iContact vs Mailchimp
We give iContact a 2.6 GPA and Mailchimp a 2.8, out of 4.0. iContact grades higher on value for money. Mailchimp grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
iContact
Email marketing for small businesses, with social posting built in
Mailchimp
Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAiContactGood | 2.8GPAMailchimpGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStandard is $9 a month for 500 contacts billed monthly, inside the cheaper quarter of email tools, and $73 at 10,000. It stops at 1 user, 2 lists, 1 segment and 1 automation, though; unlimited use and social posting are Premium at $16, a little above the middle. | 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 a 30-day free trial with full access, and no card is mentioned. A month is enough to send a few real newsletters before deciding. | 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 | BThe whole job: a drag-and-drop editor with templates, AI-written emails and images, automations on sign-ups, dates and segments, forms, landing pages and social posting from the same dashboard. Dynamic content and built-in verification are Ultimate only. | 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. It's a web app where you build the emails, lists and landing pages yourself; the AI drafts help, but there's still setting up before the first send. | 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 and posting to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and X, plus a separate edition that runs inside Salesforce. No API, Zapier or phone app on record. | 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 | small-business newsletters with social posting | 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: iContact and Mailchimp. How we grade
Price against what you get
iContact starts at $9 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 $4 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, none scores higher than iContact 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
- iContact starts at $9 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly. Mailchimp starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.
- Mailchimp has a free plan. iContact does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps.
- iContact also covers templates.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
At a glance
| iContact | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly | $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 with full access | 14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | J2 Martech Corp | Intuit Mailchimp |
| Price read from | icontact.com | mailchimp.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
iContact
- Small businesses sending regular newsletters to a modest list
- Marketers who want email and social posts planned in one place
- Salesforce users who want to send campaigns without leaving it
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
iContact
- There is no free plan; after the 30-day trial the cheapest plan is $9 a month for 500 contacts.
- Standard allows 1 user, 1 landing page, 1 automation and 1 segment; unlimited use needs Premium or Ultimate.
- Sending past the plan's monthly limit is charged as overage, and lists over 50,000 contacts are priced by contacting sales.
- The comparison chart on the pricing page shows different figures from the price slider, such as Ultimate at $54 for 5,000 contacts against $84.
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
iContact
- Drag-and-drop editor and templates
- Build emails from blocks of text, images, buttons and video, starting from a library of pre-designed email and landing page templates and stock images.
- AI email and image generation
- Describe the email, tone and length and AI drafts the subject line, copy and calls to action, or creates images saved to the media library. Brand settings keep drafts on style.
- Automations
- Welcome emails on sign-up, specific-date and custom-date triggers, and journeys that start when a contact qualifies for a segment. Standard allows one automation.
- Social posting
- Schedule posts to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and X from one dashboard, embed posts in emails, and post an email's content to social channels as it sends.
- List management and verification
- CSV import, segmentation, sign-up forms and landing page forms, plus email verification that marks addresses deliverable, risky, undeliverable or unknown.
- iContact for Salesforce
- A separate edition that runs campaigns, scheduled sends and reports inside Salesforce using its contact and lead data. It is arranged through a specialist.
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
iContact
Standard$9
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly
Sends 10 times the list a month, 1 user, 2 lists, 1 segment, 1 landing page and 1 automation. Price rises with the list: $73 a month at 10,000 contacts.
Premium$16
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly
Sends 12 times the list, unlimited users, lists, landing pages and automations, social posting and the AI content assistant. $109 a month at 10,000 contacts.
Ultimate$24
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly
Everything in Premium, sends 15 times the list, email verification included, dynamic content and AI templates and images. $128 a month at 10,000 contacts.
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
iContact
- Annual discount
Save 15% with yearly billing
iContact's pricing page lists a 15% saving for paying yearly: Standard at 500 contacts is $92 a year against $9 a month 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.
