Choosing the right email marketing platform can make it easier to build an audience, send newsletters, automate customer communications, and understand campaign performance. Two platforms frequently considered by businesses and creators are Mailchimp and Brevo.

Both platforms provide tools for email campaigns, contact management, segmentation, automation, and reporting. However, their pricing structures, contact limits, automation capabilities, and broader marketing features differ.

So, Mailchimp vs Brevo: which email marketing platform is better?

The answer depends on how you plan to use email marketing. Mailchimp can be attractive if you want a mature marketing platform with a broad ecosystem and extensive integrations. Brevo can be particularly appealing if you want email marketing combined with transactional messaging and other communication channels.

This guide compares the two platforms so you can make a more informed decision.

Mailchimp vs Brevo at a Glance

Feature	Mailchimp	Brevo
Email campaigns	Yes	Yes
Contact management	Yes	Yes
Segmentation	Yes	Yes
Marketing automation	Yes	Yes
Transactional email	Available through Mailchimp’s platform/services	Yes
SMS/WhatsApp capabilities	Available through supported features/add-ons	Yes
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free-plan email model	Contact and sending limits apply	300 emails per day
Integrations	300+ integrations listed by Mailchimp	Integrations and APIs available
Best suited for	Businesses wanting a broad marketing ecosystem	Businesses wanting flexible email and multichannel communication

Important: Pricing and plan limits can change. Always check the official pricing pages before purchasing.

What Is Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is an email marketing and customer engagement platform that helps businesses create campaigns, manage contacts, segment audiences, automate marketing activities, and analyze results.

Its ecosystem extends beyond basic newsletters. Depending on the plan, businesses can access features such as marketing automation, audience segmentation, AI-related tools, integrations, and additional marketing capabilities.

Mailchimp currently offers several plans, including a free option for smaller audiences. Its current free plan supports up to 250 contacts and 500 email sends per month, with a daily sending limit of 250.

That makes Mailchimp useful for someone who wants to start small and become familiar with an established email marketing platform.

Mailchimp’s Main Strengths

Broad marketing ecosystem
Large integration ecosystem
Audience segmentation tools
Marketing automation
Email campaign creation and scheduling
Reporting and analytics
Options for businesses at different stages

Mailchimp also lists more than 300 integrations on its plan comparison page, which can be useful if your marketing stack already includes several other applications.

Potential Mailchimp Limitations

Mailchimp’s pricing structure can become more important as your audience grows. Contact limits and monthly sending allowances vary by plan, so businesses should compare the total cost against their actual audience size and email volume rather than looking only at the entry-level price.

The free plan is also relatively limited, making it more appropriate for small-scale experimentation than a large email list.

What Is Brevo?

Brevo is an all-in-one customer communication platform covering email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, CRM-related tools, and other marketing functions.

Brevo’s approach is somewhat different from a traditional email-only comparison. It combines email campaigns with transactional messaging and broader communication features.

Its free plan currently includes 300 email sends per day, storage for up to 100,000 contacts, one user seat, email and SMS campaigns, transactional emails and SMS, a drag-and-drop email editor, reporting, and other features. However, automation on the free plan is limited to up to 2,000 contacts.

Brevo’s Main Strengths

Email campaigns
Transactional email
SMS capabilities
WhatsApp communication options
Contact management
Segmentation
Marketing automation
API access for developers
Multichannel marketing features

Brevo also supports transactional email through its API, SMTP, and webhooks, making it useful for websites and applications that need automated messages such as confirmations or other system-generated communications.

Potential Brevo Limitations

Brevo’s pricing and contact structure requires some attention because different plans connect email volume and contact storage in different ways.

For example, Brevo states that its Starter and Standard plans have tiers based on monthly email volume and contact storage. Reaching certain contact limits can result in an automatic move to the next applicable tier.

That means businesses should understand both their expected number of contacts and monthly email volume before choosing a paid plan.

Mailchimp vs Brevo: Features Compared

1. Email Campaigns

Both platforms are designed to help businesses create and send marketing emails.

Mailchimp provides campaign creation, templates, scheduling, audience management, and reporting. It also offers segmentation capabilities that allow marketers to create audiences based on customer characteristics and behavior.

Brevo also provides a drag-and-drop email editor, reusable templates, campaign reporting, segmentation, and other email marketing tools.

Verdict: It’s difficult to declare a universal winner. Both cover the fundamental requirements for newsletter and promotional email campaigns.

2. Marketing Automation

Automation becomes important when you want emails to happen automatically instead of manually sending every message.

For example, a business could create a workflow that sends:

A welcome email after someone subscribes.
Educational content a few days later.
A product-related message based on customer activity.
A follow-up email after a defined period.

Mailchimp provides marketing automation flows, with the available capabilities depending on the plan. Its current plan comparison lists automation features across its paid tiers.

Brevo also provides automation workflows. Its free and Starter plans currently limit active automation contacts to 2,000, while Standard removes that particular contact limit.

Verdict: Both are capable automation platforms. Your choice should depend on the complexity of your workflows and the number of contacts entering them.

3. Segmentation

Segmentation allows you to divide your audience into smaller groups.

For example, an online store could create segments for:

New subscribers
Previous customers
Customers who have not purchased recently
Highly engaged subscribers
Subscribers interested in a particular product category

Mailchimp provides behavioral and audience segmentation tools, including options for targeting contacts based on activity and characteristics.

Brevo also supports dynamic segments based on contact information, behavior, and other conditions. Its documentation explains that segments can be reused in campaigns and automations and can update as contacts meet or stop meeting the specified conditions.

Verdict: Both platforms are strong choices for businesses that need targeted email campaigns.

4. Transactional Email

This is one area where the comparison becomes especially interesting.

Marketing emails are messages such as newsletters, announcements, and promotional campaigns. Transactional emails are usually triggered by an action or event, such as an order confirmation, password reset, or account notification.

Brevo explicitly supports transactional email through its transactional platform, API, and SMTP services.

This can make Brevo attractive to businesses that need both marketing communications and automated system messages.

Verdict: Brevo has a particularly strong proposition for businesses that need marketing and transactional email within the same broader platform.

5. Pricing and Free Plans

Pricing is one of the biggest differences to examine when comparing Mailchimp and Brevo.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp currently provides a free plan for audiences of up to 250 contacts. The plan includes up to 500 email sends per month, with a maximum of 250 sends per day.

Mailchimp’s paid pricing varies according to factors such as the number of contacts and plan selected.

Brevo

Brevo’s free plan currently allows up to 300 email sends per day and stores up to 100,000 contacts. It also includes several features beyond basic email campaigns.

Brevo’s paid plans are structured around monthly email volume and contact-storage tiers.

Which Is More Affordable?

There is no single answer for every business.

If you have a small contact list, both services can be tested without immediately committing to a paid subscription.

If you have many contacts but send relatively few campaigns, Brevo’s contact-storage approach may be worth examining carefully.

If you have a growing audience and want a broad marketing ecosystem, Mailchimp’s different plans and integrations may make more sense.

Always calculate the cost based on your actual number of contacts and monthly email volume.

6. Ease of Use

Both platforms are designed for users who may not be professional developers.

A typical email marketing workflow looks something like this:

Create account → Import or collect contacts → Create campaign → Design email → Select audience → Schedule/send → Review results

Mailchimp has a mature interface and a large collection of educational resources, while Brevo emphasizes an accessible campaign-building experience and provides drag-and-drop email creation.

For beginners, the best option may simply be the platform whose interface feels more intuitive after trying both.

Tip: Before committing to a paid plan, create a test campaign in each platform. Pay attention to how easily you can import contacts, create segments, build an automation, and review campaign reports.

7. Integrations and Ecosystem

Integrations matter when email marketing is only one part of your technology stack.

For example, you may want your email platform to connect with:

Your website
E-commerce platform
Customer relationship management system
Analytics tools
Lead-generation forms
Payment or sales systems
Other marketing applications

Mailchimp currently advertises 300+ integrations, giving it a broad ecosystem for connecting with other services.

Brevo also provides integrations and developer tools, including APIs that can be used to connect applications and automate communications.

Verdict: Mailchimp has a particularly broad integration ecosystem, while Brevo can be attractive when API-driven communication and multichannel messaging are important.

8. SMS and Multichannel Marketing

Email is no longer the only digital communication channel businesses use.

Brevo positions itself as a broader communication platform supporting email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, and other capabilities.

Mailchimp also offers SMS-related capabilities, depending on plan and availability.

If your strategy is primarily newsletters and email automation, this difference may not matter much.

However, if you want email marketing alongside SMS or other customer communication channels, Brevo deserves particular consideration.

Mailchimp vs Brevo: Pros and Cons

Mailchimp Pros

Established email marketing platform
Broad integration ecosystem
Strong segmentation capabilities
Marketing automation
Multiple pricing tiers
Useful tools for growing marketing teams
Free plan available for small audiences

Mailchimp Cons

Free plan has relatively low contact and sending limits
Costs can increase as your audience grows
Some advanced capabilities require higher-tier plans
Businesses need to understand both contact and email-send limits

Brevo Pros

Free plan with 300 daily email sends
Large contact-storage allowance on the free plan
Marketing and transactional email capabilities
SMS and other communication channels
Segmentation and automation
API and developer options
Useful for businesses wanting a broader communication platform

Brevo Cons

Free-plan automation has a 2,000-contact limit
Paid-plan tiers require careful attention to email volume and contact storage
Some advanced features are reserved for higher plans
The broad range of features may feel like more than a simple newsletter-focused business needs

Which Is Better for Small Businesses?

For a small business, the decision should start with your actual requirements.

Choose Mailchimp if:

You want a well-established marketing ecosystem.
You need many integrations.
Audience segmentation is important.
You expect to use several marketing features as your business grows.

Choose Brevo if:

You want email plus transactional messaging.
You are interested in SMS or other communication channels.
You have many stored contacts but don’t necessarily send large campaigns every day.
You want API capabilities for website or application communications.

Neither platform is automatically better for every small business.

Which Is Better for Beginners?

Both platforms can work for beginners.

If your primary goal is simply to create newsletters, collect subscribers, and send occasional campaigns, either platform can meet those basic needs.

A beginner should focus less on the number of features and more on whether the platform makes these tasks easy:

Creating a signup form
Importing contacts
Designing an email
Creating an audience segment
Setting up a welcome automation
Understanding campaign reports
Managing unsubscribes

The easiest platform is the one that lets you complete those tasks confidently without paying for features you don’t need.

Which Is Better for E-Commerce?

E-commerce businesses often need more than newsletters.

They may need abandoned-cart messages, purchase-related communications, customer segmentation, promotional campaigns, and transactional emails.

Brevo can be particularly interesting when marketing and transactional communications need to coexist within the same platform. Its documentation also describes using transactional information for personalized messages such as order confirmations and abandoned-cart communications.

Mailchimp can also be a strong option for e-commerce businesses, particularly those that value its marketing ecosystem and integrations.

Recommendation: Compare the exact e-commerce integrations and automation features you need before choosing.

How to Choose Between Mailchimp and Brevo

Instead of choosing based solely on brand popularity or price, use this simple process.

Step 1: Count Your Contacts

Determine how many subscribers or customers you currently have.

Then estimate how quickly that number may grow.

Step 2: Estimate Monthly Email Volume

Ask yourself:

How many newsletters will I send each month?
Will I send automated emails?
Will I send transactional messages?
Will I send promotional campaigns?

Step 3: Identify Required Channels

Decide whether you only need email or also want:

SMS
WhatsApp
Transactional email
Website communication
API-based messaging

Step 4: Check Integrations

Make a list of the tools your business already uses.

Then verify whether the email platform supports the integrations you actually need.

Step 5: Test Both Platforms

If possible, create free accounts and test a small campaign.

Don’t judge a platform only from its feature list. Test the workflow yourself.

Step 6: Calculate Long-Term Cost

Don’t compare only the starting price.

Calculate what you are likely to pay when your contact list and email volume increase.

Mailchimp vs Brevo: Which One Should You Choose?

There is no universal winner in the Mailchimp vs Brevo comparison.

Mailchimp is a strong choice for businesses that prioritize a broad marketing ecosystem, integrations, audience management, and established marketing automation features.

Brevo is a strong choice for businesses that want email marketing alongside transactional messaging and broader communication channels, particularly when contact storage and email volume are important considerations.

For a small newsletter project, either may be sufficient. For a growing business, the better choice depends on your audience size, email volume, automation requirements, integrations, and preferred communication channels.

Most importantly, don’t choose based solely on the free plan. Choose the platform that remains practical as your marketing needs grow.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Brevo better than Mailchimp?

Brevo is not automatically better than Mailchimp. Brevo may be a better fit for businesses that need transactional email, SMS, WhatsApp, or flexible contact storage, while Mailchimp may be preferable for businesses looking for a broad marketing ecosystem and integrations.

2. Is Mailchimp still good for email marketing?

Yes. Mailchimp remains a capable email marketing platform with campaign creation, segmentation, automation, analytics, and a large integration ecosystem. Its current free plan is designed for audiences of up to 250 contacts, so growing businesses should review paid-plan costs as their audience expands.

3. Is Brevo really free?

Brevo offers a free plan without a time limit. The current free plan includes up to 300 email sends per day, although other features and automation have their own limits.

4. Can I use Brevo for transactional emails?

Yes. Brevo supports transactional email through its transactional platform, API, SMTP, and webhooks. This can be useful for automated messages triggered by actions on a website or application.

5. Which is better for a small business: Mailchimp or Brevo?

It depends on your requirements. Mailchimp can be a good fit for businesses prioritizing integrations and a broader marketing ecosystem. Brevo may be more suitable when email needs to be combined with transactional messaging, SMS, or other communication channels.

Conclusion

The choice between Mailchimp vs Brevo ultimately comes down to how you plan to communicate with your audience.

Mailchimp offers a broad marketing ecosystem with segmentation, automation, analytics, and numerous integrations. Brevo takes a broader communication approach, combining email with transactional messaging and channels such as SMS and WhatsApp.

Before making a decision, compare your current contact count, expected email volume, automation requirements, integrations, and long-term costs.

If you’re unsure, test both platforms with a small campaign. A practical hands-on comparison can reveal which interface, workflow, and pricing structure makes the most sense for your business.