Side by side
| Mailchimp | Brevo | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 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. | Yes. The free plan sends up to 300 emails a day, with no credit card needed. |
| Starting price | Not published. | Starter at 5,000 emails a month is $8.08 a month billed yearly, or $9.00 billed monthly, with 500 contacts included. |
| How it charges | 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. | By plan and monthly email volume. Starter begins at 5,000 emails a month and Professional at 150,000. SMS credit is sold separately. Yearly billing is 10% less. |
| Works with | Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, Zapier, Square, Stripe, Salesforce, WordPress and QuickBooks, among 300+ integrations. | An MCP connection for ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools is on Starter. |
| AI features | 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. | An AI content generator for subject lines and email copy, AI send time optimization on Standard, and AI segmentation and an AI data analyst on Professional. |
Prices and plans change. We checked these figures on October 10, 2026, so confirm them before you buy.
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.
What Brevo is
Brevo is an email and multi-channel marketing platform. It has a drag-and-drop email editor, email templates, forms, segmentation and an AI content generator.
A newsletter operator would use it to design and send issues, collect signups with forms and set up automated follow-up emails.
Brevo has a free plan and paid plans named Starter, Standard, Professional and Enterprise.
Which one fits
Both offer a free plan, but they count different things. Mailchimp's free plan is capped by contacts: up to 250, with 500 sends a month.
Paid plans are priced differently. Brevo charges by plan and monthly email volume, with Starter beginning at 5,000 emails a month and yearly billing 10% less. Mailchimp charges by contact tier and bills overages automatically. If you send often to a small list, volume-based pricing may suit you. If you send rarely to a large list, check Mailchimp's pay-as-you-go email credits.
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.
Does Brevo have a free plan?
Yes. The free plan is free forever, with no credit card needed, and is aimed at individuals and solopreneurs.
Which Brevo plan includes automation?
Marketing automation, A/B testing and landing pages are on the Standard plan and above.