Mailchimp Review 2026: Why I Can't Recommend This Email Platform Anymore

Mailchimp is an email marketing platform that helps businesses send newsletters, automated campaigns, and manage subscriber lists. Originally founded in 2001 and acquired by Intuit in 2021, it's one of the most recognizable names in email marketing.

The platform offers standard email marketing features like drag-and-drop editors, automation workflows, audience segmentation, and basic analytics. It also includes SMS marketing, landing pages, and social media management tools as part of its broader marketing suite.

While Mailchimp pioneered many email marketing concepts and has solid deliverability rates, the platform has shifted toward serving larger businesses with premium pricing. The free plan is limited to 500 contacts, and paid plans start at $13/month but quickly escalate as your list grows.

Going through the email builder, Mailchimp offers a solid drag-and-drop interface with plenty of template options. The editor handles basic design needs well, though it can feel dated compared to newer platforms. Custom HTML editing is available for users who need more control over their designs.

The automation features work as expected, with standard workflows like welcome series and abandoned cart emails. Setting up automations is straightforward, but the interface feels cluttered with options that many small businesses don't need. The predictive analytics feature promises to identify your best customers, though in practice it often just highlights obvious patterns.

Integrations are comprehensive, covering major e-commerce platforms, CRMs, and social media tools. The Shopify integration is particularly robust, automatically syncing customer data and purchase history. However, many of these integrations require paid plans, limiting their usefulness for smaller businesses.

Where Mailchimp falls short is in modern features that competitors offer as standard. The analytics dashboard feels basic compared to platforms like ConvertKit or even Brevo, and the mobile app experience lags behind more recent email marketing tools.

After testing the platform extensively, the user experience feels like it's trying to be too many things at once. The dashboard is packed with features, making it overwhelming for new users who just want to send newsletters. Navigation requires more clicks than it should, and finding specific settings often involves hunting through multiple menus.

The onboarding process includes guided tutorials, but they focus heavily on upselling premium features rather than helping you succeed with your current plan. Setting up your first campaign involves multiple steps that could be streamlined, especially compared to more modern alternatives.

Support quality varies significantly by plan level. Free and lower-tier users are limited to email support with slow response times. Phone support is only available on higher-tier plans, and even then, representatives often seem focused on upselling rather than solving problems. The knowledge base is comprehensive but can be hard to navigate when you need quick answers.

Mailchimp's deliverability rates are solid, typically achieving inbox placement rates above 95% for well-maintained lists. The platform has good relationships with major email providers and handles authentication properly. However, their aggressive spam filtering can sometimes flag legitimate campaigns, requiring manual review.

Uptime is generally reliable, with few service interruptions reported. Campaign sending speeds are adequate for most users, though bulk sends can sometimes experience delays during peak hours.