CleverReach vs Mailchimp (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Mailchimp: it is first in our ranking of email marketing and newsletter tools, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mailchimp grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CleverReach
Newsletter and email automation tool from Germany with a free plan
Mailchimp
Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count
Which one is for you
Pick CleverReach if
- Fits if you have a small list and want a free plan first
- Works for shop owners on Shopify or WooCommerce
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if your list grows: the free plan stops at 250 recipients and 1,000 emails
- Skip it if you need A/B tests or scheduling, which are on Pro
- Watch out: prices are in euros, exclude VAT and are for business customers
- Watch out: premium support is EUR 22.95 a month, and design and spam tests EUR 5 each
- Not for you if you are in the US and want the free Pro month
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
How we grade them
| 2.2GPACleverReachFair | 2.8GPAMailchimpGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is EUR 15 a month for up to 500 recipients and Pro EUR 18, inside the ordinary range. The page doesn't say if that is monthly or yearly billing, and extras like premium support cost EUR 22.95 a month. | 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 | CA free plan with 250 recipients, 1,000 emails a month and one automation, which you will hit. The free Pro month doesn't apply in the United States. | 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 | CEditor, forms, automation, testing and reports. But A/B testing, scheduling and heat maps are on Pro, not Basic. | 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 store rating on record. You build forms, templates and automations yourself. | A4.85 from 51,677 App Store ratings, the top band. The phone app can build and send an email or scan a business card into your contacts. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb with integrations like Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Salesforce, Zapier and Make, plus an API. No desktop app. | 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 | newsletters with a permanent free plan, priced in euros | 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: CleverReach and Mailchimp. How we grade
Price against what you get
CleverReach starts at about $16.76 a month and scores 2.3 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 $3.76 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 18 score higher than CleverReach 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
- CleverReach also covers transactional email and a/B testing.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
At a glance
| CleverReach | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €15 per month for up to 500 recipients | $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Lite: 250 recipients and up to 1,000 emails a month, with the drag-and-drop editor, free templates, one automation workflow and basic reporting. | 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 | One free month on Pro for new customers with up to 5,000 recipients (not in the United States) | 14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | CleverReach GmbH & Co. KG | Intuit Mailchimp |
| Price read from | cleverreach.com | mailchimp.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CleverReach
- Prices are in euros and exclude VAT; offers are for business customers only.
- The page shows €15 and €18 at 500 recipients, with a 10% reduction for annual billing; which basis the shown figure uses is not stated, and larger tiers need the slider.
- Premium support costs €22.95 a month, personal onboarding €29 per meeting and design and spam tests €5 per test.
- The free Pro month does not apply in the United States or to agencies.
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
CleverReach
- Newsletter editor
- Drag-and-drop editor with free templates, your own HTML templates and landing pages.
- Automation
- Automation workflows from templates: one on Lite, unlimited on Pro. Transactional emails are also listed.
- Recipients and forms
- Signup forms, a preference center, segmentation and tags for recipient lists.
- Testing and sending
- A/B testing and scheduled sending on Pro, plus design, spam and accessibility tests sold per test on lower plans.
- Reporting
- Open, click, unsubscribe and bounce rates, conversion tracking and a deliverability dashboard.
- Integrations and API
- Connectors for shops, CMSs and CRMs, plus a REST API.
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
CleverReach
Lite€0
250 recipients, up to 1,000 emails a month, one automation workflow and basic reporting.
Basic€15
per month for up to 500 recipients
Unlimited emails, ad-free newsletters, AI content generator and unlimited forms. Price rises with recipients; billing basis not shown.
Pro€18
per month for up to 500 recipients
Everything in Basic plus A/B testing, scheduled sending, unlimited lists and automation, and click heat maps.
Enterprise€499
per month for 250,000 emails
Everything in Pro with unlimited recipients, a monthly email quota, premium support, an SLA and unlimited image storage.
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
CleverReach
- Annual discount
10% off with annual billing
The pricing page offers a 10% reduction when paying annually in advance instead of monthly.
- Other savings
Free first month of Pro
New customers with up to 5,000 recipients get one month of Pro free; it excludes agency customers and the United States.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CleverReach or Mailchimp?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mailchimp is cheaper to start with: $13 a month, against about $16.76 a month for CleverReach. CleverReach starts at €15 per month for up to 500 recipients, and Mailchimp starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, CleverReach or Mailchimp?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CleverReach and Mailchimp have a free plan.
Which platforms do CleverReach and Mailchimp run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.