Mailchimp vs Brevo

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the best-known email marketing platforms, with a focus on visual templates and a simple editor. In 2026 it cut its free plan (from 500 to 250 contacts and from 1,000 to 500 monthly sends), which made it noticeably smaller than Brevo's.

Brevo

Brevo bets on an "everything by emails sent, unlimited contacts" model, and adds channels like SMS and WhatsApp within the same plan on most tiers, something that in Mailchimp usually requires integrations or extra costs.

Key differences

• Mailchimp charges for stored contacts; Brevo charges for emails sent, with unlimited contacts on almost all plans.
• Brevo's free plan allows more stored contacts (up to 100k) though it limits daily sends; Mailchimp's was cut to 250 contacts in 2026.
• Brevo includes SMS and WhatsApp natively on several plans; in Mailchimp those channels are not the central focus of the product.
• Mailchimp changed its pricing twice in just the first four months of 2026, which is worth keeping in mind if you are planning a long-term budget.

Pricing

Updated: September 2026 — source: official pricing pages (see Sources).

Mailchimp

• Free — $0, 250 contacts, 500 emails/month (reduced since February 2026).
• Essentials — from $13/month for 500 contacts (the real cost rises with list size).
• Standard and Premium — prices increase with contacts; a list of 4,000+ contacts typically runs around $75–$135/month.

Brevo

• Free — $0, 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts.
• Starter — from $9/month, 5,000 emails/month.
• Standard — from $18/month, 5,000 emails/month + landing pages and multi-user.
• Professional / Enterprise — from usage of 150k+ emails/month, with custom pricing.

Features and integrations

For simple newsletters with small lists, either one will do. The difference shows when the list grows: if you have many contacts but send infrequently, Brevo tends to be cheaper because it doesn't charge per stored contact. If you send very frequent campaigns to a small list, Mailchimp can be competitive.

Ease of use

Both platforms have drag-and-drop editors that are accessible to someone with no email marketing experience. Brevo adds the advantage of handling SMS/WhatsApp from the same dashboard, without adding another tool.

Who is each tool for?

Mailchimp: People who already know Mailchimp's editor or need its specific ecosystem of templates and ecommerce integrations.

Brevo: People with a large contact list who send in moderation, or who want to add SMS/WhatsApp without paying for a separate tool.

Verdict

Brevo wins on price-to-contacts ratio for large lists with moderate sending; Mailchimp is still a valid choice if you already use its ecosystem of templates and ecommerce integrations.