BenchmarkONE vs Mailchimp (2026): which should you pick?

Pick BenchmarkONE if

• Fits if you are a small business that wants contacts and email together
• Works for agencies, which get bundled accounts and co-branding

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay free: 250 contacts and 500 emails a month
• Pricey if you want the CRM, since Pro is $179 against $29 for Lite at 500 contacts
• Watch out: prices climb to $319 on Lite and $619 on Pro at the largest tier
• Watch out: agency pricing isn't published and goes through a sales conversation

Pick Mailchimp if

• Fits if you send a regular newsletter or promotions to a small list
• Works for shops on Shopify, WooCommerce or Square that want automated emails and SMS in one account

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if your list is big, at $110 a month on Essentials for 10,000 contacts
• Tight if you stay free, since sending stops at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month
• Skip it if surprise bills worry you, as passing a contact or send limit bills overages automatically
• Watch out: Essentials caps flows at 4 steps, and dynamic content and custom reports start at Standard
• Watch out: SMS is a paid add-on in select countries, needs approval, and unused credits expire

BenchmarkONE

• The free plans stop at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month.
• Pro costs much more than Lite at the same contact count: $179 against $29 a month at 500 contacts, billed annually.
• Agency pricing is not published and is sold through a sales conversation.
• Prices step up with the contact count, reaching $319 a month for Lite and $619 for Pro at the largest listed tier, billed annually.

Mailchimp

• The Free plan stops at 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, and sending pauses until you upgrade or trim the list.
• Paid plans bill overages automatically when you pass your contact or monthly send limit.
• Essentials caps automations at 4 flow steps; dynamic content and custom reports start at Standard.
• SMS is a paid add-on in select countries, needs an approved application, and its monthly credits expire unused.

BenchmarkONE

Email marketing

Send personalized email to the contact list; available on the free Lite plan within its 500-emails-a-month limit.

Marketing automation

Follow-up workflows that send targeted messages to leads; listed on Lite and Pro.

CRM and deal pipeline

Pro adds a full CRM with a deal pipeline, social profiles, a live activity feed and user permissions.

Landing pages and popups

Build landing pages and popups to capture leads into the contact list.

Gmail and Outlook tools

A Gmail integration and an Outlook add-in create contacts, notes and tasks from the inbox; a Chrome extension adds leads from web pages.

Agency features

The agency plan adds bundled accounts, co-branding and a master template library for agencies serving several clients.

Mailchimp

Automation flows

Standard and Premium allow up to 200 automated flows, such as welcome series and abandoned-cart emails. Essentials is limited to 4 flow steps and Free has none.

Templates and email builder

Pre-built templates on every plan (a limited set on Free). Custom-coded templates can be built on any plan but only sent from Standard and Premium.

Segmentation and dynamic content

Standard adds advanced segmentation, pre-built segments and dynamic content; Premium adds predictive segmentation.

Popup forms and landing pages

Popup sign-up forms are included on every plan, and the Free plan can also build landing pages and forms.

SMS and MMS add-on

Paid plans can add SMS, with MMS on Standard and Premium in select countries, after an application is approved. Credits are bought in monthly blocks.

Mobile app

The iOS and Android app can build and send emails, scan business cards into contacts, make simple landing pages and show campaign reports.

BenchmarkONE

• Lite (free)$0

  per month for up to 250 contacts

  Unlimited users, 500 emails a month, contact management, email marketing, marketing automation and landing pages.

• Lite$29

  per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)

  Email-focused plan. The price rises with the list: $119 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually ($159 billed monthly).

• Pro$179

  per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($219 monthly)

  Adds the full CRM, deal pipeline, Gmail and Outlook integration, a mobile web app and user permissions. $269 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually ($329 billed monthly).

• AgenciesCustom

  Special pricing for qualifying agencies, with bundled accounts, co-branding, a master template library and partner certification.

Mailchimp

• Free$0

  1 seat, 1 audience, 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. Sending pauses when a limit is passed.

• Essentials$13

  per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly

  3 seats, 3 audiences, sends of 10 times your contacts, scheduling and 4-step flows. Price rises with the list: $110 a month at 10,000 contacts.

• Standard$20

  per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly

  5 seats, up to 200 automation flows, dynamic content and custom reports. Price rises with the list: $135 a month at 10,000 contacts.

• Premium$350

  per month for up to 10,000 contacts, billed monthly

  Unlimited seats and audiences, phone and priority support, multivariate testing. Price rises with the list: $815 a month at 50,000 contacts.

BenchmarkONE

• Annual discount

  Lower price with yearly billing

  The pricing page shows lower monthly prices when billed yearly: for example Lite at 500 contacts is $29 a month against $49 billed monthly.

Mailchimp

• Nonprofit

  15% off for nonprofits and charities

  Mailchimp's pricing page offers nonprofits and charities 15% off. You sign up for a free account and then contact the Billing team with your username and website.

• Other savings

  15% off the first 12 months at 10,000+ contacts

  New customers on a monthly Essentials, Standard or Premium plan with 10,000 or more contacts get 15% off for the first 12 months, then the list price.