11 Mailchimp alternatives [2026]

Mailchimp has long been one of the most recognised names in email marketing. For a while, that reputation was well-earned - it offered a genuinely generous free plan, an easy-to-use interface, and a feature set that worked well for businesses of all sizes.

But a lot has changed.

Since Intuit acquired Mailchimp in 2021, the platform has gone through repeated price increases and free plan restrictions.

That's not to say Mailchimp isn't a capable platform - it is. But if you're feeling the squeeze, or simply want to make sure you're getting the best value for your money, it's worth knowing what else is out there.

What is Mailchimp's pricing at the moment?

Before we get into the alternatives, here's a quick snapshot of where Mailchimp currently stands:

It's also worth knowing that Mailchimp counts all contacts toward your limit - including unsubscribed ones - unless you manually archive them. That catches a lot of users off guard as their list grows.

What are the best Mailchimp alternatives?

Free tier comparisons

Paid plan comparisons (as of May 2026)

*Brevo charges by email volume, not subscriber count. Price shown is for 25,000 emails/month.
**Price shown is for 250,000 emails/month.
***Mailjet paid plans are priced by email volume. Price shown is for 50,000 emails/month at the 5,000-subscriber tier and 500,000 emails/month at the 50,000-subscriber tier.

What are the pros and cons of each email platform?

Best use case and ratings

Looking to learn more about these alternatives to Mailchimp?

1. EmailOctopus

EmailOctopus is built around one core idea: powerful email marketing that doesn't cost the earth. You get all the essential features - drag-and-drop email builder, no-code signup forms, email automation, list segmentation, landing pages, and Zapier and Make integrations - at a fraction of the cost of most alternatives.

Our free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month, with no time limit and no credit card needed. That's ten times more subscribers than Mailchimp's free plan allows in 2026. Paid plans start at just $9/month, and pricing scales linearly as your list grows - no surprise tier jumps.

Nonprofits also receive a 20% lifetime discount.

Features:

• Drag-and-drop email builder
• 100+ mobile-friendly templates
• List segmentation
• No-code signup, popup forms and landing pages
• Email automation
• Zapier and Make integrations

If you're looking for an affordable, easy-to-use alternative that doesn't cut corners on the features that matter, EmailOctopus is a strong choice. You can compare our pricing to Mailchimp's using our savings calculator.

2. Beehiiv

Beehiiv is a content and email platform built specifically for newsletter creators and writers. It's a strong choice if your primary goal is growing and monetising a newsletter audience, rather than running traditional email marketing campaigns.

All paid plans include unlimited email sends, and the platform makes it easy to host your newsletters as web content, which can help with SEO and discoverability. However, if you need more advanced email marketing features - detailed automation, e-commerce integrations, or complex segmentation - other tools on this list will serve you better.

Features:

• Basic email editor
• List segmentation
• Hosted signup and popup forms
• Monetisation options
• Zapier integrations

3. Brevo

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is an all-in-one marketing and CRM platform covering email, SMS, WhatsApp, chatbots, and sales tools. If you want to consolidate multiple tools into one platform, Brevo is one of the few options that genuinely delivers on that promise.

One thing to note: basic paid plans include Brevo branding on your emails, and removing it requires an additional paid add-on.

Features:

• Email automation
• List segmentation
• Forms and landing pages
• Dynamic content
• SMTP relay support
• CRM, chatbot and SMS marketing

4. Constant Contact

Constant Contact is one of the oldest names in email marketing, having been founded in 1995. In recent years, it's expanded beyond email into a broader marketing communications platform, adding SMS marketing, social media marketing, and marketing automation.

It's a feature-rich tool, but it no longer offers a free plan - entry pricing starts at $12/month.

Features:

• Email automation
• List segmentation
• Forms and landing pages
• Dynamic content
• A/B testing
• AI assistant
• Social media and SMS marketing

5. Drip

Drip started life as a popup tool and has grown into a full-featured e-commerce email marketing platform. Its Shopify integration is particularly strong, and it includes all the tools you'd need to run sophisticated lifecycle campaigns for an online store - from abandoned cart emails to revenue reporting.

There's no free plan, and paid plans start at $39/month. Given the e-commerce focus, Drip is hard to justify for businesses outside that space.

Features:

• Email automation
• List segmentation
• Large popup template collection
• Dynamic content
• A/B testing

6. Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

Kit is an email marketing platform built for individual creators - bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and anyone looking to grow and monetise an audience. It offers a generous free plan (up to 10,000 subscribers), a solid landing page builder, and built-in tools for running paid newsletters and recommendations.

That creator focus is also its main limitation. If you're running a business that isn't centred on content creation, you may find yourself paying for features that aren't relevant to you. 

Features:

• Easy-to-use drag-and-drop email builder
• List segmentation
• Paid newsletters natively supported
• Extensive landing page builder
• Email automation
• Creator network for cross-promotion
• Zapier and Make integrations

7. Klaviyo

Klaviyo is built for e-commerce and D2C brands, and it excels in that context. Its native integrations with Shopify and other e-commerce platforms, combined with strong AI tools and predictive segmentation, make it one of the more sophisticated options on the market. That sophistication comes at a cost, though - both in terms of price and complexity. 

Features:

• Email automation
• List segmentation
• Forms and landing pages
• Dynamic content
• Native e-commerce integrations
• AI assistant

8. MailerLite

MailerLite is a popular choice for small to medium-sized businesses who want a solid set of features at a competitive price. It's particularly well-regarded for its landing page builder and email automation tools.

In September 2025, MailerLite reduced its free plan from 1,000 contacts to 500 - still more generous than Mailchimp's 250, but worth noting if you're planning for growth. 

Features:

• Drag-and-drop email builder
• List segmentation
• No-code signup and popup forms
• Extensive landing page builder
• Email automation
• Zapier and Make integrations

MailerLite includes some useful extras, like a native payment gateway and locked content. These can be genuinely useful, though if you don't need them, you may find a more focused tool gives you a cleaner experience.

9. Mailjet

Mailjet is popular among developers and larger businesses that need to send emails programmatically via API or SMTP relay. It's used by organisations like ProductHunt and Happn, and its transactional email capabilities are a genuine strength.

Features:

• Email automation
• List segmentation
• Forms and landing pages
• Dynamic content
• SMTP relay support
• AI copy generator

10. Omnisend

Omnisend is an e-commerce marketing platform designed for brands that want to run email, SMS, and push notifications from a single place. Its core strengths are automation and revenue tracking, making it well-suited to online stores running lifecycle campaigns.

Features:

• Automation workflows
• Segmentation and personalisation
• Customisable email templates
• SMS and push notifications
• Popups and forms
• A/B testing
• Performance analytics

Omnisend works well for e-commerce businesses that need powerful multichannel automation. If you're primarily sending email campaigns or prefer a lighter setup, a more focused email tool may be a better fit.

11. Substack

Substack is a content platform that blends blogging with email newsletters. It's free to use, making its money by taking a 10% cut of revenue from paid newsletter subscriptions. For writers who want a simple, no-frills home for their content, it works well.

Features:

• Basic email editor
• Simple forms
• Podcast hosting

Which Mailchimp alternative should you choose?

If you're a small to medium-sized business, newsletter writer, or someone who just wants email marketing to work without surprise bills - EmailOctopus is worth it. It covers all the essential features, keeps pricing simple and transparent, and costs up to 70% less than comparable alternatives. The free plan alone offers ten times the subscriber limit of Mailchimp's current free tier.

You can see exactly how much you could save by trying our savings calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What is an affordable Mailchimp alternative?

EmailOctopus is one of the most affordable Mailchimp alternatives available, with paid plans starting at $9/month. The free plan covers 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month - no credit card required. On average, people who switch to EmailOctopus from Mailchimp save over 60% on their email marketing costs.

Why are people looking for Mailchimp alternatives?

Mailchimp has raised its prices and reduced its free plan limits multiple times since its acquisition by Intuit in 2021. The most recent changes came in 2026 (11–13% price increases for legacy plan users). For many small businesses and creators, the cost no longer feels proportionate to what they're getting.

Can EmailOctopus replace Mailchimp?

Yes. EmailOctopus includes all the core features businesses need to run effective email marketing - drag-and-drop email builder, automation, segmentation, forms, landing pages, and integrations - at up to 70% less than comparable platforms. Most users find the switch straightforward and complete it in an afternoon.

Is Mailchimp's free plan still worth using?

For very small lists (under 250 contacts), Mailchimp's free plan might still work. But for most small businesses and creators, the limits are now quite restrictive. EmailOctopus's free plan supports 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month - a significantly more useful starting point.

How do I switch email marketing platforms?

Switching is usually simpler than it sounds. Export your subscriber list from Mailchimp as a CSV, import it into your new platform, rebuild any active automations, and send a test campaign before going live. For a full walkthrough, take a look at our guide on how to switch email marketing platforms.