Brevo vs Mailchimp

In the realm of email marketing, finding the right platform is crucial for any business looking to build and maintain a successful digital presence.

Brevo vs Mailchimp – Which is better?

Brevo (formerly known as Sendinblue) and Mailchimp are two of the most popular email marketing software choices out there, each with its own unique features and strengths. In this comparison, we will delve into the key aspects of both platforms to help you make an informed decision about which one best suits your business needs.

Pricing

For most of us, pricing is the biggest factor here. So which gives the best value for money?

Brevo offers a free plan with boat loads of features (read our full Brevo review here), making it an excellent option for small businesses on a budget. Its paid plans start at $25 per month, providing additional features and higher sending limits. Mailchimp also offers a free plan with basic features, but its pricing can be higher than Brevo’s as you scale up.

Now let’s take a look at their cheapest paid plans, working off a email list of say, 501 contacts (just over the free plans of each)

In terms of pricing and value for money, Brevo wins here for sure. The biggest factor for us is the unlimited contacts. If you’re like us and you send say 1 or 2 email marketing campaigns / newsletters per month, the sends aren’t the biggest factor, it’s not having to worry as the list grows.

Plus, should your list grow to such an extent that the sends aren’t enough, cull the subscribers that never open your emails and you’ll see your list number plummet.

User Interface and Ease of Use

When it comes to the user interface, both Brevo and Mailchimp provide intuitive and easy-to-use user-friendly platforms.

Brevo’s interface is clean, modern, and easy to navigate. Its drag-and-drop editor allows users to create visually appealing emails without any coding knowledge.

Similarly, Mailchimp offers a simple and intuitive interface, although it has gotten more glitchy over time.

Both platforms provide templates that can be customised to match your brand, although Brevo offers a slightly wider selection.

Features and Functionality

Brevo and Mailchimp offer a wide range of features to enhance your email marketing campaigns.

Both of them include all the usual features you’d expect on a dashboard like the ability to track clicks, opens, conversion rates, unsubscribe rates. You of course get the ability to change and cull your subscriber list based on those factors.

Brevo provides advanced segmentation options, allowing you to target specific customer groups based on various criteria. It also offers marketing automation, enabling you to automate workflows and send personalised emails based on user behaviour and certain triggers.

Mailchimp, on the other hand, offers powerful A/B split testing functionality, allowing you to optimise your campaigns and improve engagement rates.

Really, it’s difficult to choose between them here.

Email Deliverability

One crucial aspect of any email marketing platform is its ability to ensure high deliverability rates.

Brevo boasts an impressive deliverability rate, ensuring that your emails reach the intended recipients’ inboxes rather than getting lost in spam folders. Its partnerships with leading email service providers help maintain a strong sender reputation.

Mailchimp also has a strong reputation for deliverability, although in our experience it’s about 70/30 in terms of inbox to junk.

Brevo wins here.

Analytics and Reporting

Both Brevo and Mailchimp provide robust analytics and reporting tools to track the performance of your email campaigns.

Brevo’s reporting dashboard offers detailed insights into open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and more. It also provides real-time tracking, allowing you to monitor the success of your campaigns as they happen.

Mailchimp, on the other hand, does offer comprehensive reports but we’ve found Brevo’s platform and data easier to navigate and analyse.

Customer Support

Having reliable customer support is essential for any business using an email marketing platform, especially if you’re just starting out. Brevo offers email and chat support, as well as a comprehensive knowledge base and video tutorials to help users troubleshoot issues.

Mailchimp also provides email and chat support, along with a vast library of resources and guides. Both platforms have active communities where users can seek advice and share experiences.

Integration Capabilities

Integration with other tools and platforms is crucial for streamlining your marketing efforts. Brevo offers seamless integration with popular CMS platforms, including WordPress, Shopify and Magento, which is vital to track conversions from your campaigns. You can also integrate with CRM systems like Salesforce, making it easier to manage customer data.

Mailchimp also offers a wide range of integrations, including social media platforms, ecommerce tools, and customer relationship management systems. Both platforms provide extensive integration capabilities, allowing you to connect with your preferred marketing tools.

Hard to choose here, they’re both well established within most of the platforms you’ll be using.

Other Marketing features

1. SMS and WhatsApp Campaigns:
   • Brevo includes the ability to run SMS (short messaging service) and WhatsApp campaigns alongside email marketing, providing additional channels for customer engagement. Note that you can either but monthly plans or go for PAYG where you need to buy credits, but they are super cheap and sets you up for a great ROI on your marketing spend. 100 SMS Credits to the US costs just $1.09 (89p) for example. 1,000 WhatsApp messages were just $31.59 (£25.79). See – Brevo SMS/WhatsApp Credits
   • Mailchimp does offer SMS for stores and appointment-based businesses but does not offer WhatsApp.
2. Push Notifications:
   • Brevo’s free plan includes 500 push notification impressions, allowing businesses to leverage this channel for reaching their audience.
   • Mailchimp does not offer push notifications as part of its features.
3. Workflow Editor:
   • Brevo’s workflow editor enables businesses to create automated marketing workflows based on user behavior, helping to nurture leads and drive conversions.
   • Mailchimp also provides automation capabilities, but Brevo’s workflow editor offers more advanced segmentation options.

Conclusion

So, which is the best email marketing platform of the two? Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and Mailchimp are both very good email marketing platforms.

Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on your specific business needs and preferences, however, Brevo definitely excels in terms of affordability, advanced segmentation, and automation capabilities. On the other hand, Mailchimp offers powerful A/B testing, extensive integrations, and comprehensive analytics.

In our opinion, for your every day email marketing needs, Brevo is the better choice of the two. It’s cheaper for a start and is packed full of really useful features on top of the essential ones you expect.

Further reading –

• Brevo vs Moosend – Which is better?
• 5 Best MailChimp Alternatives in 2023 – A comparison of Brevo, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, Moosend and AWeber.