Brevo vs Mailchimp: Which Is Better in 2026?
Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, combines email campaigns with SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email and a light CRM. Mailchimp is the email tool most small businesses try first. Brevo’s strength is multi-channel messaging and transactional email on a budget; Mailchimp’s is getting a small business sending good-looking email quickly.
01Pricing
Brevo: paid plans start at $8.08/mo for 5,000 emails per month. Mailchimp: paid plans start at $13/mo for 500 contacts. Both price by the size of your list or sending volume, so the entry prices above only hold for a small audience; check each vendor’s calculator at your list size. Brevo has a free plan (300 emails a day). Mailchimp has a free plan (250 contacts and 500 sends a month).
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 300 emails per day | |
| Starter | $8.08 | $9 | From 5,000 emails per month | Drag & drop email editor; AI content generator; Advanced segmentation; Forms |
| Standard | $16.17 | $18 | 1 landing page included | Marketing automation; A/B testing; Advanced email reporting; AI send time optimization |
| Professional | $449.08 | $499 | From 150,000 emails per month; 10 seats included | WhatsApp, popups, mobile & web push; Contact scoring; Advanced ecommerce features; AI segmentation |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Multi-account management; Custom objects; Dedicated IP; SSO & SAML |
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 250 contacts; 500 email sends per month (250 per day); 1 user seat; 1 audience | |
| Essentials | n/a | $13 | 500 contacts at this price; Monthly sends 10x contacts; 3 user seats; 3 audiences | Email scheduling; A/B testing; 24/7 email & chat support; Automation flows up to 4 steps |
| Standard | n/a | $20 | 500 contacts at this price; Monthly sends 12x contacts; 5 user seats; 5 audiences | Custom-coded templates; Dynamic content; Up to 200 automation flows; 4 roles |
| Premium | n/a | $350 | Starts at 10,000 contacts; Monthly sends 15x contacts; Unlimited user seats; Unlimited audiences | Phone & priority support; Dedicated onboarding specialist; Predictive segmentation; Multivariate testing |
Prices are per month on annual billing, except Mailchimp (monthly billing; no annual price published). † marks prices taken from the vendor’s documentation or page data instead of its visible pricing page. Brevo pricing and Mailchimp pricing have the full detail.
02The Two Tools
Brevo
Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, combines email campaigns with SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email and a light CRM. Its pricing is based on how many emails you send, not on how many contacts you store, which favors large lists that are mailed occasionally. The free plan caps daily sends instead of list size.
- Best at
- Multi-channel messaging and transactional email on a budget.
- Falls short
- Templates and reporting are plainer than Mailchimp’s, and the free plan’s daily cap limits how many people you can reach at once.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the email tool most small businesses try first. It covers campaigns, templates, basic automation, landing pages and forms, and connects to almost everything. It is a generalist: good at getting a newsletter out, less convincing once you need advanced automation, and priced by the size of your audience.
- Best at
- Getting a small business sending good-looking email quickly.
- Falls short
- The price rises with every contact you add, the free plan is small, and automation is shallower than in specialist tools.
03Which Fits Your Situation
| If you are | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | Either | Brevo: Pricing by emails sent keeps the cost low for a large list mailed occasionally. Mailchimp: The safe default: it does what a small business usually needs and connects to the tools they already use. |
| Ecommerce | Either | Brevo: Transactional email and SMS in the same account as campaigns. Mailchimp: Adequate for a small store, with store integrations and product blocks. |
| Startups | Brevo | One low-cost account for marketing email, transactional email and SMS. |
| Creators | Mailchimp | Workable and familiar, but you pay as the audience grows and get few creator-specific tools. |
| Agencies | Either | Brevo: Low client costs for campaigns plus transactional email and SMS. Mailchimp: Most clients already have an account, which makes it hard to avoid. |
04Verdict
Choose Brevo if you have a large list you mail occasionally, or need SMS and transactional email in the same account. Choose Mailchimp if you want a familiar general-purpose tool with integrations for everything.
05FAQ
Is Brevo or Mailchimp cheaper?
Brevo starts at $8.08/mo and Mailchimp at $13/mo. Both rise with the size of your list. Prices are per month on annual billing, except Mailchimp (monthly billing; no annual price published).
Do Brevo and Mailchimp have free plans?
Brevo has a free plan (300 emails a day). Mailchimp has a free plan (250 contacts and 500 sends a month).
Which is easier to learn, Brevo or Mailchimp?
There is little between them: both are moderately involved to set up.
Which is better for startups, Brevo or Mailchimp?
Brevo. One low-cost account for marketing email, transactional email and SMS.