Mailchimp built its reputation as the default email marketing tool for small businesses, but its 2019 pricing overhaul and repeated price increases since have pushed a lot of small teams to look elsewhere. If you’re paying more each year for roughly the same feature set, or you’ve simply outgrown what Mailchimp’s tiers offer at a price you can justify, you’re not alone. This guide covers 10 solid Mailchimp alternatives for small business owners, what each one actually does better, and who should pick which one.
None of these are “just as good, but cheaper” filler picks. Each tool here has a specific strength, whether that’s automation depth, ecommerce integration, deliverability, or genuinely useful free tiers, so you can match the switch to what’s actually driving you away from Mailchimp in the first place.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and MailerLite are the strongest overall Mailchimp alternatives for small businesses on price and features. Klaviyo is the clear pick for ecommerce stores that need deep Shopify/WooCommerce integration and revenue-based automation. This guide compares 10 alternatives on pricing model, automation depth, and ideal use case so you can switch without losing the features you actually rely on.
⚡ Key Takeaways
- Mailchimp’s per-contact pricing scales aggressively once your list passes a few thousand subscribers, which is the single biggest reason small businesses look for alternatives.
- Brevo prices by email volume sent rather than contact list size, which can be dramatically cheaper for businesses with large lists but low send frequency.
- Klaviyo is purpose-built for ecommerce and integrates natively with Shopify and WooCommerce far more deeply than Mailchimp does.
- MailerLite consistently ranks as one of the easiest tools to learn, making it a strong pick for non-technical small business owners.
- Free plans vary enormously in what they cap: contacts, monthly sends, or automation features, so compare limits against your actual list size before switching.
- Migrating your list and automations takes real effort regardless of which tool you choose, so pick based on 12-to-24-month growth plans, not just current needs.
- Deliverability reputation differs by platform; a cheaper tool with poor inbox placement can cost you more in lost opens than Mailchimp’s higher price ever did.
Why Small Businesses Are Leaving Mailchimp
Mailchimp’s pricing is based on total contact count, including unsubscribed and unengaged contacts on some plans, which means your bill climbs even when your actual active audience isn’t growing much. Businesses that maintain large historical lists, run infrequent campaigns, or want deeper automation without upgrading to the Premium tier often find the cost-to-value ratio breaks down well before 10,000 contacts.
Beyond pricing, common complaints include Mailchimp’s automation being locked behind higher tiers, ecommerce integrations (especially with WooCommerce) feeling like an afterthought compared to purpose-built tools, and customer support becoming slower to reach as the company has scaled. If you’re just getting your email program off the ground, our guide to email marketing for your business is worth reviewing regardless of which platform you land on, since strategy matters more than the tool.
Quick Comparison: 10 Best Mailchimp Alternatives at a Glance
| Tool | Pricing Model | Free Plan | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo (Sendinblue) | Priced by emails sent, not list size | 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts | Large lists with moderate send frequency |
| MailerLite | Priced by contacts | Up to 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/mo | Small businesses wanting simplicity |
| Klaviyo | Priced by contacts | Up to 250 contacts, 500 emails/mo | Ecommerce stores on Shopify/WooCommerce |
| Moosend | Priced by contacts | No free forever plan (30-day trial) | Budget automation-focused teams |
| Omnisend | Priced by contacts | Up to 250 contacts, 500 emails/mo | Ecommerce SMS + email in one tool |
| ActiveCampaign | Priced by contacts | No free forever plan (14-day trial) | Advanced automation and CRM-lite features |
| GetResponse | Priced by contacts | Up to 500 contacts, limited features | Businesses wanting funnels + webinars built in |
| Constant Contact | Priced by contacts | No free forever plan (60-day trial) | Nonprofits and event-driven small businesses |
| MailChimp’s own Free tier alt: EngageBay | Priced by contacts | Up to 500 contacts free | Startups wanting email + CRM + support |
| Systeme.io | Priced by contacts | Up to 2,000 contacts free | Solo founders wanting funnels + email combined |
1. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): Best for Large Lists on a Budget
Brevo’s biggest differentiator is its pricing model: instead of charging based on how many contacts you store, it charges based on how many emails you actually send per month. For a small business with a large but infrequently-emailed list (say, 20,000 contacts you email twice a month), this can cut your bill dramatically compared to Mailchimp’s per-contact pricing. The free plan allows unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day, which is unusually generous.
Beyond pricing, Brevo includes SMS marketing, a built-in CRM, and transactional email sending under the same account, which many competitors charge extra for or don’t offer at all. The visual automation builder is capable, though its template editor feels slightly less polished than Mailchimp’s. For a small business willing to trade a bit of design polish for a genuinely different (and often cheaper) pricing structure, Brevo is one of the strongest all-around switches available.
- Key features: Send-based pricing with unlimited contacts, built-in SMS marketing, basic CRM included, transactional email API, marketing automation workflows.
- Best for: Small businesses with large contact lists but low-to-moderate send frequency.
- Website: brevo.com
2. MailerLite: Best for Ease of Use
MailerLite consistently ranks among the easiest email platforms to learn, with a drag-and-drop editor that avoids the clutter some competitors accumulate as they add features. The free plan covers up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month, including automation workflows, landing pages, and basic A/B testing, features Mailchimp often reserves for paid tiers at a similar list size.
Where MailerLite pulls ahead for small businesses specifically is that its paid plans remain noticeably cheaper than Mailchimp’s at comparable list sizes, while still including automation, surveys, and a website builder. The trade-off is that its reporting and segmentation are less sophisticated than ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo, so larger or more data-driven teams may find it limiting eventually. For a small business that wants a clean, fast tool without a steep learning curve, MailerLite is one of the safest switches from Mailchimp.
- Key features: Drag-and-drop editor, marketing automation on the free plan, landing pages and pop-up forms, A/B testing, built-in website builder.
- Best for: Small businesses wanting a simple, affordable tool with automation included even on lower tiers.
- Website: mailerlite.com
💡 Pro Tip: Before migrating, export your Mailchimp automations and audience tags as documentation, not just your contact CSV. Most switching frustration comes from having to manually rebuild automation logic that wasn’t recorded anywhere.
3. Klaviyo: Best for Ecommerce Stores
Klaviyo was built specifically for ecommerce, and it shows. Its Shopify and WooCommerce integrations pull in real-time purchase history, browse behavior, and cart data, letting you build automations like abandoned cart sequences, post-purchase upsells, and win-back campaigns segmented by actual customer lifetime value rather than generic email engagement. Mailchimp’s ecommerce features exist but are noticeably shallower in comparison.
Klaviyo also reports revenue attribution directly per campaign and flow, so you can see exactly how much revenue an abandoned cart email generated, not just open and click rates. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 email sends, which is enough to test the platform but most active stores will need a paid plan quickly. For any store running on Shopify or WooCommerce that wants email tied directly to revenue, Klaviyo is worth the switch even at a higher price point than Mailchimp. If you want hands-on help setting this up, our Klaviyo email marketing services cover strategy and implementation for ecommerce brands.
- Key features: Deep Shopify/WooCommerce integration, revenue attribution per campaign, abandoned cart and win-back automation, customer lifetime value segmentation, SMS marketing add-on.
- Best for: Ecommerce businesses on Shopify or WooCommerce that want email tied directly to revenue data.
- Website: klaviyo.com
4. Moosend: Best Budget Automation Tool
Moosend positions itself as an affordable automation-first alternative, offering visual workflow building, ecommerce AI product recommendations, and landing pages at a price point noticeably below Mailchimp for comparable list sizes. Its automation editor supports conditional logic (if/then branching based on subscriber behavior) that’s often gated behind higher tiers on other platforms.
The main drawback is that Moosend does not offer a permanent free plan, only a 30-day trial, so it isn’t a true no-cost option long-term. Its deliverability reputation and third-party integration library are also smaller than more established competitors like Mailchimp or Brevo. For a small business specifically prioritizing automation depth per dollar spent and willing to commit to a paid plan from the start, Moosend is worth evaluating during its trial period.
- Key features: Visual automation with conditional branching, AI-powered product recommendations for ecommerce, landing page builder, real-time analytics.
- Best for: Budget-conscious small businesses that want strong automation without a free-plan requirement.
- Website: moosend.com
5. Omnisend: Best for Combined Email and SMS Ecommerce Marketing
Omnisend is Klaviyo’s closest direct competitor, built around the same ecommerce-first philosophy but with SMS marketing integrated more tightly into the same automation workflows from the start, rather than as an add-on. Pre-built automation templates for cart abandonment, welcome series, and order confirmations can be live within an hour of connecting your store, which is faster than most competitors’ setup process.
Pricing is generally a step below Klaviyo at similar contact volumes, making Omnisend an attractive middle ground for stores that want ecommerce-specific automation without Klaviyo’s price tag. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. Its reporting and segmentation, while solid, are somewhat less granular than Klaviyo’s, so very data-driven ecommerce teams may still prefer to pay more for Klaviyo’s depth.
- Key features: Combined email and SMS automation, pre-built ecommerce workflow templates, Shopify/WooCommerce/BigCommerce integration, push notification channel included.
- Best for: Ecommerce stores wanting Klaviyo-style automation with SMS built in at a lower price point.
- Website: omnisend.com
💡 Pro Tip: If you’re an ecommerce store comparing Klaviyo and Omnisend, sign up for both free trials and connect your actual store. Automation template quality and setup speed matter more in daily use than the feature comparison charts suggest.
6. ActiveCampaign: Best for Advanced Automation and CRM-Lite Features
ActiveCampaign is built for businesses that have outgrown basic email blasts and want genuinely sophisticated automation: multi-branch workflows, lead scoring, and a built-in CRM-lite pipeline for tracking deals tied to email engagement. It’s a step up in complexity from Mailchimp’s automation, aimed at small businesses whose marketing has matured past “send a newsletter” into a structured nurture and sales process.
There is no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial, and the learning curve is meaningfully steeper than MailerLite or Brevo. Pricing also increases quickly once you need the CRM and advanced automation features bundled together. For a small business that has specifically found Mailchimp’s automation too shallow and needs lead scoring or sales-pipeline integration, ActiveCampaign is the natural upgrade path, though it isn’t the right pick for teams that just want simpler, cheaper email sending.
- Key features: Multi-branch automation workflows, built-in CRM-lite with deal pipelines, lead scoring, site and event tracking, extensive third-party integrations.
- Best for: Small businesses that have outgrown basic automation and want lead scoring plus a lightweight CRM.
- Website: activecampaign.com
7. GetResponse: Best for Funnels and Webinars Built In
GetResponse differentiates itself by bundling conversion funnel building and webinar hosting directly into its email platform, features that typically require separate tools like ClickFunnels or Zoom alongside Mailchimp. For a small business running webinars as a lead-generation channel, or selling directly through simple sales funnels, this consolidation can genuinely replace two or three separate subscriptions.
The free plan is limited to 500 contacts with restricted features, so most of GetResponse’s value shows up once you’re on a paid tier. Its email template design tools are solid but not best-in-class, and some users report the interface feels busier than more focused competitors. For a small business specifically evaluating tools around a webinar or funnel-driven marketing strategy rather than pure email campaigns, GetResponse’s bundled feature set can justify the switch on its own.
- Key features: Built-in webinar hosting, conversion funnel builder, marketing automation, landing pages, paid ad campaign management tools.
- Best for: Small businesses running webinars or sales funnels who want those tools bundled with email.
- Website: getresponse.com
8. Constant Contact: Best for Nonprofits and Event-Driven Businesses
Constant Contact has built a specific reputation among nonprofits, local businesses, and organizations that run events, thanks to built-in event management and registration tools alongside standard email marketing. Its customer support is frequently cited as more accessible (phone support included on most plans) than Mailchimp’s increasingly self-service-oriented support model.
There’s no permanent free plan, but a 60-day trial gives more evaluation time than most competitors offer. The automation and segmentation capabilities trail more modern platforms like ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo, and pricing scales similarly aggressively to Mailchimp’s as your list grows. For a small business, nonprofit, or local organization that values phone support and integrated event registration over cutting-edge automation, Constant Contact remains a reasonable, if not class-leading, choice.
- Key features: Built-in event management and registration, phone customer support, social media posting tools, basic automation, extensive template library.
- Best for: Nonprofits, local businesses, and organizations that run events and value accessible support.
- Website: constantcontact.com
9. EngageBay: Best for Email Plus CRM in One Free Plan
EngageBay bundles email marketing with a full CRM and basic customer support inbox under one free plan covering up to 500 contacts. For a startup that wants to move off Mailchimp specifically because it wants CRM and email in the same system rather than paying for two separate tools, EngageBay covers both without an immediate cost. This overlaps with our broader roundup of the best free CRMs for startups and SMBs, since EngageBay appears on both lists for exactly this reason.
The email design tools and template library are noticeably less polished than Mailchimp’s, and deliverability reputation, while adequate, doesn’t match more established dedicated email platforms. For an early-stage business specifically motivated to consolidate tools rather than get best-in-class email design, EngageBay is a practical, low-cost combination pick rather than a pure email marketing upgrade.
- Key features: Email marketing bundled with full CRM, basic marketing automation, shared support inbox, up to 500 free contacts.
- Best for: Startups wanting email marketing and CRM combined in a single free account.
- Website: engagebay.com
10. Systeme.io: Best for Solo Founders Wanting Funnels Plus Email
Systeme.io targets solo founders and course creators who want email marketing, sales funnels, and even basic course hosting under one roof, at one of the most generous free tiers on this list: up to 2,000 contacts at no cost. For someone launching a small info product, coaching offer, or simple digital storefront, this consolidation can replace Mailchimp plus a separate funnel builder entirely.
The trade-off is that Systeme.io’s email design and deliverability tooling are more basic than dedicated email platforms, and its automation logic, while functional, isn’t as visually intuitive as MailerLite’s or Brevo’s. For a solo founder or very small team building a funnel-driven business from scratch who wants to minimize the number of tools and monthly bills, Systeme.io’s free tier is hard to beat on pure value.
- Key features: Email marketing plus sales funnel builder, basic course/membership hosting, automation rules, up to 2,000 free contacts.
- Best for: Solo founders and course creators wanting email and funnels combined at minimal cost.
- Website: systeme.io
💡 Warning: Don’t switch platforms purely to save money without checking sender reputation warm-up requirements. Moving a large list to a new platform too fast can trigger spam filters and tank your deliverability, wiping out any savings in lost opens and clicks.
How to Choose the Right Mailchimp Alternative
Start with what’s actually driving you away from Mailchimp. If it’s pure cost at a large list size, Brevo’s send-based pricing is usually the biggest immediate win. If it’s ecommerce features feeling shallow, Klaviyo or Omnisend will outperform anything general-purpose on this list. If you just want something simpler and cheaper without losing core functionality, MailerLite is the safest lateral move.
Next, weigh how much automation sophistication you genuinely use today versus what you think you might need later. ActiveCampaign and GetResponse both offer more advanced workflows than most small businesses ever fully use, and paying for that headroom before you need it is a common switching mistake. Match the tool to your current campaign complexity, not an aspirational one.
Finally, don’t underestimate deliverability and migration effort. Every platform switch means re-establishing sender reputation, so plan a gradual send-volume ramp-up on the new platform rather than blasting your full list on day one. If your deliverability has already been struggling on Mailchimp, our guide on improving domain reputation for better email deliverability is worth reading before you migrate, since a poor sender reputation will follow you to a new platform if the underlying causes aren’t fixed first.
Practical Action Plan: How to Switch Without Losing Momentum
- Do This Now: Document every active automation in Mailchimp (trigger, steps, delays) before you export anything. Screenshots are fine; the goal is not to lose logic that isn’t stored anywhere else.
- Do This Now: Shortlist 2 alternatives based on your primary pain point (cost, ecommerce depth, or automation complexity) and run both free trials with a small segment of your real list.
- Worth Doing: Rebuild your top 3 highest-value automations (typically welcome series, abandoned cart, and win-back) on the new platform first, and verify they trigger correctly before migrating your full list.
- Worth Doing: Ramp up sending volume gradually on the new platform over 1 to 2 weeks rather than sending to your entire list on day one, to protect your sender reputation.
- Low Priority: Keep your Mailchimp account active (even on a lower tier) for 30 to 60 days after migrating as a safety net until you’ve confirmed deliverability and reporting look correct on the new platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the closest free alternative to Mailchimp?
MailerLite’s free plan (up to 1,000 subscribers with automation included) most closely mirrors what small businesses expect from Mailchimp’s free tier, but with automation features Mailchimp typically reserves for paid plans. Brevo is also worth considering if your list is larger, since its free plan has no contact cap at all.
Which Mailchimp alternative is best for ecommerce?
Klaviyo is the strongest choice for ecommerce, with the deepest Shopify and WooCommerce integrations and revenue attribution built directly into campaign reporting. Omnisend is a strong lower-cost alternative if you want similar ecommerce-focused automation with SMS included at a smaller price tag.
Will switching email platforms hurt my deliverability?
It can, temporarily, if you migrate too aggressively. Sending to your entire list immediately after switching platforms, especially a large one, can trigger spam filters because the new sending domain has no established reputation yet. Ramping up volume gradually over one to two weeks avoids most of this risk.
Is it worth switching from Mailchimp if I only have a small list?
If your list is under a couple thousand contacts and Mailchimp’s free or entry-level plan already covers your needs at a price you’re comfortable with, switching mainly makes sense if a specific feature (ecommerce automation, cheaper send-based pricing, or built-in CRM) is missing. Cost alone usually isn’t a strong enough reason to switch at very small list sizes.
Can I import my Mailchimp automations directly into a new platform?
No platform offers a direct one-click automation import from Mailchimp. You can export your contact list and tags as a CSV, but automation logic (triggers, delays, branching) has to be manually rebuilt on the new platform, which is why documenting your existing automations before migrating saves significant rework.
Do I need a developer to switch email marketing platforms?
Usually not for the core switch, since most platforms offer guided CSV imports and no-code automation builders. A developer becomes useful if you need custom API integrations with your website or ecommerce platform beyond what native app integrations support, such as syncing custom customer data fields.
Choosing the right Mailchimp alternative comes down to matching the tool to the specific problem you’re solving, whether that’s cost, ecommerce depth, or automation sophistication, rather than picking whatever’s trending. If you’d rather have a strategy built around your actual list, sales process, and growth goals instead of testing tools one by one, our email marketing services team can help you choose a platform and build out the migration and automation setup correctly the first time.
Running an online store and evaluating Klaviyo or Omnisend specifically? Our Klaviyo email marketing agency services cover flow strategy, segmentation, and design tailored to ecommerce brands.
