Mailchimp vs SendPulse
We give Mailchimp a 2.8 GPA and SendPulse a 2.6, out of 4.0. Mailchimp grades higher on ease of use. SendPulse grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on 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
SendPulse
Email campaigns and automation in a wider multichannel suite
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMailchimpGood | 2.6GPASendPulseGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 $9.60 a month for 500 subscribers on yearly billing, or $12 monthly, right on the edge of the cheaper quarter of email tools. It includes unlimited emails and 3 users, and it's $78 a month billed monthly at 10,000 subscribers. |
| 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. | CFree for 500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, with the builder, over 140 templates, forms and 5 automated flows. That's plenty of emails, but 500 subscribers is a cap you'll hit. |
| 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. | BA drag-and-drop builder with over 140 templates, automated flows, segments, A/B tests, forms, landing pages, payments inside emails and an AI assistant. That's the whole job. Transactional email and SMS are separate products. |
| 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. The email part sits inside a much bigger suite of chatbots, SMS and CRM, and you still build lists, flows and templates 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 plus iPhone and Android apps, with Zapier, Make, WordPress, Shopify and Creatio, an API and an MCP server. No desktop app, so it can't go above a B. |
| Best for | newsletters and promo emails for small businesses | email plus chatbots and SMS from one vendor |
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 SendPulse. 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. SendPulse starts at $9.60 a month and scores 2.7.
Mailchimp scores higher, and starts $3.40 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 SendPulse 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. SendPulse starts at $9.60 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
At a glance
| Mailchimp | SendPulse | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly | $9.60 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly |
| 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. | Up to 500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, with the drag-and-drop builder, 140+ templates, sign-up forms, basic automation and open and click stats. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Intuit Mailchimp | SendPulse |
| Price read from | mailchimp.com | sendpulse.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
SendPulse
- Small senders who fit within 500 subscribers and want a free plan
- Businesses that also want chatbots, SMS or a CRM from the same vendor
- Occasional senders who would rather buy emails 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.
SendPulse
- The Free plan stops at 500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month.
- Standard includes 3 users and Pro 10; unlimited users need Enterprise, which starts at 2,500 subscribers.
- Chatbots, SMS, web push, transactional email and the CRM are separate products with their own prices.
- Pay-as-you-go email packs start at $48 for 10,000 emails, valid for a year.
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.
SendPulse
- Email builder and templates
- A drag-and-drop builder with over 140 editable templates, plus payment processing inside emails on paid plans.
- Automation flows
- Event-triggered flows with 5 flows on Free, 10 on Standard, 50 on Pro and no limit on Enterprise.
- Segments and A/B tests
- Static segments from Standard and saved dynamic segments from Pro, with A/B tests of subject, content and sender.
- Forms and landing pages
- Multichannel subscription forms, 2 websites and 2 link-in-bio pages built with SendPulse's page builder.
- AI assistant and MCP
- SendPulse lists an AI assistant among its tools, and an MCP server connects AI tools such as chat assistants to your account.
- Mobile apps
- SendPulse links to iOS and Android apps from its homepage, alongside the web app.
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.
SendPulse
Free$0
500 subscribers, 15,000 emails a month, 140+ templates, sign-up forms and 5 automated flows.
Standard$9.60
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly ($12 monthly)
Unlimited emails, 3 users, A/B tests, scheduling, payments in emails, no branding. Price rises with the list: $78 a month billed monthly at 10,000 subscribers.
Pro$11.52
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed yearly ($14.40 monthly)
Re-engagement emails, dynamic segments, email verification, 10 users, 50 flows and guided onboarding. $93.60 a month billed monthly at 10,000 subscribers.
Enterprise$51.07
per month for up to 2,500 subscribers, billed yearly ($63.84 monthly)
Unlimited users, sender addresses and flows, full A/B testing and dedicated support; starts at 2,500 subscribers. $131.04 a month billed monthly at 10,000.
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.
SendPulse
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
SendPulse's pricing page takes 20% off email plans billed yearly and 10% billed every six months: Standard at 500 subscribers is $9.60 a month instead of $12.
