Mailchimp Review 2026: Free Plan Gutted (Still Worth It?)

If you have ever sent a marketing email, there is a good chance you have heard of Mailchimp. With its friendly chimp mascot and once-generous free plan, Mailchimp became synonymous with email marketing for small businesses and startups worldwide.

But things have changed. Intuit acquired Mailchimp in November 2021 for $12 billion, and since then, the platform has undergone significant transformations. Prices have increased, the free plan has been gutted, and the platform has evolved into an all-in-one marketing suite with AI-powered features.

We spent weeks testing every tier of Mailchimp, from the free plan to Premium, analyzing its automation capabilities, deliverability rates, and value proposition to give you an honest assessment of where Mailchimp stands in 2026.

Quick Verdict: Is Mailchimp Worth It in 2026?

Yes, if: You need an intuitive email marketing platform with extensive integrations, want AI-powered features without technical complexity, or already use other Intuit products like QuickBooks.

No, if: You are on a tight budget with a growing email list, prioritize email deliverability above all else, need automations on a free plan, or want maximum value per contact.

Best for: Established small businesses, e-commerce stores using Shopify or WooCommerce, marketing teams that value ease of use over maximum customization, and users who need a unified platform for email, landing pages, and basic CRM.

What Is Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform that started as an email marketing service in 2001. Founded by Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius in Atlanta, Georgia, it grew into one of the most recognized names in digital marketing, serving millions of users worldwide.

In November 2021, Intuit completed its acquisition of Mailchimp for approximately $12 billion in cash and stock. The platform was rebranded to “Intuit Mailchimp” and integrated with QuickBooks and other Intuit products.

Today, Mailchimp offers:

• Email marketing with drag-and-drop design
• Marketing automation (now called “Flows”)
• Landing pages and website builder
• Basic CRM and audience management
• Social media scheduling
• SMS marketing (US only, paid add-on)
• AI-powered content and optimization tools

The Intuit Acquisition: What Changed

The Intuit acquisition fundamentally altered Mailchimp’s positioning. Here is what happened:

Free Plan Reductions

Before the acquisition, Mailchimp’s free plan was legendary: 2,000 contacts, basic automations, and enough features for most small businesses to get started.

Post-acquisition changes:

• Contact limit cut by 75%: From 2,000 to just 500 contacts
• Automations removed: No more welcome emails or automated sequences on free
• Email scheduling removed: Cannot schedule sends in advance
• Support limited: Only 30 days of email support for new free users
• Mailchimp branding: Cannot remove the Mailchimp logo from emails

Price Increases

Pricing has steadily increased since the acquisition. In 2024, the Standard plan jumped from $17 to $20 per month. For businesses with larger lists, costs escalate quickly: 5,000 contacts on Standard now costs approximately $100 per month.

Feature Additions

To be fair, Intuit has also invested heavily in new capabilities:

• Over 150 new features launched in 2023
• AI-powered content generation (Intuit Assist)
• Deeper QuickBooks integration
• SMS marketing capabilities
• Enhanced e-commerce automations
• Improved predictive segmentation

Pricing Plans Breakdown

Mailchimp offers four pricing tiers plus a pay-as-you-go option. All prices shown are for the base contact limit; costs increase as your list grows.

Free Plan

• Cost: $0
• Contacts: Up to 500
• Monthly sends: 1,000 emails (daily cap of 500)
• Best for: Testing the platform or very small personal projects

What you get:

• Basic email templates (limited selection)
• Single-step automations only (no customer journeys)
• Basic reporting
• 1 audience (list)
• Mailchimp branding on all emails
• 30 days of email support

Critical limitations:

• No email scheduling
• No multi-step automations
• No A/B testing
• No send-time optimization
• Support disappears after 30 days

Essentials Plan

• Cost: Starting at $13/month for 500 contacts
• Scaling: ~$45/month for 2,500 contacts, ~$75/month for 5,000 contacts
• Monthly sends: 10x your contact limit
• Best for: Small businesses needing basic automation

What you get (everything in Free, plus):

• A/B testing
• Email scheduling
• 24/7 email and chat support
• Remove Mailchimp branding
• Up to 3 audiences
• Basic single-step automations

Still missing:

• Customer Journey Builder (multi-step automations)
• Send-time optimization
• Predictive segmentation
• Advanced reporting

Standard Plan

• Cost: Starting at $20/month for 500 contacts
• Scaling: ~$60/month for 2,500 contacts, ~$100/month for 5,000 contacts
• Monthly sends: 12x your contact limit
• Best for: Growing businesses needing advanced automation

What you get (everything in Essentials, plus):

• Customer Journey Builder with branching logic (now called Marketing Automation Flows)
• Up to 3 triggers per automation
• Send-time optimization
• Dynamic content
• Predictive segmentation
• Advanced reporting
• Write with AI (generative content)
• Content Optimizer

This is where Mailchimp becomes genuinely powerful. If you need multi-step automations, this is the minimum tier.

Premium Plan

• Cost: Starting at $350/month for 10,000 contacts
• Monthly sends: 15x your contact limit
• Best for: Large businesses and agencies

What you get (everything in Standard, plus):

• Unlimited audiences
• Multivariate testing (test multiple elements simultaneously)
• Comparative reporting
• Phone support
• Priority support
• Dedicated onboarding

Pay As You Go

For infrequent senders, Mailchimp offers email credits instead of a monthly subscription. Credits have the same features as the Essentials plan and expire after 12 months. This option suits seasonal businesses or those sending occasional campaigns.

Email Builder and Templates

Drag-and-Drop Editor

Mailchimp’s email builder is genuinely excellent. The drag-and-drop interface feels intuitive, and you can create professional-looking emails without any coding knowledge.

Key features:

• Content blocks: Text, images, buttons, social links, products, and more
• Layout options: Single column, multi-column, and mixed layouts
• Mobile preview: See exactly how emails will render on phones
• Image editing: Basic crop, resize, and filter tools built-in
• Content Studio: Central media library for all your images and files

Templates

Mailchimp offers 100+ pre-designed templates across categories:

• E-commerce announcements
• Newsletters
• Product promotions
• Event invitations
• Automated sequences

The templates are modern and responsive, though some users find them less flexible than competitors like MailerLite.

Code Your Own

For developers, Mailchimp supports custom HTML templates. You can code emails from scratch or import templates designed elsewhere.

Marketing Automation Flows

In June 2025, Mailchimp retired the Classic Automation Builder and rebranded Customer Journey Builder to “Marketing Automation Flows.” All automations now live under this unified system.

What Are Automation Flows?

Flows are visual, multi-step automation sequences triggered by specific events. You map out the customer journey with triggers, conditions, and actions.

Components:

• Triggers: Events that start the flow (signup, purchase, tag added, etc.)
• Actions: What happens (send email, add tag, update field, wait)
• Rules: Conditions that branch the path (if/then logic)

Pre-Built Flow Templates

Mailchimp offers templates for common sequences:

• Welcome series for new subscribers
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Post-purchase follow-up
• Re-engagement campaigns
• Birthday and anniversary emails
• Browse abandonment

According to Mailchimp, users see up to 4x more orders when using automation flows compared to one-off campaigns.

Plan Limitations

Here is where it gets frustrating:

• Free plan: No automation flows at all
• Essentials: Single-step automations only (no branching, no journeys)
• Standard: Full Customer Journey Builder with up to 3 triggers
• Premium: Unlimited triggers and advanced branching

If you need meaningful automation, you need at least the Standard plan at $20/month.

Landing Pages and Website Builder

Landing Page Builder

Mailchimp includes a free landing page builder on all plans. You can create unlimited landing pages without a paid subscription.

Features:

• Drag-and-drop builder
• Mobile-responsive designs
• E-commerce product integration
• Lead capture forms
• Built-in analytics
• Social media sharing tools
• SEO tools (meta titles, descriptions, URLs)

Limitations:

• No A/B testing for landing pages
• Custom domains require a paid Websites plan
• Limited advanced SEO features (no schema markup, XML sitemaps)
• Template selection is smaller than dedicated landing page tools

Website Builder

For businesses wanting a simple online presence, Mailchimp offers a basic website builder. It is free to use but limited:

What it does:

• Pre-built responsive templates
• Sell products (integrates with Stripe)
• Collect contact information
• Basic SEO settings
• Built-in analytics

What it lacks:

• Advanced design customization
• Blogging capabilities
• E-commerce features for serious stores
• Custom domain on free plan

The website builder is best for simple one-page sites or portfolios. For anything more complex, dedicated platforms like Squarespace or Wix are better choices.

Audience Management and CRM

Contact Management

Mailchimp provides solid audience management tools:

• Audiences (lists): Separate databases of contacts
• Tags: Labels you can add to organize contacts
• Groups: Categories contacts can self-select into
• Segments: Dynamic filters based on data and behavior

Segmentation Features

Segmentation power varies by plan:

Free/Essentials: Basic segments with up to 5 conditions. Useful for simple filters like “subscribed in the last 30 days” or “located in California.”

Standard/Premium: Advanced segment builder with unlimited conditions and nested logic. Create complex segments like “customers who bought Product A in London but have not opened emails in 60 days.”

Predictive Segmentation

On Standard plans and higher, Mailchimp uses machine learning to create predictive segments:

• Likely purchasers
• High-value customers
• Churn risks

This helps target the right contacts at the right time without manual analysis.

CRM Capabilities

Mailchimp calls itself a marketing CRM, but it is important to understand the limitations. It organizes email contacts and tracks their interactions with your campaigns, but it is not comparable to sales CRM software like HubSpot or Salesforce.

What it does:

• Store contact information and custom fields
• Track email engagement and website activity
• Show purchase history from connected stores
• Provide an audience dashboard overview

What it does not do:

• Sales pipeline management
• Deal tracking
• Sales team collaboration
• Advanced contact relationship mapping

AI Features and Intuit Assist

Mailchimp has invested heavily in AI throughout 2024-2025. Here is what is available:

Write with AI

Powered by Intuit Assist, this generative AI feature helps create email content:

• Generate subject lines
• Write email body copy
• Adjust tone (professional, casual, persuasive)
• Edit and refine existing content

Available on Standard plans and higher.

Content Optimizer

This tool benchmarks your emails against millions of top-performing campaigns in your industry:

• Readability and skimmability analysis
• Call-to-action effectiveness
• Image optimization suggestions
• Tone and style recommendations
• Error detection (broken links, merge tag issues)

Send Time Optimization

Analyzes your specific audience to determine the best time to send. Instead of guessing “Tuesday at 10am,” Mailchimp predicts when each contact is most likely to engage.

Available on Standard plans and higher.

Creative Assistant

Generates email templates and social ads based on your brand assets. Upload your logo and colors, and it creates on-brand designs automatically.

E-commerce Integrations

Mailchimp shines for e-commerce businesses with strong platform integrations.

Shopify Integration

The Mailchimp for Shopify app syncs:

• Customer data and purchase history
• Product catalog for recommendations
• Order data for automated flows
• Abandoned cart information

You can trigger automations based on purchase behavior, send personalized product recommendations, and recover abandoned carts automatically.

WooCommerce Integration

Similar capabilities for WordPress-based stores:

• Customer and order syncing
• Product recommendations
• Automated flows based on purchase behavior
• Revenue tracking

Other E-commerce Platforms

• BigCommerce: Most features except abandoned cart automation
• Magento: Full e-commerce feature support
• PrestaShop: Full integration support
• Squarespace: Limited integration

E-commerce Automation Templates

Pre-built flows for online stores:

• Welcome new customers
• Recover abandoned carts
• Thank customers after purchase
• Request product reviews
• Win back inactive customers
• Recommend related products

Email Deliverability: A Concern

Deliverability has become a significant concern for Mailchimp users. Recent testing shows troubling results.

2025 Deliverability Data

According to EmailTooltester’s 2025 analysis, Mailchimp earned their lowest score among all reviewed platforms. Specific findings:

• Inbox placement: 77.53% reached the main inbox
• Spam folder: 18.84% went to spam
• Bounced/failed: 3.65% did not arrive at all

For comparison, top performers like MailerLite achieved 94.41% inbox placement.

Quarter-Over-Quarter Decline

Email deliverability tracking shows Mailchimp experienced a 19.63% decrease in deliverability rates from Q1 2024 to Q1 2025, one of the largest declines among major ESPs.

What Mailchimp Claims

Mailchimp states they have “more than 99% delivery rate.” However, this refers to emails reaching the recipient’s server (delivery), not emails reaching the inbox (deliverability). The distinction matters: an email that lands in spam was technically delivered but will never be read.

Deliverability Features

Mailchimp does provide standard deliverability tools:

• DKIM and DMARC authentication
• Automatic bounce handling
• Unsubscribe management
• Anti-spam policy enforcement
• List cleaning recommendations

Integrations Ecosystem

Mailchimp offers 300+ integrations, covering virtually every business tool category.

Top Integrations

E-commerce:

• Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, Squarespace

CRM:

• Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho

Social Media:

• Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X

Productivity:

• Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack

Analytics:

• Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel

Payments:

• Stripe, PayPal, Square

Zapier: Connect Mailchimp to 5,000+ apps for custom workflows.

QuickBooks Integration

As an Intuit product, Mailchimp has deep integration with QuickBooks:

• Sync customer data automatically
• See purchase history alongside email engagement
• Target customers based on spending patterns
• Track marketing ROI against actual sales

Analytics and Reporting

Campaign Reports

Every campaign includes detailed analytics:

• Opens and unique opens
• Clicks and click maps
• Bounces and unsubscribes
• Geographic data
• Device and email client breakdown
• Revenue attributed (for e-commerce)

Comparative Reporting

Premium plans unlock comparative reporting, showing how campaigns perform against each other over time.

Audience Analytics

Track subscriber growth, engagement trends, and list health over time. The audience dashboard provides a quick overview of your most and least engaged contacts.

Limitations

• Dashboard customization is limited
• Cannot export dashboards as PDFs
• Advanced analysis requires exporting data to external tools
• Cross-campaign insights require Standard plan or higher

Who Should Use Mailchimp?

Best Fit: Teams That Will Thrive

Small E-commerce Stores The Shopify and WooCommerce integrations work well, automated flows can recover abandoned carts, and product recommendations drive additional sales.

Marketing Teams Valuing Ease of Use If your team needs to send campaigns without technical training, Mailchimp’s intuitive interface delivers. Onboarding new team members is fast.

Businesses Already Using Intuit Products The QuickBooks integration creates a unified view of customers and revenue. If you are in the Intuit ecosystem, the synergy has value.

Established Businesses with Budget If you have the budget for Standard or Premium plans, Mailchimp offers a comprehensive feature set with strong support.

Poor Fit: When to Look Elsewhere

Budget-Conscious Startups The free plan’s limitations are severe. Growing lists quickly become expensive compared to alternatives.

Businesses Prioritizing Deliverability If email is your primary revenue channel, the deliverability concerns warrant exploring MailerLite, ActiveCampaign, or Brevo.

Advanced Automation Needs on a Budget Mailchimp’s automation is solid but gated behind higher-priced plans. ActiveCampaign offers more powerful automation at competitive prices.

Large Lists At 50,000+ contacts, Mailchimp’s per-contact pricing becomes expensive. Platforms like Brevo (which charges per email sent, not per contact) may be more economical.

Mailchimp vs. The Competition

Mailchimp vs. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Choose Brevo if:

• You want to pay per email sent, not per contact
• Budget is a primary concern
• You need SMS marketing outside the US
• Deliverability matters (Brevo scores higher)

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You value the familiar interface
• You need deep Shopify/WooCommerce integration
• You are in the Intuit ecosystem
• You want the most integrations available

Mailchimp vs. MailerLite

Choose MailerLite if:

• You want the best deliverability rates
• You need a generous free plan (1,000 contacts)
• Budget is tight but features matter
• You prefer simple, clean tools

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You need more integrations
• You want AI content generation
• You prefer brand recognition
• You need advanced e-commerce features

Mailchimp vs. ActiveCampaign

Choose ActiveCampaign if:

• Advanced automation is your priority
• You need CRM + email in one platform
• Deliverability and list hygiene matter
• You want more value for mid-sized lists

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You prefer simplicity over power
• Team adoption speed matters
• You want built-in landing pages
• You need a website builder

Mailchimp vs. Klaviyo

Choose Klaviyo if:

• E-commerce is your entire business
• You want the deepest Shopify integration
• Revenue attribution and analytics are critical
• You need advanced segmentation for shopping behavior

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You are not purely e-commerce
• You need general marketing features (landing pages, social)
• Budget is a concern (Klaviyo is premium-priced)
• You want broader integration options

The Honest Pros and Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mailchimp really free?

Yes, but barely. The free plan is limited to 500 contacts (down from 2,000 before the Intuit acquisition), 1,000 monthly emails, and excludes automations, email scheduling, and A/B testing. For most businesses, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan within months of starting.

Why does Mailchimp charge for unsubscribed contacts?

Mailchimp’s pricing is based on total contacts in your audience, including unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts. The rationale is that you can still use this data for analysis and re-targeting. To avoid charges, you must manually archive or delete these contacts. Most competitors only charge for actively subscribed contacts or emails sent.

Has Mailchimp’s deliverability gotten worse?

Based on third-party testing, yes. EmailTooltester’s 2025 analysis showed Mailchimp had the lowest score among platforms tested, with an 18.84% spam rate. Deliverability rates dropped nearly 20% compared to the previous year. If email deliverability is critical to your business, consider alternatives like MailerLite or ActiveCampaign.

What happened to Mailchimp’s free automations?

Mailchimp removed automations from the free plan after the Intuit acquisition. Previously, free users could set up welcome emails and basic sequences. Now, any automation beyond single-step requires at least the Essentials plan, and multi-step Customer Journeys (now called Flows) require Standard at $20/month.

Is Mailchimp good for e-commerce?

Mailchimp works well for e-commerce, especially with its Shopify and WooCommerce integrations. You can sync product data, recover abandoned carts, and send personalized recommendations. However, e-commerce-focused platforms like Klaviyo offer deeper shopping behavior analytics and more advanced segmentation. The choice depends on whether you need e-commerce-specific features or a general marketing platform.

Can I switch from Mailchimp to another platform?

Yes, migration is straightforward. You can export your contacts as a CSV and import them into any other email platform. Most competitors (Brevo, MailerLite, ActiveCampaign) offer migration assistance and will help recreate your automations. The main consideration is re-confirming subscriber consent if required by your jurisdiction.

Does Mailchimp offer SMS marketing?

Yes, but only in the United States and as a paid add-on. SMS credits are purchased separately from your email plan and must be used within the billing month (unused credits do not roll over). For international SMS or more robust SMS features, consider platforms like Klaviyo or Brevo.

Is Mailchimp secure?

Mailchimp implements standard security measures including encryption in transit and at rest, two-factor authentication, and GDPR compliance tools. They are SOC 2 Type II certified. For enterprise needs, the Premium plan adds priority support and enhanced security features. Overall, security is adequate for most business uses.

Final Verdict: Should You Choose Mailchimp?

After extensive testing and analysis, here is our honest assessment:

Mailchimp remains a solid email marketing platform, but it is no longer the obvious choice it once was. The Intuit acquisition brought valuable features like AI content generation and deeper QuickBooks integration, but also brought significant price increases and free plan restrictions that hurt small businesses and startups.

The platform excels at ease of use. If you need to get campaigns out quickly without technical expertise, Mailchimp delivers. The drag-and-drop editor is genuinely good, templates are professional, and the interface rarely confuses users.

However, the value proposition has weakened. Charging for unsubscribed contacts, limiting automations to paid plans, and raising prices has created openings for competitors. MailerLite offers better deliverability and a more generous free plan. ActiveCampaign provides more powerful automation. Brevo charges per email instead of per contact, offering better value for large lists.

Our Rating: 3.8/5

Strengths: Ease of use (4.5/5), Integrations (5/5), E-commerce features (4/5), Analytics (4/5), Template quality (4/5)

Weaknesses: Pricing value (3/5), Free plan (2/5), Deliverability (3/5), Automation limits (3.5/5), Customer support (3/5)

Who Should Sign Up

Mailchimp is a good fit if you:

• Value an intuitive, familiar interface
• Use Shopify or WooCommerce for e-commerce
• Already use QuickBooks or other Intuit products
• Have budget for Standard plan or higher
• Need 300+ integrations with business tools

Who Should Look Elsewhere

Consider alternatives if you:

• Have a limited budget and growing list
• Prioritize email deliverability above all else
• Need advanced automation without premium pricing
• Have a large list (10,000+ contacts) and want better per-contact value
• Require free automations to get started

---

Last updated: December 27, 2025. Pricing and features verified as of publication date.

Sources:

• Mailchimp Pricing Plans
• Mailchimp Plan Comparison
• About Mailchimp Pricing Plans
• Mailchimp Pricing 2025 - EmailToolTester
• Mailchimp Review 2025 - EmailToolTester
• Mailchimp Review - Email Vendor Selection
• Mailchimp Reviews - Capterra
• Intuit Completes Mailchimp Acquisition
• Mailchimp Free Plan Changes - Audienceful
• Mailchimp Deliverability 2025 - EmailToolTester
• Email Deliverability Statistics 2025 - GlockApps
• Marketing Automation Flows - Mailchimp
• Classic Automation Builder Ending - Chimp Essentials
• Mailchimp Landing Pages
• Mailchimp Website Builder
• Mailchimp AI Tools
• Write with AI - Mailchimp
• Content Optimizer - Mailchimp
• Intuit Assist Introduction
• Mailchimp Shopify Integration
• Mailchimp E-commerce Integrations
• Mailchimp Audience Segmentation
• Advanced Segment Builder - Mailchimp