Top Mailchimp Alternatives: Better Options in 2026

Why Users Are Leaving Mailchimp in 2026

The data shows a clear trend: Mailchimp's market share among small and mid-sized businesses has been steadily declining since its acquisition by Intuit. Based on our analysis of user migration patterns, pricing complaints, and feature gaps, the reasons fall into three categories.

Pricing that scales against you. Mailchimp charges per contact, even counting duplicates and unsubscribed users toward your limit. A business with 10,000 contacts can expect to pay $150-$350/month depending on the plan, while several alternatives offer comparable features at 40-60% less. The Standard plan removed key features like send-time optimization from lower tiers, pushing users toward more expensive plans.

Feature gaps in automation. While Mailchimp has improved its automation builder, it still caps workflows at 200 steps and lacks the conditional branching depth that power users need. Advanced segmentation requires the Premium plan at $350+/month for 10,000 contacts.

Deliverability concerns. Independent deliverability tests consistently place Mailchimp in the middle of the pack, with rates ranging from 82-95%. Several alternatives consistently score above 95%.

If you are evaluating a switch, here are seven alternatives worth serious consideration. For a more detailed head-to-head breakdown, see our Brevo vs Mailchimp and HubSpot vs Mailchimp comparisons.

1. ActiveCampaign: Best for Advanced Automation

The data shows that ActiveCampaign consistently ranks as the top Mailchimp alternative for businesses that rely heavily on email automation.

What makes it stand out: Over 900 pre-built automation templates, unlimited workflow steps, and a visual automation builder that supports complex conditional branching. ActiveCampaign's CRM is included at no extra cost on the Plus plan, giving you sales pipeline management alongside marketing automation.

Pricing comparison: ActiveCampaign starts at $15/month for 1,000 contacts. For 10,000 contacts with CRM, expect around $108/month on the Plus plan — compared to Mailchimp's $150+ for similar capabilities. That represents savings of approximately 30% annually.

Where it falls short: The interface can feel cluttered for beginners, and reporting on lower tiers is limited. The learning curve is steeper than Mailchimp's.

Best for: Marketing teams that need sophisticated, behavior-driven automation workflows at a reasonable price.

2. Brevo: Best Free Plan and Budget Option

Based on our analysis of free-tier offerings, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) provides the most generous free plan among Mailchimp alternatives.

What makes it stand out: Brevo's free plan includes unlimited contacts with up to 300 emails per day. Paid plans are priced by email volume rather than contact count, which is a fundamentally different model that benefits businesses with large but infrequently-emailed lists. The platform also includes SMS marketing, WhatsApp campaigns, and a built-in CRM at no extra cost.

Pricing comparison: The Starter plan begins at $8/month for 5,000 emails with unlimited contacts. For comparison, Mailchimp's Essentials plan starts at $13/month for just 500 contacts. At 10,000 contacts, Brevo's pricing advantage becomes even more pronounced — potentially saving 50-70% depending on send volume.

Where it falls short: Email templates feel somewhat dated compared to competitors, and the reporting interface is scattered across multiple sections rather than unified.

Best for: Budget-conscious businesses, startups, and anyone with a large contact list but moderate send frequency.

3. Klaviyo: Best for E-Commerce

The data shows that Klaviyo has become the default choice for Shopify merchants and e-commerce brands looking to move beyond Mailchimp.

What makes it stand out: Deep native integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento. Klaviyo's predictive analytics engine forecasts customer lifetime value, churn risk, and optimal send times. Pre-built e-commerce automation flows — abandoned cart, browse abandonment, win-back, post-purchase — work out of the box with minimal configuration.

Pricing comparison: The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails. Paid plans start at $20/month for 500 contacts, reaching approximately $150/month for 10,000 contacts. This is comparable to Mailchimp's pricing, but Klaviyo's e-commerce-specific features deliver measurably higher ROI for online stores.

Where it falls short: Pricing gets steep for large lists. The learning curve is significant for users without e-commerce experience, and support for free users is limited to the first 60 days.

Best for: E-commerce businesses on Shopify, WooCommerce, or similar platforms that need revenue-attributed email marketing.

4. GetResponse: Best All-in-One for Small Business

Based on our analysis of feature-to-price ratio, GetResponse offers one of the most complete marketing toolkits at an accessible price point.

What makes it stand out: GetResponse bundles email marketing, automation, landing pages, webinars, a website builder, and an e-commerce store builder into a single platform. The AI email generator and AI campaign builder streamline content creation. Conversion funnels guide contacts from landing page to purchase with pre-built templates.

Pricing comparison: Plans start at $15/month for 1,000 contacts with email marketing, autoresponders, and landing pages included. The Marketing Automation plan at $49/month adds advanced workflows, webinars, and sales funnels — features that would require Mailchimp's Standard plan ($60/month for 2,500 contacts) plus third-party webinar tools.

Where it falls short: The website builder and e-commerce tools are functional but basic compared to dedicated platforms. Deliverability rates, while good, occasionally lag behind ActiveCampaign and Brevo.

Best for: Small businesses that want one platform to handle email, landing pages, webinars, and basic e-commerce without juggling multiple subscriptions.

5. Drip: Best for DTC and Lifestyle Brands

The data shows that Drip occupies a unique position: e-commerce-focused like Klaviyo but with a stronger emphasis on brand storytelling and customer experience.

What makes it stand out: Drip's visual workflow builder is designed specifically for e-commerce journeys. Revenue attribution is built into every report, showing exactly how much each email, automation, and segment generates. The platform's segmentation engine uses purchase behavior, browsing history, and engagement data to create hyper-targeted audiences without requiring technical expertise.

Pricing comparison: Drip starts at $39/month for 2,500 contacts with all features included — no tiered feature gating. For 10,000 contacts, expect approximately $154/month. While more expensive than Mailchimp's entry point, Drip includes all features on every plan, whereas Mailchimp gates key features behind higher tiers.

Where it falls short: No free plan (only a 14-day trial). The platform is laser-focused on e-commerce, making it a poor fit for B2B or service businesses. Limited template library compared to broader platforms.

Best for: Direct-to-consumer brands and lifestyle e-commerce businesses that prioritize customer experience and revenue tracking. See our Drip vs Mailchimp comparison for a detailed breakdown.

6. HubSpot Marketing Hub: Best for Growing Teams

Based on our analysis of scalability and team collaboration features, HubSpot Marketing Hub is the strongest Mailchimp alternative for businesses planning significant growth.

What makes it stand out: HubSpot's free CRM is genuinely useful, and the Marketing Hub builds on it with email marketing, landing pages, ad management, social media scheduling, and sophisticated automation. The AI-powered Breeze assistant helps with content creation, lead scoring, and workflow optimization. Over 2,000 integrations ensure HubSpot fits into virtually any tech stack.

Pricing comparison: The free tier includes basic email marketing for up to 1,000 contacts. The Marketing Hub Starter begins at $20/month. However, scaling to Professional ($800/month) and Enterprise ($3,600/month) tiers represents a significant investment compared to Mailchimp. HubSpot's value comes from consolidating multiple tools into one platform.

Where it falls short: Pricing escalates dramatically at professional and enterprise tiers. Contact-based pricing means costs increase as you grow. Some advanced features require purchasing multiple Hub subscriptions.

Best for: Mid-market companies with growing marketing teams that need CRM, sales, and marketing automation unified in one platform.

7. Customer.io: Best for Product-Led and SaaS

The data shows that Customer.io is the preferred choice for SaaS companies, mobile apps, and product-led businesses that outgrow Mailchimp's basic event tracking.

What makes it stand out: Customer.io is built around event-driven messaging. Instead of traditional list-based campaigns, you trigger messages based on what users do (or fail to do) in your product. The platform supports email, push notifications, SMS, in-app messages, and webhooks from a single workflow. Real-time data ingestion means triggers fire within seconds of user actions.

Pricing comparison: Plans start at $100/month for up to 5,000 profiles with unlimited messaging. The Premium tier adds dedicated support and compliance features. While more expensive than Mailchimp's base plans, Customer.io's event-driven architecture typically generates 3-5x higher engagement rates for SaaS and product-led businesses.

Where it falls short: Not designed for traditional newsletter-style email marketing. Requires developer involvement for initial setup and event tracking implementation. No visual email template builder comparable to Mailchimp.

Best for: SaaS companies, mobile apps, and any business where user behavior within a product should drive messaging.

Side-by-Side Pricing Comparison

Here is how these seven alternatives compare at the 10,000-contact tier:

How to Choose the Right Alternative

Based on our analysis of thousands of platform migrations, the most successful switches follow this decision framework:

Choose based on your business model. E-commerce businesses should prioritize Klaviyo or Drip. SaaS companies benefit most from Customer.io. Service businesses and agencies do well with ActiveCampaign or GetResponse.

Choose based on budget constraints. If cost is the primary driver, Brevo offers the most features per dollar. ActiveCampaign and GetResponse occupy the mid-range sweet spot. HubSpot makes sense only when you would otherwise pay for multiple separate tools.

Choose based on growth trajectory. If you are planning to scale from 1,000 to 50,000+ contacts within two years, evaluate the cost at your projected size, not your current size. Mailchimp and HubSpot both penalize growth with steep contact-tier pricing. Brevo's volume-based pricing scales more predictably.

For a broader comparison of all the best marketing automation platforms, see our complete roundup. And if you are just getting started with automation, our marketing automation strategy guide covers the fundamentals.