.

    The free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month. Paid plans start at $13/month (Essentials), but pricing scales with contact list size and the displayed price already includes a promotional discount, so the renewal price is likely higher. It suits a small team running regular campaigns more than a large list on a tight budget.

    Practical uses

    • UsageSend a segmented product-launch email campaign to part of an audience and A/B test the subject line.
    • UsageSet up a multi-step welcome automation for new subscribers to a mailing list.

    Features & use cases

    Email
    Email marketing
    Prospection

    Pros and cons. What Mailchimp does well, and what to expect.

    Pros

    • Free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month with no payment required.
    • Template-based campaigns, forms, and landing pages need no design or coding skill to start.

    Cons

    • Pricing scales with contact list size, so cost can rise significantly as a list grows.
    • Displayed prices include a first-year promotional discount, so the renewal price is likely higher.

    When it makes sense. Keep Mailchimp, or challenge it?

    Keep if

    • You send regular email campaigns to a small-to-medium list and want templates, automation, and reporting together.
    Mailchimp becomes worthwhile when
    • You use it at least once a week
    • The monthly cost ($13) is small next to the time it saves you

    Challenge if

    • Your contact list is large and growing fast; the per-contact pricing will scale up quickly.
    Mailchimp becomes too expensive when
    • You use it less than once a month
    • Brevo (free) already covers the essentials for occasional use

    Pricing. What does Mailchimp cost ?

    Free

    $0

    Permanent free plan

    • 250 contacts, 500 emails/month, 1 audience, 1 seat.

    Essentials

    ToolTrim reference price

    $13/mo

    • 3 seats, 3 audiences, up to 4-step automation flows, email scheduling, A/B testing, limited reporting, no dynamic content. Price scales with contact count.

    Standard

    $20/mo

    • 5 seats, 5 audiences, up to 200-step automations, advanced segmentation, SMS add-on, basic dynamic content.

    Premium

    $350/mo

    • Unlimited seats and unlimited contacts (custom pricing beyond 250,000 contacts), advanced automations with branching, predictive segmentation, priority phone support.

    Official pricingChecked on October 1, 2026

    Mailchimp's billing traps

    Before you pay

    Displayed monthly prices already include a promotional discount (about 15% for the first 12 months); confirm the renewal price before committing.

    Alternatives. What could replace Mailchimp?

    Current

    Compare Mailchimp with

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    Our verdict. What to know about Mailchimp.

    Why this verdict

    Average

    Added value

    Entry pricing starts at $13/month but scales with contact list size, and displayed prices already include a promotional discount whose renewal price is unconfirmed, making entry value harder to pin down.

    Simplicity

    Template-based campaign creation, forms, and landing pages are aimed at non-specialists, with a free tier requiring no payment to start.

    Fit for purpose

    Delivers core email campaign, automation, and reporting functions, but dynamic content and larger automation flows are withheld until Standard or above.

    Performance

    Premium tier adds unlimited seats and contacts, branching automations, and predictive segmentation, well past a basic email tool's ceiling.

    Reversibility

    Neutral score: data export and contact-list portability are not covered by the collected sources.

    The AI angle

    Mailchimp vs AI

    AI augments this tool
    Go further with AI

    Mailchimp added an AI content generator to write emails and suggest subject lines, plus automatic send-time optimization. It helps kickstart a campaign, without changing the core product: deliverability and segmentation.

    Can AI replace it?

    Replace Mailchimp with an AI? No: ChatGPT can write an email's copy, but not manage a contact list, deliverability, automations and GDPR compliance. Verdict: AI helps write faster, the email infrastructure stays essential.

    The AIs that matter here

    Mailchimp Summary

    Category
    productivity tool.
    Price from
    $13/mo (Essentials).
    Best for
    Small teams and businesses running regular email campaigns and marketing automation.
    Avoid if
    Your contact list is large and growing fast; the per-contact pricing will scale up quickly.
    Alternatives
    Brevo, Kit, Mailerlite, ActiveCampaign.
    ToolTrim verdict
    Below the Essentials plan's list price of $13/month (about $156/year before any promotional discount ends), the free plan's 250-contact cap likely suffices.

    Frequently asked questions.

    What to know before choosing Mailchimp.

    What is Mailchimp used for?

    A freemium email marketing platform: campaigns, automation, and segmentation, free up to 250 contacts, paid from $13/month, scaling with list size.

    How much does Mailchimp cost?

    Mailchimp costs $13/month (Essentials plan). Price verified on 2026-10-01.

    Is Mailchimp suitable for beginners?

    Small teams and businesses running regular email campaigns and marketing automation.

    Is Mailchimp worth the price?

    Below the Essentials plan's list price of $13/month (about $156/year before any promotional discount ends), the free plan's 250-contact cap likely suffices.

    What are the best alternatives to Mailchimp?

    The main alternatives to Mailchimp are: Brevo, Kit, Mailerlite, ActiveCampaign.

    Is there a free alternative to Mailchimp?

    Yes, Brevo is a free alternative to Mailchimp.

    MailchimpFrom $13/mo
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