Mailchimp vs MailerLite: Features, Pricing and Reviews Compared
- Starting price
- $13/mo · free plan
- Ease of use
- 8.6
- Functionality
- 8.8
- Value for money
- 6.8
- Customer support
- 7.3
Best for
- Small businesses and nonprofits sending newsletters and promotions to a modest list
- Shopify, WooCommerce and Squarespace stores that want abandoned-cart and product-recommendation emails
- Teams without a designer who need templates and a drag-and-drop editor that just work
- Starting price
- $12/mo · free plan
- Ease of use
- 7.0
- Functionality
- 7.8
- Value for money
- 7.4
- Customer support
- 7.3
Best for
- Solo creators and newsletter writers
- Small businesses selling digital products
- Teams needing landing pages with email
Our verdict
Mailchimp comes out ahead at 80/100 versus MailerLite at 74. Easy editor and a huge template library. Mailchimp is the better fit for small businesses that want a familiar, template-driven email tool. MailerLite makes more sense if you need the free plan includes up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, free automations and a free landing page with no credit card needed or you want to start cheaper ($12/mo vs $13/mo).
On Mailchimp: Mailchimp is still the easiest way for a small business to send a good-looking newsletter and run basic automations, and the template, form and landing-page tools are polished. It is no longer the cheap option: contact-based pricing climbs quickly, the free plan is small, and the automation depth on Essentials is thin. Choose it for ease and ecommerce integrations; choose Brevo or MailerLite if price per contact is the priority.
Features comparison
The 8 email marketing capabilities we check on every product, ordered by importance to buyers.
| Feature | Importance | Mailchimp | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drag-drop editor | 90% | Included | Included |
| Automations | 84% | Included | Included |
| Segmentation | 78% | Included | Included |
| Signup forms | 69% | Included | Included |
| A/B testing | 61% | Included | Included |
| Landing pages | 47% | Included | Included |
| SMS | 39% | Included | Not included |
| API access | 31% | Included | Included |
What stands out in each
Email builder and templates
A drag-and-drop editor with a large template library, brand kit, and generative AI for copy and layouts. Emails render reliably across clients, and the creative assistant produces usable designs for people without a designer.
Automations and Customer Journeys
Essentials covers single-trigger automations (welcome, abandoned cart, re-engagement). Standard unlocks the Customer Journey Builder with branching logic, delays and conditions, which is where Mailchimp becomes a real marketing automation tool.
Audience management and segmentation
Tags, groups and behavioural segments; Standard adds predictive segmentation (likely-to-buy, customer lifetime value) using ecommerce data. One audience per account is the recommended model, which simplifies pricing.
Ecommerce integrations
Native connections to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and others pull order data into the audience for product recommendations, purchase-based segments and revenue reporting per campaign.
MailerLiteDrag and drop email editor
Users build newsletters from more than 70 content blocks, including surveys, quizzes, countdown timers, coupons and event RSVP buttons. Templates give a starting layout that can be customized down to each element.
Automation builder
Visual workflows send emails based on subscriber actions and time delays, such as welcome sequences and lead magnet deliveries. Pre-built automation templates speed up setup, and paid plans add multiple triggers per flow.
Landing pages and signup forms
The landing page builder and form builder collect leads directly into subscriber lists, with pop-up styles like teaser and spin-the-wheel. Lead capture stays connected to the same audience used for campaigns.
Campaign analytics and A/B testing
Reports track opens, clicks and conversions for each campaign, and A/B testing compares subject lines and content. These results help users see which messages drive engagement.
Pricing comparison
Mailchimp starts at $13/mo with a free plan; MailerLite starts at $12/mo with a free plan (Free trial). Plans are shown as the vendors publish them; the BSR Value subscore reflects what you get for the money.
Free
Up to 500 contacts and 1,000 sends a month with Mailchimp branding.
- 500 contacts
- 1,000 emails/month
- Basic templates
- Forms and landing pages
Essentials
Removes branding, adds scheduling, A/B testing and 24/7 email support.
- Remove Mailchimp branding
- A/B testing
- Scheduled sends
- Basic automations
Standard
Customer journeys, send-time optimisation, dynamic content and predictive segmentation.
- Customer Journey Builder
- Send-time optimisation
- Dynamic content
- Predictive segmentation
Premium
Advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, phone support and unlimited seats.
- Unlimited seats and roles
- Multivariate testing
- Advanced segmentation
- Phone and priority support
Prices scale with contact count, and unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts have historically counted toward the total. Monthly send limits apply per plan (for example 10x contacts on Essentials). Overages are billed automatically. Transactional email (Mailchimp Transactional) is a separate paid product.
Value for money: 6.8/10 · Monthly, Pay as you go credits, Cancel anytime · Vendor pricing page ↗
MailerLiteFree
Suited to people just getting started who want to send campaigns and build a first list.
- Up to 250 subscribers
- 2,500 monthly emails
- Free automations and free signup forms
- Free landing page and free digital product or booking
Comfort
Built for regular newsletter senders who need more automations, forms and sites.
- 50 automations
- 10 forms and 10 sites
- 5 digital products
- 3 user seats
Enterprise
For large lists with custom sending volume, dedicated support and deliverability help.
- 200K+ subscribers
- Custom sending volume and priority support
- Dedicated IP
- Deliverability support
Paid plans are priced by subscriber count, and yearly billing saves 10% over monthly. A 14-day free trial of premium features is available with no credit card required. Enterprise pricing is set through a custom conversation with the sales team.
Value for money: 7.4/10
Integrations comparison
6 integrations in common · 10 only in Mailchimp · 74 only in MailerLite. Logos link to our review when we cover the tool.
Both connect to
Shopify
SquarespaceOnly MailerLite74Which one is best for my use case?
Who each product is built for, who should look elsewhere, and the jobs it gets bought for, from our editorial review and the vendor's own customer profile.
Ideal for
- Small businesses and nonprofits sending newsletters and promotions to a modest list
- Shopify, WooCommerce and Squarespace stores that want abandoned-cart and product-recommendation emails
- Teams without a designer who need templates and a drag-and-drop editor that just work
Not for
- Lists over ~20,000 contacts, where per-contact pricing gets expensive
- Businesses that need SMS, WhatsApp and transactional email on one bill (Brevo does this)
- Marketers who need multi-branch automation on the lower tiers
Common use cases
Sells to: Freelancers, Small businesses, Nonprofits, Mid-size companies. Common industries: Ecommerce, Retail, Nonprofits, Creative and media, Hospitality, Education.
MailerLiteIdeal for
- Solo creators and newsletter writers
- Small businesses selling digital products
- Teams needing landing pages with email
Not for
- Large enterprises needing custom contracts from the start
- Users who need unlimited automations on the free plan
Common use cases
Sells to: Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid size businesses, Enterprises.
Support, training and setup
How you get help, how you learn the product, and how fast you can be running.
- Support score
- 7.3/10Leads
- Ease of use
- 8.6/10Leads
- Support channels
- Email and chat (paid plans)
- Phone (Premium)
- Help center
- Onboarding specialist (Standard+)
- Training
- Documentation
- Video tutorials
- Webinars
- Mailchimp Academy
- Deployment
- Cloud / SaaS
- iOS app
- Android app
- Typical setup
- Same day
- Languages
- English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian
MailerLite- Support score
- 7.3/10Leads
- Ease of use
- 7.0/10
- Support channels
- Email/Help Desk
- FAQs/Forum
- Knowledge Base
- 24/7 (Live rep)
- Chat
- Training
- Webinars
- Documentation
- Videos
- Deployment
- Web
- Typical setup
- Not published
- Languages
- English, Spanish, Polish
Security and reliability
Certifications and controls as published by each vendor. We list them; we don't audit them.
- Security
- GDPR
- Two-factor authentication
- SOC 2 (via Intuit)
- Data encrypted in transit and at rest
- Public API
- Yes
- Mobile apps
- iOS · Android
- Company
- Atlanta, GA · 1,000+ employees · founded 2001
MailerLite- Security
- ISO 27001 certification
- GDPR compliance
- CAN-SPAM compliance
- Public API
- Yes
- Mobile apps
- None published
- Company
- 163 employees · founded 2010
Pros and cons
Our editors' pros and cons for each product. No user reviews have been published for these products yet.
Pros
- Easy editor and a huge template library
- Integrates with almost every e-commerce and CRM platform
- Free plan to get started
Cons
- Costs rise steeply as the contact list grows
- Free plan has become very limited
- Phone support only on the top tier
MailerLitePros
- The free plan includes up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, free automations and a free landing page with no credit card needed.
- Email, landing pages, forms, pop-ups, digital product sales and appointment booking share one account rather than separate subscriptions.
- The drag and drop editor offers more than 70 content blocks, including surveys, countdown timers and coupons.
- Zapier access reaches more than 5,000 apps, and native integrations cover Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe and WordPress.
- Claude and ChatGPT can connect to the account through an MCP server to draft and analyze campaigns.
Cons
- Paid plan prices rise with subscriber count, so costs grow as the list grows.
- The free plan is capped at 250 subscribers and 2 user seats.
- Unlimited automations, unlimited user seats and full API access are only on the Power plan.
- Live chat support is listed on the Power plan, while Comfort includes email support.
Full side-by-side table
Mailchimp leads in 5 of 7 rows where they differ. Green marks the leader in each row.
MailerLite 74Leads 2 of 7 rows · Best for solo creators and small businesses that want email, landing pages and automation in one tool| Feature | Mailchimp Best for small businesses that want a familiar, template-driven email tool | MailerLite Best for solo creators and small businesses that want email, landing pages and automation in one tool |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| BSR score | 80 | 74 |
| Ease | 8.6 | 7.0 |
| Features | 8.8 | 7.8 |
| Value | 6.8 | 7.4 |
| Support | 7.3 | 7.3 |
| Pricing | ||
| Starting price | $13/mo | $12/mo |
| Free plan | Included | Included |
| Free trial | — | Free trial |
| Features | ||
| Features included | 8 / 8 | 7 / 8 |
| Drag-drop editor | Included | Included |
| Automations | Included | Included |
| A/B testing | Included | Included |
| Landing pages | Included | Included |
| SMS | Included | Not included |
| Segmentation | Included | Included |
| Signup forms | Included | Included |
| API access | Included | Included |
| Details | ||
| Biggest strength | Easy editor and a huge template library | The free plan includes up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, free automations and a free landing page with no credit card needed. |
| Biggest weakness | Costs rise steeply as the contact list grows | Paid plan prices rise with subscriber count, so costs grow as the list grows. |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web |
| Best fit | 1–50 users | Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid size businesses, Enterprises |
Not a match?
Other email marketing software we list, ranked by BSR score.
Mailchimp vs MailerLite: FAQs
Is Mailchimp better than MailerLite?
Mailchimp scores 80/100 against MailerLite's 74, a 6-point lead. Easy editor and a huge template library. MailerLite is the better pick if the free plan includes up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, free automations and a free landing page with no credit card needed matters more to you.
Which is cheaper, Mailchimp or MailerLite?
MailerLite has the lowest starting price at $12/mo and offers a free plan. Mailchimp starts at $13/mo. Per-user pricing, annual discounts and add-ons change the real total, so price out your actual seat count.
Which has more features?
Mailchimp covers 8 of the 8 email marketing features we track, including SMS which MailerLite lacks.
Do Mailchimp and MailerLite integrate with the same tools?
Both connect to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Zapier and 1 more. Only Mailchimp lists Wix, Stripe, QuickBooks Online; Only MailerLite lists Landingi, Getsitecontrol, Google Analytics 360.
How this comparison was made
Each product was scored on the same four subscores (Ease, Features, Value, Support) from the vendor's published pricing and documentation, our editorial review, then combined into a 100-point BSR score. Hands-on tested: Mailchimp. Feature checks use one list per category; plans, integrations, support and security come from what each vendor publishes and are refreshed when listings change. Green marks the leader in a row. Sponsored placements are labeled elsewhere on the site and never touch a comparison. Full methodology →