Brevo vs Mailchimp
The decisive difference is the meter. Brevo's plans start from a monthly email volume, from $9 for 5,000 emails, while Mailchimp prices by contact tier, including contacts that never open. Brevo also runs transactional email on the same platform. Large, quiet lists are cheaper on Brevo; small lists run by a non-specialist needing many integrations tend to choose Mailchimp.
Niels AbrahamsenAnalyst, Security & Infrastructure
Hannah Reiter
Tomasz WierzbickiVendors can pay for visibility on this site; it never changes what we say about a product. How that works.
Choose Brevo ifyour list is large but mailed infrequently, you want transactional email and SMS alongside campaigns, and you can warm up sending before a first big campaign.
Choose Mailchimp ifyour list is small, the sender is a non-marketer who needs the easiest start, and a specific integration matters more than the pricing model.
Brevo and Mailchimp side by side
| Brevo | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Our email marketing rank | #1 of 12 | #9 of 12 |
| Established in | France | United States |
| Pricing | Free tier; paid plans by monthly send volume, published | Free tier to 250 contacts; paid plans per contact per month, published |
| List price, 30 September 2026 | Starter from $9 per month, from 5,000 emails per month | Essentials from €11.51 per month for the first 12 months, priced by contact tier |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | A large but quiet list where per-contact pricing would hurt | A non-specialist who needs to send a decent newsletter tomorrow |
| Not for | A team that needs deep segmentation and revenue reporting | A store where every euro of send cost has to earn its keep |
Both are reviewed in full in our email marketing ranking: Brevo and Mailchimp.
Where they differ
Brevo 2 · Mailchimp 2 · open 1- 01
Which meter suits your list
Brevo's Starter plan is listed from $9 a month for 5,000 emails, and its free plan sends up to 300 emails a day. Mailchimp prices by contact tier, with a free plan capped at 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. A list of 50,000 people mailed once a month costs far less on a volume meter, so for large quiet lists Brevo is clearly ahead.
Edge: Brevo
- 02
Transactional email and SMS
Brevo's Starter plan covers marketing and transactional messages, sent by API or SMTP on the same platform, with SMS credits sold separately. Mailchimp sells transactional email as an add-on to its Standard and Premium plans, in blocks of 25,000 emails from $20 a block, and SMS as an add-on to paid plans in select countries. Brevo needs fewer purchases.
Edge: Brevo
- 03
Ease and ecosystem
Mailchimp remains the easiest platform to hand to a non-marketer and lists 300+ integrations on every plan. Brevo lists 150+, including Shopify, WordPress, Stripe and Zapier. Mailchimp also has automation flows on Essentials, limited to four steps, while Brevo lists marketing automation from its Standard plan. For a beginner connecting several tools, Mailchimp is the safer bet.
Edge: Mailchimp
- 04
Known weak spots
Brevo's Starter plan has basic reporting on opens and clicks, with heatmaps and device reports from Standard, and deliverability on its shared pool needs a proper warm-up. Mailchimp's weaknesses are commercial: inactive contacts on the bill and custom reports only from Standard. One set is functional, the other financial, and which hurts more depends on the sender.
Depends on the buyer
- 05
Support channels
Brevo's Starter plan includes email support in six languages, and phone support appears on the Professional plan, listed from 150,000 emails a month. Mailchimp gives free users email support for 30 days, Essentials and Standard 24/7 email and chat, and Premium phone and priority support. Both keep the phone line for the top tier; Mailchimp adds chat lower down.
Edge: Mailchimp
When neither fits
A store needing deep segmentation and revenue reporting will be underserved by both, and Klaviyo is built for that. A team planning multi-branch lifecycle automation with a CRM attached should evaluate ActiveCampaign instead of either.
Brevo or Mailchimp: questions
4 answersIs Brevo cheaper than Mailchimp?
For a large list mailed rarely, yes: Brevo's Starter is listed from $9 a month for 5,000 emails, while Mailchimp prices by contact tier, opened or not.
For a small list mailed very often the advantage narrows, so price both models with your own list size and send count.
Do Brevo and Mailchimp both have free plans?
Yes. Brevo's free plan lets an approved account send up to 300 emails a day. Mailchimp's free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a ceiling of 250 a day, one seat and email support for the first 30 days.
What does Mailchimp do better than Brevo?
Mailchimp is easier for a first-time sender, lists 300+ integrations against Brevo's 150+, and includes 24/7 chat support and four-step automation flows on its Essentials plan. Brevo lists marketing automation and advanced reporting from its Standard plan.
Can Mailchimp send transactional email like Brevo?
Yes, as a paid extra. Mailchimp's transactional email is an add-on to Standard and Premium plans, bought in blocks of 25,000 emails from $20 a block. Brevo includes transactional sending by API or SMTP alongside campaigns from its Starter plan.
Sources
Checked 30 September 2026- Brevo pricing page: Starter price and volume, 300 emails a day on free, features and support per plan.
- Brevo integrations page: 150+ integrations including Shopify, WordPress, Stripe and Zapier.
- Brevo transactional email page: transactional sending by API or SMTP on the same platform as campaigns.
- Mailchimp pricing page: Mailchimp prices, free plan limits, flow limits, support and 300+ integrations.
- Mailchimp transactional email pricing page: add-on to Standard and Premium, 25,000-email blocks from $20.