SendyvsMailchimp

Sendy vs Mailchimp

Maximum savings vs maximum features

TL;DR

Sendy is a $69 one-time purchase that sends via Amazon SES for ~$0.10 per 1,000 emails. Mailchimp is a full-featured SaaS starting at $20/month. If you can self-host and want to minimize costs at scale, Sendy wins. If you want modern features without technical hassle, Mailchimp wins.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Cost at Scale
Sendy wins

Sendy's economics are unbeatable at scale. At 100,000 emails/month, you pay ~$10 in SES fees. Mailchimp would charge $350+ for the same volume. Over a year, that's $4,000+ in savings.

Features & Polish
Mailchimp wins

Mailchimp has 20+ years of features. Visual automation, landing pages, 300+ integrations, modern templates. Sendy has basic campaigns and autoresponders with a dated interface.

Technical Requirements
Mailchimp wins

Sendy requires a web server (PHP/MySQL), Amazon SES setup, DNS configuration, and ongoing maintenance. Mailchimp is sign-up-and-go with automatic updates and support.

Automation
Mailchimp wins

Mailchimp has visual workflow builders, conditional logic, and behavior triggers. Sendy has basic autoresponders. For anything beyond simple sequences, Mailchimp is far more capable.

Pricing Comparison

At 100,000 emails/month

Sendy
~$10/month

One-time $69 license + Amazon SES costs only. No per-contact fees.

Visit Sendy
Mailchimp
$350+/month

Standard plan at 50k+ contacts. Complex tiers and limits.

Visit Mailchimp
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$99/month

25k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Sendy
Mailchimp
Sequenzy
Pricing & Costs
Upfront Cost
$69 one-time
$0
$0
Monthly Cost (100k emails)
~$10 (SES only)
$350+
~$99
Cost at Scale
Extremely cheap
Very expensive
Moderate
Hosting Required
Yes, self-host
Email Features
Email Campaigns
Basic
Advanced
Good
Autoresponders
Basic sequences
Advanced automation
Advanced automation
Visual Automation
A/B Testing
Subject lines only
Full A/B testing
Template Builder
Basic, dated
Modern drag-drop
Modern
Marketing Features
Landing Pages
Signup Forms
Basic
Advanced
Good
Segmentation
Basic lists
Advanced segments
Event-based
Analytics
Basic open/click
Comprehensive
Revenue tracking
Technical & Support
Setup Difficulty
Requires server admin
Sign up and go
Sign up and go
Updates
Manual
Automatic
Automatic
Support
Community/forums
Email, chat, phone
Founder support
Integrations
Very limited
300+ integrations
Key integrations

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Sendy if you...
  • High-volume senders prioritizing cost savings
  • Technical users comfortable with self-hosting
  • Businesses sending 100k+ emails monthly
  • Those with basic email needs (newsletters, simple sequences)
Choose Mailchimp if you...
  • Non-technical users wanting polished experience
  • Businesses needing advanced automation
  • E-commerce with product integrations
  • Teams wanting landing pages and forms
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies with Stripe billing
  • Teams wanting modern features at moderate pricing
  • Those who need payment-triggered automation
  • Startups wanting transactional + marketing unified

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Modern Features Without Self-Hosting

Sequenzy offers advanced automation and modern UX like Mailchimp, but at more reasonable pricing than Mailchimp's enterprise tiers. No server administration required.

Native Stripe Integration

Neither Sendy nor Mailchimp have native Stripe integration. Sequenzy connects directly to your Stripe for payment-triggered emails and revenue attribution.

SaaS-Specific Features

If you're building a SaaS, Sequenzy has event-based automation, user lifecycle features, and transactional + marketing email unified. Sendy is too basic. Mailchimp lacks SaaS focus.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Sendy and Mailchimp represent opposite ends of the email marketing spectrum. Sendy is a $69 self-hosted application that sends through Amazon SES for rock-bottom costs. Mailchimp is a full-featured SaaS platform with 20+ years of development. See our Mailchimp comparison for more context.

The Cost Question

This comparison ultimately comes down to one question: how much is your time worth? Sendy can save you thousands per year at scale, but requires technical skills and ongoing maintenance. Mailchimp costs more but handles everything for you.

Sendy's Massive Cost Advantage

At 100,000 emails/month, Sendy costs roughly $10 (just Amazon SES fees). Mailchimp would charge $350+ for similar volume. Over a year, that's $4,000+ in savings. At higher volumes, savings become even more dramatic. If you're sending millions of emails, Sendy's economics are compelling.

Mailchimp's Feature Advantage

Mailchimp offers visual automation builders, advanced segmentation, landing pages, 300+ integrations, modern templates, and comprehensive analytics. Sendy offers basic campaigns, simple autoresponders, and dated interfaces. For anything beyond newsletters and simple sequences, Mailchimp is far more capable.

Technical Requirements Matter

Sendy requires server administration skills. You need to provision a web server, set up PHP/MySQL, configure Amazon SES (including getting production access), set up DNS records, and handle ongoing maintenance and updates. Mailchimp is sign-up-and-start with automatic updates and support.

For SaaS Companies

Neither platform is ideal for SaaS. Sendy lacks the automation and event tracking modern SaaS needs. Mailchimp lacks native Stripe integration and SaaS-specific features. For subscription businesses wanting Stripe integration and event-based automation, consider Sequenzy.

Making the Choice

Choose Sendy if you're technical, sending high volumes, have basic email needs, and want to minimize costs. Choose Mailchimp if you want modern features, polished UX, advanced automation, and don't want to manage servers. For SaaS companies, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

At 100,000 emails/month, Sendy costs ~$10 (SES fees) vs Mailchimp's $350+. That's $4,000+ per year in savings. At 1 million emails, savings exceed $40,000/year. The math is compelling at scale.

Yes, for non-technical users. You need a web server with PHP/MySQL, Amazon SES account with production access, proper DNS configuration (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and ongoing server maintenance. Budget 4-8 hours for initial setup.

Sendy was built years ago and focuses on cost-efficiency over polish. The interface is functional but looks like 2010s web design. If modern UX matters to you, this is a real downside.

No. Sendy has basic autoresponders (email sequences triggered by subscription). It lacks visual workflow builders, conditional logic, behavior triggers, or sophisticated segmentation. For automation, Mailchimp is far more capable.

Your emails stop sending until you fix it. You're responsible for server uptime, backups, and maintenance. With Mailchimp (or any SaaS), the provider handles all of this.

Sendy is designed specifically for Amazon SES. This is a feature (SES is cheap and reliable) and a limitation (you can't switch providers without migrating platforms).

For many businesses, yes. The time saved on setup, maintenance, and the value of advanced features often exceeds the cost difference. But if you're sending millions of emails and have technical skills, Sendy's savings are hard to ignore.

Export your audience from Mailchimp as CSV. Set up Sendy on your server with Amazon SES. Import subscribers into Sendy lists. Recreate any email templates manually. Note that Mailchimp automations won't transfer. You'll need to rebuild basic autoresponders. Set up DNS records for your sending domain.

Export subscribers from Sendy. Import into Mailchimp audience. Recreate templates using Mailchimp's builder (they'll likely look better). Build automations using Mailchimp's visual workflow builder. Update DNS records for Mailchimp sending. Decommission your Sendy server.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com