Mailchimp vs Privy
We give Mailchimp a 2.8 GPA and Privy a 2.4, 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.
Mailchimp
Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMailchimpGood | 2.4GPAPrivyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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$30 a month for 1,500 mailable contacts, at the dear end of what email tools charge, though it includes unlimited sends and 250 SMS credits. It's $165 a month at 10,000 contacts, and a pop-ups-only plan is $24. |
| 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. | CNo free plan, but the 15-day trial needs no card. That's enough to put a pop-up on your shop and see if people sign up. |
| 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. | BPop-ups with exit intent, spin-to-win, quizzes and cart savers, landing pages, A/B tests, an email editor that pulls in your products and coupons, ready-made cart, welcome and purchase flows, texts and revenue reports. For a shop, that's the whole job. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo App Store rating on record and no phone app. It plugs into your store, but you'll still be designing pop-ups and choosing flows before it earns its keep. |
| 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. | BWeb, with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, Weebly and Klaviyo. No API on record and no desktop or phone app, so B is as high as it goes. |
| Best for | newsletters and promo emails for small businesses | pop-ups, email and texts for small shops |
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 Privy. 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. Privy starts at $30 a month and scores 2.7.
Mailchimp scores higher and starts $17 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, none scores higher than Mailchimp for less, and 3 score higher than Privy 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 starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly. Privy starts at $30 per month for up to 1,500 mailable contacts.
- Mailchimp has a free plan. Privy does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
- Privy also covers business texting.
At a glance
| Mailchimp | Privy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly | $30 per month for up to 1,500 mailable 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 | 15-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Intuit Mailchimp | Privy |
| Price read from | mailchimp.com | privy.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Privy
- Shopify stores that want pop-ups, email and texts in one tool
- Small stores with up to 1,500 contacts and unlimited sending
- Shops that need a wide choice of pop-up formats
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.
Privy
- There is no free plan; after the 15-day trial, email starts at $30 a month.
- Extra SMS credits cost from $20 a month for 1,250; unused credits roll over but expire after 60 days.
- Text messages are sold for the US and Canada; Australia and the UK are listed as coming soon.
- A pop-ups-only plan priced by page views starts at $24 a month for 10,000 views and syncs contacts to your store or Klaviyo.
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.
Privy
- Pop-ups and displays
- Pop-ups with exit intent, spin-to-win, multi-step quizzes, cart savers and cross-sell offers, plus embedded forms, landing pages and A/B tests.
- Email campaigns
- A drag-and-drop editor and templates that pull in your logo, brand colors, Shopify products and coupon codes.
- Automated flows
- Pre-built flows for abandoned carts, welcome offers for new visitors and purchase follow-ups.
- SMS
- Text campaigns and flows with merge tags, coupon codes and quiet hours. A US text costs one credit and a picture message three.
- Segments and reports
- Target by shopper behavior and track how subscribers were captured and the revenue each campaign brings in.
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.
Privy
Email$30
per month for up to 1,500 mailable contacts
Unlimited emails, email and SMS flows, pop-ups, segmentation and reports, with 250 SMS credits a month. Price rises with the list: $165 a month at 10,000 contacts.
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.
Privy
No public discounts listed.
