Email marketing · 2026
Brevo·vs·Mailchimp
Two solid choices in email marketing. Here's how they stack up on pricing, fit, and trade-offs — so you can decide in a minute.
Reviewed by Switchpoint Editors ·
Take on Brevo
Brevo's pricing on emails-sent rather than contacts-stored is genuinely better economics for any list with low send frequency. The product is broad and slightly cluttered — you'll use 40% of it. For dedicated newsletter publishers, Beehiiv is better; for SaaS transactional, Resend is better; for everything-in-one SMBs, Brevo is the value pick.
Take on Mailchimp
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.
Contender A
Brevo
Email, SMS, and WhatsApp on send-based pricing.
- 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
Contender B
Mailchimp
Email marketing platform popular with small businesses.
- SMBs running newsletters and basic automations.
- Free up to 500 contacts. Essentials from $13/mo.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Familiar UI
- Wide template library
Trade-offs
- Double-charges duplicates
- Deliverability has slipped
The matrix
Side-by-side
Best for
Brevo
Large lists where most contacts are inactive — you pay per send, not per contact.
Mailchimp
SMBs running newsletters and basic automations.
Pricing
Brevo
Free 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts. Starter $9/mo for 5k sends.
Mailchimp
Free up to 500 contacts. Essentials from $13/mo.
Top strength
Brevo
Send-based pricing — duplicates and dormant contacts are free
Mailchimp
Familiar UI
Biggest trade-off
Brevo
Drag-and-drop editor is less refined than Mailchimp's
Mailchimp
Double-charges duplicates
The verdict
Which should you pick?
Large lists where most contacts are inactive — you pay per send, not per contact.
SMBs running newsletters and basic automations.
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