Mailchimp is one of the most widely used email marketing platforms for small businesses, offering email campaigns, marketing automation, landing pages, and audience management in one platform. Known for its drag-and-drop email builder and generous free plan, Mailchimp has evolved into a full marketing platform with social media ads, website builder, and CRM features — making it a comprehensive marketing hub for small businesses starting out.
Marketing & SEOVerified listing
Mailchimp
Email marketing and automation platform for small businesses, with a free plan for up to 500 contacts and advanced segmentation on paid tiers.
Best for: Small businesses and e-commerce stores that want an all-in-one email marketing platform with a generous free tier and beginner-friendly automation
- Free plan
4.4/5 ratingEditorial score 80/100Last reviewed Oct 4, 2026mailchimp.com
Starts at
Free (up to 500 contacts)
Get started free
Opens the official website in a new tab.
Editorial score80/100
The editorial note
What to know about Mailchimp
Is it right for you?
Who Mailchimp suits
Choose it if
- Small businesses and e-commerce stores that want an all-in-one email marketing platform with a generous free tier and beginner-friendly automation
Look elsewhere if
- E-commerce businesses scaling past 10,000 subscribers needing advanced segmentation and flows — Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign deliver better automation depth and revenue attribution at that scale
What you get
Key features
- Drag-and-drop email campaigns
- Marketing automation workflows
- Landing pages and forms
- Audience segmentation and tagging
- A/B testing
- Social media ads integration
- E-commerce integrations
- Reports and analytics
Works with
Integrations8
What it costs
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free (up to 500 contacts) | Up to 500 contacts, 500 emails/month, 1 seat, limited templates, email support for first 30 days only. |
| Essentials | From $13/month (500 contacts)Billed monthly | Up to 3 seats, 3 audiences, pre-built templates, email scheduling, remove Mailchimp branding, 24/7 email & chat support. |
| Standard | From $20/month (500 contacts)Billed monthly | Up to 5 seats, automations (up to 200 flows), generative AI, custom reports, dynamic content, and 1 onboarding session. |
| Premium | From $350/month (500 contacts)Billed monthly | Unlimited seats and audiences, phone & priority support, 4 onboarding sessions, and advanced segmentation. |
Prices are recorded from the vendor's public pricing page and can change. Check before you buy.
The trade-off
Pros and cons
Pros
- Most recognized email marketing brand with extensive tutorials and integrations for beginners
- Free plan supports up to 500 contacts and 1,000 monthly emails — generous for new businesses
- Drag-and-drop email builder makes beautiful emails without HTML knowledge
- Marketing automation for abandoned cart, welcome series, and birthday emails
- Integrates with 300+ apps including Shopify, WooCommerce, and major CMS platforms
Cons
- Pricing scales quickly — can become expensive above 500 contacts compared to competitors
- Automation capabilities are less powerful than ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo for complex workflows
- Deliverability has faced criticism — some users report lower inbox rates than competitors
- Template editor can feel outdated compared to newer drag-and-drop builders
Quick read
At a glance
- Category
- Marketing & SEO
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Entry plan
- Free (up to 500 contacts)
- Free plan
- Available
- Free trial
- Not listed
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android
- Website
- mailchimp.com
- Last reviewed
- Oct 4, 2026
The verdict
Our take on Mailchimp
Mailchimp's free plan is one of the most generous entry points in email marketing. The platform is easy to learn, the template library is strong, and the automation builder covers most small business needs. Pricing scales steeply with list size, which pushes larger senders toward alternatives like Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign—but for businesses under 2,500 contacts, Mailchimp is hard to beat for ease of use.
Editorial review
From the journal
Editorial review of Mailchimp
Mailchimp's free plan is one of the most generous entry points in email marketing. The platform is easy to learn, the template library is strong, and the automation builder covers most small business needs. Pricing scales steeply with list size, which pushes larger senders toward alternatives like Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign—but for businesses under 2,500 contacts, Mailchimp is hard to beat for ease of use.
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