Looking for the best MailChimp Alternatives? So were we, so we looked into it.
You may recently have logged into your MailChimp account and been hit with the dreaded –
“Sending has been paused because you’ve outgrown the free plan limit of 500 contacts. Upgrade to a paid marketing plan to resume sending.”
What did MailChimp reduce their free plan to?
On March 10th 2023, MailChimp changed the free plan of their email marketing software to include only up to 500 contacts, a monthly email send limit of 1,000 and a daily limit of 500 sends.
For many, this may not be an issue but if you’ve been building up your customer email list for a long time and have breached that 500 contact limit, you’re going to be forced to upgrade to keep using MailChimp.
The issue is, MailChimp starts pretty expensive, and you miss out on a lot of features most other platforms provide at this price level. Their base plan for is for 1,500 contacts is $26.50 per month and for a 5,000 contact list you’re looking at a monthly bill of $69.00! So in this article we thought we’d look at some of the most popular MailChimp alternatives, if they have a free gig and if it’s worth upgrading.
So here are our Best MailChimp Alternatives –
Brevo (Previously) Sendinblue
A great no-credit-card-needed free plan and very affordable paid plans. Simple, sleek design which is easy-to-use, even for beginners.
Paid Plans starting at just $25 a month.
GetResponse
Really powerful free plan for those with less than 500 contacts with huge stock imagery access. Paid plans start at just $9 and have some really cool tools like AI generated subject lines.
ActiveCampaign
For the more serious email marketer. Paid plans start at $29 but allow unlimited emails along with other powerful features such as social media integration and automation.
Moosend
More affordable option for unlimited monthly sends at just $19 per month for 1,001 – 2,000 contacts. Premium plans include Landing Pages and Automation Workflows.
AWeber
Free Plan available up to 500 subscribers, the same as Mailchimp sadly. Their Paid plans though, for up to 2,500 subscribers start at just $22.50, with up to 3 users on your account plus 24/7 support.
MailChimp Alternatives List
Brevo
The free plan is ideal for small businesses as it offers up to 300 emails per day with, wait for it, unlimited contacts and you don’t even need to add your credit/debit card to sign up to it. You also get boat-loads of features with the free plan including:
✅ No credit or debit card required
✅ Unlimited contacts & details
✅ Drag & Drop editor
✅ Email Template Gallery
✅ SMS Marketing
✅ Emails and SMS personalisation
✅ WhatsApp campaigns
✅ 1 Shared Inbox
✅ Advanced templating language
✅ Transactional Email sending
✅ Core API features
✅ Real-time email statistics
✅ Custom webhooks
✅ Customized log retention
✅ Workflow editor
✅ Page Tracking
✅ Advanced Segmentation
✅ Customizable Signup Forms
✅ Push Notifications (500 impressions)
✅ Plugins
✅ GDPR compliance
✅ Email support
If the free plan isn’t enough for you though, their base paid plan is still considerably cheaper than MailChimp. Their Starter plan starts at $25 a month and includes unlimited contacts and no Daily Sending Limit, marketing automation (a god send once you get it hooked up), push notifications and more. That’s not only better than MailChimp but also considerably cheaper.
Click to see more – Brevo Website
GetResponse
GetResponse is another huge player in the Email Marketing space and their free plan knocks MailChimp’s out of the park, although it’s worth noting that their free plan is also limited to 500 contacts. The free plan does however allow you to send up to 2,500 Newsletters per month and even includes automation emails. Like Brevo, GetResponse’s free plan is packed full of premium-like features –
✅ No credit or debit card required
✅ Drag & Drop editor
✅ Free email templates
✅ 2 million free stock photos
✅ A/B test subject lines
✅ Landing pages
✅ Signup and contact forms
GetResponse’s paid plans are really where they really shine compared to MailChimp. For a list of 1,000 contacts and if you buy upfront, you can get their Email Marketing package for just £9 a month which includes an AI subject line generator, Unlimited newsletters, Autoresponders, Basic segmentation, Website and landing pages, Signup forms and popups.
GetResponse also integrates out-of-the-box with Elementor Pro.
See for yourself here – GetResponse Website
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is another Email Marketing platform that you’ll find in almost every “Best of” list across the internet. Suited for the more serious of email marketers, this platform is packed full of premium features, including advanced automation features, CRM, and sales automation tools. It’s worth noting that they don’t have a free plan, and their paid plan does start a pretty hefty $29 a month for 1,000 contacts. However, it does come with a lot, you get –
✅ Email Marketing & Marketing Automation
✅ Templates and design editor
✅ Reporting & Segmentation
✅ Social media integration
✅ Email & Live Chat support
ActiveCampaign as an option really depends on how seriously you take your email marketing. If you’re sending a monthly newsletter to your customers, you’re better going for Brevo or GetResponse. If you’re really into reporting and analysis, ActiveCampaign is going to give you the advanced features you’re looking for, at just a smidge more than MailChimp’s base level paid package.
Active Campaign also integrates out-of-the-box with Elementor Pro.
See for yourself here – Active Campaign Website
Moosend
Moosend is another great option although again, does not have a free plan any longer, but their paid plans are cheaper than MailChimps! Working off 1,001 – 2,000 contacts and if paid for the year up front, you can get it for just $19 a month, $7.50 less a month compared to MailChimp’s 1,500 contact package. It includes –
✅ Unlimited Emails
✅ Automation Workflows
✅ Landing Pages / Forms
See for yourself here – Moosend 30-day Trial (No Debit/Credit Card required!)
AWeber
AWeber is another excellent option and they offer a free plan too, albeit with the same 500 subscriber limit as MailChimp . That being said, their paid plans are considerably more affordable than MailChimps.
For example, say you have a 2,500 email list. If billed annually, AWeber charge you just $22.50 (just under £18) whereas with MailChimp, the same list will cost you £31.77, a full £156 more a year.
Their Free plan gives you:
✅ Up to 500 subscribers
✅ 1 Email list
✅ 1 Landing page
✅ 1 Email automation
✅ Basic email support
✅ Basic templates
See for yourself here – AWeber Website
Conclusion
Sadly it seems that many of the Email Marketing platforms are slowly moving away from completely free plans and just a few remain. MailChimp have been the leaders in this space for a long time and a few years ago, there wouldn’t have been a better solution about. Nowadays though, there are plenty of MailChimp Alternatives that are cheaper and more powerful. So, depending on your budget and what your contact list is like, hopefully some of the options above might fit the bill!
FAQ’s
What exceeds the sending limit for your free Mailchimp account?
As of March 10th 2023, MailChimp changed the free plan of their marketing software to include only up to 500 contacts, a monthly email send limit of 1,000 and a daily limit of 500 sends.
How much does it cost for MailChimp’s Paid Plans in the UK?
Unlike a lot of the providers listed above, MailChimp’s pricing is done solely on the basis of the number of contacts you have in your email list (Brevo for example has no email list limit). So, as of the writing of this article in May 2023, the MailChimp paid plans are as follows –
| Emails List Size | Free (Per Month) | Essentials (Per Month) | Plus (Per Month) | Premium (Per Month) |
| 500 Contacts | £0 | £10.37 | £15.95 | £279.17 |
| 1,500 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £21.14 | £47.86 | £279.17 |
| 2,500 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £31.77 | £48.26 | £279.17 |
| 5,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £55.04 | £79.76 | £279.17 |
| 10,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £79.76 | £107.68 | £279.17 |
| 15,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £139.59 | £175.48 | £370.90 |
| 20,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £175.48 | £207.39 | £426.74 |
| 25,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £207.39 | £215.36 | £494.54 |
| 30,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £235.30 | £247.27 | £546.38 |
| 40,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £263.22 | £295.13 | £598.23 |
| 50,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | £279.17 | £327.03 | £650.08 |
| 75,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | £438.70 | £717.88 |
| 100,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | £558.35 | £761.75 |
| 130,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | £857.46 |
| 150,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | £973.12 |
| 200,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | £1,204.43 |
| 250,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | You have to call their sales team |
How much does it cost for MailChimp’s Paid Plans in the US?
| Emails List Size | Free (Per Month) | Essentials (Per Month) | Plus (Per Month) | Premium (Per Month) |
| 500 Contacts | $0 | $13 | $20 | $350 |
| 1,500 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $26.50 | $60 | $350 |
| 2,500 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $39.50 | $60 | $350 |
| 5,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $69 | $100 | $350 |
| 10,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $100 | $135 | $350 |
| 15,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $175 | $220 | $465 |
| 20,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $220 | $260 | $535 |
| 25,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $260 | $270 | $620 |
| 30,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $310 | $295 | $685 |
| 40,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $330 | $370 | $750 |
| 50,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | $350 | $410 | $815 |
| 75,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | $550 | $900 |
| 100,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | $700 | $955 |
| 130,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | $1,075 |
| 150,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | $1,220 |
| 200,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | $1,510 |
| 250,000 Contacts | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | Plan Exceeded | You have to call their sales team |
