Build my stack
Best Mailchimp alternatives
We put Mailchimp head to head with the 6 closest rivals we have tested, so you can switch on evidence, not a hunch.
Mailchimp is a email marketing tool for Small to mid-size businesses and e-commerce stores that want an all-in-one email marketing platform with a visual drag-and-drop builder, audience segmentation, and basic marketing automation. Mailchimp's free tier and name recognition make it the default starting point for new businesses building an email list.. It scores 4.
Sharper Mailchimp alternatives for your situation
The full list above serves every buyer. These segmented lists filter the same tested set to the tools that fit a specific budget or team size.
Interactive Alternatives Network
Visual switch pathways, feature deltas, and direct comparisons around Mailchimp.
Mailchimp(Current Tool)
beehiiv
Why Pick beehiiv Over Mailchimp
beehiiv edges out Mailchimp in our testing, scoring 4.6 to 4.1 overall.
Key Strengths
- Best in class growth tools. The Boosts recommendation network drives genuine subscriber acquisition through cross promotion, not just optimization of existing channels. In our 4 week test, 18 percent of new subscribers came through Boosts.
- Built in Ad Network for newsletter monetization. Beehiiv handles sponsor placements, ad sales, payment collection, and payouts. CPM rates averaged $25 to $40 for newsletters with 5,000+ subscribers. Creators keep 70 percent of ad revenue.
Where Mailchimp can fall short
Who stands behind the picks
Mailchimp
- Company
- Intuit Mailchimp
- Founded
- 2001
29 hours of testing 3 review rounds Verified 2026-07-20
6 alternatives worth your time
beehiiv
4.6 out of 54.6A modern newsletter platform built for growth.
beehiiv edges out Mailchimp in our testing, scoring 4.6 to 4.1 overall.
- Best in class growth tools. The Boosts recommendation network drives genuine subscriber acquisition through cross promotion, not just optimization of existing channels. In our 4 week test, 18 percent of new subscribers came through Boosts.
- Built in Ad Network for newsletter monetization. Beehiiv handles sponsor placements, ad sales, payment collection, and payouts. CPM rates averaged $25 to $40 for newsletters with 5,000+ subscribers. Creators keep 70 percent of ad revenue.
MailerLite
4.5 out of 54.5Clean, affordable email marketing for creators.
MailerLite starts at $10/mo (free tier available), undercutting Mailchimp's $13/mo (free tier available) while covering the same core ground.
- Excellent deliverability. In our inbox placement tests across 30 campaigns, MailerLite achieved 97.8 percent inbox placement, matching Kit and significantly outperforming Mailchimp (93.1 percent).
- Generous free tier. 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month with no MailerLite branding. Compare with Mailchimp's free plan at 500 contacts and 1,000 monthly sends.
Kit
4.4 out of 54.4Email and automation made for creators.
Kit edges out Mailchimp in our testing, scoring 4.4 to 4.1 overall.
Why this swap
Best for: Independent creators, bloggers, and course sellers who want a clean, creator-focused email platform with tag-based segmentation and commerce features rather than a full marketing platform.
Watch out: Kit lacks Mailchimp's template design depth and e-commerce email features. It is built for the creator economy, not general business email marketing.
Verdict: Kit for individual creators building an audience, Mailchimp for small businesses that need full-featured marketing email with e-commerce hooks. Different audiences entirely.
- Deliverability is the best in the email marketing category based on our inbox placement tests
- Tag based system is simpler and more flexible than Mailchimp's audience based structure
ActiveCampaign
4.3 out of 54.3Serious marketing automation with a CRM attached.
ActiveCampaign edges out Mailchimp in our testing, scoring 4.3 to 4.1 overall.
Why this swap
Best for: B2B and service businesses that need sophisticated marketing automation, CRM integration, and lead scoring combined with email marketing. ActiveCampaign's automation builder is far more powerful than Mailchimp's.
Watch out: ActiveCampaign's complexity requires more time to set up and learn. The visual builder is powerful but overwhelming for users who just need basic email campaigns.
Verdict: ActiveCampaign for businesses that need CRM-adjacent automation and complex journey logic, Mailchimp for simpler email marketing without CRM integration. ActiveCampaign scales better for B2B.
- Automation builder is the deepest in the mid market. Supports complex multi step, multi path flows.
- Segmentation engine is powerful with unlimited custom fields, tags, and behavioral conditions.
Brevo
4.3 out of 54.3Email, SMS, and CRM on a generous free plan.
Brevo starts at $9/mo (free tier available), undercutting Mailchimp's $13/mo (free tier available) while covering the same core ground.
Why this swap
Best for: Budget-conscious businesses and growing teams that want email marketing plus transactional email, SMS, and live chat in one platform. Brevo's pricing is based on email volume, not contact count, which saves significant money for large lists.
Watch out: Brevo's template library and drag-and-drop builder are less polished than Mailchimp's. The UI quality gap is noticeable, especially for non-technical users.
Verdict: Brevo for large lists with lower send frequency where contact-based pricing hurts, Mailchimp for smaller lists that value design quality and the broader Mailchimp ecosystem. The pricing model difference drives most switches.
- Unlimited contacts on every plan including free tier, a major advantage over capped competitors
- SMS marketing built in, no separate integrations or extra monthly fees for text messaging
Substack
4.3 out of 54.3Publish and monetize a newsletter with zero setup.
Substack edges out Mailchimp in our testing, scoring 4.3 to 4.1 overall.
- Zero upfront cost. Substack is completely free to use. There are no monthly fees, no tiered plans, and no feature gates. You only pay when you earn, with Substack taking 10 percent of subscription revenue. This makes it the most accessible platform for new creators.
- Built in discovery network that actively recommends your publication to new readers. Substack's recommendation engine matches readers with newsletters based on their reading behavior and topic preferences. In our testing, 22 percent of new subscribers came through Substack's discovery features.
Mailchimp vs the alternatives
| Tool | Our score | From | Free tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailchimpYou have | 4.1 | $13/mo (free tier available) | Yes | Small to mid-size businesses and e-commerce stores that want an all-in-one email marketing platform with a visual drag-and-drop builder, audience segmentation, and basic marketing automation. Mailchimp's free tier and name recognition make it the default starting point for new businesses building an email list. |
| beehiiv | 4.6 | $39/mo (free tier available) | Yes | Newsletter writers, publishers, and media companies that want an all in one platform for audience growth, monetization, and analytics |
| MailerLite | 4.5 | $10/mo (free tier available) | No | Small to mid size businesses, creators, and nonprofits that want an intuitive email editor, strong deliverability, and affordable pricing without sacrificing design quality |
| Kit | 4.4 | $0, paid from $25/mo | No | Creators, newsletter writers, and course builders who want simplicity and deliverability |
| ActiveCampaign | 4.3 | $15/mo | No | Small to mid size teams that need advanced marketing automation with a built in CRM |
| Brevo | 4.3 | $9/mo (free tier available) | No | Budget conscious teams that want email, SMS, and a basic CRM under one roof without paying for separate tools |
| Substack | 4.3 | Free + 10% rev share | Yes | Writers, journalists, and independent creators who want to start a paid newsletter or podcast with zero upfront cost and access to a built in audience discovery network |
Pick by use case
Not every swap fits every team. Start from what you need and let the table pick for you.
beehiiv
Best for: Newsletter writers, publishers, and media companies that want an all in one platform for audience growth, monetization, and analytics
Higher rated
MailerLite
Best for: Small to mid size businesses, creators, and nonprofits that want an intuitive email editor, strong deliverability, and affordable pricing without sacrificing design quality
Lower price
Kit
Best for: Creators, newsletter writers, and course builders who want simplicity and deliverability
Independent creators, bloggers, and course sellers who want a clean, creator-focused email platform with tag-based segmentation and commerce features rather than a full marketing platform.
Higher rated
ActiveCampaign
Best for: Small to mid size teams that need advanced marketing automation with a built in CRM
B2B and service businesses that need sophisticated marketing automation, CRM integration, and lead scoring combined with email marketing. ActiveCampaign's automation builder is far more powerful than Mailchimp's.
Higher rated
Brevo
Best for: Budget conscious teams that want email, SMS, and a basic CRM under one roof without paying for separate tools
Budget-conscious businesses and growing teams that want email marketing plus transactional email, SMS, and live chat in one platform. Brevo's pricing is based on email volume, not contact count, which saves significant money for large lists.
Lower price
Substack
Best for: Writers, journalists, and independent creators who want to start a paid newsletter or podcast with zero upfront cost and access to a built in audience discovery network
Higher rated
Switching without breaking things
- 1Export your data from Mailchimp before you cancel anything.
- 2Start a free trial of the alternative with real, not sample, data.
- 3Run the same core workflow in both tools for one full week.
- 4Migrate your team and templates one project at a time.
- 5Only cancel the old plan after the new one survives a real deadline.
We use this same sequence every time we swap a team off one tool and onto another in our own testing. It keeps the risk on the trial, not on production.
Switch to beehiiv
beehiiv edges out Mailchimp in our testing, scoring 4.6 to 4.1 overall. It is the Mailchimp alternative we recommend first for most people.
Keep reading from here
No catch, just answers
The things readers ask us most about how GoPickStack works and stays independent.
Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we have tested, and commissions never change our scores or rankings. We currently track 231+ tools, including 9 across Email Marketing.