Is Omnisend cheaper than Mailchimp?

At 500 contacts, yes. Omnisend Standard is $16/month billed monthly and Mailchimp Essentials is $13/month billed monthly, $3/month more. At 5,000 contacts Mailchimp is the cheaper one: Essentials is $75/month billed monthly and Standard is $81/month billed monthly.

Does Omnisend have SMS built in?

Not built in, but it sells a volume-tiered SMS add-on on Standard and Pro, from $0.007-0.009 per text depending on how much you send. Mailchimp doesn't document an SMS channel at all.

How many seats do Omnisend and Mailchimp include?

Omnisend includes 1 seat on both Standard and Pro, with no published price to add more. Mailchimp includes 3 seats on Essentials, 5 on Standard, and Unlimited on Premium.

Why is Mailchimp still so popular if it's not the cheapest option here?

Familiarity mostly. It's the tool people have already used at a previous job, so a team that already knows the interface saves setup time. That doesn't make it the cheapest or the best ecommerce fit, and on this pair it's neither: Moosend, Brevo, and MailerLite all undercut it too.

Do both tools offer a genuine free plan?

Yes, both are permanent free plans, not time-limited trials. Omnisend's free plan caps at 250 contacts with 1 seat. Mailchimp's free plan caps at 250 contacts and explicitly excludes automation.

Which tool fits ecommerce sellers better?

Omnisend. It's positioned around ecommerce integrations, and its SMS add-on ($0.007-0.009 per text depending on volume) sells only on Standard and Pro, a channel Mailchimp doesn't document at all.

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 Mailchimp Essentials is $75/month billed monthly and Omnisend Standard is $81/month billed monthly. For a 3-person team on a 1,000-contact list, Mailchimp Essentials is $26.50/month billed monthly. Omnisend has no 3-seat price: it includes 1 seat and publishes no price for more. All of these are on monthly billing.

Omnisend vs Mailchimp: cheaper, and built for ecommerce

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

Omnisend

Desk research

From Standard, billed monthly

$16/mo

Mailchimp

Hands-on

From Essentials, billed monthly

$13/mo

Quick answer

Omnisend is the better buy if you're selling products and your list is small. At 500 contacts Standard is $16/month billed monthly and Mailchimp Essentials is $13/month billed monthly, and Omnisend adds a volume-tiered SMS add-on Mailchimp doesn't sell here. The price edge flips as the list grows: at 5,000 contacts Mailchimp is $75/month billed monthly and Omnisend is $81/month billed monthly. Mailchimp's other edge is seats: Essentials includes 3 logins where Omnisend caps every paid tier at 1.

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

Which one fits you?

Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier
Omnisend
My pick
$16/mo billed monthly
At 500 contacts Omnisend Standard is $16/month billed monthly and Mailchimp Essentials is $13/month billed monthly. Omnisend is $3/month more, on monthly billing, the basis both vendors publish at this size.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if you need more than one login. Omnisend's Standard plan includes only 1 seat with no published price to add more, while Mailchimp Essentials includes 3 at the same price.
See Omnisend plans
Growing list, sending regularly
Mailchimp
My pick
$75/mo billed monthly
At 5,000 contacts Mailchimp Essentials is $75/month billed monthly and Omnisend Standard is $81/month billed monthly, both on monthly billing. Mailchimp is the cheaper one here, and it includes 3 seats.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if you sell products online and want SMS next to email. Omnisend's volume-tiered SMS add-on is a channel Mailchimp doesn't document, and for a shop that can be worth the extra monthly cost.
See Mailchimp plans
Small team managing one list together
Mailchimp
My pick
$26.50/mo billed monthly
Three people on a 1,000-contact list is a seats question. Mailchimp Essentials includes 3 seats and is $26.50/month billed monthly. Omnisend includes 1 seat on Standard and Pro and publishes no price for extra seats, so I can't price a 3-seat plan on it.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Skip it if you only need one login, in which case Omnisend's ecommerce fit and lower entry price count again.
See Mailchimp plans

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

How are Omnisend and Mailchimp really different?

Ecommerce fit and SMS
Omnisend
Positioned around ecommerce integrations, with a volume-tiered SMS add-on on Standard and Pro ($0.007-0.009 per text depending on volume)
Mailchimp
No SMS channel or ecommerce-specific integrations documented
If you're selling products, Omnisend's SMS add-on is a channel Mailchimp doesn't document at all.
Entry paid price at 500 contacts
Omnisend
Standard: $16/month billed monthly
Mailchimp
Essentials: $13/month billed monthly
Omnisend is $3/month more at the smallest paid size. At 5,000 contacts the order flips, and Mailchimp is the cheaper one.
Seats included
Omnisend
1 seat on Standard, 1 on Pro too, with no published extra-seat price on either tier
Mailchimp
3 seats on Essentials, 5 on Standard, Unlimited on Premium
A second login on Omnisend means jumping to its sales-gated Custom plan. Mailchimp already builds in a team on its cheapest paid tier.
Automation depth
Omnisend
Automations included as a plan feature on Standard and Pro, with no flow-count or step limit published either way
Mailchimp
None on Free, Up to 4 flow steps on Essentials, Up to 200 flows from Standard
Mailchimp's own comparison table names a hard step cap on its cheapest paid tier. Omnisend states automation is included but publishes no depth limit to weigh against it.
Free plan
Omnisend
250 contacts, 1 seat, no cost
Mailchimp
250 contacts, 500 emails a month or 250 a day, no automation
Same contact ceiling on both free plans, but Mailchimp's own free-plan page states automation is excluded. Omnisend doesn't state that gate either way.

What will Omnisend 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

Omnisend

My pick

$16

Monthly only

Standard

Above 150,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

Mailchimp

$13

Monthly only

Essentials

Above 50,000 subscribers: Standard (+$617/mo, billed monthly).

See Omnisend plans

Usage, limits and billing

Omnisend

Uses 500 of 150,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $192 a year.

Mailchimp

Uses 500 of 50,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $156 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

Omnisend

$81

Monthly only

Standard

Above 150,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

Mailchimp

My pick

$75

Monthly only

Essentials

Above 50,000 subscribers: Standard (+$555/mo, billed monthly).

See Mailchimp plans

Usage, limits and billing

Omnisend

Uses 5,000 of 150,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $972 a year.

Mailchimp

Uses 5,000 of 50,000 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

Omnisend

Fit unconfirmed

Not priced

Standard is priced, but users limit isn't published

Mailchimp

My pick

$26.50

Monthly only

Essentials

Above 50,000 subscribers: Standard (+$603.50/mo, billed monthly).

See Mailchimp plans

Usage, limits and billing

Omnisend

The plan's price is published, but a limit this setup needs isn't, so the fit can't be confirmed.

Mailchimp

Uses 1,000 of 50,000 subscribers.
On monthly billing: $318 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.Omnisend, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.Mailchimp, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.
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.Omnisend, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.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.Omnisend, monthly billing: Standard is priced, but users limit isn't published. Users limit isn't published.Omnisend, annual billing: Standard has no published price. Users limit isn't published. Price limit isn't published.Mailchimp, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.

Omnisend 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).

Omnisend and Mailchimp compared on the main buying criteria
Criterion	Omnisend	Mailchimp
Real cost at 500 contacts	Standard: $16/month billed monthly. No annual plan.	Essentials: $13/month billed monthly; no self-serve annual rate shown at this band
Real cost at 5,000 contacts	Standard: $81/month billed monthly. No annual plan.	Essentials: $75/month billed monthly. No self-serve annual rate shown at this band.
Free-tier contact ceiling before you pay	250 contacts, no cost	250 contacts, no cost
Team seats included, and the seat price past that	1 seat on Standard and Pro, no published extra-seat price	3 on Essentials, 5 on Standard, Unlimited on Premium, no published extra-seat price either
Automation workflow depth	Included on Standard and Pro; no flow-count or step limit published	Up to 4 flow steps on Essentials, Up to 200 flows from Standard up

All details, including automation and AI workflows

All compared details for Omnisend and Mailchimp
Criterion	Omnisend	Mailchimp
Deliverability and sending limits	Not broken out beyond the contact-count tiers themselves	500 a month or 250 a day on Free; 5,000 a month on Essentials, 6,000 on Standard
CRM and ecommerce integration depth	Ecommerce integrations are the stated focus, plus a volume-tiered SMS add-on on Standard and Pro	300+ integrations bundled on every paid tier, confirmed for WordPress and Zapier; no SMS channel or ecommerce-specific integrations documented
What happens past your plan's contact ceiling	Not detailed for Standard or Pro; Custom is the named plan for 150,001+ contacts, price on request	Not detailed for Essentials; the contact-count slider steps up with list size
Full price ladder	Free (250 contacts, no cost). Standard: $16/month billed monthly, up to 150,000 contacts. Pro: $59/month billed monthly, up to 150,000 contacts. Custom: price on request, for 150,001+ contacts.	Free (up to 250 contacts, no cost). Essentials: $13/month billed monthly. Standard: $20/month billed monthly. Premium: $350/month billed monthly month to month, or {{price:mailchimp.premium.annual}}.
Trial terms	Not published; the pricing page does not state whether a trial exists or requires a card	14 days on Essentials and Standard, card required, auto-converts to paid
Refund terms	Not published; Omnisend has no refund policy page	No published guarantee window; refunds only for a system malfunction or a wrongful termination
Branding removal	Not broken out by tier	Not included on Free; included from Essentials up
API access	Not published	Included on every paid tier per Mailchimp's own developer docs; not confirmed on Free
Support channels	Not broken out by tier	Essentials and Standard: 24/7 Email & Chat Support. Premium: Phone & Priority Support.
Generative AI features	Not published	Not included on Free or Essentials; included from Standard ($20/month billed monthly) up, flagged beta and English-only in select countries

Who should pick Omnisend, and who should pick Mailchimp?

Omnisend

Desk research

Best for solo marketers and small businesses

Omnisend is an email and SMS platform built for ecommerce, with a real free tier (250 contacts) that packs basic automation and web push. Once you outgrow 250 contacts, the Standard plan ($16/month billed monthly) adds SMS and more advanced sequences. It's cheaper than Klaviyo for small lists but doesn't pretend to be a full CDP; it's a focused email-plus-SMS tool for DTC brands.

Best for: Ecommerce and DTC brands who want email, SMS, and web push in one platform without overpaying for enterprise CRM features they don't need.

Strengths

A genuine free plan up to 250 contacts, no credit card needed.
SMS and email together at $16/month billed monthly (Standard), which is below Klaviyo's entry price.
Automation workflows included from Standard up, plus web push notifications on all paid plans.

Limits

No separate seats: all plans include just 1 user account, so team collaboration requires account sharing.
Free plan caps at 250 contacts; there is no middle tier between Free and Standard (a gap if you have 300 contacts).
No public pricing above 150,000 contacts; you hit Custom and have to contact sales, which is typical for the category but still a friction point.

Skip it if you need advanced segmentation, complex customer data unification, or attribution across multiple channels. Omnisend is email-SMS first, not a full CDP.

Omnisend review Omnisend pricing Omnisend alternatives

Mailchimp

Hands-on

Best for growing lists sending regularly
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 $13/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 $13/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 $20/month billed monthly.

Mailchimp review Mailchimp pricing Mailchimp alternatives

My pick: Omnisend overall.

See Omnisend plans See Mailchimp plans

Neither Omnisend nor Mailchimp? Try these

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 add-on.
Brevo review Brevo alternatives
MailerLite
From $10.80/mo billed annually
Pick it if you want a lower entry price than either Omnisend or Mailchimp and don't need ecommerce-specific integrations.
MailerLite review MailerLite alternatives
ActiveCampaign
From $15/mo billed annually
Pick it if CRM depth and sales-pipeline automation matter more to you than ecommerce-specific sending.
ActiveCampaign review ActiveCampaign alternatives

Switching between Omnisend and Mailchimp

Neither vendor documents a migration tool, import fee, or list-transfer guarantee, so this stays qualitative: expect to rebuild automations and re-import contacts by hand in either direction. Omnisend's own pricing page doesn't state whether a card is required. Mailchimp's 14-day trial requires a card up front and auto-converts to paid if you forget to cancel.

What would change my pick?

A published extra-seat price from Omnisend would change the seats comparison. Right now a second login means jumping to its sales-gated Custom plan.
An annual plan from Omnisend would let me compare both tools on yearly billing. Omnisend has only a short prepay option.
Mailchimp naming a real money-back guarantee window, or Omnisend publishing one, would change the refund-terms row. Neither is published today.

Omnisend vs Mailchimp: questions people ask

Is Omnisend cheaper than Mailchimp?: At 500 contacts, yes. Omnisend Standard is $16/month billed monthly and Mailchimp Essentials is $13/month billed monthly, $3/month more. At 5,000 contacts Mailchimp is the cheaper one: Essentials is $75/month billed monthly and Standard is $81/month billed monthly.
Does Omnisend have SMS built in?: Not built in, but it sells a volume-tiered SMS add-on on Standard and Pro, from $0.007-0.009 per text depending on how much you send. Mailchimp doesn't document an SMS channel at all.
How many seats do Omnisend and Mailchimp include?: Omnisend includes 1 seat on both Standard and Pro, with no published price to add more. Mailchimp includes 3 seats on Essentials, 5 on Standard, and Unlimited on Premium.
Why is Mailchimp still so popular if it's not the cheapest option here?: Familiarity mostly. It's the tool people have already used at a previous job, so a team that already knows the interface saves setup time. That doesn't make it the cheapest or the best ecommerce fit, and on this pair it's neither: Moosend, Brevo, and MailerLite all undercut it too.
Do both tools offer a genuine free plan?: Yes, both are permanent free plans, not time-limited trials. Omnisend's free plan caps at 250 contacts with 1 seat. Mailchimp's free plan caps at 250 contacts and explicitly excludes automation.
Which tool fits ecommerce sellers better?: Omnisend. It's positioned around ecommerce integrations, and its SMS add-on ($0.007-0.009 per text depending on volume) sells only on Standard and Pro, a channel Mailchimp doesn't document at all.
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 Mailchimp Essentials is $75/month billed monthly and Omnisend Standard is $81/month billed monthly. For a 3-person team on a 1,000-contact list, Mailchimp Essentials is $26.50/month billed monthly. Omnisend has no 3-seat price: it includes 1 seat and publishes no price for more. All of these are on monthly billing.

How I verified this

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

Sources and changelog

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

Omnisend 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)
Mailchimp developer docs (API fundamentals) (checked 30 Sep 2026)

1 Oct 2026: Updated for new Omnisend prices. Omnisend is the pick at 500 contacts, where Standard is cheaper than Mailchimp Essentials. Mailchimp is the pick at 5,000 contacts, where it is cheaper, and for the 3-person team, because Omnisend includes one seat and publishes no extra-seat price. The overall pick stays Omnisend for online shops that want SMS.

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.

Omnisend vs Mailchimp: cheaper, and built for ecommerce

Quick answer

Which one fits you?

How are Omnisend and Mailchimp really different?

Ecommerce fit and SMS

Entry paid price at 500 contacts

Seats included

Automation depth

Free plan

What will Omnisend 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

Omnisend vs Mailchimp side by side

Who should pick Omnisend, and who should pick Mailchimp?

Omnisend

Mailchimp

Neither Omnisend nor Mailchimp? Try these

Switching between Omnisend and Mailchimp

What would change my pick?

Omnisend vs Mailchimp: questions people ask

Is Omnisend cheaper than Mailchimp?

Does Omnisend have SMS built in?

How many seats do Omnisend and Mailchimp include?

Why is Mailchimp still so popular if it's not the cheapest option here?

Do both tools offer a genuine free plan?

Which tool fits ecommerce sellers better?

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 Omnisend or Mailchimp with another tool

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