Brevo vs Mailchimp 2026: Which Email Tool Wins?

Brevo vs Mailchimp — verdict at a glance: For cost-conscious senders, online stores, and anyone with a large list they email infrequently, Brevo wins on price, its email-priced billing model, and bundled SMS, WhatsApp, and a lightweight CRM. Mailchimp wins on beginner onboarding, the largest integration library in the category, and a more polished template editor. If your list is big and your budget matters, Brevo is the obvious move. If you’ve never sent a marketing email and want maximum hand-holding, Mailchimp still earns its place.

Brevo vs Mailchimp: the short answer

The Brevo vs Mailchimp question comes down to one structural difference that decides almost everything else: how each tool charges you. Mailchimp bills by the number of contacts you store. Brevo bills by the number of emails you send. That single distinction flips the cost math depending on your list size and how often you email — and it’s why two businesses can each be “right” to pick opposite tools. Both have free plans, both integrate with WordPress and Shopify, and both cover the core newsletter-plus-automation job. The differences show up in pricing at scale, automation depth on cheaper tiers, and how beginner-friendly the first hour feels.

We’ve sent real campaigns through both platforms over the past few months, checked independent deliverability seed-list tests, and read the support docs a first-timer actually hits on day one. This Brevo vs Mailchimp guide is the practical comparison we wish we’d had when choosing — focused on the trade-offs that change your monthly bill and your day-to-day workflow, based on what both tools look like in 2026.

At a glance: Brevo vs Mailchimp comparison table

Feature	Brevo	Mailchimp
Billing model	By emails sent	By contacts stored
Free plan	Unlimited contacts, 9,000 emails/mo (300/day)	500 contacts, 1,000 emails/mo
Cheapest paid plan	$9/mo (5,000 emails)	$13/mo (500 contacts, scales fast)
Cost: 20,000 contacts emailed monthly	~$18–25/mo	$200+/mo
Visual automation on free plan	Yes (workflows, capped volume)	Single-step autoresponders only
SMS & WhatsApp campaigns	Yes, native	SMS add-on (US/limited), no WhatsApp
Built-in CRM	Yes — pipelines & deals included	Light contact-based CRM
Transactional email API	Yes, strong (ex-Sendinblue heritage)	Mandrill add-on (paid)
Templates	~40 newsletter templates	~130 newsletter templates
Native integrations total	~150	~300+
Beginner onboarding	Good, slightly technical	Best in the category
Deliverability (seed-list 2026)	~86–89% inbox placement	~85–88% inbox placement

See Brevo and Mailchimp in action

And here is Mailchimp in action.

Brevo vs Mailchimp pricing compared

This is where the comparison is decided for most people, and the Brevo vs Mailchimp pricing gap is entirely about the billing model. Because Mailchimp charges per contact stored, a list of 20,000 past customers costs you every month whether you email them once or never — roughly $200+/month at that size on the Standard plan. Brevo charges only for the emails you actually send: that same 20,000-contact list emailed once a month is 20,000 sends, which lands in Brevo’s ~$18–25/month range. For a local services business, a seasonal store, or any brand with a large but low-frequency list, that’s not a small saving — it’s an order-of-magnitude difference.

The Brevo vs Mailchimp pricing picture flips if you email a small list very frequently. If you have 800 contacts but send daily, Mailchimp’s contact-based plan stays cheap while Brevo’s per-send model adds up. And the Brevo vs Mailchimp free plan comparison favours Brevo for list size — Brevo gives unlimited contacts with a 9,000-emails-per-month cap (300/day), while Mailchimp’s free plan stops at 500 contacts and 1,000 emails. A new store building a 5,000-person list can stay on Brevo’s free plan far longer than on Mailchimp’s.

Where Mailchimp’s pricing earns its keep: if you genuinely use the broader marketing suite — its CRM, AI content tools, and customer-journey builder — the gap narrows. Most small senders don’t, and are effectively paying suite prices for a send-email tool.

Brevo vs Mailchimp: automation & features

On core automation, the Brevo vs Mailchimp gap is closer than the price difference suggests, but the two are built for different buyers. Brevo includes a visual workflow builder on every plan — welcome series, abandoned-cart flows, date-based triggers, and list-hygiene automations — plus native SMS and WhatsApp steps you can drop straight into a sequence. That last part matters: very few competitors at this price let you mix email and SMS in one automation without a third-party bridge. Brevo also ships a real CRM with pipelines and deals and a genuinely strong transactional email API, a legacy of its Sendinblue roots.

Mailchimp’s edge is depth at the top and breadth everywhere. Its Customer Journeys builder (Standard plan and up) is more sophisticated than Brevo’s workflows for complex branching, predictive send-time, and audience segmentation, and its integration library — around 300 native connectors versus Brevo’s ~150 — covers far more niche SaaS tools. The catch is gating: Mailchimp’s real automation lives on Standard ($20+/month at 500 contacts, climbing quickly), whereas Brevo’s workflow builder is available from the free tier. For the 0–10,000 contact range where most readers sit, the Brevo vs Mailchimp call favours Brevo for more automation at less cost; above that, with a complex funnel, Mailchimp’s journey builder pulls ahead.

Brevo vs Mailchimp deliverability & ease of use

On deliverability, the Brevo vs Mailchimp picture is close: independent seed-list testing over the last year puts both tools in the same band — Brevo around 86–89% inbox placement, Mailchimp around 85–88%. The difference is within the margin where your own list hygiene, authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and subject lines matter more than the platform. Neither will sabotage a clean, engaged list; both reward warming your sending domain properly. If you want to push inbox rates higher on either, our email deliverability guide walks through the authentication setup that does the heavy lifting.

On ease of use, the Brevo vs Mailchimp verdict tips the other way: Mailchimp is the clear winner for a true beginner. Its first-run wizard walks you through audience setup, your first form, your first campaign, and your first automation with plain-English tooltips on everything — still the best onboarding in the category. Brevo’s interface is clean and modern but assumes a little more: the email-volume billing, the CRM, and the transactional features add concepts a first-timer has to absorb. Once you’re past setup, both are comfortable to work in day-to-day; Mailchimp’s template editor is slightly more polished, while Brevo’s is leaner but perfectly capable.

Brevo vs Mailchimp: pros and cons

Who should pick which

Large list, low-to-mid send frequency: Brevo, no contest. The email-priced model can cut your bill by 80–90% versus Mailchimp’s contact-based pricing.

Online store wanting email + SMS + transactional in one tool: Brevo. The bundled SMS/WhatsApp and transactional API replace two or three separate subscriptions. If you sell on Shopify specifically, also weigh the e-commerce specialists in our best email marketing for Shopify guide.

First-time email marketer who wants maximum hand-holding: Mailchimp Essentials. It’s the one Brevo vs Mailchimp scenario where Mailchimp clearly wins — pay the small premium for the smoothest onboarding, then reassess in 6–12 months.

Already on Mailchimp and feeling the price climb: Brevo is the most common landing spot — see our step-by-step migrate Mailchimp to Brevo guide, or the wider field in our best Mailchimp alternatives roundup.

FAQ: Brevo vs Mailchimp

Is Brevo cheaper than Mailchimp?

For most senders the Brevo vs Mailchimp price answer is yes — especially anyone with a large list. Because Brevo charges by emails sent and Mailchimp by contacts stored, a 20,000-contact list emailed monthly costs around $18–25/month on Brevo versus $200+/month on Mailchimp. The exception is a small list you email very frequently, where Mailchimp’s contact-based plan can work out cheaper. Run your own list size and send frequency through both pricing pages before deciding.

Which has the better free plan, Brevo or Mailchimp?

On the Brevo vs Mailchimp free plan question, Brevo wins on list size: unlimited contacts with a 9,000-emails-per-month cap (300/day), versus Mailchimp’s 500 contacts and 1,000 emails. Brevo also includes its visual automation builder on the free tier, while Mailchimp limits free users to single-step autoresponders. Mailchimp’s free plan is more polished to set up, but Brevo’s is more generous for a growing list.

Can I migrate from Mailchimp to Brevo without losing subscribers?

Yes. Brevo accepts a standard CSV export of your Mailchimp contacts, tags, and custom fields, and the data import itself is straightforward. Automations and templates don’t carry across — you’ll rebuild those — and you should re-authenticate your sending domain (SPF/DKIM) on Brevo and allow a few days for reputation to settle. Our migrate Mailchimp to Brevo guide covers the full sequence.

Does Brevo or Mailchimp have better deliverability?

On deliverability the Brevo vs Mailchimp result is effectively tied — recent seed-list tests put Brevo around 86–89% and Mailchimp around 85–88% inbox placement. The gap is small enough that your list hygiene and domain authentication matter more than the platform choice. Clean your list and set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly and either tool will land in the inbox reliably.

Is Brevo or Mailchimp better for a small online store?

Brevo is usually the better all-rounder for small stores because it bundles email, SMS, WhatsApp, and transactional email in one bill, with a CRM for tracking deals. Mailchimp has a deeper Shopify integration and a larger app ecosystem. If e-commerce is your whole business, also consider the store-specialist tools in our best email marketing for Shopify roundup, where Klaviyo and Omnisend lead.

Our verdict on Brevo vs Mailchimp

The Brevo vs Mailchimp comparison resolves cleanly once you know your list size and send frequency. Brevo is the better default for most senders in 2026 — its email-priced model is dramatically cheaper for large or low-frequency lists, it bundles SMS, WhatsApp, a CRM, and transactional email, and it puts real automation on the free tier. Mailchimp remains the safer pick if you’re a nervous first-timer who values the best onboarding in the industry, or if you need its much larger integration library and deeper customer-journey builder at scale.

Both have genuine free plans, so the low-risk move is to start free on whichever fits your math and send a real campaign before committing. Migration between them is straightforward in the first few months if you change your mind.

Want a deeper read on either tool? See our full Brevo review for 2026 and our Mailchimp review, or the wider field in our best Mailchimp alternatives roundup.

Related reading

• Migrate Mailchimp to Brevo
• MailerLite vs Brevo
• Mailchimp Review 2026
• Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
• Mailchimp vs Constant Contact

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