Mailchimp review 2026: our full test, pricing and limits
Mailchimp is still the name everyone cites, and the tool through which millions of businesses discovered email marketing. But 2026 changed the picture: the vendor halved its free plan, now capped at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month. We tested it to say what the household name is still worth against competitors that have become far more generous.
Verdict: still rich, but the free plan is no longer the argument
Mailchimp keeps a complete platform, an integration ecosystem with no equal here, and polished email templates. It is a mature product that agencies and freelancers know inside out. But halving the free plan in 2026, down to 250 contacts and 500 monthly sends, removes its main entry argument, and its pricing stays above equivalent competitors. US hosting remains a consideration for European businesses.
What to remember
- The free plan was cut in 2026 to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month.
- Essentials from $13 a month, Standard from $20, Premium from $350.
- An unmatched integration ecosystem, but hosting in the United States.
What we liked
- +
An integration ecosystem with no equal in this comparison.
- +
Polished email templates that render reliably across mail clients.
- +
A mature platform that most agencies and freelancers already know.
- +
Marketing tools beyond email: landing pages, ads, customer journeys.
- +
Particularly thorough documentation and learning resources.
What could be better
- –
The free plan was halved in 2026: 250 contacts and 500 sends a month.
- –
Pricing stays above equivalent competitors at the same list size.
- –
Data is hosted in the United States, which matters for European businesses.
- –
Unsubscribed contacts can still count toward your billed quota, worth watching.
Spec sheet
- Vendor
- Intuit, United States
- Free plan
- 250 contacts, 500 emails a month
- Essentials
- From $13/month for 500 contacts
- Standard
- From $20/month
- Premium
- From $350/month
- Essentials ceiling
- 50,000 contacts
- Standard ceiling
- 100,000 contacts
- Hosting
- United States
- Best for
- Existing users, or a specific integration need
Prices in US dollars checked on 3 August 2026, after the free-tier reduction applied earlier in the year. Costs rise with contact count.
Go for it if
- ✓
You already run on Mailchimp and migrating would cost more than it saves.
- ✓
You need a specific integration only Mailchimp offers.
- ✓
Your agency or freelancer works exclusively in this tool.
Look elsewhere if
- ✕
You want a free plan to start seriously.
- ✕
European data hosting is a requirement for you or your clients.
- ✕
You are comparing primarily on cost at equivalent list size.
What exactly is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is the best-known email marketing platform in the world, founded in Atlanta in 2001 and acquired by Intuit in 2021. Its historic free plan brought millions of small businesses into email marketing, and its monkey mascot became a cultural landmark of the sector.
Today’s product goes well beyond sending email: automated customer journeys, landing pages, social ads, a simplified online store, segmentation and recommendation tools. It is a marketing suite in which email is one component.
Two developments matter to a buyer in 2026. First the free plan cut, reduced early in the year to 250 contacts and 500 monthly emails, half the previous allowance. Second the pricing position, which remains above competitors that have become highly aggressive. Brand recognition no longer covers the gap.
What are the key features of Mailchimp?
The email builder remains excellent, with polished templates and reliable rendering across mail clients, which is less trivial than it sounds. Segmentation tools and A/B testing comfortably cover the needs of a small business.
Customer journeys let you build sequences triggered by behaviour, date or purchase. They are more approachable than ActiveCampaign‘s, and less deep: no scoring as fine, no conditions as deeply nested.
The real strength lies elsewhere: the ecosystem. Almost every tool on the market ships a native Mailchimp connector, from online stores to CRMs and event platforms. If you need a specific integration with a line-of-business application, Mailchimp is often the only one here that offers it without development work.
Mailchimp no longer wins on price or on the generosity of its free plan. It wins when an existing integration saves you three days of development.
Explore Mailchimp
Check first whether the integration you need exists: that is the tool’s real argument today.
How much does Mailchimp cost?
A now heavily restricted free plan, then three tiers whose price follows list size.
| Plan | Indicative price | Contact ceiling | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 250 contacts | 500 emails a month, core features |
| Essentials | From $13/month | 50,000 | A/B testing, templates, chat support |
| Standard | From $20/month | 100,000 | Advanced journeys, recommendations |
| Premium | From $350/month | 200,000 | Advanced segmentation, priority support |
Prices in US dollars checked on 3 August 2026, at the smallest list size of each tier. Free plan quotas were halved earlier in the year. Costs rise with contact count.
The 2026 change deserves to be stated plainly: at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, the free plan no longer lets you start seriously. A list of three hundred subscribers already saturates it. Against Brevo, whose free tier is measured in daily sends rather than contacts, or GetResponse at five hundred contacts, Mailchimp is no longer competitive at entry.
That leaves the migration question. If you are already established, with automations running and integrations that work, switching costs time and carries a deliverability risk. The price gap has to be significant to justify the project: run the numbers over three years rather than one month.
Who is Mailchimp for?
Mailchimp remains relevant for businesses already established on it, for those depending on a specific integration only this vendor provides, and for those whose agency works exclusively in the tool. In those three cases, continuity beats migration.
For everyone else, and particularly for anyone starting in 2026, the case is hard to sustain: the free plan no longer suffices, prices stay high and US hosting is a friction point for European businesses. Brevo or MailerLite answer the same need more convincingly.
What are the alternatives to Mailchimp?
Brevo is the most direct alternative: European hosting, billing on sends and a more generous free plan. MailerLite for simplicity and editing comfort. ActiveCampaign if you are stepping up on automation.
Our comparison of the best email marketing software in 2026 prices each option by list size, and our guide on how to create a newsletter helps if you are rebuilding from scratch.
Our verdict: 4.0/5, a reference that lost its edge
If you are starting in 2026, compare the competitors’ free plans first: the gap is stark.
Frequently asked questions
Did the Mailchimp free plan change in 2026?
Yes. The vendor halved the allowances early in the year: the free plan moved to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, down from double that. In practice a list of three hundred subscribers already saturates it, which removes Mailchimp’s main entry argument against Brevo or GetResponse.
How much does Mailchimp cost?
Essentials starts at $13 a month for five hundred contacts, Standard at $20 and Premium from $350, prices checked in August 2026. Costs then rise with list size, and each tier has a contact ceiling, fifty thousand for Essentials and one hundred thousand for Standard.
Where is Mailchimp data hosted?
In the United States. For a European business under GDPR, that means a transfer outside the European Union to be covered contractually. If that is a blocker for you or your clients, Brevo hosts in Europe and answers the constraint directly.
Mailchimp or Brevo: which should you choose?
For a business starting in 2026, Brevo wins fairly clearly: a more generous free plan, billing on sends rather than contacts, European hosting and lower prices. Mailchimp keeps the advantage on integrations and if you are already established with automations in production.