Email marketing still delivers the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel — $36 back for every $1 spent. But only if you pick the right tool.
Two names dominate the conversation for small businesses: Mailchimp and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue). Both are powerful. Both are popular. But they serve different types of businesses — and choosing the wrong one can cost you money and frustration.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know so you can make the right call today.
Quick Verdict
| Mailchimp | Brevo | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Beginners, e-commerce | Growing businesses, budget-conscious |
| Free plan | 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/mo | Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day |
| Paid plans from | $13/month | $9/month |
| Automation | Good | Excellent |
| SMS marketing | No | Yes |
| Ease of use | Very easy | Easy |
| AppSumo deals | No | Occasionally |
What Is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp launched in 2001 and became the world’s most recognizable email marketing brand. Its friendly interface, iconic monkey logo, and generous free plan helped millions of small businesses send their first email campaign.
Today, Mailchimp has expanded beyond email into a full marketing platform — offering landing pages, social media ads, CRM features, and e-commerce integrations. It is owned by Intuit (the company behind QuickBooks and TurboTax) and serves over 11 million users worldwide.
Mailchimp is best known for:
- Beginner-friendly drag-and-drop email builder
- Deep Shopify and WooCommerce integrations
- Beautiful pre-built email templates
- Strong brand recognition and community support
What Is Brevo?
Brevo — formerly known as Sendinblue — rebranded in 2023 to reflect its growth beyond email marketing. Based in Paris, Brevo has quietly become one of the strongest alternatives to Mailchimp, especially for businesses that want more features at a lower price.
Unlike Mailchimp which charges based on the number of contacts you have, Brevo charges based on how many emails you send — a model that benefits businesses with large lists but moderate sending frequency.
Brevo is best known for:
- Unlimited contact storage on all plans
- Built-in SMS and WhatsApp marketing
- Advanced automation workflows
- Transactional email and marketing in one platform
- More affordable pricing at scale
Pricing: Where Brevo Wins Clearly
Pricing is where the two tools differ most dramatically — and it matters a lot for small businesses.
Mailchimp Free Plan:
- Up to 500 contacts
- 1,000 emails per month
- 1 audience only
- Basic templates and limited automation
Brevo Free Plan:
- Unlimited contacts
- 300 emails per day (9,000/month)
- All core features included
- No credit card required
This is a significant difference. If you have 2,000 contacts but send emails infrequently, Mailchimp charges you just for having those contacts on your list — even if you barely email them. Brevo lets you store unlimited contacts for free and only charges based on how many emails you actually send.
As your list grows, this gap widens. A business with 10,000 contacts pays around $110/month on Mailchimp but can stay on Brevo’s paid plan for as little as $25/month — with the same or more features.
Winner: Brevo on pricing, especially for growing lists.
Ease of Use: Mailchimp’s Home Turf
Mailchimp has spent over two decades perfecting its user experience. The drag-and-drop editor is intuitive, the onboarding is smooth, and even a complete beginner can send a beautiful campaign within 30 minutes of signing up.
Brevo’s interface is clean and modern but has a slightly steeper learning curve — particularly in its automation builder and contact segmentation screens. It rewards users who take time to explore, but it’s not quite as hand-holding as Mailchimp.
Winner: Mailchimp for pure beginner friendliness.
Email Automation: Brevo Pulls Ahead
Automation is where email marketing earns its money — welcome sequences, abandoned cart emails, re-engagement campaigns, and nurture sequences all run on autopilot.
Mailchimp offers solid automation but many advanced features (like multi-step journeys and A/B testing in automations) are locked behind higher-tier plans starting at $20–$35/month.
Brevo includes advanced automation workflows on much lower-priced plans. You can build multi-step sequences triggered by contact behaviour, email opens, link clicks, page visits, and more — without upgrading to an expensive tier.
For a small business trying to set up a proper email funnel, Brevo gives you more automation firepower without paying premium prices.
Winner: Brevo for automation value.
E-commerce Integration: Mailchimp Leads
If your business runs on Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce, Mailchimp has a natural advantage. Its e-commerce integrations are deep, polished, and widely documented. You can sync products, send abandoned cart emails, create purchase-based segments, and run product recommendation campaigns with minimal setup.
Brevo has improved its e-commerce capabilities significantly and integrates with all major platforms — but Mailchimp’s e-commerce experience remains more mature and better documented.
Winner: Mailchimp for e-commerce businesses.
SMS and Multi-Channel Marketing
This category has a clear winner: Brevo.
Mailchimp does not offer SMS marketing as of 2025. If you want to reach your audience via text message, you need a separate tool — adding cost and complexity.
Brevo includes SMS marketing and WhatsApp campaigns built directly into the same platform. You can send a coordinated campaign across email, SMS, and WhatsApp from one dashboard, to the same audience, with unified reporting.
For businesses that want multi-channel marketing without managing multiple tools, this is a genuine Brevo advantage.
Winner: Brevo — it’s not even close.
Deliverability: Both Are Reliable
Email deliverability — the rate at which your emails actually land in the inbox rather than spam — is strong on both platforms. Both Mailchimp and Brevo maintain excellent sender reputations and offer features like DKIM authentication, spam testing, and list cleaning tools.
Independent deliverability tests consistently rate both platforms above 90% inbox placement rates. For most small businesses, deliverability will not be a deciding factor between the two.
Winner: Tie.
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Mailchimp if:
- You are brand new to email marketing and want the easiest possible start
- Your business is heavily e-commerce focused (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- You have a small list (under 500 contacts) and send frequently
- You value a huge library of templates and tutorials
Choose Brevo if:
- You have a growing contact list and want to control costs
- You want advanced automation without paying premium prices
- You need SMS or WhatsApp marketing alongside email
- You send infrequently but have a large audience
- You want more features for less money as you scale
Final Verdict
Both tools are excellent — but they serve different needs.
Mailchimp is the best starting point if you are an absolute beginner or run an e-commerce store. Its polish and simplicity are unmatched.
Brevo is the smarter long-term choice for most small businesses. Its pricing model rewards growth, its automation is more powerful at lower price points, and its multi-channel capabilities (email + SMS + WhatsApp) give you more reach without more tools.
If you are just starting out, try Mailchimp’s free plan to get comfortable with email marketing. Once your list grows past 500 contacts or you need automation — switch to Brevo and keep your costs under control.
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