Mailchimp and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) are two of the most popular email marketing platforms, but they take very different approaches. Mailchimp is the household name with 20 million+ customers and a polished interface. Brevo is the nimble, Paris-based underdog that charges by emails sent — not contacts. With Mailchimp's prices rising and Brevo rapidly adding features, which one actually delivers the best value in 2026?
Quick Verdict
Choose Mailchimp if you need the largest template library, deep third-party integrations, and a brand your clients already trust. Choose Brevo if you want better value, unlimited contacts, advanced automation on the free plan, and built-in transactional emails and SMS. For most small to medium businesses, Brevo delivers significantly more bang for your buck — often saving 50–90% on email costs compared to Mailchimp.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Mailchimp | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan Contacts | ❌ 250 contacts | ✅ 100,000 contacts |
| Free Emails / Month | 500 | 9,000 (300/day) |
| Pricing Model | By contacts | By emails sent |
| Marketing Automation | ⚠️ Paid plans only | ✅ Free (up to 2K contacts) |
| Transactional Emails | ❌ $20/mo add-on | ✅ Included |
| SMS Marketing | ⚠️ US only | ✅ Worldwide |
| Drag-and-Drop Editor | ✅ | ✅ |
| Landing Pages | ✅ Free | ✅ Standard plan+ |
| CRM Built-in | ⚠️ Basic | ✅ Full CRM |
| AI Content Generator | ✅ (paid add-on) | ✅ Free on all plans |
| Live Chat Support | ❌ | ✅ |
| Integrations | 300+ | 150+ (plus Zapier) |
| Deliverability | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
Mailchimp — Pros & Cons
Pros
- Massive library of 250+ mobile-responsive email templates
- 300+ direct integrations (more than any competitor)
- Excellent reporting and analytics with advanced insights
- Polished, user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop campaign builder
- Unlimited free landing pages with Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics tracking
- Strong brand recognition and trust factor for enterprise clients
Cons
- Pricing based on contacts — costs explode as your list grows
- Free plan severely limited (only 250 contacts, 500 emails/month)
- Automations removed from free plan entirely
- Transactional emails require a $20/month add-on
- Duplicate contacts across lists count multiple times
- Price increased 14.5% in 2023 alone, plus multiple recent hikes
- SMS marketing only available for US customers
- Live chat support only on higher-tier paid plans
Brevo — Pros & Cons
Pros
- Pay by emails sent, not contacts — unlimited contacts on all plans
- Generous free plan: 9,000 emails/month to 100,000 contacts
- Advanced marketing automation flows on the free plan (up to 2,000 contacts)
- Transactional emails included with every plan (SMTP access)
- SMS marketing available globally, not just the US
- Built-in CRM with deal pipelines, live chat, and meeting scheduling
- AI content generator (subject lines, copy) free on all plans
- Up to 9× cheaper than Mailchimp for high-volume sending
- Excellent deliverability with dedicated IP options
Cons
- Fewer pre-built email templates than Mailchimp
- Landing pages require Standard plan ($18/month)
- Smaller app marketplace with ~150 direct integrations
- Advanced analytics locked to higher-tier plans
- Less brand recognition than Mailchimp
- Some users report occasional UI sluggishness
Pricing
Mailchimp: Free plan caps at 250 contacts and 500 emails/month. Essentials starts at $13/month (500 contacts), Standard at $20/month (500 contacts), Premium at $350/month (10,000 contacts). Prices climb steeply with contact count — 10,000 contacts on Standard costs around $110/month. Transactional emails add $20/month for 25,000 sends.
Brevo: Free plan includes 9,000 emails/month to unlimited contacts. Starter is $9/month (5,000 emails), Standard is $18/month (20,000 emails with unlimited automation), Professional is $39/month (unlimited emails with advanced analytics). No extra cost for transactional emails — they're included in your plan's daily send limit. SMS is pay-as-you-go via credits starting at €5.
The bottom line: At 10,000 contacts sending 1 email/month, Brevo costs $32 vs Mailchimp's $110. At 100,000 contacts, it's $82 vs $800. Brevo's savings are dramatic as your list grows.
Conclusion
For budget-conscious small businesses and growing startups, Brevo is the clear winner — its contact-unlimited pricing model, included transactional emails, SMS, and CRM make it a far better value. For agencies and enterprise teams that rely on deep integrations (especially ecommerce platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce), Mailchimp's larger app marketplace and polished reporting may justify the premium. For solopreneurs and side projects, Brevo's generous free plan with 9,000 free emails/month is nearly impossible to beat — Mailchimp's free plan is simply too restrictive.