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

Pick Litmus if

• Fits if your team already sends from an email platform and needs to check rendering before every send
• Works for groups that put every email through a review and sign-off step

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want one tool that also sends your campaigns, because Litmus doesn't
• Not for you if you need a price before talking to anyone: the site only offers a sales form
• Watch out: the site now calls it part of Validity Engage, so product names and packaging may differ from older material
• Too light for a one-person newsletter, since it's built around teams checking and approving emails

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

Litmus

• Prices are not published: the Pricing link leads to a contact-sales form.
• Litmus does not send campaigns; it works with an email service provider such as Mailchimp, Klaviyo or HubSpot.
• The site now describes Litmus as part of Validity Engage, so product names and packaging may differ from older material.

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.

Litmus

Email previews

Preview an email in desktop, mobile and web email clients, including dark-mode versions of many of them.

Email building

Build on-brand templates so teams can assemble emails quickly, with testing alongside.

Live monitoring

Alerts on problems with deployed emails, such as failing links and broken rendering after a client update.

Review and approval

A central place for collecting feedback and sign-off on an email before it goes out.

Personalization

Add content such as live polls, personalized images and countdown timers to emails.

Deliverability

Inbox placement, domain reputation and engagement insights, presented as part of Validity Engage.

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.

Litmus

Pricing could not be confirmed. See litmus.com.

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.

Litmus

No public discounts listed.

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.