Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp
We give Campaign Monitor a 2.4 GPA and Mailchimp a 2.8, out of 4.0. Mailchimp grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Campaign Monitor
Email marketing for small businesses, nonprofits and agencies
Mailchimp
Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACampaign MonitorFair | 2.8GPAMailchimpGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CLite is $11.70 a month for 500 contacts on yearly billing, or $13 monthly, right around the middle of what email tools charge. It's $117 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts, and unlimited sends need Essentials at $27.90. | CEssentials is $13 a month for up to 500 contacts, right at the middle of what email tools charge. It climbs with the list, though, to $110 a month at 10,000 contacts, and flows longer than 4 steps need Standard at $20. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but there's a 30-day trial for up to 500 contacts and 500 emails. Long enough to build and send a couple of campaigns, but it's a trial, not a plan you can stay on. | CFree for 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with 1 seat and limited templates. You'll pass 250 contacts quickly, and then sending pauses until you upgrade or trim the list. Paid plans have a 14-day trial. |
| Features | BA drag-and-drop builder with over 100 templates, templates made from your website, journeys, RSS and transactional emails, engagement segments, dynamic content and reports that drop bot clicks. That's the whole job, plus proper agency sub-accounts. | BCampaigns, templates, popup forms, landing pages, up to 200 automated flows, segmentation, dynamic content, multivariate testing on Premium and an SMS add-on. That's the whole email marketing job. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record and no phone app. Marketing Studio can draft a branded email from your site, which helps, but there are still lists, journeys and segments to set up. | A4.85 from 51,677 App Store ratings, the top band by a long way. The phone app can even build and send an email or scan a business card into your contacts. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Salesforce, Shopify, WordPress, Unbounce, Intercom, OptinMonster, AdRoll and Zapier, and an API. No desktop or phone app keeps it at a B. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, Zapier, Square, Wix, Squarespace and Stripe, and an API. No desktop app, which keeps it off an A. |
| Best for | agencies sending polished emails for clients | newsletters and promo emails for small businesses |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp. How we grade
Price against what you get
Campaign Monitor starts at $11.70 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mailchimp starts at $13 a month and scores 3.3.
Mailchimp scores higher, and starts $1.30 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Campaign Monitor for less, and none scores higher than Mailchimp for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Campaign Monitor starts at $11.70 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually. Mailchimp starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.
- Mailchimp has a free plan. Campaign Monitor does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
At a glance
| Campaign Monitor | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $11.70 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually | $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | 1 seat, 1 audience, up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month (250 a day), limited templates and email support for the first 30 days. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial for up to 500 contacts and 500 emails | 14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Marigold | Intuit Mailchimp |
| Price read from | campaignmonitor.com | mailchimp.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Campaign Monitor
- Agencies sending email for several clients under their own brand
- Small businesses and nonprofits with polished newsletter designs
- Teams that want unlimited users on every plan
Mailchimp
- Small businesses sending regular newsletters and promotions
- Online shops on Shopify, WooCommerce or Square that want automated emails
- Teams that want email and SMS campaigns in one account
Worth knowing
Campaign Monitor
- Lite caps sends at 5 times the contact tier each month; Essentials and above have no cap.
- Phone support, send time optimization and section locking need Premier, from $153.90 a month billed annually.
- The drag-and-drop website builder costs $10 a month on Lite and Essentials.
- Lists over 50,000 contacts are priced through sales.
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.
Key features
Campaign Monitor
- Email builder and templates
- A drag-and-drop builder with over 100 templates, custom-coded HTML imports and branded templates generated from your website's URL.
- Marketing Studio and AI tools
- Marketing Studio drafts a branded email from your site and a goal. AI Writer, AI Email Booster and AI Segment Mapper help with copy, review and segments.
- Automated journeys
- Pre-built journeys, date-based Campaign Series, RSS-triggered emails and transactional emails, with volume tied to the plan's limits.
- Segments and personalization
- Engagement segments, dynamic content, custom fields, a preference center and countdown timers; send time optimization comes with Premier.
- Agency accounts
- Client sub-accounts under one admin account, private labeling, a markup on the base price billed through Campaign Monitor, and shared templates.
- Reporting
- Marketing Monitor benchmarks, campaign scores, real-time world-map reporting and a filter that drops bot clicks from results.
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.
Plans
Campaign Monitor
Lite$11.70
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($13 monthly)
Sends 5 times the list a month, unlimited users, AI Writer, automations and transactional email. Price rises with the list: $117 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts.
Essentials$27.90
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($31 monthly)
Unlimited sends, automated emails and AI features, priority support, inbox preview and Marketing Studio. $182 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts.
Premier$153.90
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($171 monthly)
Phone support, send time optimization, engagement segments, section locking, team templates and the website builder. $300 a month billed monthly at 10,000.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom annual contract, a dedicated account manager, multi-brand accounts, deliverability monitoring and invoice or PO billing.
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.
Ways to pay less
Campaign Monitor
- Annual discount
10% off with annual billing
Campaign Monitor's pricing page takes 10% off Lite, Essentials and Premier billed yearly: Lite at 500 contacts is $11.70 a month instead of $13.
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.
