Side by side
| AWeber | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. Up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 emails a month, with one landing page and one automation. Emails carry AWeber branding. | Yes. Free for up to 250 contacts with a maximum of 500 sends a month or 250 a day, 1 seat and 1 audience. Mailchimp branding stays on and generative AI is not included. |
| Starting price | Lite starts at $12.49 a month billed yearly for 0 to 500 subscribers. Lite is also shown from $15 a month. | Not published. |
| How it charges | By subscriber count. Prices rise as the list grows. | By contact tier. Paid plans bill monthly or annually at the rate for your tier, and overages are billed automatically when limits are passed. Pay-as-you-go email credits are an alternative for infrequent senders. |
| Works with | More than 750 tools, including Shopify, WordPress, PayPal, Facebook and Zapier. | Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, Zapier, Square, Stripe, Salesforce, WordPress and QuickBooks, among 300+ integrations. |
| AI features | An AI writing assistant, Subject Line Assistant, AI newsletter assistant and AI email writer. | Generative AI features are on the Standard and Premium plans, not on Free or Essentials. Intuit Intelligence is in beta with limited availability and can make mistakes. |
Prices and plans change. We checked these figures on October 10, 2026, so confirm them before you buy.
What AWeber is
AWeber is an email marketing platform for small businesses, creators and entrepreneurs. It combines email, a landing page builder, automation, ecommerce pages and web push notifications.
A newsletter operator would use it to send newsletters, collect signups with forms and landing pages, and run welcome sequences. The company moves accounts from other platforms at no cost.
It has AI tools for writing emails and subject lines.
What Mailchimp is
Mailchimp is an email and SMS marketing platform with automations, analytics and AI tools. Example users include restaurants, non-profits, ecommerce, small businesses and professional services.
A newsletter operator can use it for email campaigns, templates, popup forms, audience tools and reporting. SMS is an add-on in select countries and needs approval.
It connects with 300+ apps.
Which one fits
Both have a free plan and both price by list size, so the difference is in the limits. AWeber's free plan allows 500 subscribers and 3,000 emails a month. Mailchimp's allows 250 contacts and 500 sends a month.
AWeber's Lite plan starts at $12.49 a month billed yearly for up to 500 subscribers, and is also advertised from $15 a month, so confirm which applies. Mailchimp prices by contact tier and bills overages automatically. For a small list that sends weekly, AWeber's free plan leaves more room before the first bill.
Does AWeber have a free plan?
Yes. The free plan has no time limit and no credit card is needed. It covers up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 emails a month.
How much do paid plans cost?
Lite starts at $12.49 a month billed yearly, and Plus is from $30 a month. Prices rise with subscriber count.
Does Mailchimp have a free plan?
Yes. It allows up to 250 contacts, 500 sends a month or 250 a day, 1 seat and 1 audience. Sending pauses if a limit is exceeded.
Is there a free trial of paid plans?
Yes. There is a 14-day free trial that needs valid payment information at sign-up. Canceling during the trial incurs no charge.