Independent head-to-head
Brevo vs Mailchimp
Both are on our shortlist, and most people only need one. Here is where each genuinely wins.
Which fits your work better: Brevo or Mailchimp?
Brevo suits budget-conscious businesses with a large contact list they email infrequently — the volume-based pricing rewards exactly that pattern. Mailchimp suits local service businesses and small teams that need a straightforward newsletter and basic automated sequences, not deep behavioural automation. Brevo is cheaper to start with ($9/month against $13/month), so price alone favours it.
Brevo
Email Marketing ToolsUnlimited contacts, priced by send volume — the budget-friendly alternative to per-contact pricing.
Mailchimp
Email Marketing ToolsThe default choice for newsletters — increasingly outgrown by anyone doing real automation.
Decision view
Compare what changes the answer
| Decision factor | Brevo$9/mo | Mailchimp$13/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9/mo | $13/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | None | None |
| Best for | Budget-conscious businesses with a large contact list they email infrequently — the volume-based pricing rewards exactly that pattern. | Local service businesses and small teams that need a straightforward newsletter and basic automated sequences, not deep behavioural automation. |
| Not for | High-frequency senders or anyone who wants Klaviyo-grade e-commerce automation depth — Brevo's flows are more basic. | Agencies managing multiple client accounts with serious automation needs — the flow builder and reporting both feel thin once ActiveCampaign becomes the comparison. |
Shared answers are dimmed so trade-offs stay visible.
Plan comparison
Published plans as recorded on each vendor’s pricing page on its verification date. Limits and add-ons differ between vendors, so compare at your own volume.
Brevo
| Plan | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 300 emails/day forever, unlimited contacts |
| Starter | $9 | 5,000 emails/month; Brevo logo removed for an extra fee |
| Business | $18 | 5,000 emails/month; advanced statistics, automation, send-time optimisation |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom — dedicated account manager, SSO |
Mailchimp
| Plan | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 250 contacts, 500 sends/month or 250/day |
| Essentials | $13 | Introductory rate for 12 months at 500 contacts; scales with list size and reverts to standard pricing after |
| Standard | $20 | Same intro-rate caveat; up to 200 automation flows, generative AI |
| Premium | $350 | Same intro-rate caveat; up to 150,000 emails/month, phone support |
Where Brevo wins
- Send-based pricing genuinely beats contact-based pricing for a large, infrequently-emailed list
- Free tier is permanent and unlimited-contact, not a disguised trial
- SMS, WhatsApp and CRM bundled in avoid three separate subscriptions for a small business
Where Mailchimp wins
- Free tier is genuinely usable for a small list, not just a trial disguised as free
- Template library and drag-and-drop editor are the easiest entry point for a non-technical client to self-manage later
- Broad integration ecosystem means it rarely blocks a client's existing stack
Brevo or Mailchimp?
Brevo suits budget-conscious businesses with a large contact list they email infrequently — the volume-based pricing rewards exactly that pattern. Mailchimp suits local service businesses and small teams that need a straightforward newsletter and basic automated sequences, not deep behavioural automation. Brevo is cheaper to start with ($9/month against $13/month), so price alone favours it.
Budget-conscious businesses with a large contact list they email infrequently — the volume-based pricing rewards exactly that pattern.
Local service businesses and small teams that need a straightforward newsletter and basic automated sequences, not deep behavioural automation.
What decides it
- Entry price
- Brevo starts at $9/month; Mailchimp at $13/month. Compare the plan that matches your real usage, not the entry tier.
- Trial
- Brevo offers a free plan; Mailchimp offers a free plan.
- What each gives up
- Brevo: automation and segmentation are noticeably shallower than Klaviyo's or ActiveCampaign's. Mailchimp: the advertised price is a 12-month introductory rate — the real ongoing cost is higher and easy to miss when quoting a client.