The 6 best Mailchimp alternatives
Short answer
The best Mailchimp alternatives are ConvertKit, beehiiv, ActiveCampaign. ConvertKit is our top pick — it scores 8.8/10 and is best for Creators with complex email automations. The right choice depends on your budget, team size, and which features matter most.
Why look for a Mailchimp alternative?
Mailchimp scores 7.5/10 in our review and works well for many teams — but it is not the right fit for everyone. The most common reasons readers look elsewhere:
- ✗Expensive compared to alternatives at scale
- ✗Free tier very limited (500 contacts)
- ✗Creator features lag behind beehiiv/ConvertKit
Mailchimp alternatives, ranked
ConvertKit
Top pickEmail marketing built for creators
ConvertKit (now rebranding to Kit) is the most creator-focused email marketing platform. It excels at automations, segmentation, and selling digital products directly from email. The visual automation builder is powerful and beginner-friendly. ConvertKit has the deepest integration ecosystem for creators — connecting to Teachable, Gumroad, Shopify, and dozens of other creator tools.
Strengths
- ✓Excellent visual automation builder
- ✓Best integrations ecosystem for creators
- ✓Sell digital products and subscriptions natively
Best for
- →Creators with complex email automations
- →Anyone selling multiple digital products
- →Creators deeply integrated with other tools
beehiiv
The newsletter platform built for growth
beehiiv is a newsletter platform built by ex-Morning Brew engineers. It combines newsletter publishing, subscriber management, monetization (paid subscriptions, boosts, ad network), and basic website hosting in one tool. The growth infrastructure — referral programs, recommendations, segmentation — is unmatched at any price.
Strengths
- ✓Best-in-class growth tools (referral program, boosts, recommendations)
- ✓Built-in ad network for monetization
- ✓Generous free tier up to 2,500 subscribers
Best for
- →Newsletter-first creators
- →Creators wanting audience monetization built in
- →Anyone coming from Substack wanting more control
ActiveCampaign
Marketing automation and CRM for growing businesses
ActiveCampaign is the most powerful email marketing automation platform in its price range. Deep segmentation, conditional logic, site tracking, and a full CRM. The go-to for agencies running marketing campaigns for clients and for businesses with complex customer journeys.
Strengths
- ✓Best-in-class email automation at mid-market price
- ✓Powerful conditional logic and segmentation
- ✓Built-in CRM with pipeline
Best for
- →Agencies running email marketing for clients
- →Businesses with complex customer journeys
Klaviyo
Email and SMS marketing built for e-commerce growth
Klaviyo is the e-commerce email and SMS marketing platform — the deepest Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce integration available. It pulls purchase history, browsing behavior, and cart abandonment data directly from your store to power precise segmentation and automated flows. Abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase sequences, and predictive analytics are its core strengths. Less relevant for pure creator or service businesses with no product catalog.
Strengths
- ✓Unmatched Shopify integration — pulls real-time store data
- ✓Powerful segmentation using purchase behavior and predictive analytics
- ✓Email + SMS in one platform with unified customer profiles
Best for
- →E-commerce brands using Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce
- →Agencies running email marketing for DTC clients
Omnisend
Email and SMS automation built for e-commerce
Omnisend is an email and SMS marketing platform purpose-built for e-commerce brands, competing directly with Klaviyo. It offers pre-built automation workflows for abandoned cart, welcome series, browse abandonment, and post-purchase sequences — with deep Shopify and WooCommerce integration. The free plan is generous at 500 emails per month with no contact limit, and includes SMS credits. Omnisend is generally considered easier to use than Klaviyo with competitive pricing at lower list sizes.
Strengths
- ✓Generous free plan — 500 emails and SMS credits with unlimited contacts
- ✓Easier to use than Klaviyo while offering similar e-commerce automation
- ✓Pre-built automation workflows for all major e-commerce scenarios
Best for
- →Small-to-mid e-commerce brands that find Klaviyo too complex or expensive
- →Shopify stores wanting email + SMS automation without a steep learning curve
Brevo
Email, SMS, and CRM — generous free tier, European-grade privacy
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a full-featured marketing platform covering email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and a lightweight CRM. Its free plan is exceptionally generous: unlimited contacts with up to 300 emails per day — more than enough for a growing list. Brevo is a European company with strong GDPR compliance built in, making it the go-to choice for EU businesses or any team prioritizing data privacy.
Strengths
- ✓Most generous free plan in email marketing — unlimited contacts
- ✓Email + SMS + WhatsApp + CRM in one platform
- ✓Strong transactional email capabilities
Best for
- →EU-based businesses needing GDPR compliance
- →Businesses wanting email + SMS + CRM without paying per contact
Mailchimp vs. the alternatives
| Tool | Score | Starting price | Free plan | Ease of use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp(current) | 7.5/10 | — | Yes | 8.5/10 |
| ConvertKit | 8.8/10 | — | Yes | 8/10 |
| beehiiv | 9.2/10 | — | Yes | 8.5/10 |
| ActiveCampaign | 8.8/10 | $15/mo | No | 7/10 |
| Klaviyo | 8.7/10 | — | Yes | 7.5/10 |
| Omnisend | 8.3/10 | — | Yes | 8.5/10 |
| Brevo | 8.2/10 | — | Yes | 8/10 |
Mailchimp alternatives — FAQ
What is the best Mailchimp alternative?
ConvertKit is our top-rated Mailchimp alternative, scoring 8.8/10. It is best for Creators with complex email automations.
Is there a free Mailchimp alternative?
Yes — ConvertKit, beehiiv, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Brevo offer a free plan you can use to evaluate the tool before paying.