Mailchimp

What Is Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is the world’s most widely used email marketing platform, with over 13 million users globally. It combines email campaign creation, audience management, basic automation, landing pages, and reporting in a single platform designed to be accessible to non-marketers. If you’ve never used email marketing software before, Mailchimp is typically the easiest place to start.

Mailchimp has expanded beyond email over the years, adding basic website building, paid ad management, and a CRM-style audience management system. For small businesses and content creators sending regular newsletters or promotional campaigns to modest lists, Mailchimp provides everything needed.

Key Features

• Email builder, drag-and-drop editor with 100+ professionally designed templates
• Audience management, segment contacts by demographics, activity, purchase history
• Automation journeys, welcome series, birthday emails, abandoned cart (e-commerce integrations), re-engagement
• Landing pages, create simple lead capture pages without a separate tool
• A/B testing, test subject lines, content, and send times
• Reporting, open rates, click rates, unsubscribes, and revenue tracking
• Integrations, 300+ native integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe, and Zapier
• AI writing assistant, generate email subject lines and body content with AI suggestions

Mailchimp vs. Klaviyo

Mailchimp is easier to use and better for general-purpose email marketing (newsletters, announcements, promotions) for non-e-commerce businesses. Klaviyo is purpose-built for e-commerce with deeper behavioral segmentation and more sophisticated automation. For a bakery, a consulting firm, or a content creator, Mailchimp is sufficient. For a Shopify store doing meaningful revenue, Klaviyo is almost always the better choice.

Who Is Mailchimp Best For?

Small businesses sending regular newsletters and promotions. Content creators and bloggers managing subscriber lists. Nonprofits communicating with donors and volunteers. Beginners setting up email marketing for the first time. Any business sending under 10,000 emails/month that wants a proven, easy-to-learn tool.

Pricing

• Free: 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/month, basic templates and automation
• Essentials: $13/month, 500 contacts, 5,000 emails/month, A/B testing, custom branding
• Standard: $20/month, 500 contacts, 6,000 emails/month, advanced automation, AI tools
• Premium: $350/month, 10,000 contacts, 150,000 emails/month, multivariate testing
• Pricing scales with contact count; most small businesses fit within Essentials or Standard

Limitations

Advanced segmentation and automation are weaker than Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign. The pricing jump to Premium for large lists is steep. E-commerce integrations are functional but not as deep as Klaviyo. Contact limits on lower tiers mean costs can grow faster than expected.

Verdict

Mailchimp is the right starting point for small businesses and beginners who want to get email marketing running quickly. The free plan is genuinely useful for new lists, the interface is the most approachable in the category, and the template library covers every basic use case. As your list and automation needs grow, Klaviyo (e-commerce) or ActiveCampaign (complex automation) become more capable alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mailchimp free? Yes, Mailchimp has a free plan for up to 500 contacts and 1,000 email sends/month. Paid plans start at $13/month.

Is Mailchimp good for beginners? Yes, Mailchimp is consistently rated as the easiest email marketing platform to learn. The drag-and-drop editor, template library, and clear interface make it accessible to users with no marketing software experience.

Does Mailchimp work with Shopify? Mailchimp has a Shopify integration for product recommendations and basic e-commerce automation. For e-commerce businesses requiring advanced behavioral segmentation and abandoned cart automation, Klaviyo is the stronger choice.

Can Mailchimp send SMS? Mailchimp added SMS marketing in 2023, currently available in the US only. For businesses that need a robust email + SMS combination, Klaviyo is the more developed option.