Mailchimp vs SendFox (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 SendFox if

• Fits if you are a small creator who wants one payment instead of a subscription
• Works for lists under 5,000 contacts, where the Lifetime plan applies

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay free: 3,000 sends a month, 1 automation, 1 form and a SendFox badge
• Watch out: Lifetime comes through AppSumo with 300,000 sends in total, and a footer stays
• Pricey if your list grows: Pro is $79 a month at 50,000 contacts and $399 at 250,000
• Skip it if you want branding gone without paying: only Pro removes it
• Not for you if you want a phone or desktop app, as it is web only

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.

SendFox

• SendFox branding appears on Free emails and a smaller footer stays on Lifetime; only Pro removes it.
• Free allows 1 automation, 1 smart page and 1 form; unlimited automations need Lifetime or Pro.
• Lifetime covers 5,000 contacts and 300,000 sends in total, and is bought through AppSumo.
• Pro steps billed monthly: $39 at 15,000 contacts, $79 at 50,000, $149 at 100,000, $399 at 250,000; above that is sold through sales.

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.

SendFox

Drag-and-drop email editor

Emails are built in a visual editor with merge tags and test sends, and Pro adds a full HTML editor.

Smart pages and forms

SendFox hosts landing pages and embeddable signup forms, so a list can be started without a separate website.

Automations and smart campaigns

Welcome sequences run when someone joins, and smart campaigns turn new posts from a connected blog feed into scheduled newsletters.

Paid newsletters

Pro can charge subscribers for a newsletter through Stripe.

AI email writer and MCP access

Pro and Lifetime include an AI email writer and MCP access. The Free plan gets 2 AI drafts and limited API and MCP access.

Transactional email API

An email API sends receipts, login codes and notifications on every plan, and those emails count toward the plan's monthly sends.

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.

SendFox

• Free$0

  1,000 contacts, 3,000 sends a month, 1 smart page, 1 form, 1 automation and 2 AI email drafts. SendFox branding on your emails.

• Pro$19

  per month for up to 5,000 contacts, billed monthly

  100,000 sends a month, white label, full HTML editor, AI writer, Stripe paid newsletters. $190 a year billed annually. $79 a month at 50,000 contacts.

• Lifetime$29

  one-time, for up to 5,000 contacts

  A one-time purchase through AppSumo with 300,000 lifetime sends, unlimited automations, smart pages and forms. A small SendFox footer stays on emails.

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.

SendFox

• Annual discount

  Annual billing

  Pro billed annually costs $190 a year at 5,000 contacts, which the page sets against $19 a month billed monthly.

• Other savings

  Black Friday: 40% off the first year of Pro

  Up to 40% off the first year of annual Pro, shown as $114 for year one and then $190 a year, through Dec 3.