ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp
ActiveCampaign is an automation engine with a CRM in every plan; Mailchimp is a newsletter tool with a free plan and 300+ integrations. Both price by contact count. Teams that will map and maintain multi-step lifecycle journeys get their money's worth from ActiveCampaign. Businesses that mainly send campaigns, and have nobody to own automation, are better off with Mailchimp.
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Choose ActiveCampaign ifsomeone on the team will own multi-branch lifecycle automation, you want a CRM and conditional content in the same product, and can invest setup time.
Choose Mailchimp ifyou mostly send newsletters, the person sending is not a marketing specialist, and you want a free plan to start on and more than one seat on a low tier.
ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp side by side
| ActiveCampaign | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Our email marketing rank | #3 of 12 | #9 of 12 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Per contact band per month, published; 14-day trial | Free tier to 250 contacts; paid plans per contact per month, published |
| List price, 30 September 2026 | Starter from $15 per month for 1,000 contacts, per ActiveCampaign's plan announcement; plans on the pricing page are billed annually | Essentials from €11.51 per month for the first 12 months, priced by contact tier |
| Free tier | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | A team that will actually build multi-step lifecycle automation | A non-specialist who needs to send a decent newsletter tomorrow |
| Not for | A company that sends one newsletter a month | A store where every euro of send cost has to earn its keep |
Both are reviewed in full in our email marketing ranking: ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp.
Where they differ
ActiveCampaign 1 · Mailchimp 2 · open 2- 01
Automation depth
ActiveCampaign is the most capable automation engine at mid-market pricing: multi-branch, cross-channel and conditional. Its Starter plan allows five actions per automation and Plus removes the limit. Mailchimp's free plan has no flows, Essentials caps a flow at four steps and Standard allows up to 200 flows. For a team that will build the full journey, ActiveCampaign is the purpose-built choice.
Edge: ActiveCampaign
- 02
Effort before the first result
Mailchimp can be handed to someone who has never sent a campaign, with templates to start from. ActiveCampaign rewards about a week spent mapping the lifecycle, time many teams do not have, and the common outcome is an unused machine. For a quick, low-effort start Mailchimp is the easier of the two.
Edge: Mailchimp
- 03
Paying for what you use
ActiveCampaign announced Starter at $15 a month for 1,000 contacts and offers a 14-day trial; Mailchimp has a free plan to 250 contacts and lists Essentials from €11.51 a month for 12 months. Both include sends of ten times the contact limit on the entry plan. Value depends on whether the automation will really be built, so neither wins outright.
Depends on the buyer
- 04
CRM and integrations
ActiveCampaign includes a CRM in every plan tier and sells pipelines and sales engagement as add-ons, alongside 1,000+ apps and integrations. Mailchimp lists 300+ integrations and connects to whatever CRM or shop you already have. One product can replace a tool, the other connects to it; the preference depends on your current stack.
Depends on the buyer
- 05
Seats and support
ActiveCampaign's Starter and Plus plans include one user, Pro three and Enterprise five, with email and chat support throughout and priority handling from Pro. Mailchimp's Essentials includes three seats and Standard five, with 24/7 email and chat, and phone support on Premium. A small team sharing one account gets more seats on Mailchimp's lower plans.
Edge: Mailchimp
When neither fits
A store that wants order and browse data natively in its segments should skip both for Klaviyo. A company already running HubSpot CRM gets more from HubSpot Marketing Hub, where the marketing tools see sales data without an integration.
ActiveCampaign or Mailchimp: questions
4 answersIs ActiveCampaign better than Mailchimp for automation?
Yes, for anyone who will use it. ActiveCampaign's Plus plan has unlimited actions per automation, while Mailchimp's Essentials caps a flow at four steps and Standard at 200 flows.
The practical question is whether anyone will own the automation, because unused depth is the common outcome.
Is ActiveCampaign worth the cost over Mailchimp for newsletters only?
No. ActiveCampaign is overkill and overpriced if you only send newsletters, and unsuitable for a company sending one a month.
Mailchimp is the more sensible choice for a small list and a straightforward regular newsletter, and it has a free plan for up to 250 contacts.
Do ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp both charge by contacts?
Yes. Both price by contact count and include a monthly send allowance of ten times the contact limit on their entry paid plans. Mailchimp adds a free plan for up to 250 contacts; ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Does ActiveCampaign include a CRM?
Yes. ActiveCampaign states that its CRM is available in all plan tiers, with two enhanced options, pipelines and sales engagement, sold as add-ons. Mailchimp instead relies on its 300+ integrations to connect to a separate CRM.
Sources
Checked 30 September 2026- ActiveCampaign pricing page: plan users, actions per automation, send multiples, support levels, trial and annual billing.
- ActiveCampaign blog: plan announcement: Starter from $15 a month for 1,000 contacts and CRM in all plan tiers with add-ons.
- ActiveCampaign apps page: 1,000+ apps and integrations.
- Mailchimp pricing page: Mailchimp prices, free plan limits, flow limits, seats, support and 300+ integrations.