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

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

Pick MailPoet if

• Fits if you already run a WordPress site with fewer than 500 subscribers
• Works for WooCommerce shops that want order emails and newsletters

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you do not use WordPress, because it needs a WordPress site
• Tight if you stay free: 500 subscribers, 5,000 emails and MailPoet branding
• Watch out: segmentation and detailed ecommerce statistics start on the $10 Business plan
• Watch out: the figures are the 500-subscriber step on monthly billing, and the price rises from there
• Not for you if you want a standalone app, since it lives in WordPress

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.

MailPoet

• It runs only inside WordPress, so it needs a WordPress site.
• Starter is capped at 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month; segmentation, detailed statistics and unbranded emails need a paid plan.
• The price rises with the subscriber count in steps up to 500,000, and the figures above are the 500-subscriber step on monthly billing.
• The pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 15%, and nonprofits can request 20% off any plan.

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.

MailPoet

Newsletters in the WordPress dashboard

Emails are built with a drag-and-drop editor and more than 70 templates, and can pull in posts, pages and WooCommerce products.

Automated emails

Welcome emails for new subscribers and automatic notifications for newly published posts, daily, weekly or monthly.

WooCommerce emails

Abandoned cart reminders, first-purchase emails, product and category emails, and customizable WooCommerce transactional emails.

Segmentation

Business and above can segment by engagement, purchasing behavior and other properties.

Choice of sending method

Send through the MailPoet Sending Service, the web host, or a third-party SMTP service.

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.

MailPoet

• Starter$0

  Up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month, with forms, basic automation and summarized statistics. MailPoet branding stays on emails.

• Creator$8

  per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly

  Business features without the MailPoet Sending Service, for people who send through their own host or SMTP. The price rises with the subscriber count.

• Business$10

  per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly

  Unlimited emails, no MailPoet branding, priority support, segmentation and detailed ecommerce statistics. The price rises with the subscriber count.

• Agency$30

  per month for up to 500 subscribers per site, billed monthly

  Business features on up to 50 websites, with the subscriber limit counted per MailPoet install.

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.

MailPoet

• Annual discount

  Up to 15% off with yearly billing

  The pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 15% compared with monthly billing.

• Nonprofit

  20% off for nonprofits

  Nonprofits get 20% off any plan by contacting support to request it.