Last updated: October 2026 | Pricing checked on October 9, 2026 | 9 min read
Mailchimp is the best-known name in email marketing. It’s owned by Intuit, connects to more apps than almost any other tool, and is often the first platform a small business tries. It’s also one of the platforms people most often leave, usually because of price.
In this review we look at what Mailchimp does well, where it falls short, and what it really costs in 2026, using the prices on its pricing page at 500, 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 contacts.
Short verdict: Mailchimp is a strong, well-documented platform with excellent integrations and solid automation on Standard. The free plan is now very small (250 contacts), and paid plans get expensive as your list grows. It’s worth it if you need its integrations; otherwise you can get similar features for less.
Quick Answer: Mailchimp is worth it if you need its 300+ integrations or the automation on its Standard plan. The free plan now covers just 250 contacts and 500 emails a month. Paid plans start at $13/month (Essentials) and $20/month (Standard) for 500 contacts, but reach $75 and $100 at 5,000 contacts. Unsubscribed contacts count towards your limit.
Table of Contents
Mailchimp at a Glance
| Mailchimp | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Businesses that need integrations |
| Owner | Intuit (since 2021) |
| Free plan | 250 contacts, 500 emails/month |
| Essentials | From $13/month (500 contacts); $75 at 5,000 |
| Standard | From $20/month (500 contacts); $100 at 5,000 |
| Premium | From $350/month |
| Monthly sends | 10x / 12x / 15x your contacts |
| Automation | 4-step flows on Essentials; 200 flows on Standard |
| Integrations | 300+ native |
| Our verdict | Capable and well connected, but expensive as you grow |
Mailchimp Pricing in 2026
Mailchimp has four plans: Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium. Paid prices depend on your contact count. On monthly billing:
| Contacts | Essentials | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13 | $20 | $350 |
| 1,500 | $26.50 | $45 | $350 |
| 5,000 | $75 | $100 | $350 |
| 10,000 | $110 | $135 | $350+ |
What each plan includes:
- Free: 250 contacts, 500 emails a month (max 250 a day), 1 user, no automation flows, and email support for the first 30 days only.
- Essentials: sends up to 10x your contacts each month, 3 users, 3 audiences, simple automation flows (up to 4 steps), and 24/7 email and chat support.
- Standard: sends up to 12x your contacts, 5 users, 5 audiences, up to 200 automation flows, and 24/7 email and chat support.
- Premium: sends up to 15x your contacts, unlimited users and audiences, and phone and priority support.
Essentials and Standard come with a 14-day free trial. If you go over your contact or send limit on a paid plan, Mailchimp charges overages. On the free plan, sending pauses until you upgrade or reduce your list.
Sidenote: Mailchimp counts unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts in your audience towards your plan’s contact limit. Archive contacts you no longer email, or you’ll pay for people who can’t receive your campaigns.
What Mailchimp Does Well
Integrations
Mailchimp connects natively to 300+ apps, including ecommerce platforms, CRMs, booking tools and form builders. If a tool you rely on has only one email integration, it’s usually Mailchimp.
Automation on Standard
Customer Journeys on Standard and Premium let you build branching automations based on behaviour, purchases and dates. With up to 200 flows on Standard, it’s enough for most small and mid-sized businesses.
Templates, testing and reporting
The editor is solid, with plenty of templates and brand tools. Standard adds A/B testing, send-time optimisation and better reporting, and Premium adds multivariate testing and comparative reports.
Help content
Mailchimp has one of the largest libraries of guides, tutorials and third-party help. Whatever you’re stuck on, someone has written about it.
Where Mailchimp Falls Short
The free plan is very small
The free plan now covers just 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, with no automation. It’s fine for testing, but most businesses outgrow it in weeks.
Price grows fast
At 5,000 contacts, Standard costs $100/month and Essentials $75. At 10,000, it’s $135 and $110. Many alternatives charge a fraction of that for similar features. See our cheap email marketing comparison.
Real automation needs Standard
Essentials limits automation flows to 4 steps. If a welcome series and an abandoned cart flow are your main goals, you’ll need Standard.
Phone support only on Premium
Free users get email support for 30 days. Essentials and Standard get 24/7 email and chat, and phone support starts at $350/month.
Deliverability
Mailchimp has a good deliverability reputation and handles authentication for its sending domains. Your own results still depend on list quality. Gmail and Yahoo now require bulk senders to authenticate with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, keep spam complaints low and offer one-click unsubscribe. See Google’s sender guidelines, Yahoo’s best practices and RFC 8058 on one-click unsubscribe. Set up DMARC for your domain (dmarc.org) and track your reputation in Google Postmaster Tools.
Mailchimp Pros and Cons
✅Mailchimp Pros:
- 300+ native integrations, the most in the category
- Strong branching automation on Standard (up to 200 flows)
- Good templates, A/B testing and reporting
- Huge library of guides and third-party help
- 14-day free trial on Essentials and Standard
❌Mailchimp Cons:
- Free plan limited to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month
- Expensive at scale: $100/month for 5,000 contacts on Standard
- Unsubscribed contacts count towards your contact limit
- Essentials limits automation to 4-step flows
- Phone support only on Premium ($350/month)
💰Pricing: Free (250 contacts); Essentials from $13/month; Standard from $20/month; Premium from $350/month.
Who Mailchimp Is Best For
- Businesses that need its integrations, especially with niche booking, ecommerce or CRM tools.
- Teams that want proven automation and are happy to pay for Standard.
- Marketers who value lots of help content and a familiar interface.
- Nonprofits that already use Mailchimp, although it no longer offers an ongoing nonprofit discount (see our Mailchimp alternatives for nonprofits).
It’s a weaker fit for budget-conscious small businesses with growing lists, and for anyone who only needs simple newsletters.
How Mailchimp Compares
- Mailchimp vs ConvertKit (Kit): Kit is better for creators selling products.
- Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: Klaviyo is stronger for ecommerce data.
- MailerLite vs Mailchimp: MailerLite is cheaper with a similar editor.
- HubSpot vs Mailchimp: HubSpot adds a full CRM, at a much higher price.
- Brevo vs Mailchimp: Brevo charges by emails sent and includes SMS.
- Constant Contact vs Mailchimp: Constant Contact offers phone support on every plan.
- See our full list of Mailchimp alternatives.
Every campaign, on any tool, needs an unsubscribe link and a physical address under the CAN-SPAM Act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mailchimp still worth it in 2026?
Mailchimp is worth it if you need its integrations or its Standard-plan automation. For simple newsletters or growing lists on a budget, cheaper tools offer similar features.
How much does Mailchimp cost?
On monthly billing, Essentials starts at $13/month and Standard at $20/month for 500 contacts. At 5,000 contacts they cost $75 and $100. Premium starts at $350/month.
Is Mailchimp free?
Mailchimp has a free plan for up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month (250 per day). It doesn’t include automation flows, and support ends after 30 days.
Does Mailchimp charge for unsubscribed contacts?
Yes. Unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts in your audience count towards your contact limit. Archive them to keep your bill down.
What’s the difference between Mailchimp Essentials and Standard?
Standard adds full Customer Journeys automation (up to 200 flows), more users and audiences, and higher send limits (12x vs 10x contacts). Essentials limits automation flows to 4 steps.
What are the best Mailchimp alternatives?
Mailercloud, MailerLite, Brevo and Kit are popular alternatives. See our Mailchimp alternatives guide.
Final Verdict
Mailchimp is still a capable, well-supported email platform with the best integration library in the category and strong automation on Standard. The trade-off is price: the free plan is tiny, and paid plans cost $100/month or more at 5,000 contacts once you need real automation. It’s the right choice if your tools depend on it; otherwise, shop around.
Looking for a Cheaper Alternative?
If you want Mailchimp-style automation without Mailchimp prices, Mailercloud is free for 1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails a month. Premium costs $10/month for 5,000 contacts with unlimited sends and 25 advanced automations. Mailchimp Standard costs $100 at the same size.
Pay $10, not $100, for 5,000 contacts — try Mailercloud free
★★★★★ 4.5/5 on G2, Capterra & Trustpilot · Trusted by 35,000+ businesses
Free for 1,000 contacts · No credit card · Unlimited sends on Premium
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