Brevo vs Mailchimp (2026): Which Is Better for Email Marketing?

Last updated: October 2026 · Pricing and features checked October 2026 · Tested by our editorial team using real subscriber lists and live campaigns

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and Mailchimp are both all-in-one marketing platforms aimed at small and mid-size businesses, but they price and package very differently. Brevo charges by emails sent, not contacts stored. Mailchimp charges by contacts and gates features across tiers.

We ran the same lists and automations through both to see which delivers more value in 2026 for a typical growing business.

Below is our full 8-round breakdown with a winner each round and a running score. The Quick Answer and final scoreboard cover the essentials if you are short on time.

Brevo vs Mailchimp: At a Glance

Pricing checked October 2026. Entry-level paid plans shown.

Brevo vs Mailchimp Pricing 2026

In 2026, Brevo’s paid plans start at $9/month (Starter) and Mailchimp’s start at $13/month (Essentials). Brevo prices by how many emails you send each month, while Mailchimp prices by how many contacts you store. Both go up as you grow.

Pricing checked October 2026 in USD, monthly billing, smallest tier. Sources: brevo.com/pricing, mailchimp.com/pricing. Mailchimp’s listed prices are introductory rates for the first 12 months.

Paying yearly: Brevo takes about 10% off (Starter drops to around $8.08/month). Mailchimp shows its paid plans at an introductory price for the first 12 months, so check what you’ll pay after that.

Watch out for: Brevo SMS and WhatsApp credits are bought separately. Mailchimp counts every stored contact toward your bill, and SMS is a paid add-on on Essentials and above.

What’s New in Brevo and Mailchimp in 2026

• Brevo: an AI content generator from Starter, AI send-time optimization on Standard, and AI segmentation plus an AI Data Analyst on Professional.
• Brevo: MCP support, so you can connect Brevo to ChatGPT and Claude.
• Brevo: WhatsApp campaigns, popups and web/mobile push are now part of the Professional plan.
• Mailchimp: generative AI tools are included at no extra cost on Standard and Premium.
• Mailchimp: Essentials automations are capped at 4 flow steps. You need Standard for up to 200 automation flows.
• Mailchimp: the free plan is now 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with no automation.

Round 1: Pricing Model and Value

Winner: Brevo

This is the round that decides the matchup for most businesses. Brevo bills by emails sent, so you can store up to 100,000 contacts on the free plan and only pay more as your sending volume grows. For a business with a big list that emails occasionally, that is dramatically cheaper.

Mailchimp bills by contacts stored, including unsubscribed and non-engaging contacts on some plans, so costs climb with list size regardless of how often you send. Brevo wins value clearly for large-list, lower-frequency senders.

Round 2: Ease of Use and Templates

Winner: Mailchimp

Mailchimp remains the friendlier tool with more polished templates and a smoother first-campaign experience. Its brand-kit and design tooling are a step ahead.

Brevo’s editor is perfectly usable and has improved, but Mailchimp’s templates look more modern out of the box. Mailchimp wins ease and design.

Round 3: Automation and Workflows

Winner: Brevo

Both offer visual automation builders covering welcome series, abandoned cart, and re-engagement. The difference is price. Brevo’s full marketing automation comes with Standard at $18/month. Mailchimp caps Essentials at 4 flow steps, so you need Standard at $20/month for multi-step journeys.

Mailchimp’s Customer Journey Builder is polished, but Brevo gives you comparable automation for a little less. For automation value, Brevo takes the round.

Round 4: CRM and Sales Features

Winner: Brevo

Brevo includes a built-in CRM with deals, pipelines, and tasks, plus meeting scheduling, so small teams can manage contacts and light sales without a separate tool.

Mailchimp’s CRM-style features are thinner and oriented around audience management rather than sales pipelines. For businesses that want marketing and light CRM together, Brevo wins.

Round 5: SMS and Transactional Email

Winner: Brevo

Brevo bundles SMS marketing and has a strong transactional email and SMTP service, which developers use for receipts and notifications alongside marketing campaigns. We compare it with other SMTP relay services in a separate guide.

Brevo SMS credits are bought separately, but the tools are built in. Mailchimp’s SMS is a paid add-on and transactional email requires its Mandrill add-on. For combined marketing, SMS, and transactional needs, Brevo is the more complete package.

Round 6: Deliverability

Winner: Tie

Both platforms achieve solid inbox placement when senders authenticate properly and maintain list hygiene, and independent tests place them in a comparable band that varies more by sender than by tool.

Neither provides a clear per-ISP placement report, so we score deliverability a tie.

Round 7: Integrations and Ecosystem

Winner: Mailchimp

Mailchimp’s app marketplace is one of the largest in the industry, with deep native connections across ecommerce, CRM, and productivity tools.

Brevo integrates with the major platforms and offers a solid API, but Mailchimp’s ecosystem breadth and brand familiarity win the round.

Round 8: Reporting and Analytics

Winner: Mailchimp

Mailchimp’s reporting is more mature, with comparative campaign reports, revenue tracking for connected stores, and clearer dashboards.

Brevo’s reporting covers the essentials and improves on higher tiers, but Mailchimp’s analytics depth and presentation give it the round.

Final Scoreboard: Brevo 4, Mailchimp 3 (1 tie)

Brevo wins pricing model, automation value, CRM, and SMS/transactional — the rounds that decide cost and breadth for a growing business. Mailchimp wins templates, integrations, and reporting, with deliverability scored a tie, for a 4–3 result.

The takeaway: Brevo is the value-and-breadth pick, especially for large lists and teams wanting CRM plus SMS; Mailchimp is the polished, ecosystem-rich choice. Your list size and feature needs decide it. To see how they stack up against the wider field, our ranking of the best email marketing software in 2026 compares the top tools side by side.

Brevo Pros and Cons

Mailchimp Pros and Cons

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Brevo if:

• You store a large contact list but email less frequently and want to pay by sends.
• You want a built-in CRM and SMS without buying separate tools.
• You need strong transactional email or SMTP alongside marketing.
• You want full automation for less, from $18/month.

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You want the friendliest setup and the most polished templates.
• You rely on a wide range of native app integrations.
• You have a smaller, engaged list and value brand familiarity.
• You want mature reporting and revenue tracking for a connected store.

Neither feels right?

Both tools in this comparison have real trade-offs — steep pricing as your list grows, features gated behind higher tiers, or paying for contacts who never open your emails. If your main job is email marketing and you want more value for the money, it is worth looking at a third option. For a wider view of the market, see our guide to the best email service providers.

Mailercloud starts at $7/month with a free plan covering 1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails/month — see our pricing. It includes an Inbox Tracker that shows exactly where your emails land across 15+ ISPs, plus AMP for Email, visual automation, A/B testing, segmentation, and 24/7 live chat on every plan, including free. The trade-off is a smaller integration library and lower brand recognition — but for pure email marketing value, it is hard to beat at the price.

How to Switch Between Brevo and Mailchimp

Switching between Brevo and Mailchimp begins with exporting contacts as a CSV from the source platform, including consent status and custom fields, then importing into the new tool and mapping fields on upload.

Rebuild your core automations first — welcome, cart recovery, and re-engagement — then recreate templates, which both tools accept as custom HTML. If you move to Brevo, review your sending volume to pick the right send-based tier; if you move to Mailchimp, audit your contact count since that drives the bill.

FAQ

Is Brevo better than Mailchimp?

Brevo is better than Mailchimp for businesses with large contact lists that email occasionally, because its send-based pricing is far cheaper and it bundles CRM, SMS, and transactional email. Mailchimp is better for polished templates, ease of use, and the largest integration marketplace. The right pick depends on your list size and feature needs.

Is Brevo cheaper than Mailchimp?

Yes, Brevo is usually cheaper than Mailchimp for businesses with large lists, because Brevo bills by emails sent while Mailchimp bills by contacts stored. If you store many contacts but send infrequently, Brevo’s model saves the most. For small, active lists the gap narrows.

How much does Brevo cost in 2026?

Brevo has a free plan with 300 emails a day. Paid plans start at $9/month for Starter, $18/month for Standard and $499/month for Professional, and Enterprise is custom priced. The price goes up with the number of emails you send each month, and paying yearly saves about 10%.

How much does Mailchimp cost in 2026?

Mailchimp has a free plan for 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. Paid plans start at $13/month for Essentials, $20/month for Standard and $350/month for Premium. The price rises with the number of contacts you store.

Can I migrate from Mailchimp to Brevo?

Yes. Export your Mailchimp audience as a CSV with consent status, import it into Brevo, rebuild your automations and templates, and choose a send-based plan that fits your monthly volume. Brevo provides migration guidance and most moves take a day or two.

Does Brevo have a CRM?

Yes, Brevo includes a built-in CRM with deals, pipelines, tasks, and meeting scheduling, which lets small teams manage contacts and light sales alongside email marketing. Mailchimp’s CRM-style features are thinner and focused on audience management rather than sales pipelines.

What is the main difference between Brevo and Mailchimp?

The main difference is the pricing model and scope. Brevo charges by emails sent and bundles CRM, SMS, and transactional email, making it cost-effective for large lists. Mailchimp charges by contacts stored and leads on template polish, ease of use, and integrations.

Is there a cheaper alternative to both Brevo and Mailchimp?

Yes. Mailercloud starts at $7/month with a free plan for 1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails per month, and is worth evaluating if email marketing value is your priority. MailerLite is another lower-cost option to compare. You can also compare lower-cost options in our roundups of the best Mailchimp alternatives and Brevo alternatives.

Final Verdict

Brevo wins this matchup 4–3 and is the stronger choice for businesses with large lists or those that want CRM, SMS, and transactional email bundled at a lower cost.

Mailchimp is the better pick if you prioritize template polish, ease of use, mature reporting, and the widest integration ecosystem. Match the tool to your list size and how much you value breadth versus polish. See also our head-to-head Mailercloud vs Mailchimp and Mailercloud vs Brevo comparisons.