Mailchimp
Intuit's email and SMS marketing platform, free for 250 contacts, with AI writing on Standard and Premium
What is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp, part of Intuit, is an email marketing platform for small and growing businesses. It covers campaigns, signup and pop-up forms, landing pages, segmentation and marketing automation flows, with SMS sold as an add-on in select countries. Prices scale with contacts and email sends: the Free plan covers 250 contacts, Essentials starts at $13 a month and Standard at $20 a month for up to 500 contacts, and Premium starts at $350 a month. Standard adds generative AI features, predictive segments, send time optimization and flows with up to 200 steps; Essentials flows stop at 4 steps. Infrequent senders can buy email credits instead of a monthly plan.
Good for
- Small businesses sending regular newsletters to a few thousand contacts
- Ecommerce stores that want automated flows tied to Shopify or WooCommerce data
- Trying email marketing free with a list under 250 contacts
Key features
- Drag-and-drop email builder with pre-built and branded templates; custom-coded templates can be sent on Standard and Premium
- Marketing Automation Flows: up to 4 steps per flow on Essentials, up to 200 steps with branching and multiple starting points on Standard and Premium
- Signup forms, pop-up forms, landing pages and surveys on every plan
- Tags and segmentation, with predictive segments, customer lifetime value and purchase likelihood on Standard and Premium
- Intuit Assist generative AI: Write with AI in the email editor, plus send time and send day optimization (Standard and Premium)
- Subject line helper and suggested next actions on every plan
- Connectors for ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Codex and Google Workspace for building campaigns from an AI assistant
- 300+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, Zapier, Stripe and Salesforce
Limitations to know about
- The free plan stops at 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with no automation flows or scheduling
- Essentials automation flows are limited to 4 steps; generative AI features need Standard or Premium
- Overage charges apply on paid plans when contact or send limits are exceeded
- Annual billing is offered only for Standard and Premium at 10,000+ contacts, through sales
Mailchimp pricing
Mailchimp has a free plan. Essentials, Standard and Premium cost $13 to $350 a month.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 250 contacts, 500 sends a month (250 a day), 1 seat, 1 audience, forms, landing pages and basic segmentation; no automation flows or scheduling |
| Essentials | From $13/mo (0-500 contacts) | Sends up to 10x contacts, 3 seats, 3 audiences, automation flows with up to 4 steps, A/B testing, email scheduling, Mailchimp branding removed, 24/7 email and chat support |
| Standard | From $20/mo (0-500 contacts) | Sends up to 12x contacts, 5 seats, 5 audiences, flows with up to 200 steps and branching, generative AI features, predictive and advanced segmentation, send time optimization, dynamic content, custom reports, 1 onboarding session |
| Premium | From $350/mo | Sends up to 15x contacts, unlimited seats and audiences, enterprise SSO, multivariate testing, phone and priority support, 4 onboarding sessions; custom pricing above 250,000 contacts |
| Pay As You Go | Email credits bought as needed (1 credit per email sent); credit prices are not listed on the pages read | Same features as Essentials with no monthly subscription; credits expire after 12 months |
Free plan limits: Up to 250 contacts; 500 email sends a month with no more than 250 a day; 1 user seat and 1 audience; limited pre-built templates; no automation flows, email scheduling or A/B testing; Mailchimp branding stays on; email support for the first 30 days only. Sending pauses if the contact or send limit is exceeded.
Costs on top of a plan
- SMS marketing: Monthly credits, price varies by country (Paid plans only, in select countries; unused credits expire monthly; MMS only on Standard and Premium for US and Canada contacts)
- Transactional email: Prices vary (Formerly Mandrill; available on Standard and Premium, demo only on Essentials and Free)
Mailchimp alternatives
Constant Contact
Email, SMS and social marketing for small businesses, priced by contacts, with live phone and chat support
Brevo
Email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing, formerly Sendinblue, priced by email volume with a free 300-a-day plan
MailerLite
Email marketing with a free plan for 250 subscribers and paid plans priced by list size and sending
Klaviyo
B2C CRM for ecommerce email and SMS, billed by active profiles, with a free plan and the Composer AI agent
HubSpot
CRM platform with free tools plus paid marketing, sales and service hubs
ActiveCampaign
Email marketing automation with Active Intelligence AI, priced by contacts from 1,000, with a 14-day free trial
Compare Mailchimp with these side by side
Head to head: Mailchimp vs Klaviyo · Mailchimp vs Brevo · Mailchimp vs MailerLite · Mailchimp vs Kit · Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign · Mailchimp vs Constant Contact
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailchimp free?
Mailchimp has a free plan. Up to 250 contacts; 500 email sends a month with no more than 250 a day; 1 user seat and 1 audience; limited pre-built templates; no automation flows, email scheduling or A/B testing; Mailchimp branding stays on; email support for the first 30 days only. Sending pauses if the contact or send limit is exceeded. Paid plans start at $13/mo.
How much does Mailchimp cost?
Essentials, Standard and Premium cost $13 to $350 a month. There is also a free plan. On Essentials: starting price for the 0-500 contacts tier; email sends up to 10x the contact count (5,000 a month at 500 contacts); 3 user seats. The price rises with the contact tier, up to $385/month for 50,000 contacts. Overages are billed if contact or send limits are exceeded. Annual plans exist only for Standard and Premium at 10,000+ contacts, through sales. Prices as published on Mailchimp's pricing page on 21 October 2026.
What is Mailchimp used for?
Mailchimp, part of Intuit, is an email marketing platform for small and growing businesses. People use it for small businesses sending regular newsletters to a few thousand contacts, ecommerce stores that want automated flows tied to Shopify or WooCommerce data and trying email marketing free with a list under 250 contacts.
What are the alternatives to Mailchimp?
Tools that do a similar job include Constant Contact, Brevo, MailerLite, Klaviyo and HubSpot. Each has its own page here with its plans, limits and prices.
Who makes Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is made by The Rocket Science Group LLC d/b/a Mailchimp (part of Intuit), based in Atlanta, Georgia, US. The company was founded in 2001.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from The Rocket Science Group LLC d/b/a Mailchimp (part of Intuit)'s own pages, read on the dates shown.
- mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/ (plan prices at the 0-500 contacts tier in USD (rendered page), free plan limits, free trial terms, key plan features, overages and annual plan terms, FAQ) read 21 October 2026
- mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/compare-plans/ (full plan comparison: seats, audiences, monthly sends, automation flows, AI features, segmentation, maximum contacts per plan tier) read 21 October 2026
- mailchimp.com/ (product overview, trial and custom plan offers) read 21 October 2026
- mailchimp.com/solutions/ai-tools/ (AI features: Intuit Assist, Write with AI, send time optimization, AI assistant connectors) read 21 October 2026
- mailchimp.com/pricing/pay-as-you-go/ (Pay As You Go plan: credits, feature set, expiry) read 21 October 2026
- mailchimp.com/features/mailchimp-mobile/ (iOS and Android apps) read 21 October 2026
- mailchimp.com/about/ (company: founded in Atlanta in 2001, acquired by Intuit in 2021) read 21 October 2026
- mailchimp.com/legal/terms/ (legal entity (The Rocket Science Group LLC d/b/a Mailchimp) and Atlanta address) read 21 October 2026
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