Is Campaign Monitor cheaper than Mailchimp?

At 500 contacts, yes: on monthly billing Campaign Monitor's Lite is $13/month billed monthly and Mailchimp's Essentials is $27/month billed monthly. Campaign Monitor drops further on annual billing, to $11.70/month billed annually; Mailchimp doesn't show a self-serve annual rate at this contact band. At 5,000 contacts the two cost the same on monthly billing.

Does Campaign Monitor have a free plan?

No. Campaign Monitor offers a 30-day trial capped at 500 contacts, then paid plans. Mailchimp's free plan has no time limit, just a lower 250-contact cap and no automation.

How many seats do I get on each plan?

Campaign Monitor includes unlimited seats on every plan, from Lite through Enterprise. Mailchimp scales seats with the plan: 1 on Free, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Standard, Unlimited on Premium.

Which plan do I need for generative AI features?

On Mailchimp, Standard ($45/month billed monthly) or above; Essentials doesn't include it. On Campaign Monitor, AI Writer is listed on Lite, the cheapest paid plan ($13/month billed monthly). Campaign Monitor reaches AI at a lower price.

Does either tool have a real money-back guarantee?

Mailchimp's own refund policy names no guarantee window at all; refunds are discretionary, granted only for a system malfunction or a wrongful termination on its side. Campaign Monitor's pricing page doesn't publish a refund policy either way.

What's the automation difference between the two at the entry tier?

Campaign Monitor's Lite plan includes drip campaigns, signup forms and email sequences with no flow-step limit stated. Mailchimp's Essentials caps automation at this limit: Up to 4 flow steps. That's a real step down from what Standard offers.

What will this cost me at 5,000 contacts, or for a 3-person team on a 1,000-contact list?

At 5,000 contacts on monthly billing, Campaign Monitor Lite is $75/month billed monthly. Mailchimp Essentials is $75/month billed monthly. For three people on 1,000 contacts, Mailchimp Essentials is $27/month billed monthly and fits all three seats. Campaign Monitor Lite is $47/month billed monthly.

Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp: which entry plan actually costs less?

Email marketing and CRM platforms · Verified 1 Oct 2026 · By Joonas Rotko

Campaign Monitor

Desk research

From Lite, billed annually

$11.70/mo

$13/mo billed monthly

Mailchimp

Hands-on

From Essentials, billed monthly

$27/mo

Quick answer

At 500 contacts, I'd pick Campaign Monitor. Lite ($13/month billed monthly) costs less than Mailchimp Essentials ($27/month billed monthly) and includes unlimited seats and automation with no published step cap, where Mailchimp holds Essentials to 3 seats and this automation limit: Up to 4 flow steps. Campaign Monitor has no free plan, only a 30-day trial, while Mailchimp's free plan has no time limit. Prices verified 1 Oct 2026.

Across the three setups below: Campaign Monitor in 2 of 3 scenarios.

Which one fits you?

Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier
Campaign Monitor
My pick
$11.70/mo billed annually
At 500 contacts, Campaign Monitor's Lite plan ($13/month billed monthly) costs less than Mailchimp Essentials ($27/month billed monthly). Lite also carries unlimited seats against Essentials' 3, and its automation has no published step cap, where Essentials has this limit: Up to 4 flow steps.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if you only need a very small list and no automation. Mailchimp's free plan has no time limit, and Campaign Monitor has no free plan. Mailchimp doesn't publish an annual rate for Essentials, so the two can only be compared on monthly billing.
See Campaign Monitor plans
Growing list, sending regularly
Campaign Monitor
My pick
$67.50/mo billed annually
At 5,000 contacts, Campaign Monitor Lite is $75/month billed monthly. Mailchimp Essentials is $75/month billed monthly. Mailchimp doesn't publish an annual rate at this size, so monthly billing is the only basis I can compare.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
The two cost the same on monthly billing at this size, so I'm choosing on fit: Lite has unlimited seats and automation with no stated step cap, where Essentials has 3 seats and this automation limit: Up to 4 flow steps.
Skip it if you want Mailchimp's wider integrations and templates and don't mind the 3-seat limit.
See Campaign Monitor plans
Small team managing one list together
Mailchimp
My pick
$27/mo billed monthly
For three people on a 1,000-contact list, Mailchimp Essentials is $27/month billed monthly and its 3 seats cover the team. Campaign Monitor Lite is $47/month billed monthly, with unlimited seats. Mailchimp is the cheaper fit here.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if you need automations longer than Essentials allows, or the team may grow past 3 people. Campaign Monitor has neither limit.
See Mailchimp plans

Neither fits? See the alternatives, or take the 2-minute recommendation.

How are Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp really different?

Free plan: none vs an ongoing plan
Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor has no free plan: it offers a 30-day trial capped at 500 contacts
Mailchimp
Mailchimp's free plan has no time limit, capped at 250 contacts, and includes no automation
On Mailchimp you can sit on a small list for free indefinitely. On Campaign Monitor the trial ends no matter what, then you're on Lite.
Entry paid price and what it caps
Campaign Monitor
Lite: $13/month billed monthly, $11.70/month billed annually, unlimited seats
Mailchimp
Essentials: $27/month billed monthly, no self-serve annual rate shown at this band, capped at 3 seats
Lite costs less than Essentials at this band, and it doesn't cap seats.
Automation depth at the entry tier
Campaign Monitor
Lite includes drip campaigns, signup forms, and email sequences with no flow-step limit stated
Mailchimp
Essentials automation is capped. Limit: Up to 4 flow steps
Mailchimp's cheapest paid tier limits you to short automations. Campaign Monitor's equivalent tier doesn't publish a comparable cap.
Where generative AI features unlock
Campaign Monitor
AI Writer is listed on Lite, the cheapest paid plan ($13/month billed monthly)
Mailchimp
Generative AI features arrive at Standard ($45/month billed monthly), one tier above Essentials
If AI drafting is the deciding feature, Campaign Monitor includes it on its cheapest paid plan, and Mailchimp needs its middle plan.
Trial terms
Campaign Monitor
30-day trial; the signup form asks for no card
Mailchimp
14-day trial, card required, auto-converts to paid if you don't cancel
Campaign Monitor's signup form asks for no card, so there's nothing to cancel. Forget to cancel Mailchimp's trial and it charges your card.
Seats across the whole ladder
Campaign Monitor
unlimited on Lite, Essentials and Premier
Mailchimp
1 on Free, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Standard, Unlimited on Premium
A 3-person team fits inside Mailchimp's Essentials exactly, but add a 4th person and you're pushed to Standard. Campaign Monitor never forces that upgrade; seats are unlimited on every paid plan.

What will Campaign Monitor or Mailchimp cost for your setup?

The cheapest plan that covers each setup, add-ons included. Prices exclude VAT.

Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier

500 subscribers · mailed 3 times a month (for tools priced by emails sent) · 1 user

MonthlyYearly, per month

Campaign Monitor

My pick

$13

$11.70

Lite

Above 50,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

Mailchimp

$27

$297.50

Essentials monthly, Premium annually

Above 25,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See Campaign Monitor plans

Usage, limits and billing

Campaign Monitor

Uses 500 of 50,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $156 a year.
On annual billing: $140.40 a year.

Mailchimp

Uses 500 of 25,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $324 a year.
On annual billing: $3,570 a year.

Growing list, sending regularly

5,000 subscribers · mailed 3 times a month (for tools priced by emails sent) · 1 user

MonthlyYearly, per month

Campaign Monitor

My pick

$75

$67.50

Lite

Above 50,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

Mailchimp

$75

Monthly only

Essentials

Above 25,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See Campaign Monitor plans

Usage, limits and billing

Campaign Monitor

Uses 5,000 of 50,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $900 a year.
On annual billing: $810 a year.

Mailchimp

Uses 5,000 of 25,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $900 a year.

Small team managing one list together

1,000 subscribers · mailed 3 times a month (for tools priced by emails sent) · 3 users

MonthlyYearly, per month

Campaign Monitor

$47

$42.30

Lite

Above 50,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

Mailchimp

My pick

$27

Monthly only

Essentials

Above 25,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See Mailchimp plans

Usage, limits and billing

Campaign Monitor

Uses 1,000 of 50,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $564 a year.
On annual billing: $507.60 a year.

Mailchimp

Uses 1,000 of 25,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $324 a year.

How I calculated this

For each tool I price every current plan plus the add-ons a setup needs, from the vendor's published prices only, and take the cheapest. Monthly and annual billing are priced separately. When a limit or price isn't published, the tool shows as not fitting instead of a guess.

Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier: A list of about 500 contacts, just past the free tiers most vendors offer. One login. Tools priced by emails sent are costed at three mailings per subscriber a month.
Growing list, sending regularly: A list of 5,000 contacts, sending regularly. One login. Tools priced by emails sent are costed at three mailings per subscriber a month.Mailchimp, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.
Small team managing one list together: Three people logging in to the same 1,000-contact list. Seats, not list size, are the deciding limit. Tools priced by emails sent are costed at three mailings per subscriber a month.Mailchimp, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.

Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp side by side

I compare email/CRM platforms on: Real cost per list size, both billing bases; Free-tier contact ceiling before you must pay anything; Team seats included, and the seat price past that; List segmentation depth; Automation workflow depth and any step/action limits; Deliverability and sending limits (emails per month, per day, or per rolling window); CRM and ecommerce integration depth; What happens past your plan's contact ceiling (overage pricing vs a forced upgrade).

Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp compared on the main buying criteria
Criterion	Campaign Monitor	Mailchimp
Free plan	None. 30-day trial, 500 contacts	Ongoing free plan, 250 contacts, no automation
Entry paid price, both billing bases	Lite: $13/month billed monthly, $11.70/month billed annually	Essentials: $27/month billed monthly; no self-serve annual rate shown at this band
Automation at the entry tier	Drip campaigns, signup forms, and sequences, no stated step cap	Up to 4 flow steps
Where generative AI features unlock	Lite ($13/month billed monthly)	Standard ($45/month billed monthly)
Trial terms	30 days; the signup form asks for no card	14 days, card required, auto-converts

All details, including automation and AI workflows

All compared details for Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp
Criterion	Campaign Monitor	Mailchimp
Seats included by tier	unlimited on Lite, Essentials and Premier	3 on Essentials, 5 on Standard, Unlimited on Premium
Refund / money-back terms	Not documented for Campaign Monitor	No published guarantee window; refunds only for a system malfunction or a wrongful termination
Published pricing ceiling	Monthly and annual prices up to 50,000 contacts; above that, Contact Sales	Essentials, Standard and Premium prices up to 25,000 contacts; no self-serve rate above it
Full price ladder	Free trial (30 days, not a plan). Lite: $13/month billed monthly, or $11.70/month billed annually. Essentials: $31/month billed monthly, or $27.90/month billed annually. Premier: $171/month billed monthly, or $153.90/month billed annually. Enterprise: custom, contact sales.	Free (no cost, ongoing). Essentials: $27/month billed monthly. Standard: $45/month billed monthly. Premium: $350/month billed monthly, or $297.50/month billed annually on a 12-month term.
How pricing scales	Contact-count tiered, with monthly and annual prices published up to 50,000 contacts on each paid plan; above that, Contact Sales	Contact-count tiered on a multi-step slider, with monthly prices published up to 25,000 contacts; features don't change with list size, only price
Free plan and trial limits	500 contacts during the 30-day trial	500 emails a month or 250 a day, whichever hits first, at up to 250 contacts
Support	Not broken out by tier for Campaign Monitor	Essentials and Standard: 24/7 Email & Chat Support. Premium: Phone & Priority Support.
Integrations (WordPress, Zapier)	Not confirmed for Campaign Monitor	Both confirmed on paid tiers via Mailchimp's own integration pages; not confirmed on Free
Branding removal / white label	Not documented for Campaign Monitor	Essentials and above remove the "Sent via Mailchimp" footer credit; Free keeps it. No reseller white-label program on any tier.
Enterprise / custom tier	Enterprise: custom pricing, unlimited seats, aimed at 50,001+ contacts and up	No enterprise or custom tier past Premium

Who should pick Campaign Monitor, and who should pick Mailchimp?

Campaign Monitor

Desk research

Best for solo marketers and small businesses
Best for growing lists sending regularly

Campaign Monitor is a contact-tiered email platform with no permanent free plan: you get a 30-day trial capped at 500 contacts, then paid plans from $13/month billed monthly for the same 500 contacts. Its strongest move is unlimited team members on every plan, with drip automations from Lite upward. Prices climb steeply with list size, and Premier gets expensive fast past 10,000 contacts.

Best for: Small teams and agencies who want unlimited seats and automations from the first paid plan, and a simple drag-and-drop email builder.

Strengths

A 30-day trial capped at 500 contacts lets you test the builder before paying. It is a trial only, not a free tier.
Unlimited team members on every plan, even Lite ($13/month billed monthly). Most competitors hide this behind a top plan.
Automations (drip campaigns, pre-built journeys) are included from Lite upward.

Limits

There is no permanent free plan. The free offer is a time-limited trial, so a list you want to keep sending to needs a paid plan from day one.
Pricing is contact-tiered and the steps are steep, especially on Premier. The entry rate of $13/month billed monthly on Lite covers only the first 500 contacts. Self-serve prices stop at 50,000 contacts; past that the plans switch to Contact Sales with no published price.
No paid subscriptions on the platform itself (unlike beehiiv or Ghost). Campaign Monitor is email-only; it doesn't process reader payments.

Skip it if you need a permanent free plan, or you need a deep multi-branch visual automation builder; Campaign Monitor's strength is drip sequences and pre-built journeys, not complex branching.

Campaign Monitor review Campaign Monitor pricing Campaign Monitor alternatives

Mailchimp

Hands-on

Best for small teams sharing one account

I used Mailchimp heavily during my agency years, across client accounts of very different sizes, and what wore me down was the pricing: you end up paying a premium for every part of it, including the simplest tasks. The free plan caps out fast at 250 contacts, and the paid tiers scale by contact count on top of the $27/month billed monthly entry rate. Generative AI features and full automation flows sit behind Standard, not Essentials. It is the category default people already know, not the best value in it: there are cheaper, more current alternatives worth checking first.

Best for: Someone who already knows Mailchimp from a past job and wants the familiar interface, or a small list under 250 contacts that fits the free plan.

Strengths

A genuine free plan with no time limit, not just a trial, for lists under 250 contacts.
300+ integrations including WordPress and Zapier bundled into every paid tier.
Generative AI features included at no extra cost once you reach Standard.

Limits

Essentials includes no generative AI features and automation flows capped at 4 steps.
Pricing scales with contact count on a 20-step slider, so the $27/month billed monthly entry rate only holds under 500 contacts.
No published extra-seat price and no standard money-back guarantee window, refunds are discretionary.

Skip it if you want AI features or real automation on an entry-level paid plan, since Essentials locks both out and Standard starts at $45/month billed monthly.

Mailchimp review Mailchimp pricing Mailchimp alternatives

My pick: Campaign Monitor in 2 of 3 scenarios.

See Campaign Monitor plans See Mailchimp plans

Neither Campaign Monitor nor Mailchimp? Try these

MailerLite
From $10.80/mo billed annually
Pick it if you want a cheaper, simpler entry tier than either Campaign Monitor or Mailchimp, with automation included on the free plan itself.
MailerLite review MailerLite alternatives
ActiveCampaign
From $15/mo billed annually
Pick it if you want CRM and sales-pipeline features built in, rather than email and automation only.
ActiveCampaign review ActiveCampaign alternatives
Brevo
From $8.08/mo billed annually
Pick it if you want SMS and transactional email bundled with marketing email under one account, rather than as a separate purchase.
Brevo review Brevo alternatives

Switching between Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp

Neither vendor documents a migration tool, import fee, or list-transfer guarantee, so this stays qualitative: expect to re-import your contact list and rebuild automations by hand in either direction. Campaign Monitor's 30-day trial is capped at 500 contacts and its signup form asks for no card, so you can test a rebuild there without a billing risk. Mailchimp's 14-day trial requires a card and auto-converts to paid if you forget to cancel.

What would change my pick?

Mailchimp publishing an annual rate for Essentials would let me compare the two on annual billing too.
Campaign Monitor adding a permanent free plan would close the biggest gap in Mailchimp's favor.
Mailchimp raising Essentials' seat cap above 3, or unlocking generative AI there instead of at Standard, would remove Campaign Monitor's seat and feature edge at the entry tier.

Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp: questions people ask

Is Campaign Monitor cheaper than Mailchimp?: At 500 contacts, yes: on monthly billing Campaign Monitor's Lite is $13/month billed monthly and Mailchimp's Essentials is $27/month billed monthly. Campaign Monitor drops further on annual billing, to $11.70/month billed annually; Mailchimp doesn't show a self-serve annual rate at this contact band. At 5,000 contacts the two cost the same on monthly billing.
Does Campaign Monitor have a free plan?: No. Campaign Monitor offers a 30-day trial capped at 500 contacts, then paid plans. Mailchimp's free plan has no time limit, just a lower 250-contact cap and no automation.
How many seats do I get on each plan?: Campaign Monitor includes unlimited seats on every plan, from Lite through Enterprise. Mailchimp scales seats with the plan: 1 on Free, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Standard, Unlimited on Premium.
Which plan do I need for generative AI features?: On Mailchimp, Standard ($45/month billed monthly) or above; Essentials doesn't include it. On Campaign Monitor, AI Writer is listed on Lite, the cheapest paid plan ($13/month billed monthly). Campaign Monitor reaches AI at a lower price.
Does either tool have a real money-back guarantee?: Mailchimp's own refund policy names no guarantee window at all; refunds are discretionary, granted only for a system malfunction or a wrongful termination on its side. Campaign Monitor's pricing page doesn't publish a refund policy either way.
What's the automation difference between the two at the entry tier?: Campaign Monitor's Lite plan includes drip campaigns, signup forms and email sequences with no flow-step limit stated. Mailchimp's Essentials caps automation at this limit: Up to 4 flow steps. That's a real step down from what Standard offers.
What will this cost me at 5,000 contacts, or for a 3-person team on a 1,000-contact list?: At 5,000 contacts on monthly billing, Campaign Monitor Lite is $75/month billed monthly. Mailchimp Essentials is $75/month billed monthly. For three people on 1,000 contacts, Mailchimp Essentials is $27/month billed monthly and fits all three seats. Campaign Monitor Lite is $47/month billed monthly.

How I verified this

Every price and limit here comes from the vendors' own pages, last checked 1 Oct 2026. Campaign Monitor: desk research. Mailchimp: hands-on.

Sources and changelog

32 facts from 6 source pages, oldest checked 30 Sep 2026.

Campaign Monitor plans and pricing (checked 1 Oct 2026)
Mailchimp plans and pricing (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Mailchimp free plan details (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Mailchimp refund policy (checked 30 Sep 2026)
Mailchimp Zapier integration (checked 30 Sep 2026)

1 Oct 2026: Updated for Campaign Monitor's corrected pricing: no permanent free plan (trial only) and full monthly and annual price ladders on every paid plan. Campaign Monitor is the pick at 500 and at 5,000 contacts. Mailchimp is the pick for a three-person team on a 1,000-contact list, where Essentials costs less.

Spot something out of date?Vendors and readers, send me the correct fact.

Software sites change almost every week, and I want every claim on this page to be factually correct. If you are a vendor or a reader, send me the correct fact and a link to the official page. I will check it and update the page. The opinions and rankings stay mine.

Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp: which entry plan actually costs less?

Quick answer

Which one fits you?

How are Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp really different?

Free plan: none vs an ongoing plan

Entry paid price and what it caps

Automation depth at the entry tier

Where generative AI features unlock

Trial terms

Seats across the whole ladder

What will Campaign Monitor or Mailchimp cost for your setup?

Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier

Growing list, sending regularly

Small team managing one list together

Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp side by side

Who should pick Campaign Monitor, and who should pick Mailchimp?

Campaign Monitor

Mailchimp

Neither Campaign Monitor nor Mailchimp? Try these

Switching between Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp

What would change my pick?

Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp: questions people ask

Is Campaign Monitor cheaper than Mailchimp?

Does Campaign Monitor have a free plan?

How many seats do I get on each plan?

Which plan do I need for generative AI features?

Does either tool have a real money-back guarantee?

What's the automation difference between the two at the entry tier?

What will this cost me at 5,000 contacts, or for a 3-person team on a 1,000-contact list?

How I verified this

Compare Campaign Monitor or Mailchimp with another tool

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