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Price Snapshot
How much does Mailchimp cost?
Mailchimp starts at $13/mo for a paid plan, with a free plan for smaller teams. That's 13% below median for Email Marketing tools. That is the entry price: the Essentials plan covers up to 500 subscribers, and the same plan is $270/mo at 25,000. Annual billing saves 20% off.
Calculate before you commit
Email Marketing pricing at your contact count
Use my pricing calculator to see how Mailchimp compares with other Email Marketing software at the contact count you actually need. Every tool here is priced at the same volume, which is the comparison a vendor’s own pricing page cannot make.
At 500 contacts, Mailchimp costs $27/mo on Essentials, which is #17 of 24 in Email Marketing. ActiveCampaign, the most-reviewed option here, costs $49/mo at the same volume.
EmailOctopusFree/mo
FlodeskFree/mo
Benchmark EmailFree/mo
beehiivFree/mo
LoopsFree/mo
SenderFree/mo
Selzy$7.50/mo
Moosend$9/mo
Buttondown$9/mo
Campaign Monitor$11.70/mo
Constant Contact$12/mo
EngageBay$14.99/mo
Ghost$15/mo
MailerLite$19/mo
Omnisend$20/mo
AWeber$25/mo
Mailchimp$27/mo
Klaviyo$30/mo
Drip$39/mo
Kit$39/mo
ActiveCampaign$49/mo
Customer.io$100/mo
Encharge$179/mo
Keap$299/mo
Priced in another currency, so listed separately rather than ranked:
Zoho CampaignsFree/mo≈$0
The vendor’s own price is on the left. The dollar figure is my conversion at rates taken on 2026-08-06, shown only to give a sense of scale. These vendors do not set their dollar price by converting, so the approximation is not what you would be charged and is not used for ranking.
Some tools do not publish a price at exactly 500 contacts. Those show the next tier up, which is what you would actually pay: EmailOctopus at 2,500, Flodesk at 1,000, beehiiv at 2,500, Loops at 1,000, Sender at 2,500, Buttondown at 1,000.
Compare all Email Marketing pricing by budget →
24 of 25 Email Marketing tools publish a price at this volume. Every figure is the vendor’s own published rate for monthly billing, read from their pricing page and last checked 2026-08-06. Nothing is estimated between published tiers.
WHAT THIS CATEGORY COSTS AS YOU SCALE
Email Marketing pricing by list size
The middle of the market at each level, across every Email Marketing tool on this site that publishes a price there. Going from 500 contacts to 100,000 contacts multiplies the typical bill by 37.5×. At 25,000 contacts, HubSpot costs 4.5× what Mailchimp does.
MailchimpCategory median
HubSpot(most reviewed, 40,490)Mailchimp$13Cheapest here:Zoho Campaigns$4/mo
HubSpot$20Cheapest here:Zoho Campaigns$7/mo
Mailchimp$45Cheapest here:Zoho Campaigns$17/mo
Mailchimp$75HubSpot$220Cheapest here:Ghost$18/mo
Mailchimp$110HubSpot$470Cheapest here:Ghost$18/mo
Mailchimp$270HubSpot$1,220Cheapest here:Ghost$18/mo
Mailchimp$385HubSpot$2,470Cheapest here:Ghost$18/mo
Mailchimp$800HubSpot$5,350Cheapest here:Ghost$18/mo
Each median is the middle price of the cheapest plan covering that level, across the 36 Email Marketing tools on this site. Tools that publish no price at a level are excluded from that row rather than estimated, which is why coverage varies. “Most reviewed” uses combined third-party review counts as a stand-in for popularity. These are list prices before overage, add-ons and seat charges.
Plans
Mailchimp plans and pricing
3 paid plans · Monthly rates shown, annual noted per plan · Verified Apr 20, 2026
From $13/mo at 500 contacts; scales with list size (see tier ladder).
From $20/mo at 500 contacts; scales with list size.
From $350/mo (10,000 contacts minimum); scales with list size.
The free plan includes 250 contacts, 500 monthly emails, and basic email support for your first 30 days.
Recommendation
Which plan should you choose?
The free plan supports 250 contacts with basic email marketing features, giving beginners a no-cost introduction to the platform. You can create campaigns, build landing pages, and set up simple automations at this tier. The 250-contact limit is tighter than it used to be, so you may hit the cap faster than expected as your list grows. Upgrade to Essentials when you exceed 250 contacts or need to remove Mailchimp branding from your emails.
Essentials at $13/month removes Mailchimp branding and adds A/B testing, which improves the professionalism and optimization of your campaigns. The plan scales based on contact count, so your costs increase as your list grows. For small businesses running regular campaigns and wanting basic optimization tools, Essentials covers the fundamentals. Move to Standard when you need advanced automations, AI-powered tools, or deeper audience segmentation.
Standard adds AI tools and advanced automation that support ecommerce-specific workflows like product recommendations and behavioral targeting. For online stores where email drives repeat purchases, these features help personalize campaigns at scale. Advanced segmentation lets you target customers based on purchase history and browsing behavior. Upgrade to Premium if you need multiple users or the most advanced analytics and testing capabilities.
Standard's support for multiple users makes it practical for agency teams managing client email campaigns collaboratively. The advanced automation and segmentation tools provide the campaign sophistication that agency clients typically expect. For agencies managing a handful of client accounts, Standard balances capability with cost. Premium is only justified when you need dedicated support, unlimited users, or the most advanced feature set available.
Premium includes dedicated support, unlimited users, and the most advanced features in Mailchimp's lineup. For enterprise teams where email marketing is a critical revenue channel, dedicated support ensures faster issue resolution when problems arise. Unlimited users means no per-seat costs as your marketing team grows or changes. The premium pricing is significant, so confirm that your team's needs exceed what Standard provides before committing to this tier.
Feature Comparison
What's in each plan?
Side-by-side comparison of all Mailchimp plan features.
| Feature | Free | Essentials | StandardRecommended | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts limit | 250 contacts | – | – | – |
| Email sends | 500 sends per month (250 max per day) | 10 times your maximum contact count | 12 times your maximum contact count | 15 times your maximum contact count |
| Users | 1 Seat | 3 Seats | 5 Seats | Unlimited |
| Audiences | 1 audience | – | – | – |
| Pre-built Email Templates | Limited | Included | Included | Included |
| Remove Mailchimp Branding | – | Included | Included | Included |
| Marketing Automation Flows | – | Up to 4 flow steps | Up to 200 flows | Up to 200 flows |
| SMS Marketing | – | SMS add-on | SMS add-on | SMS add-on |
| Email Scheduling & A/B Testing | – | Included | Included | Included |
| Contacts | – | 500 contacts included | 500 contacts included | 10,000 contacts included |
Showing 10 of 17 features.
Scaling Costs
How much as you grow?
Mailchimp uses contact-based pricing. Here's how costs change as your list grows.
On the Standard plan, Mailchimp ranges from $20/mo at 500 contacts to $800/mo at 100,000 contacts. That's a 40.0x increase.
| contacts | Essentials | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13 | $20 | – |
| 2,500 | $45 | $60 | – |
| 5,000 | $75 | $100 | – |
| 10,000 | $110 | $135 | $350 |
| 25,000 | $270 | $310 | $685 |
| 50,000 | $385 | $450 | $815 |
| 100,000 | – | $800 | $1025 |
Buddy's Take
On the Standard plan, going from 500 to 100,000 contacts is a 40.0x price jump ($20 to $800/mo). Budget for this. Contact-based pricing always catches people off guard.
Editorial
My take on Mailchimp pricing
Mailchimp's biggest strength is its ecosystem. With more third-party integrations than any other email marketingplatform, it connects to virtually every tool, CMS, and e-commerce platform. Deliverability rates remain strong, and the Standard plan's AI tools and automation are useful.
The pricing has become increasingly aggressive. The free plan was reduced from 2,000 to 250 contacts, and Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts toward your plan limit. That means you are paying for contacts who will never see your emails. Compare with Moosend, which starts at $9/month with fairer contact counting, or MailerLite, which offers a free plan with 500 subscribers.
Mailchimp still makes sense for businesses deeply integrated into its ecosystem or those who need the broadest possible integration library. For new businesses building an email list, more affordable platforms offer comparable features without the pricing gotchas.
Deals
Available discounts
Annual Discount
Save 15% when paying annually on all paid plans
Volume Discount
15% discount for first 12 months for customers with 10,000+ contacts
Verdict
Is Mailchimp Worth the Price?
Mailchimp remains one of the most recognized email marketing platforms, but recognition does not always equal best value. The pricing has crept upward while competitors have gotten more generous. The Standard plan at $16.99/month offers the best feature-to-cost ratio if you commit to Mailchimp. Just be aware of how quickly costs scale with contact growth.
Read my full Mailchimp review or compare it with Moosend and MailerLite.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Your sending will be paused until you upgrade or remove contacts. Overage fees apply on paid plans.
Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time. Changes take effect immediately.
No setup fees on any plan. You only pay the monthly or annual subscription cost.
All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial with full access to features.
No credit card required for the free plan. You can start sending emails immediately.
Yes, you can cancel your subscription anytime. No cancellation fees or long-term contracts.
Mailchimp accepts all major credit cards and PayPal for subscription payments.
See the pricing for yourself
14 days free. No credit card. See which plan fits before you pay.
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Joonas Rotko
Author & founder of That Marketing Buddy
I score marketing software for AI-stack fit (MCP, API, agent-readiness), backed by 10+ years in digital marketing. Building the most trustworthy marketing software database so you can trust the pricing data on this site.
This page may contain affiliate links. I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never influences pricing data.