That Marketing Buddy

MailerLite vs Mailchimp: cheaper, or just less famous?

Email marketing and CRM platforms · Verified · By Joonas Rotko

MailerLite logo

MailerLite

Desk research

From Comfort, billed annually

$10.80/mo

$12/mo billed monthly

Mailchimp logo

Mailchimp

Hands-on

From Essentials, billed monthly

$27/mo

Quick answer

For most small businesses, MailerLite is the better buy. Comfort ($12/month billed monthly) costs less than Mailchimp's Essentials ($27/month billed monthly) and doesn't lock automation or its AI landing page builder behind a higher tier the way Mailchimp locks generative AI and full automation behind Standard. Mailchimp is the name more people recognize, not the better deal.

Across the three setups below: MailerLite in 3 of 3 scenarios.

Which one fits you?

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

    MailerLite logo

    MailerLite

    My pick

    $10.80/mo billed annually

    On monthly billing, the only basis both tools publish at this size, MailerLite Comfort is $12/month billed monthly and Mailchimp Essentials is $27/month billed monthly.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Skip it if you want an annual-billing rate from Mailchimp at this list size: it doesn't publish one for Essentials or Standard at all. The only annual number Mailchimp shows below its sales-gated tiers is Premium, at $297.50/month billed annually, a huge jump from either entry tier.

    See MailerLite plans

  2. Growing list, sending regularly

    MailerLite logo

    MailerLite

    My pick

    $44.10/mo billed annually

    At 5,000 contacts, on monthly billing, MailerLite Comfort is $49/month billed monthly and Mailchimp Essentials is $75/month billed monthly. The gap widens as the list grows.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Skip it if you want Mailchimp's wider integration library or its name recognition for a team that already uses it, and the higher monthly price doesn't matter.

    See MailerLite plans

  3. Small team managing one list together

    MailerLite logo

    MailerLite

    My pick

    $17.10/mo billed annually

    At 1,000 contacts with 3 seats, MailerLite Comfort is $19/month billed monthly and includes 3 seats. Mailchimp Essentials is $27/month billed monthly on the same basis.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Skip it if your team already works in Mailchimp and the switch costs more than the monthly difference.

    See MailerLite plans

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

How are MailerLite and Mailchimp really different?

  • Free plan: automation and landing pages

    MailerLite
    Included: 3 automations, 1 landing page
    Mailchimp
    Automation: not included at all. No landing-page allowance is broken out on Mailchimp's free plan page.

    You can build a real welcome sequence on MailerLite's free plan. On Mailchimp's free plan you can't build one at all.

  • Entry paid price and what it unlocks

    MailerLite
    Comfort: $12/month billed monthly, full API sending, unlocks the AI landing page builder and logo removal
    Mailchimp
    Essentials: $27/month billed monthly, no generative AI features, automation capped at Up to 4 flow steps

    MailerLite's cheaper entry tier unlocks more than Mailchimp's pricier one does.

  • AI feature gating

    MailerLite
    AI landing page builder: one use on Free, unrestricted from Comfort
    Mailchimp
    Generative AI features: not included on Free or Essentials, only from Standard ($45/month billed monthly)

    Mailchimp holds its AI tools back an extra tier past its cheapest paid plan.

  • Automation depth by tier

    MailerLite
    3 automations free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power, with the full automation builder on every tier
    Mailchimp
    Up to 4 flow steps on Essentials, jumping to Up to 200 flows on Standard

    Mailchimp's Essentials tier is a real step down in automation depth, not just a smaller quota of the same builder.

  • Refund terms

    MailerLite
    30-day window for a discretionary refund, not a guaranteed money-back policy
    Mailchimp
    No published guarantee window at all; refunds only for a system malfunction or a wrongful termination

    Neither vendor gives you a real money-back guarantee, but MailerLite at least names a window to ask within.

What will MailerLite 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

ToolMonthlyYearly, per month

MailerLite

My pick
$12
$10.80

Comfort

Above 200,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

Mailchimp

$27
$297.50

Essentials monthly, Premium annually

Above 25,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See MailerLite plans
Usage, limits and billing

MailerLite

  • Uses 500 of 200,000 subscribers.
  • On monthly billing: $144 a year.
  • On annual billing: $129.60 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

ToolMonthlyYearly, per month

MailerLite

My pick
$49
$44.10

Comfort

Above 200,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

Mailchimp

$75
Monthly only

Essentials

Above 25,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See MailerLite plans
Usage, limits and billing

MailerLite

  • Uses 5,000 of 200,000 subscribers.
  • On monthly billing: $588 a year.
  • On annual billing: $529.20 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

ToolMonthlyYearly, per month

MailerLite

My pick
$19
$17.10

Comfort

Above 200,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

Mailchimp

$27
Monthly only

Essentials

Above 25,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See MailerLite plans
Usage, limits and billing

MailerLite

  • Uses 1,000 of 200,000 subscribers.
  • On monthly billing: $228 a year.
  • On annual billing: $205.20 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.

MailerLite 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).

MailerLite and Mailchimp compared on the main buying criteria
Free plan automation and landing pages3 automations, 1 landing page includedNo automation, no separate landing-page allowance stated
Entry paid price, both billing basesComfort: $12/month billed monthly, $10.80/month billed annuallyEssentials: $27/month billed monthly; no self-serve annual rate shown at this contact band
AI feature gatingAI landing page builder: once on Free, unlimited from ComfortGenerative AI features: none on Free or Essentials, included from Standard
Automation step and flow limitsFull automation builder on every tier; 3 automations free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on PowerUp to 4 flow steps on Essentials, Up to 200 flows from Standard up
Trial terms14 days, no card required14 days on Essentials/Standard, card required, auto-converts to paid
All details, including automation and AI workflows
All compared details for MailerLite and Mailchimp
Refund terms30-day discretionary window, not a standard guaranteeNo published guarantee window; discretionary only
Integrations (WordPress, Zapier)Both bundled in MailerLite's general integrations allowance on every tier, including FreeBoth bundled in Mailchimp's general integrations allowance, confirmed on paid tiers; not confirmed on Free
Seats2 on Free, 3 on Comfort, unlimited on Power1 on Free, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Standard, unlimited on Premium
Full price ladderFree (no cost). Comfort: $12/month billed monthly, or $10.80/month billed annually. Power: $25/month billed monthly, or $22.50/month billed annually. Enterprise: custom, gated to the top subscriber band.Free (no cost). Essentials: $27/month billed monthly. Standard: $45/month billed monthly. Premium: $350/month billed monthly month to month, or $297.50/month billed annually on a fixed-term plan.
How pricing scalesSubscriber-count tiered: the same slider band (250 and up) sets the price at every tier, and every paid tier keeps the same feature set as the list grows.Contact-count tiered on a multi-step slider; every plan's price rises with the selected band, and features do not change with list size, only price.
Free plan sending caps2,500 emails a month at up to 250 subscribers500 emails a month or 250 a day, whichever hits first, at up to 250 contacts
Landing pages by tier1 on Free, 10 on Comfort, unlimited on PowerNot broken out as a standalone allowance on the pricing comparison table
White label / branding removalComfort and above only, not FreeEssentials and above only, not Free; no reseller white-label program on any tier
API accessFree: limited, no sending. Comfort and Power: full sending.Available on every paid tier per Mailchimp's own developer docs; not confirmed either way on Free
SupportNot broken out by tier in MailerLite's own comparison tableEssentials and Standard: 24/7 Email & Chat Support. Premium: Phone & Priority Support.
Overage handlingPaid accounts auto-upgrade to the next subscriber tier and bill the card on file; Free accounts have sending locked at 250 subscribers until you upgrade or trim the listNot detailed; contact-slider overage behavior is unverified here

Who should pick MailerLite, and who should pick Mailchimp?

MailerLite logo

MailerLite

Desk research
  • Best for solo marketers and small businesses
  • Best for growing lists sending regularly
  • Best for small teams sharing one account

MailerLite prices by subscriber count, not by locking features behind tiers, so a $12/month billed monthly plan gets the same automation builder and landing pages as the top tier, just fewer of each. The free plan is a real permanent plan, not a trial, capped at 250 subscribers.

Best for: A small business or solo marketer who wants full features at a low subscriber count and doesn't want to pay for a bigger list than they have yet.

Strengths

  • A genuine free plan at 250 subscribers, not a time-limited trial.
  • A 14-day trial of paid features with no card required.
  • Automation and landing pages scale by count, not by locking the builder away from cheaper tiers.

Limits

  • Removing the MailerLite logo needs Comfort or above.
  • API and MCP access on Free is limited and can't send.
  • Refunds are discretionary, not a guaranteed money-back window; MailerLite's terms only commit to a refund if it cancels your service on you first.

Skip it if you need white label or logo removal on the free plan, or unrestricted API sending without upgrading past Free.

MailerLite reviewMailerLite pricingMailerLite alternatives

Mailchimp logo

Mailchimp

Hands-on

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 reviewMailchimp pricingMailchimp alternatives

My pick: MailerLite in 3 of 3 scenarios.

See MailerLite plansSee Mailchimp plans

Neither MailerLite nor Mailchimp? Try these

  • Brevo logo

    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 bolt-on.

    Brevo reviewBrevo alternatives

  • Moosend logo

    Moosend

    From $7/mo billed annually

    Pick it if you want a lower-cost entry point than either MailerLite or Mailchimp and don't need the largest integration library.

    Moosend reviewMoosend alternatives

  • Kit logo

    Kit

    From $33/mo billed annually

    Pick it if you're a creator or solo publisher first, with a subscriber-focused workflow built around newsletters and paid subscriptions rather than general marketing campaigns.

    Kit reviewKit alternatives

Switching between MailerLite and Mailchimp

Neither vendor documents a specific migration tool, import fee, or list-transfer guarantee, so this stays qualitative: expect to re-import your contact list and rebuild automations and templates by hand in either direction, since no free concierge migration is documented for MailerLite or Mailchimp. MailerLite's 14-day trial needs 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 unlocking generative AI or full automation on Essentials would close the biggest gap driving this pick.
  • MailerLite raising Comfort's price above Mailchimp's Essentials, at the same subscriber band, would remove its price edge.
  • A published extra-seat price or a real money-back guarantee window from either vendor. Neither is currently published or verified, and either would shift the refund-terms row.

MailerLite vs Mailchimp: questions people ask

Is MailerLite cheaper than Mailchimp?

Yes, at every list size I price. At 500 contacts MailerLite Comfort is $12/month billed monthly and Mailchimp Essentials is $27/month billed monthly. At 5,000 contacts MailerLite is $49/month billed monthly and Mailchimp is $75/month billed monthly. Mailchimp shows no self-serve annual rate at these bands, and Comfort also unlocks more than Essentials does.

Does Mailchimp's free plan include automation?

No. Mailchimp's free plan has no marketing automation flows at all. MailerLite's free plan includes 3 automations and a landing page, which Mailchimp's free plan doesn't match.

Why is Mailchimp still so popular if it's not the best value?

Familiarity. It's the tool most people have already used at a previous job or seen recommended by default, which counts for something if your team already knows the interface. That recognition doesn't mean it's the cheapest or the most feature-complete option at a given price, and on this pair it's neither.

Do MailerLite and Mailchimp both offer a genuine free plan?

Yes, both are permanent free plans, not time-limited trials. MailerLite's free plan caps at 250 subscribers and includes automation and a landing page. Mailchimp's free plan caps at 250 contacts and includes neither.

Which plan do I need for generative AI features?

On Mailchimp, Standard ($45/month billed monthly) or above; Essentials doesn't include it. MailerLite doesn't brand a comparable generative AI suite the same way, but its AI landing page builder is available once on Free and unrestricted from Comfort ($12/month billed monthly) up.

Does either tool have a real money-back guarantee?

Not really. MailerLite names a 30-day window to ask, but the refund itself stays discretionary, not guaranteed. Mailchimp's own refund policy names no window at all and only grants refunds for a system malfunction or a wrongful termination on its side.

How does pricing scale as my list grows?

Both vendors raise the price as your list grows rather than raising it by feature: MailerLite scales by subscriber count across bands from 250 up, Mailchimp scales by contact count across its own multi-step slider. Neither changes what a given tier's features are; only the price per band moves.

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 MailerLite Comfort is $49/month billed monthly and Mailchimp Essentials is $75/month billed monthly. For a 3-person team on a 1,000-contact list, MailerLite Comfort is $19/month billed monthly and Mailchimp Essentials is $27/month billed monthly. All four are on monthly billing.

How I verified this

Every price and limit here comes from the vendors' own pages, last checked . MailerLite: desk research. Mailchimp: hands-on.

Sources and changelog

36 facts from 7 source pages, oldest checked 30 Sep 2026.

  • : Updated for new MailerLite prices. All three scenarios pick MailerLite on monthly billing: it is cheaper than Mailchimp Essentials at 500 contacts, at 5,000 contacts and for the 3-person team at 1,000 contacts. Mailchimp shows no self-serve annual rate at these sizes, so monthly is the only like-for-like basis.
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