Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2026
Leave when unsubscribed people still sit on the invoice, or when a flow dies at four steps. Brevo sells email volume with a large free plan. MailerLite prices a cleaner list.
The best Mailchimp alternative in 2026 is Brevo. Starter is $9/mo in USD, or $96.96 for the year, for 5,000 emails a month, and the free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts where Mailchimp's stops at 250. Paid tiers now cap stored contacts too, starting at 500 on Starter, so model the tier your list needs.
Choose MailerLite when a small list still needs automations before you pay. Choose ActiveCampaign when Essentials already stopped the journey at four steps, at $15/mo for 1,000 contacts on the annual file.
A Shopify file belongs on Klaviyo or Omnisend. A publication belongs on beehiiv. A local shop that wants a phone number can stay on a contact-priced tool, which is Constant Contact, and should not expect the Mailchimp meter to disappear.
Key facts8 tools compared: Brevo, MailerLite, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Kit, beehiiv, Constant…
- 8 tools compared: Brevo, MailerLite, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Kit, beehiiv, Constant Contact
- MailerLite (best for: Small lists that need automations before the first paid month): Comfort from $12/mo at 500 subscribers; $10.80/mo billed yearly. Free to 250.
- ActiveCampaign (best for: Teams whose Mailchimp flows already died at four steps): From $15/mo (Starter, 1,000 contacts, billed annually). 14-day trial.
- Klaviyo (best for: Shopify stores that need revenue on the profile, not a blast): Free to 250 profiles and 500 emails. Email $20.00/mo at 251 to 500 profiles.
Mailchimp is the wrong invoice when the list is full of people you will never mail again.
Subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts all count, and only archived, cleaned, or deleted records drop off.
Toolradar data: the September 2026 email marketing ranking we publish at Toolradar, the software directory we run, evaluated 106 tools.
Profiles for this exit: Mailchimp, Brevo, MailerLite, and ActiveCampaign.
Wider counts are on the email marketing statistics page.
Dupple sends its newsletters, MarketingShot included, on beehiiv.
MarketingShot data: this list had 35,000+ active subscribers on October 14, 2026, with a 32% average open rate and a 1.4% average click rate, from the audience file updated that day.
That file is past Mailchimp's 500-contact starting band, so the MarketingShot brief is a size check before a starter price becomes the campaign budget.
How we ranked: eight replacements a marketer would open when leaving Mailchimp, with USD prices verified on each vendor's pricing page, September 2026.
Some names link out through partner programs, including Brevo, Kit, and ActiveCampaign. This edition did not include a hands-on send test. A first platform, before an exit, is the email marketing software guide.
Top Picks
Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.
A monthly email allowance with a contact cap per tier, and a free plan that stores 100,000 contacts.
From $9/mo (Starter, 5,000 emails and up to 500 contacts); $96.96/yr. Free plan: 300 emails/day, up to 100,000 contacts.
Teams that want a large free plan and a low paid entry priced on email volume
Automations on the free plan, then a Comfort rate at 500 subscribers under Mailchimp's starting paid band.
Comfort from $12/mo at 500 subscribers; $10.80/mo billed yearly. Free to 250.
Small lists that need automations before the first paid month
Automation depth Essentials withholds, priced from a 1,000-contact band, with no free plan to rehearse on.
From $15/mo (Starter, 1,000 contacts, billed annually). 14-day trial.
Teams whose Mailchimp flows already died at four steps
| Tool | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Brevo | From $9/mo (Starter, 5,000 emails and up to 500 contacts); $96.96/yr. Free plan: 300 emails/day, up to 100,000 contacts. | Teams that want a large free plan and a low paid entry priced on email volume |
| MailerLite | Comfort from $12/mo at 500 subscribers; $10.80/mo billed yearly. Free to 250. | Small lists that need automations before the first paid month |
| ActiveCampaign | From $15/mo (Starter, 1,000 contacts, billed annually). 14-day trial. | Teams whose Mailchimp flows already died at four steps |
| Klaviyo | Free to 250 profiles and 500 emails. Email $20.00/mo at 251 to 500 profiles. | Shopify stores that need revenue on the profile, not a blast |
| Omnisend | Free to 250 contacts and 500 emails. Standard $11.20/mo at 500 on a 3-month offer. | Stores that want email plus SMS and a bill that skips unsubscribes |
| Kit | Free to 10,000 subscribers. Creator $33/mo ($390/yr) at 1,000 subscribers. | Creators who broadcast and sell, and can postpone sequences |
| beehiiv | Launch free to 2,500 subscribers. Scale $43/mo ($517/yr) at up to 1,000. | Newsletter businesses that want referrals and an ad network |
| Constant Contact | Lite from $12/mo, or $10.20/mo billed annually. Trial, no free plan. | Local teams that want phone support more than a new pricing model |
Pricing read from each vendor's own pricing page, checked Sep 2026. Every vendor here publishes a price.
Brevo
A monthly email allowance with a contact cap per tier, and a free plan that stores 100,000 contacts.
- Pricing
- From $9/mo (Starter, 5,000 emails and up to 500 contacts); $96.96/yr. Free plan: 300 emails/day, up to 100,000 contacts.
Best for: Teams that want a large free plan and a low paid entry priced on email volume
Pros
- Starter starts at 5,000 emails a month for up to 500 contacts, and logo removal is a paid add-on.
- Standard adds click heatmaps and one landing page, on a published monthly and yearly total.
- Professional starts at 150,000 emails a month, with 10 seats, WhatsApp, popups, and push.
Cons
- Free is 300 emails a day, and only after Brevo approves sending, so it will not clear a launch file.
- Paid tiers cap stored contacts, so a big list lands on a bigger tier. Enterprise is a quote, and Professional is a different budget from Starter.
MailerLite
Automations on the free plan, then a Comfort rate at 500 subscribers under Mailchimp's starting paid band.
- Pricing
- Comfort from $12/mo at 500 subscribers; $10.80/mo billed yearly. Free to 250.
Best for: Small lists that need automations before the first paid month
Pros
- Free includes campaigns, automations, two seats, and 2,500 emails a month, inside 250 subscribers.
- Comfort and Power at 500 subscribers each show a monthly rate and a lower yearly rate.
- The price file steps both plans up with the list. The 500-subscriber card is not a 10,000-subscriber bill.
Cons
- You still pay by subscribers, which does not forgive a messy import the way an email allowance does.
- The free plan ends at 250 people, so the Comfort card arrives early, before the list looks like a newsletter.
ActiveCampaign
Automation depth Essentials withholds, priced from a 1,000-contact band, with no free plan to rehearse on.
- Pricing
- From $15/mo (Starter, 1,000 contacts, billed annually). 14-day trial.
Best for: Teams whose Mailchimp flows already died at four steps
Pros
- Starter at 1,000 contacts is $15 a month billed annually, or $180 a year.
- Plus is $588 a year, Pro is $948, and Enterprise is $1,740, with 1, 1, 3, and 5 users included.
- A 14-day trial starts from an email signup, long enough to rebuild one journey.
Cons
- There is no free plan. The pilot is the trial.
- The headline is 1,000 contacts. Billed annually, Starter is $39/mo ($468 a year) at 2,500 contacts and $79/mo at 5,000.
Klaviyo
A store profile tool whose free plan ends at 250 people, 500 emails, and a small mobile credit.
- Pricing
- Free to 250 profiles and 500 emails. Email $20.00/mo at 251 to 500 profiles.
Best for: Shopify stores that need revenue on the profile, not a blast
Pros
- Free covers 250 active profiles, 500 emails a month, and $5 of mobile messages, plus the same Composer credit.
- Email is $20.00 and Email plus SMS is $35.00 for 251 to 500 active profiles.
- Campaign revenue sits on the free marketing set, which is the number a store asks for.
Cons
- Free email support lasts 60 days, then the help center and the community.
- Those paid figures cover 251 to 500 profiles. A larger file is a higher step.
Omnisend
Ecommerce email and SMS that does not bill unsubscribed contacts, with a 3-month discount on Standard.
- Pricing
- Free to 250 contacts and 500 emails. Standard $11.20/mo at 500 on a 3-month offer.
Best for: Stores that want email plus SMS and a bill that skips unsubscribes
Pros
- You pay for subscribers and for non-subscribers who got an automated message. Unsubscribed contacts are not billed.
- Free includes the paid feature set, at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month.
- Standard at 500 contacts shows 6,000 emails a month, web push, and no Omnisend badge.
Cons
- The $11.20 Standard rate means paying three months upfront ($33.60, 30% off $48). After that, billing is monthly at the $16 list rate.
- Pro at 2,500 contacts shows $41.30 a month on that offer, against a $177 comparison total. High-volume US SMS starts at $0.007.
Kit
A large free broadcast list, with visual automations and sequences held for the Creator step.
- Pricing
- Free to 10,000 subscribers. Creator $33/mo ($390/yr) at 1,000 subscribers.
Best for: Creators who broadcast and sell, and can postpone sequences
Pros
- Free includes unlimited broadcasts, landing pages, forms, tagging, and selling digital products.
- Creator at 1,000 subscribers, yearly, is $33 a month and $390 billed yearly, and it adds automations, sequences, and branding removal.
- The Creator trial is 14 days with no card. Pro on that yearly view is $66 a month and $790 billed yearly.
Cons
- Free has no visual automations or sequences, so a welcome series is the paid step.
- The Creator card is the 1,000-subscriber step. Free already allows 10,000.
beehiiv
A publication platform with unlimited sends on Launch, and growth tools that start on Scale.
- Pricing
- Launch free to 2,500 subscribers. Scale $43/mo ($517/yr) at up to 1,000.
Best for: Newsletter businesses that want referrals and an ad network
Pros
- Launch is free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends. Automations are not included.
- On the annual card at up to 1,000 subscribers, Scale is $43 a month ($517 billed annually) and adds automations, ads, and referrals.
- Max on that card is $96 a month ($1,151 billed annually) and removes branding.
Cons
- The Scale and Max figures are the 1,000-subscriber annual cards. The menu runs to 100,000.
- Launch will not run a welcome series, and it is the wrong tool for a Shopify catalog. We send MarketingShot on beehiiv. That is a disclosure, and it is why beehiiv is not first.
Constant Contact
Phone support and a contact-priced plan, closer to Mailchimp's meter than to a send-based bill.
- Pricing
- Lite from $12/mo, or $10.20/mo billed annually. Trial, no free plan.
Best for: Local teams that want phone support more than a new pricing model
Pros
- Lite, Standard, and Premium each publish a monthly start and a lower annual start, listed in the table.
- Every plan includes phone and chat support, a no-card trial, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on new plans.
- Premium includes 500 SMS messages a month. On Lite or Standard, SMS starts at $10 a month for up to 500 messages.
Cons
- Price still depends on contacts. Send caps are 10 times the list on Lite, 12 times on Standard, and 24 times on Premium.
- Extra sends are $0.002 each. Lite is one user and one automation template.
What it is
A Mailchimp alternative is a sender that can take the audience, the forms, and the journeys you already run, without treating every old address as part of the bill.
Free holds 250 contacts, 500 sends a month or 250 a day, one seat, and one audience.
Branding stays, and live sending pauses above that contact cap. Essentials then starts at $13/mo after a 14-day free trial. The help center says that start includes 500 contacts, a send cap of 10 times the limit, three seats, and flows of up to four steps.
Standard then starts at $20/mo, with a 12-times send cap and five seats. Premium then starts at $350/mo, and that base includes 10,000 contacts.
The no-card trial lasts 14 days and sends up to 100 emails. Subject-line tests are already on Essentials, so a test is a weak reason to migrate. A journey longer than four steps is not.
How it works
Name the line that hurt. If it is stored contacts, including people who unsubscribed, open Brevo or Omnisend. Brevo's Starter card is an email allowance that begins at 5,000 sends a month.
Omnisend says unsubscribed contacts are not billed.
If the line is a flow that cannot branch, open ActiveCampaign, or stay and move to Standard, which lists up to 200 automation flows. MailerLite's free plan already includes automations, two seats, and 2,500 emails a month, inside 250 subscribers.
A store file points at Klaviyo or Omnisend.
A publication points at Kit, which withholds visual automations on the free plan, or beehiiv Launch, which allows unlimited sends and no automations. Cold outbound is a different buy, in the cold email guide.
A dirty import belongs in the deliverability guide, and a free pilot belongs in the free email marketing guide.
Why it matters
The starter price is not the migration price. Essentials and Standard open at a 500-contact band. Old conference rows sit in that total until you archive or delete them. Overages bill automatically, and Mailchimp says the campaign keeps sending if you pay them.
The add-on block is not one printed price for every plan.
MarketingShot's 35,000+ subscribers would miss the starting band on Essentials, on Standard, on Kit's printed Creator step, and on beehiiv's 1,000-subscriber annual card.
Model the band you will occupy. Journeys are the lifecycle guide. A one-marketer team is the small-business email guide.
Seats are the second trap.
Free is one user, Essentials is three, Standard is five, and Premium is unlimited. Constant Contact Lite is one user and one automation template.
Key features to look for
Pricing
Budget the ongoing Mailchimp rates. Essentials and Standard start at $13/mo and $20/mo after a 14-day free trial, and Premium starts at $350/mo after $297.50/mo for the first 12 months. Mailchimp's 15% first-year discount applies only to accounts with 10,000+ contacts.
The help center ties those starts to 500, 500, and 10,000 contacts.
The other monthly and yearly amounts sit in the table: Brevo's email allowances, MailerLite at 500 subscribers, ActiveCampaign at 1,000 contacts, Klaviyo's 251 to 500 profile offers, Omnisend's three-month cards, Kit and beehiiv at the subscriber step printed on each page, and Constant Contact's starting prices. Prices were verified on each vendor's pricing page in September 2026.
| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp Free | Free | 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo, 1 seat |
| Mailchimp Essentials, after 14-day trial | $13/mo | 500 contacts, 10x sends, 4-step flows |
| Mailchimp Standard, after 14-day trial | $20/mo | 500 contacts, 12x sends, 5 seats |
| Mailchimp Premium, after 12 months | $350/mo | 10,000 contacts, 15x sends |
| Mailchimp Premium, first 12 months | $297.50/mo | 15% off the starting rate |
| Brevo Free | Free | 300 emails/day after approval, up to 100,000 contacts |
| Brevo Starter, monthly | $9/mo | From 5,000 emails/mo and up to 500 contacts |
| Brevo Starter, yearly | $96.96/yr | Annual total |
| Brevo Standard, monthly | $18/mo | Heatmaps, one landing page |
| Brevo Standard, yearly | $194.04/yr | Annual total |
| Brevo Professional, monthly | $499/mo | From 150,000 emails/mo, 10 seats |
| Brevo Professional, yearly | $5,388.96/yr | Annual total |
| MailerLite Free | Free | 250 subscribers, automations, 2,500 emails |
| MailerLite Comfort, 500, monthly | $12/mo | Monthly column, 500 subscribers |
| MailerLite Comfort, 500, yearly | $10.80/mo | Yearly column, same step |
| MailerLite Power, 500, monthly | $25/mo | Monthly column, 500 subscribers |
| MailerLite Power, 500, yearly | $22.50/mo | Yearly column, same step |
| ActiveCampaign Starter, 1,000, yearly | $180/yr | 1 user included, 14-day trial |
| ActiveCampaign Plus, 1,000, yearly | $588/yr | 1 user included |
| ActiveCampaign Pro, 1,000, yearly | $948/yr | 3 users included |
| ActiveCampaign Enterprise, 1,000, yearly | $1,740/yr | 5 users included |
| Klaviyo Free | Free | 250 profiles, 500 emails, $5 mobile |
| Klaviyo Email, 251 to 500 profiles | $20.00/mo | USD schema, that profile band |
| Klaviyo Email + SMS, 251 to 500 | $35.00/mo | USD schema, same band |
| Omnisend Free | Free | 250 contacts, 500 emails, paid features |
| Omnisend Standard, 500, 3-month offer | $11.20/mo | $33.60 today vs $48 comparison |
| Omnisend Pro, 2,500, 3-month offer | $41.30/mo | $123.90 today vs $177 comparison |
| Kit Free | Free | 10,000 subscribers, no automations |
| Kit Creator, 1,000, yearly | $33/mo | $390 billed yearly, no-card trial |
| Kit Pro, 1,000, yearly | $66/mo | $790 billed yearly |
| beehiiv Launch | Free | 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends |
| beehiiv Scale, up to 1,000, annual | $43/mo | $517 billed annually, automations |
| beehiiv Max, up to 1,000, annual | $96/mo | $1,151 billed annually |
| Constant Contact Lite, monthly | $12/mo | 1 user, 1 automation template |
| Constant Contact Lite, annual | $10.20/mo | Up to 15% off the start |
| Constant Contact Standard, monthly | $35/mo | 3 users, 12x sends |
| Constant Contact Standard, annual | $29.75/mo | Annual start |
| Constant Contact Premium, monthly | $80/mo | Unlimited users, 500 SMS, 24x sends |
| Constant Contact Premium, annual | $68/mo | Annual start |
| Constant Contact extra sends | $0.002 each | $2 per 1,000 extra sends |
The bottom line
Brevo is the default exit for most teams: the largest free plan here and a low paid entry.
Put the email tier your list actually needs in the budget, since each paid tier also caps stored contacts, and use the Brevo profile for the directory record.
MailerLite is the small-list exit when automations have to exist on day one.
ActiveCampaign is the exit when the journey is the product. Klaviyo and Omnisend are the store exits. Kit and beehiiv are the publication exits. Constant Contact is the exit when someone must answer the phone, and the contact meter comes with them.
A CRM-shaped exit is the Marketing Hub review.
Cite this: MarketingShot, "Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2026", September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Mailchimp alternative in 2026?
Brevo, for most marketing teams. Starter's monthly rate and yearly total are on the card, the meter starts at 5,000 emails a month for up to 500 contacts, and the free plan stores up to 100,000 contacts. MailerLite fits when automations have to exist inside a free cap of 250 subscribers. ActiveCampaign fits when the journey is longer than Essentials allows.
Why do people leave Mailchimp?
The contact definition is the usual reason. Subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed people all count, so a list you no longer mail can still be a large bill. Essentials caps flows at four steps, the free plan pauses above 250 contacts, and the no-card trial sends up to 100 emails. Subject-line testing is already on Essentials. The Mailchimp profile is the product record.
How much does Mailchimp cost in 2026?
On the US marketing pricing page, Essentials starts at $13/mo and Standard at $20/mo after a 14-day free trial, and Premium at $350/mo after $297.50/mo for the first 12 months. The 15% first-year discount applies only at 10,000+ contacts. The help center ties those starts to 500, 500, and 10,000 contacts. Free covers 250 contacts. A real newsletter is a higher band than the number at the top of that page.
Is there a free Mailchimp alternative?
Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers if you only broadcast. beehiiv Launch is free up to 2,500 subscribers, with unlimited sends and no automations. MailerLite, Klaviyo, and Omnisend each stop the free plan at 250 people. Brevo's free plan is 300 emails a day after approval, with room for 100,000 contacts. The free email guide compares those caps on their own.
Brevo vs MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign: which replaces Mailchimp?
Brevo replaces Mailchimp's small free plan and its steep paid bands, because Starter sells emails per month with a contact cap per tier. MailerLite replaces a small newsletter that needs automations immediately, and Comfort at 500 subscribers is the monthly and yearly pair printed on the card. ActiveCampaign replaces a broken journey: Starter is $15/mo at 1,000 contacts, billed annually, and there is no free plan. Use one of them, not all three.
What should an ecommerce store use instead of Mailchimp?
Klaviyo or Omnisend. Klaviyo's free plan is 250 active profiles and 500 emails, and the first paid Email offer in USD is $20.00 a month for 251 to 500 profiles, or $35.00 with SMS. Omnisend does not bill unsubscribed contacts, and Standard at 500 contacts is $11.20 a month for the first three months against a $48 comparison total. A publication, rather than a store, should read the beehiiv review before either of those.
Sources
Prices and plan details come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker.
- Brevo pricingchecked Sep 2026
- MailerLite pricingchecked Sep 2026
- ActiveCampaign pricingchecked Sep 2026
- Klaviyo pricingchecked Sep 2026
- Kit pricingchecked Sep 2026
- beehiiv pricingchecked Sep 2026
Some offers on this page may be paid placements or contain affiliate links.
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