Mailchimp vs Mailvio (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 1.6.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mailchimp grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mailchimp
Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count
Mailvio
Email marketing sold with a deliverability expert and onboarding
Which one is for you
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 Mailvio if
- Fits if deliverability is your trouble and you want someone to review it
- Works for lists near 5,000 that want cleaning and segments in one plan
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, since there isn't one
- Skip it if you want to sign up at once, as it is application based with a required onboarding call
- Pricey if your list is over 5,000, because larger steps are priced by request
- Watch out: billing is run by JVZoo, a partner named on the page
- Watch out: the AI email writer is capped at 9 credits a quarter
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMailchimpGood | 1.6GPAMailvioWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$197 a quarter for 5,000 contacts, about $66 a month, which is in the dearer quarter against a $20 middle. The price includes a deliverability review and cleaning. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | FNothing free and no trial on the pricing page. |
| Features | 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. | CUnlimited sending, deliverability review, real-time cleaning, RFM segments and an AI writer limited to 9 credits a quarter. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. Sign-up includes a required onboarding call. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | CWeb only, with no integrations or API listed. |
| Best for | newsletters and promo emails for small businesses | email sold with a deliverability expert |
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: Mailchimp and Mailvio. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mailchimp starts at $13 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mailvio starts at $65.67 a month and scores 2.0.
Mailchimp scores higher and starts $52.67 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, none scores higher than Mailchimp for less, and 54 score higher than Mailvio 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
- Mailchimp also covers marketing automation, forms and reports.
- Mailvio also covers email verification and inbox warm-up.
At a glance
| Mailchimp | Mailvio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly | $197 per quarter for up to 5,000 contacts |
| Free plan | 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. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Intuit Mailchimp | Mailvio |
| Price read from | mailchimp.com | mailvio.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Mailvio
- The pricing page quotes only the 5,000-contact step; larger lists are priced up to 200,000+ contacts and over 50,000 by request.
- Signup includes a required onboarding call and the vendor says it is application based.
- Checkout and billing are run by JVZoo, a partner named on the page.
- Yearly billing is offered with about two months free.
Key features
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.
Mailvio
- Unlimited sending
- Plans send unlimited emails to the contacts they cover, with a mass broadcaster for large sends.
- Deliverability team
- An assigned deliverability expert, a sender reputation guard and built-in deliverability testing.
- Real-time email cleaning
- Included in the plan, as is a done-for-you domain warm-up service.
- RFM segmentation
- A segmentation tool that groups contacts by recency, frequency and monetary value.
- AI email writer
- An AI tool for drafting emails, with a set number of premium credits per quarter.
Plans
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.
Mailvio
Mailvio 5K$197
per quarter for up to 5,000 contacts
Unlimited emails, a deliverability review, email cleaning, RFM segmentation and an AI email writer (9 credits a quarter).
Ways to pay less
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.
Mailvio
- Annual discount
About two months free with yearly billing
The pricing page says switching from quarterly to yearly billing gives about two months free.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mailchimp or Mailvio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mailchimp is cheaper to start with: $13 a month, against $65.67 a month for Mailvio. Mailchimp starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly, and Mailvio starts at $197 per quarter for up to 5,000 contacts.
Which has a free plan, Mailchimp or Mailvio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Mailchimp has a free plan. Mailvio does not.
Which platforms do Mailchimp and Mailvio 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.