Email Marketing
MailerLite vs Mailchimp: which is cheaper for email marketing?
MailerLite vs Mailchimp: MailerLite is cheaper at every subscriber tier we verified on August 16, 2026. At 2,500 contacts, Comfort costs $33/month while Mailchimp Standard runs $60/month, and MailerLite's free plan sends 2,500 emails versus Mailchimp's 500. That gap is why most small teams switch.
What matters
- At 2,500 contacts, MailerLite Comfort is $33/mo (or $29.70 billed yearly) vs Mailchimp Standard at $60/mo, verified on both official pricing pages August 16, 2026.
- MailerLite's free plan includes 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month; Mailchimp's free plan caps at 250 contacts and 500 emails/month.
- Mailchimp bills by contacts; MailerLite bills by subscribers, so the same list size is cheaper on MailerLite.
- MailerLite Comfort allows 50 active automations with 100 steps; Mailchimp Standard allows up to 200 flows, so heavy automation favors Mailchimp.
- Mailchimp Premium is $350/mo with a $297.50 first-12-months price; MailerLite Power is $49/mo at 2,500 subscribers.
What are MailerLite and Mailchimp?
MailerLite is an email marketing platform for solopreneurs, creators, and small businesses, priced by subscriber count, with a 2026 plan lineup of Free, Comfort, Power, and Enterprise. Mailchimp is a marketing automation platform aimed at growing teams, priced by contact count, with plans named Free, Essentials, Standard, and Premium. Both handle campaigns, automations, landing pages, and signup forms.
The two compete directly for the same buyer: a small business choosing its first serious email tool. The difference shows up in how each bills you and what each includes at the same list size, which is what this comparison verifies.
MailerLite vs Mailchimp pricing at 2,500 contacts
Pricing below was verified on the official MailerLite pricing page and the Mailchimp compare-plans page on August 16, 2026. Both vendors tier by list size, so the fair comparison is the same tier on both sides: 1,501 to 2,500 contacts.
At that size, MailerLite Comfort costs $33/month, or $29.70/month when billed yearly, and Power costs $49/month, or $44.10 billed yearly. Mailchimp Essentials runs $45/month and Standard $60/month at the same 1,501-2,500 contact tier. Mailchimp's Premium plan is $350/month with a $297.50 first-12-months price, which is above anything MailerLite charges until you reach custom-priced Enterprise territory.
The entry points differ less: MailerLite Comfort starts at $12/month at up to 500 subscribers, and Mailchimp Essentials at $13/month at up to 500 contacts. The gap widens as lists grow.
Free plans compared: 2,500 emails vs 500
Both vendors have a genuinely usable free tier, but the sending allowance differs by a factor of five. MailerLite's free plan gives 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, 2 user seats, and includes campaigns, automations, one website, one landing page, signup forms, and digital products, with all three email editors. Mailchimp's free plan gives 250 contacts, a maximum of 500 emails per month (or 250 per day), 1 seat, and 1 audience, with email support for the first 30 days.
For a newsletter that goes out weekly, MailerLite's 2,500 emails covers roughly 10 sends to a 250-person list; Mailchimp's 500 covers two. Both vendors lock sending on free plans when you exceed the subscriber cap (MailerLite locks campaigns and automations; Mailchimp pauses sends), and MailerLite's paid accounts auto-upgrade to the next tier and charge the next rate, which is worth knowing before you grow past your plan.
Automation and features: where Mailchimp pulls ahead
Mailchimp wins on automation depth. Standard and Premium include up to 200 marketing automation flows, while Essentials is limited to 4 flow steps and the free plan has none. Mailchimp also bundles generative AI features into Standard and Premium at no extra cost, and its paid plans add SMS marketing (SMS and MMS add-on on Standard and Premium, SMS add-on on Essentials).
MailerLite is more generous on volume. Comfort gives 10x the ceiling of your subscriber tier in monthly emails (10,000 emails at the 1,000-subscriber tier), and Power removes the cap entirely with unlimited monthly emails, automations, forms, digital products, and bookings. Comfort supports 50 active automations with 100 steps each, which covers most small-business flows. Seats: Comfort 3, Power unlimited, versus Mailchimp Essentials 3 and Standard 5.
AI features exist on both, but the packaging differs: MailerLite adds its AI writing assistant and subject line generator on Comfort and up, while Mailchimp's generative AI is bundled on Standard and Premium only.
Who should choose MailerLite, who should choose Mailchimp
Choose MailerLite if you run a newsletter, sell digital products or bookings, or want the cheapest way to email up to tens of thousands of subscribers. Power at $49/month (2,500 subscribers) undercuts Mailchimp Standard at $60/month while removing send caps, and the free plan is the most generous in the category. Its 24/7 email support on Comfort and live chat on Power beat Mailchimp's free-tier support window.
Choose Mailchimp if you need deep automation (up to 200 flows), SMS marketing, advanced audiences, and phone support on Premium, or if your team is already used to Mailchimp's ecosystem and 300+ integrations. Agencies managing many client audiences will find Standard's 5 audiences and 5 seats, or Premium's unlimited versions, a better fit than MailerLite's simpler structure.
The billing-model difference matters more than the headline price: Mailchimp counts everyone in your audience as a contact, while MailerLite counts active subscribers, so a list with many unsubscribed or archived records costs more on Mailchimp at the same size.
The honest catch: send caps, overages, and support
Three traps to plan around. First, Mailchimp's free plan stops sending entirely when you hit 500 emails or 250 per day, and overages on paid plans apply once a contact or send limit is exceeded. Second, MailerLite auto-upgrades your tier when you exceed it and charges the next tier's rate, which is smoother but not free. Third, support differs sharply: Mailchimp gives free users email support for the first 30 days only, while MailerLite's free plan includes email and chat support for up to 14 days, and paid Comfort plans get 24/7 email support.
Enterprise needs are custom on both sides. Mailchimp Premium tops out around 100,000 contacts at the published $800/month tier on Standard, with custom plans above that. MailerLite moves to custom Enterprise pricing at 200,000+ subscribers with a dedicated success manager and deliverability support.
At a glance
| Comparison | MailerLite | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0, 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo, 2 seats | $0, 250 contacts, max 500 emails/mo, 1 seat |
| Entry paid plan | Comfort from $12/mo (up to 500 subs) | Essentials from $13/mo (up to 500 contacts) |
| Price at 2,500 contacts | Comfort $33/mo ($29.70 billed yearly) | Essentials $45/mo; Standard $60/mo |
| Mid plan | Power from $25/mo | Standard from $20/mo |
| Monthly email sends | Comfort 10x subscriber ceiling; Power unlimited | Essentials 10x, Standard 12x, Premium 15x contacts |
| Automation | Comfort 50 active automations, 100 steps; Power unlimited | Standard up to 200 flows; Essentials 4 flow steps |
| Seats | Comfort 3, Power unlimited | Essentials 3, Standard 5, Premium unlimited |
| Support | 24/7 email (Comfort), 24/7 live chat (Power) | 24/7 email & chat on paid; phone on Premium |
| Top tier | Enterprise custom (200K+ subscribers) | Premium $350/mo (custom beyond 100K contacts) |
FAQ
Is MailerLite really cheaper than Mailchimp?
Yes, at every tier verified August 16, 2026. At 1,501-2,500 contacts, MailerLite Comfort is $33/mo and Power $49/mo, while Mailchimp Essentials is $45/mo and Standard $60/mo. MailerLite also bills by subscribers while Mailchimp bills by contacts, which widens the gap on lists with unsubscribed or archived records.
Does MailerLite have a free plan?
Yes. MailerLite's free plan includes 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails per month, 2 user seats, campaigns, automations, one website, one landing page, and signup forms. Mailchimp's free plan allows 250 contacts but only 500 emails per month.
Mailchimp vs MailerLite: which is better for automation?
Mailchimp Standard and Premium support up to 200 marketing automation flows, versus MailerLite Comfort's 50 active automations with 100 steps each. For heavy multi-branch automation, Mailchimp wins; for typical welcome sequences and cart recovery, MailerLite Comfort is enough and costs less.
Related reading
Mailchimp vs Klaviyo, Mailchimp tool profile, MailerLite tool profile, best email marketing for WooCommerce