Brevo vs Mailchimp (2026): Pricing, Free Plans and Which Is Cheaper
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💡 Need more detail? See our Mailchimp pricing guide and Brevo free plan review.
Brevo is the better value for most small businesses. It charges by emails sent, not contacts, so a growing list costs far less.
Mailchimp is worth the extra if you want the most polished editor, templates and reporting, and your list is small.
What will you pay each month?
The two tools price in very different ways, so the cheaper one depends on your list and how often you send. Try your own numbers.
Brevo vs Mailchimp: monthly cost calculator
Pick your list size and how often you email. The cheaper option is outlined in red.
Mailchimp: regular monthly prices from mailchimp.com, checked 31 October 2026. Brevo: Starter and Standard from $9 and $18 on brevo.com (2 November 2026); higher send tiers from Emailtooltester (August 2026). Brevo caps contacts at 500 on the 5,000 email tier and 1,500 on the 10,000 tier. Monthly billing, before tax.
How each one charges
Mailchimp charges by contacts. Every contact on your audience counts, even people who never open, and each plan lets you send a multiple of your contact count each month.
Brevo charges by emails sent. You pick a monthly email volume, and from the 20,000 email tier you can store up to 500,000 contacts.
| Mailchimp | Brevo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price based on | Number of contacts | Emails sent each month |
| Send limit | Essentials 10x contacts, Standard 12x, Premium 15x | Your chosen monthly email volume |
| Contact limit | Your plan tier | 500 on the 5,000 tier, 1,500 on the 10,000 tier, up to 500,000 above |
| Annual discount | Varies by promotion | 10% off yearly billing |
Sources: Mailchimp pricing, Brevo pricing and Brevo help: pricing plans.
This is why Mailchimp gets expensive as your list grows. Cleaning out inactive contacts helps, but Brevo avoids the problem entirely.
Price at 1,000 and 5,000 contacts
| Plan | 1,000 contacts, weekly emails | 5,000 contacts, weekly emails |
|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp Essentials | $26.50 a month | $75 a month |
| Mailchimp Standard | $45 a month | $100 a month |
| Brevo Starter | $17 a month (10,000 email tier) | $29 a month (20,000 email tier) |
| Brevo Standard | $35 a month | $65 a month |
Mailchimp prices for 501 to 1,500 and 2,501 to 5,000 contacts from mailchimp.com, 31 October 2026. Brevo tier prices from Emailtooltester (August 2026). Weekly means about 4 emails per contact a month.
At 5,000 contacts, Brevo Standard saves about $420 a year over Mailchimp Standard. The gap grows with every contact you add.
Free plans compared
| Mailchimp Free | Brevo Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | 250 | Up to 100,000 |
| Sends | 500 a month, 250 a day | 300 a day |
| Users | 1 | 1 |
| Automation | Not included | Up to 2,000 contacts in automations |
Sources: Mailchimp pricing and Brevo free plan limits.
Mailchimp cut its free plan in 2026 to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. Brevo’s free plan is far more generous, as long as you can live with 300 emails a day.
Compare every free option in best free email marketing plans.
Features compared
| Feature | Mailchimp | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Automation | Essentials up to 4 flow steps; Standard up to 200 flows | All plans; unlimited contacts in automations from Standard |
| A/B testing | Multivariate on Premium | Standard and above |
| Landing pages | Not listed in the plan comparison | Standard, 1 page included |
| SMS | Paid add on | Prepaid credits |
| Not listed on the pricing page | Professional plan | |
| Seats | Essentials 3, Standard 5 | Standard up to 3 per Brevo help; Professional 10 |
| Support | 24/7 email and chat on paid plans | Email on Starter; phone on Professional |
Sources: Mailchimp pricing, Brevo pricing, Brevo help, checked 31 October to 2 November 2026.
Brevo bundles more channels in one account. Mailchimp’s strength is its editor, template library and polished reports.
Deliverability
Both tools land in the inbox well. In Emailtooltester’s last full test round in January 2024, Mailchimp scored 89.5% and Brevo 88.3% overall.
That data is old and the tester has paused its test rounds, so treat it as a rough guide.
Source: Emailtooltester deliverability test.
Your own list hygiene matters more than the tool. See our email marketing benchmarks for open and click rates to aim for.
Which one should you choose?
- Your list is over 1,500 contacts
- You want SMS or WhatsApp too
- You want automation on a budget
- Your list is small and design matters
- You want lots of templates
- You value detailed reports
Still not sure? Our best Mailchimp alternatives compares five more options, and MailerLite vs Mailchimp covers another cheap pick.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brevo cheaper than Mailchimp?
Usually, yes. Brevo charges by emails sent rather than contacts, so at 5,000 contacts sending weekly, Brevo Standard costs $65 a month against $100 for Mailchimp Standard.
Which has the better free plan?
Brevo, for most lists. It stores up to 100,000 contacts and sends 300 emails a day, while Mailchimp Free now allows 250 contacts and 500 sends a month.
Does Brevo have unlimited contacts?
Not on every paid tier anymore. Brevo caps the 5,000 email tier at 500 contacts and the 10,000 tier at 1,500 contacts, while tiers from 20,000 emails allow up to 500,000.
Which is easier to use?
Mailchimp is slightly more polished for beginners, with strong templates and reporting. Brevo is simple too and adds SMS and WhatsApp in one account.
Which has better deliverability?
They are close. In Emailtooltester’s last full test round in January 2024, Mailchimp scored 89.5% and Brevo 88.3%.
