Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
We give Klaviyo 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.
Klaviyo
Email, text and push marketing built on online-store customer data
Mailchimp
Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAKlaviyoFair | 2.8GPAMailchimpGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$20 a month for 500 active profiles, at the dearer end of what email tools start at, and $150 a month at 10,000. Texts and other mobile messages are billed per send on top, and the plan moves up by itself as your list grows. | 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 | CFree for 250 active profiles and 500 email sends a month, with $5 of mobile messages and $5 of Composer AI each month. Fine for setting up a new shop. Go over and sending stops until the next cycle or an upgrade. | 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 | BShopper profiles fed by 350+ integrations, flows, campaigns, forms, product picks, SMS, WhatsApp and push, revenue reports and benchmarks. It covers the whole job for a store. Funnels and cohort reports need the Personalization add-on. | 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. Connecting your store and building flows and segments takes real setup in the web app, though the templates on every plan help. | 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, but 350+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix, plus ChatGPT and Claude, and an API. No desktop app is listed. | 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 | online stores that market from order data | 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: Klaviyo and Mailchimp. How we grade
Price against what you get
Klaviyo starts at $20 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 $7 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Klaviyo 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
- Klaviyo starts at $20 per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly. Mailchimp starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.
- Only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps.
At a glance
| Klaviyo | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly | $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Up to 250 active profiles and 500 email sends a month, $5 of mobile messages and $5 of Composer usage a month, and email support for the first 60 days. | 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 | None listed | 14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Klaviyo | Intuit Mailchimp |
| Price read from | klaviyo.com | mailchimp.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Klaviyo
- Online stores, especially on Shopify, that market from order data
- Brands sending email and text messages from the same flows
- Teams that want segments and reports built on purchase history
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
Klaviyo
- The Free plan stops at 250 active profiles and 500 sends a month; sending halts until the next cycle or an upgrade.
- Price follows active profiles, and accounts move automatically to a higher plan as the list grows.
- Text and other mobile messages cost extra per send, priced by destination with carrier fees included.
- Composer usage beyond the plan allowance is billed at $10 per 1,000 credits; paid support packages start at $500 a month.
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
Klaviyo
- Unified customer profiles
- Each shopper's browsing, order and engagement history sits in one profile, synced from more than 350 integrations and used for real-time segments.
- Flows and campaigns
- Email and flow templates, web sign-up forms and personalized product recommendations are on every plan, including Free.
- Mobile messaging
- SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, RCS and mobile push sit alongside email in the same flows, billed per message on top of the email plan.
- Composer AI agent
- Composer reviews flows, segments and forms and drafts campaigns from a prompt. Free accounts get $5 of usage a month; a $20 monthly add-on gives four times as much.
- Reports and benchmarks
- Dashboards, campaign revenue attribution and peer benchmarks on every plan. Funnels, cohort reports and custom attribution need the Personalization add-on.
- Customer service tools
- Customer Agent answers shopper questions with AI (first 50 resolutions free) and Helpdesk handles tickets, with a 30-day free trial.
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
Klaviyo
Free$0
250 active profiles, 500 email sends a month, $5 of mobile messages a month. Emails carry the Klaviyo logo.
Email$20
per month for up to 500 active profiles, billed monthly
5,000 sends a month, logo removed, generative AI and predictive analytics. Price rises with the list: $150 a month at 10,000 profiles.
EnterpriseCustom
Standard and Advanced packages priced by active profiles through sales, with sends bought separately by usage.
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
Klaviyo
- Other savings
$19 off the first month of the Email plan
A one-time $19 credit on the first month of the $20 Email plan for accounts with no paid Klaviyo plan in the past 12 months. Valid through November 30, 2026.
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.
