Overview
Mailchimp and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) are both popular email marketing platforms, but their pricing models differ fundamentally. Mailchimp charges per contact, while Brevo charges per email sent with unlimited contacts. This difference can lead to dramatically different costs. See our Mailchimp comparison and Brevo comparison for more details.
Your choice depends largely on your list size, email frequency, and which pricing model works better for your business. Use our email calculator to estimate costs.
The Pricing Difference
At 10,000 contacts, Mailchimp costs $100/month regardless of how often you email. Brevo's $25/month Starter plan includes 20,000 emails - enough to email your entire list twice monthly.
For businesses with large lists who email weekly or less, Brevo can cost 75% less than Mailchimp. For businesses emailing daily, Brevo's per-email costs add up and the gap narrows. Compare with our transparent pricing.
Feature Comparison
Mailchimp has a more polished interface and better email templates. The drag-and-drop builder feels more refined, and design options are more extensive.
Brevo includes more channels - SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat are built-in. It also includes transactional email in the platform, while Mailchimp requires the separate Mandrill product.
SMS and Multichannel
Brevo treats SMS as a first-class feature with campaigns, automation, and reasonable pricing. WhatsApp marketing is also available. Mailchimp's SMS is an add-on that feels less integrated.
For businesses wanting email + SMS + chat in one platform, Brevo is the more comprehensive choice.
Transactional Email
Brevo handles transactional and marketing email together. You can send password resets, order confirmations, and marketing campaigns from the same platform.
Mailchimp separates these into Mailchimp (marketing) and Mandrill (transactional), requiring separate setup and pricing.
When Each Platform Shines
Choose Mailchimp when: You prioritize design quality and UX. You email your list frequently (daily or near-daily). You want social ads integration and the best templates.
Choose Brevo when: You have a large list but email less frequently. You need SMS, WhatsApp, or live chat. You want transactional and marketing email together.
For SaaS Companies
Neither platform is specifically designed for SaaS. Brevo's unified transactional/marketing email is useful, but it lacks subscription-specific automation. SaaS companies should consider Sequenzy for Stripe integration and subscription-aware features.
Pricing Models Compared
Brevo charges per email sent, not per contact stored. This means you can have a large contact list and only pay when you send. For businesses with large lists but infrequent sends, Brevo can be significantly cheaper. Mailchimp charges per contact regardless of how often you email them.
At high sending volumes, however, Brevo's per-email pricing adds up. If you send multiple campaigns weekly to a large list, Mailchimp's contact-based pricing may actually be more economical. Model your specific sending patterns with both pricing models before deciding.
Multi-Channel Marketing
Brevo offers native SMS, WhatsApp messaging, and live chat alongside email. For businesses that communicate with customers across multiple channels, having everything in one platform simplifies workflow and provides unified analytics.
Mailchimp is primarily an email platform. SMS requires a separate add-on, and WhatsApp and chat are not available. For omnichannel marketing strategies, Brevo provides a more complete solution out of the box.
CRM and Sales Tools
Brevo includes a basic CRM with contact management, deal tracking, and sales pipeline. While not as sophisticated as dedicated CRMs, it covers the needs of small businesses wanting email marketing and customer management in one place.
Mailchimp does not include CRM functionality. You can integrate with external CRMs like HubSpot or Salesforce, but this adds cost and complexity. For small businesses wanting an all-in-one solution, Brevo's bundled CRM provides convenience that Mailchimp cannot match.
Use-case matchups
| Use case | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Design-heavy newsletters | Mailchimp | Mailchimp has the more polished editor and template experience in this comparison. |
| Large list with lower send frequency | Brevo | Brevo charges by email volume rather than stored contacts. |
| Email plus SMS, WhatsApp, or chat | Brevo | Brevo includes more channels in the same product. |
| Marketing plus transactional email | Brevo | Brevo supports both in one platform, while Mailchimp separates transactional email into Mandrill. |
| SaaS billing lifecycle email | Sequenzy | Sequenzy is a better fit when Stripe events and product lifecycle campaigns matter more than broad small-business CRM. |
Best Fit by Newsletter Design and Multi-Channel Value
Best Mailchimp vs Brevo choice for design-heavy newsletters
Mailchimp is the better pick when the team cares most about template polish, campaign creation speed, and a familiar newsletter workflow. This is especially true for small businesses that send promotional updates and seasonal campaigns. Pair it with newsletter templates and newsletter subject lines before spending time on advanced automation.
Best Mailchimp vs Brevo choice for large lists with occasional sends
Brevo is usually the better fit when you have a large database but only send a few campaigns per month. Its send-based pricing can be much cheaper than paying Mailchimp for every stored contact. Model the actual send volume with the email calculator, then compare the tradeoffs with our Brevo comparison and Mailchimp alternatives.
Best Mailchimp vs Brevo choice for SaaS transactional and lifecycle email
Brevo is stronger than Mailchimp for combined marketing and transactional email, but it still is not built around subscription lifecycle events. SaaS teams that need trial, upgrade, failed-payment, and churn-prevention flows should also evaluate Sequenzy's Stripe integration and AI sequences.
Pricing reality
Mailchimp's contact-based pricing is predictable but expensive when you store many contacts. Brevo's send-based pricing can be much cheaper for large lists that send less often, but the advantage shrinks as send frequency rises. Before switching, model the real number of emails you send per month, not just the contact count.
Review signals
The reviews already listed on this page are consistent with the tradeoff: Mailchimp gets credit for templates and familiar UX, while Brevo gets credit for lower cost and built-in multichannel tools. The caution is operational: teams often hesitate because migration effort and staff familiarity can outweigh raw monthly savings.
Migration checklist
| Step | Moving to Mailchimp | Moving to Brevo | Moving to Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Confirm the bill at active contact count and required plan level. | Estimate monthly sends, SMS usage, and add-ons. | Estimate campaigns, transactional sends, and Stripe-triggered journeys. |
| Contact export | Export audiences, tags, segments, and consent fields. | Export audiences, segments, and suppression data. | Export contacts, lifecycle fields, and billing/customer IDs where available. |
| Automation rebuild | Recreate journeys around Mailchimp audience logic. | Recreate automations and any SMS or chat workflows. | Map signup, trial, payment, churn, and transactional triggers. |
| QA | Test templates, forms, unsubscribes, and analytics. | Test email, SMS, CRM fields, and transactional messages. | Test marketing and transactional paths from the same contact record. |
Decision checklist
- Choose Mailchimp if the design workflow, templates, and team familiarity are worth the higher contact-based cost.
- Choose Brevo if you have a large list, send less frequently, or need email plus SMS and CRM in one tool.
- Choose Sequenzy if SaaS lifecycle events and Stripe-aware automation are more important than general small-business marketing features.