The Mailchimp Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Mailchimp in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Mailchimp

The Insider’s Guide

Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email marketing and newsletter tools, read from Mailchimp’s own pages.

Made by Intuit Mailchimp · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.8GPA

01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Mailchimp’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Mailchimp’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.8

GPA, above 21 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade

Mailchimp is an email marketing platform from Intuit for small and growing businesses. It covers campaign emails, sign-up and popup forms, automated flows and an SMS add-on, and its paid plans are priced by how many contacts you store. A mobile app for iOS and Android handles quick sends, contact imports and campaign reports.

To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Mailchimp, taken from its own pages and our grades.

The phone app can even build and send an email or scan a business card into your contacts.

From our grade for ease of use

1
Best for newsletters and promo emails for small businesses
Mailchimp, now part of Intuit, covers the whole email marketing job for a small business: campaigns, sign-up forms, landing pages, automated flows and SMS.
2
Paid plans start at $13 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.
3
There is a 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.
4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
5
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.
6
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.
7
Segmentation and dynamic content
Standard adds advanced segmentation, pre-built segments and dynamic content; Premium adds predictive segmentation.
8
A 2.8 GPA, above 21 of 24
That is against the other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
9
Keep it
To replace Mailchimp you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Mailchimp at a glance

Pricing: Free plan, from $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly
Free plan: Yes
Free trial: 14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan
Runs on: Web, iOS, Android
Made by: Intuit Mailchimp, since 2001
Category: Email Marketing & Newsletters
Our grade: 2.8 GPA, good
Store rating: 4.9 on the App Store, 51,677 ratings

The report card

Best for newsletters and promo emails for small businesses

Mailchimp, now part of Intuit, covers the whole email marketing job for a small business: campaigns, sign-up forms, landing pages, automated flows and SMS. It starts at $13 a month for 500 contacts, about what a typical email tool charges. But the price climbs with your list, and proper automations need Standard at $20.

ToolGPA report cardMailchimpGraded Oct 17, 2026

Subject	Grade	Comment
Value for money	C	Essentials 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.
Free plan and trial	C	Free 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.
Features	B	Campaigns, 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.
Ease of use	A	4.85 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.
Platforms and integrations	B	Web, 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.

Grade point averageGood, out of 4.02.8

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Mailchimp is for

Great if you send a regular newsletter or promotions to a small list
Handy when you sell on Shopify, WooCommerce or Square and want automated emails
Good for teams that want email and SMS campaigns in one account

Who it is not for

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

Good to know

Good for

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

Worth knowing

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.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

$13

A month to start. There is a free plan too

Mailchimp has a free plan. Paid plans start at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.

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.

The 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.

Trying it first

14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan

Read from mailchimp.com on Oct 17, 2026.

Ways to pay less

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.
Stated on mailchimp.com
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.
Stated on mailchimp.com

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android

Email and SMS marketing with automations, priced by contact count. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, marketing automation, forms, reports, email campaigns.

Web, iPhone and Android, with Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, Zapier, Square, Wix, Squarespace and Stripe, and an API.

From our grade for platforms and integrations

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.

Where it runs

Web
iOS
Android

What it works with

Shopify
WooCommerce
Canva
Zapier
Square
Wix
Squarespace
Stripe

Mailchimp is made by Intuit Mailchimp, and has been around since 2001.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

21/24

Other email marketing and newsletter tools it is graded above

Mailchimp's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 21 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 2.

It stands best on ease of use (A, above 23 of 24) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 2).

Its paid plans start at $13 a month, against a middle price of $13 for the category: 11 of the 22 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 25 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Mailchimp’s own letter is outlined.

CValue for money
Above 5 of 24
CFree plan and trial
Above 2 of 24
BFeatures
Above 3 of 24
AEase of use
Above 23 of 24
BPlatforms and integrations
Above 0 of 24

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 23 email marketing and newsletter tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Mailchimp is the marked dot.

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace Mailchimp you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 21 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade. It costs $156 a year.

What you could make

Forms and reports: an app builder makes these well.

What you could not

Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
It plugs into other products, Shopify, WooCommerce and Canva among them, and has an API.
AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. Mailchimp’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Constant Contact, Brevo, MailerLite, Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign

The 5 tools Mailchimp is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

2.6GPA
Constant Contact
Free trial · from $10.20/mo
Email, SMS and social marketing for small businesses.
- Mailchimp has a free plan. Constant Contact does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Mailchimp lists an Android app.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
Mailchimp and Constant Contact compared in full
2.6GPA
Brevo
Free plan · from $9/mo
Email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing priced by emails sent, with a CRM.
- Only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
- Brevo also covers sales pipeline and live chat.
Mailchimp and Brevo compared in full
2.6GPA
MailerLite
Free plan · from $12/mo
Email newsletters, automations, sites and paid subscriptions.
- Only Mailchimp lists an Android app.
- Mailchimp also covers reports.
- MailerLite also covers paid newsletters.
Mailchimp and MailerLite compared in full
2.4GPA
Klaviyo
Free plan · from $20/mo
Email, text and push marketing built on online-store customer data.
- Only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps.
Mailchimp and Klaviyo compared in full
2.4GPA
ActiveCampaign
Free trial · from $15/mo
Email marketing and multi-step automation priced by contacts.
- Mailchimp has a free plan. ActiveCampaign does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Mailchimp lists iOS and Android apps.
- ActiveCampaign also covers sales pipeline.
Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign compared in full

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Mailchimp free?

Mailchimp has a 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.

How much does Mailchimp cost?

Mailchimp lists 4 plans. Free: $0.

What platforms does Mailchimp work on?

Mailchimp is available on Web, iOS and Android.

Does Mailchimp offer any discounts?

Mailchimp publicly lists the following: 15% off for nonprofits and charities; 15% off the first 12 months at 10,000+ contacts.

How is Mailchimp rated?

Mailchimp's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.9 out of 5 from 51,677 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026.

Does Mailchimp have a Windows app?

No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Mailchimp is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Does Mailchimp have a macOS app?

No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Mailchimp is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Is Mailchimp open source?

Mailchimp is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.

Does Mailchimp have an API?

Yes. Mailchimp offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Mailchimp integrate with?

Mailchimp's listing names Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, Zapier, Square, Wix, Squarespace and Stripe.

Does Mailchimp have a free trial?

Yes. 14-day free trial of the Essentials or Standard plan.

Who makes Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is made by Intuit Mailchimp. It dates from 2001.

What are the alternatives to Mailchimp?

The closest alternatives to Mailchimp in our directory are Constant Contact, Brevo, MailerLite, Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign.

How does Mailchimp compare with other email marketing and newsletter tools?

Mailchimp's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 21 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 2.

Is Mailchimp good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Mailchimp C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $13 a month, against a middle price of $13 for the category: 11 of the 22 others that charge start lower.

Could I make my own version of Mailchimp?

To replace Mailchimp you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Mailchimp’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Mailchimp's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Intuit Mailchimp. Prices change, so check mailchimp.com before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

1,858

Tools graded, in 46 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

1,858
tools graded
46
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Mailchimp: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailchimp

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Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Mailchimp’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Mailchimp is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Intuit Mailchimp. Prices and plans change: check mailchimp.com before you buy.