Mailchimp vs Brevo

This is where the two platforms diverge most dramatically. Mailchimp charges per contact — at 5,000 contacts on Standard, you're paying ~$60/month. Brevo charges per email sent — unlimited contacts with 20,000 emails/month costs ~$25/month on Starter.

The free plans tell the story: Mailchimp gives you 500 contacts and 1,000 emails/month with Mailchimp branding. Brevo gives you unlimited contacts with 300 emails/day (~9,000/month). For mid-tier plans, Mailchimp Standard at 5,000 contacts costs ~$60/month. Brevo Business at 20,000 emails/month runs ~$65/month but with unlimited contacts. At scale, Brevo's model saves hundreds per month.

Mailchimp Premium at ~$350/month adds advanced features. Brevo Enterprise pricing is custom. Both scale pricing with usage, but Brevo's per-email model consistently favours businesses with large lists who don't email every subscriber daily.

Mailchimp offers a polished template library (100+ designs), a smooth drag-and-drop editor, and the strongest third-party integration ecosystem in email marketing. Its reporting dashboard is also among the best for visual analytics.

Brevo counters with breadth: email, SMS, WhatsApp, CRM, transactional email (SMTP), and live chat — all under one roof. Where Mailchimp requires Mandrill (a paid add-on) for transactional email, Brevo includes it natively. For businesses that need multi-channel marketing, Brevo packs more value into every plan.

Both platforms offer visual automation builders. Mailchimp's Customer Journeys cover standard email workflows: welcome series, abandoned carts, and date-based triggers. It's accessible and easy to set up for beginners.

Brevo's automation builder supports multi-channel workflows combining email, SMS, and WhatsApp in a single sequence. You can trigger automations based on email opens, website visits, and purchase events. For businesses that want to reach customers across channels, Brevo's automation is more versatile.

Both platforms achieve solid deliverability rates around 85-90% in independent tests. Mailchimp's stronger brand and dedicated compliance team help maintain good shared IP reputation. Brevo supports full DKIM, SPF, and DMARC authentication and offers dedicated IPs on higher plans.

Mailchimp has the edge on reporting: its analytics dashboard is more visual and intuitive, with comparative campaign insights. Brevo's reporting is functional and includes multi-channel metrics (email + SMS + WhatsApp), giving a broader engagement view.

Choose Mailchimp if: You want the largest ecosystem of integrations and templates, and your list is under 5,000 contacts. Mailchimp's design tools and brand recognition still carry weight for design-focused businesses.

Choose Brevo if: You have a large contact list but send infrequently, need SMS/WhatsApp in one platform, or want to keep costs low at scale. Brevo's pricing model is fundamentally better for growing businesses.

Brevo wins on value. Mailchimp wins on ecosystem. For most small to mid-size businesses, Brevo's pricing model delivers more for less money, especially once your list grows past a few thousand contacts.

If you're choosing between the two in 2026, ask yourself one question: do you need the deepest integration ecosystem, or do you need the most features for the lowest price? Your answer determines your platform.