Email marketing · 2026
The 6 best
Mailchimp alternatives
Contact-based pricing double-charges duplicates and keeps billing unsubscribed addresses, automation sits behind a higher tier, and deliverability has slipped versus modern send-based competitors.
Reviewed by Switchpoint Editors ·
Our top pick
Brevo
Email, SMS, and WhatsApp on send-based pricing.
Our take
The real Mailchimp tax isn't the sticker price — it's the contact-based model. Mailchimp counts duplicate addresses across audiences as separate billable contacts, and unsubscribed contacts keep counting against your tier until you manually archive them. We've seen SMB lists where 30–40% of the bill was dead weight. Switch to a send-based model (Brevo) or a creator-friendly cap (Kit's 10k free tier) and the math usually flips inside a quarter. Deliverability is the other quiet issue: post-Intuit, shared-IP reputation has slipped, and the fix Mailchimp recommends is a dedicated IP add-on. Modern alternatives ship strong defaults without the upsell.
Switching cost
Contact export to CSV is clean. The work is rebuilding segments, journeys, and signup forms — budget a half-day for a typical SMB list, 2–3 days if you've leaned on Customer Journeys or Mailchimp's Surveys. Templates do not export; plan a refresh anyway, most are dated. Brevo, MailerLite, Kit, and GetResponse all offer free white-glove migration if your list is over ~10k subscribers — ask before you start.
What Mailchimp does
Email marketing platform popular with small businesses, now owned by Intuit.
Ranked picks
Our shortlist
- 1
Brevo
Email, SMS, and WhatsApp on send-based pricing.
Top pickVisit- Large lists where most contacts are inactive — you pay per send, not per contact.
- Free 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts. Starter $9/mo for 5k sends.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Send-based pricing — duplicates and dormant contacts are free
- Includes SMS, WhatsApp, and a simple CRM in one plan
- Free tier has no contact cap
Trade-offs
- Drag-and-drop editor is less refined than Mailchimp's
- Daily send cap on free plan blocks bursty campaigns
- 2
MailerLite
The closest like-for-like Mailchimp replacement, cheaper at every tier.
- Small businesses and creators who want Mailchimp's UX without Intuit's bill.
- Free up to 1,000 subscribers / 12k sends. Growing Business from $9/mo for 500 subs.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Clean editor and templates that beat Mailchimp's current UI
- Free plan includes automations Mailchimp gates behind paid tiers
- Strong deliverability reputation among SMB senders
Trade-offs
- Manual account approval can take 24–48 hours
- Still contact-based pricing — same trap as Mailchimp at scale
- 3
Kit (ConvertKit)
Creator-first email (rebranded from ConvertKit to Kit) with tag-based subscribers.
- Newsletter writers, course creators, and coaches who need automations, not blasts.
- Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator from $15/mo, Creator Pro from $29/mo.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Generous 10k free tier — best in the category
- Tag-and-segment model fits content businesses better than lists
- Built-in landing pages, paid newsletters, and tip jars
Trade-offs
- Default templates are deliberately plain text — not ecommerce-friendly
- Visual automation builder is powerful but has a learning curve
- 4
GetResponse
Email plus webinars, funnels, and ecommerce automations in one suite.
- Ecommerce and course sellers who want abandoned-cart, webinars, and email in one bill.
- Free up to 500 contacts. Email Marketing from $19/mo. Ecommerce Marketing $119/mo.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Built-in webinars and sales funnels — rare at this price
- Native Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento ecommerce flows
- AI email generator is genuinely usable
Trade-offs
- Bundled features make the interface feel cluttered
- Webinar quality lags purpose-built tools like Zoom Events
- 5
Resend
Email API for developers with first-class deliverability.
- Product and engineering teams sending transactional plus lifecycle email from their app.
- Free 3,000 emails/mo, 100/day. Pro $20/mo for 50k sends.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Best-in-class deliverability and DNS setup flow
- React Email components — version your templates in git
- Clean API and webhooks; broadcasts UI is improving fast
Trade-offs
- Marketing UI (segments, automations) still maturing
- Not the right tool for non-technical marketers
- 6
Loops
Modern email purpose-built for SaaS lifecycle and product marketing.
- SaaS founders running onboarding, trial, and re-engagement sequences.
- Free up to 1,000 contacts. Pro from $49/mo.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Beautiful, opinionated UX — onboarding flows take minutes
- Loops Transactional unifies marketing and product email
- Strong defaults so SaaS teams ship without an email manager
Trade-offs
- Not aimed at ecommerce blasts or commerce automation
- Pricing climbs faster than Brevo or MailerLite past 10k contacts
Section
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Large lists where most contacts are inactive — you pay per send, not per contact. | Free 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts. Starter $9/mo for 5k sends. | Visit |
| MailerLite | Small businesses and creators who want Mailchimp's UX without Intuit's bill. | Free up to 1,000 subscribers / 12k sends. Growing Business from $9/mo for 500 subs. | Visit |
| Kit (ConvertKit) | Newsletter writers, course creators, and coaches who need automations, not blasts. | Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator from $15/mo, Creator Pro from $29/mo. | Visit |
| GetResponse | Ecommerce and course sellers who want abandoned-cart, webinars, and email in one bill. | Free up to 500 contacts. Email Marketing from $19/mo. Ecommerce Marketing $119/mo. | Visit |
| Resend | Product and engineering teams sending transactional plus lifecycle email from their app. | Free 3,000 emails/mo, 100/day. Pro $20/mo for 50k sends. | Visit |
| Loops | SaaS founders running onboarding, trial, and re-engagement sequences. | Free up to 1,000 contacts. Pro from $49/mo. | Visit |
Deep dives
More on Mailchimp
Themes from real users
What buyers actually say about Mailchimp
Paraphrased from public reviews on G2, Reddit, and Hacker News. Not vendor copy.
- Duplicate-contact billing is the single most cited complaint on G2 and Reddit.
- Deliverability on shared IPs has gotten noticeably worse since the Intuit acquisition.
- Automations and comparative reporting sit behind Standard or higher — features competitors include free.
- Template editor and AI assistant feel a generation behind Beehiiv, Kit, and MailerLite.
- Support quality dropped after the Intuit transition; live chat is gated to paid plans.
- Intuit cross-sell into QuickBooks and Mailchimp Commerce annoys SMBs who just want email.
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