Mailchimp vs Sender
We give Mailchimp and Sender the same GPA: 2.8 out of 4.0. Mailchimp grades higher on ease of use. Sender grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on 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
Sender
Email and SMS marketing with a free plan for 2,500 subscribers
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMailchimpGood | 2.8GPASenderGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BStandard is $9 a month for 500 subscribers, inside the cheaper quarter of email tools, and $69 a month at 10,000. Yearly billing costs the same, but new customers get 30% off the first year: $75.60 instead of $108. |
| 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. | BFree Forever covers 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, with automation, pop-ups, forms, 10 landing pages and transactional email. One person could really live on that. It's 1 seat, and everything carries Sender's branding. |
| 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. | BDrag-and-drop and HTML editors, workflows with splits on every plan, over 40 pop-up and form templates, landing pages, SMS from Standard, transactional email over SMTP and an API, and shop segments. 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's a web app where you import a list, build templates and set up workflows yourself. |
| 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 only, with Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Jumpseller and Zapier, and an API. No desktop or phone app keeps it at a B. |
| Best for | newsletters and promo emails for small businesses | a free plan with automation 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 Sender. 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. Sender starts at $9 a month and scores 2.7.
Mailchimp scores higher, and starts $4 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, none scores higher than Mailchimp for less, and none scores higher than Sender 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. Sender starts at $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly.
- Only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
- Sender also covers business texting.
At a glance
| Mailchimp | Sender | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly | $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly |
| 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. | Free Forever plan: up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, 1 seat, automation, pop-ups, forms, 10 landing pages and transactional email, with Sender branding. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan | 14-day trial of Professional features when you open a free account |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Intuit Mailchimp | UAB Sender.lt |
| Price read from | mailchimp.com | sender.net |
| 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
Sender
- Small online stores that want a free plan with automation
- Senders adding text messages to email campaigns
- Occasional senders who would rather buy credits than subscribe
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.
Sender
- The 30% yearly discount covers a new customer's first year only; the yearly list price is the same as twelve monthly payments.
- Free plan emails, forms and landing pages carry Sender branding.
- SMS credits are bought separately on Standard and priced by destination country.
- Pay-as-you-go credits are sold instead of a plan, from $29 for 5,000 emails with no Sender logo.
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.
Sender
- Email builder
- Drag-and-drop, HTML and plain-text editors with over 100 templates, product and abandoned-cart blocks, and a countdown timer on Professional.
- Automation workflows
- Pre-built and custom workflows with splits and custom triggers on every plan, Free included. SMS steps in workflows need Professional.
- Pop-ups, forms and landing pages
- Over 40 pop-up and form templates with exit-intent and spin-to-win options. Free allows 10 landing pages; paid plans have no cap and allow a custom domain.
- SMS campaigns
- Text campaigns from Standard, paid with credits priced by destination country. Professional includes free credits equal to its monthly fee.
- Transactional email
- Order and account emails over SMTP and an API on every plan, with event webhooks and email logs kept 1 to 30 days by plan.
- Segments and reports
- Behavioral and ecommerce segments, click heatmaps and audience growth reports; sales reports start at Standard.
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.
Sender
Free Forever$0
2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails a month, 1 seat and 10 landing pages, with Sender branding on emails, forms and pages.
Standard$9
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Emails up to 12 times the list, 3 seats, no branding, SMS and A/B tests. $108 billed yearly, or $75.60 for a first year. $69 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
Professional$15
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
24 times the list in emails, 10 seats, SMS credits worth the fee, advanced automation and reports. $180 yearly, $126 for a first year. $127 a month at 10,000.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited emails and users, a success manager, phone support, SSO, activity logs and a service level agreement.
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.
Sender
- Annual discount
30% off the first year with yearly billing
First-time users who pay yearly get 30% off the first year: Standard at 500 subscribers is $75.60 instead of $108.
