Brevo vs Mailchimp: Which Email Marketing Platform Is Better?
Our Rating: 4.7/5 ⭐
Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways for businesses to stay connected with their customers.
But choosing the right platform can be difficult.
Two names continue to appear again and again:
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and Mailchimp.
Both platforms can help you build email campaigns, automate marketing, manage contacts, and understand how your audience interacts with your emails.
But they take different approaches.
So which one should you choose?
Brevo or Mailchimp?
Let’s compare them.
Brevo vs Mailchimp: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Brevo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing | ✅ | ✅ |
| Marketing Automation | ✅ | ✅ |
| Free Plan | ✅ | ✅ |
| Free Contacts | Up to 100,000 | Up to 250 |
| Free Email Sending | 300/day | Limited by plan |
| SMS Marketing | ✅ | ✅ Add-on |
| WhatsApp Marketing | ✅ | Limited/varies |
| Transactional Email | ✅ | ✅ |
| A/B Testing | ✅ | ✅ |
| Signup Forms | ✅ | ✅ |
| Analytics | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI Tools | ✅ | ✅ |
| CRM/Sales Tools | ✅ | ✅ |
| Best Pricing Approach | Email volume | Contacts + plan |
The exact features and limits vary by plan, so users should check the current pricing pages before subscribing. (Brevo Help)
What Is Brevo?
Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, is an all-in-one marketing platform designed to help businesses communicate with customers across multiple channels.
Its tools include email, SMS, WhatsApp, marketing automation, forms, transactional messaging, sales features, and more. (Brevo)
One of Brevo’s biggest advantages is that it does not limit the Free plan to a tiny contact list.
The current Free plan allows users to store up to 100,000 contacts, although email sending is limited to 300 emails per day. (Brevo Help)
That makes Brevo interesting for businesses that want to build a large subscriber list without immediately paying based on the size of that list.
What Is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is a well-established marketing platform focused heavily on email marketing and customer engagement.
It provides email campaigns, templates, automation, segmentation, A/B testing, forms, analytics, integrations, and other marketing tools. (Mailchimp)
Mailchimp also offers a Free plan, but its current Free plan is limited to 250 contacts. (Mailchimp)
For businesses that need advanced automation, personalization, segmentation, and testing, Mailchimp offers more advanced paid plans. (Mailchimp)
Ease of Use
Both platforms are designed for people who do not want to code.
You can create an email, add images, write your content, select your audience, and send the campaign through a visual interface.
Brevo
Brevo’s interface is relatively straightforward, especially for users who want email, SMS, automation, and CRM tools in one place.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is also beginner-friendly, particularly if your main goal is creating and managing email campaigns.
Winner: Tie 🤝
Both are easy enough for beginners.
Email Marketing
This is where both platforms perform strongly.
With Brevo, you can create campaigns, use templates, manage contacts, automate emails, and track performance. (Brevo)
Mailchimp provides email templates, scheduling, segmentation, A/B testing, personalization, and other campaign tools depending on the plan. (Mailchimp)
Winner: Mailchimp — Slight Advantage
Mailchimp has a particularly mature email marketing ecosystem.
But the difference is not large enough to make Brevo a poor choice.
Marketing Automation
Automation allows you to send the right message based on what a customer does.
For example:
Someone subscribes → Welcome email
Someone buys → Thank-you email
Someone abandons a cart → Reminder
Brevo supports workflows such as welcome emails, birthdays, abandoned carts, and other automated campaigns. (Brevo)
Mailchimp also offers marketing automation flows, with more advanced automation available on higher plans. (Mailchimp)
Winner: Tie
Both are powerful, but your choice may depend on the exact automation workflow and plan you need.
Pricing
This is one of the biggest differences between the two platforms.
Brevo’s Free plan offers up to 100,000 stored contacts but limits sending to 300 emails per day. Its Starter plan currently starts at $9/month. (Brevo Help)
Mailchimp’s Free plan currently supports up to 250 contacts, while the Standard plan shown on its current pricing page starts at $20/month under the listed pricing conditions. (Mailchimp)
This means Brevo can be attractive if you have a growing contact list but do not need to send huge volumes every day.
Winner: Brevo
Especially for small businesses and creators who want to keep a larger contact database on a free plan.
SMS and Multichannel Marketing
This is another area where Brevo stands out.
Brevo supports email, SMS, WhatsApp, automation, chat, and other communication tools from the same broader platform. (Brevo)
Mailchimp also offers SMS/MMS capabilities, but availability depends on the plan and market. (Mailchimp)
Winner: Brevo
If you want more than email marketing, Brevo has a strong advantage.
Which One Is Better for Beginners?
If you are starting your first newsletter, either platform can work.
But if your goal is:
- Build an email list
- Send newsletters
- Automate welcome emails
- Keep costs low
- Eventually add SMS or WhatsApp
Brevo is an excellent starting point.
If your main focus is sophisticated email marketing and you want a mature ecosystem with advanced segmentation, testing, and automation options, Mailchimp is worth considering.
Which One Is Better for Small Businesses?
For many small businesses, Brevo offers better value.
The ability to store up to 100,000 contacts on the Free plan is particularly attractive, although the 300-email-per-day sending limit still applies. (Brevo Help)
A small business can therefore build its audience before committing to a larger monthly marketing bill.
Which One Is Better for Advanced Marketers?
This is closer.
Mailchimp has a strong set of advanced marketing features, including enhanced automation, predictive segmentation, behavioral targeting, A/B testing, and personalization on higher plans. (Mailchimp)
Brevo also provides advanced automation, segmentation, AI tools, and multichannel campaigns. (Brevo)
Winner: Mailchimp — Slight Advantage
But experienced marketers should compare the exact features and pricing against their workflow before deciding.
Brevo vs Mailchimp: Pros & Cons
Brevo
Pros
✓ Large contact allowance on Free plan
✓ Email + SMS + WhatsApp
✓ Marketing automation
✓ Transactional emails
✓ CRM and sales tools
✓ Competitive starting price
✓ Good option for growing businesses
Cons
✗ Free plan has a 300-email-per-day limit
✗ Some advanced features require paid plans
✗ Pricing and feature limits can vary by volume
Mailchimp
Pros
✓ Strong email marketing platform
✓ Excellent templates
✓ Powerful segmentation
✓ A/B testing
✓ Advanced automation
✓ Large integration ecosystem
✓ Good analytics and reporting
Cons
✗ Free plan limited to 250 contacts
✗ Costs can increase as your audience grows
✗ Some advanced features require higher-tier plans
✗ Pricing can be more expensive for larger audiences
So, Which One Should You Choose?
There is no single winner for everyone.
Choose Brevo if:
You want lower entry costs, a larger contact allowance, and multichannel marketing.
Brevo is particularly attractive for small businesses, startups, bloggers, ecommerce stores, and creators who want email, SMS, WhatsApp, and automation in one platform.
Choose Mailchimp if:
Your priority is advanced email marketing, segmentation, testing, and a mature marketing ecosystem.
Mailchimp can be a strong choice for marketers and businesses that are comfortable paying more as their audience and marketing requirements grow.
Our Final Verdict
Brevo vs Mailchimp is not really about which platform is universally better.
It is about which platform fits your business better.
If price, contact growth, and multichannel communication are your priorities, we would choose Brevo.
If advanced email marketing, segmentation, testing, and marketing sophistication are your priorities, Mailchimp is an excellent choice.
Final Scores
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Ease of Use | 🤝 Tie |
| Email Marketing | 🏆 Mailchimp |
| Automation | 🤝 Tie |
| Pricing | 🏆 Brevo |
| Multichannel Marketing | 🏆 Brevo |
| Advanced Marketing | 🏆 Mailchimp |
| Small Business Value | 🏆 Brevo |
| Overall | 🏆 Brevo |
⭐ Our Rating
Brevo: 4.8/5
Mailchimp: 4.6/5
Our Recommendation
For most small businesses and creators, we would start with Brevo.
It gives you a strong combination of email marketing, automation, SMS, WhatsApp, transactional messaging, and CRM features without requiring you to immediately pay based on a large contact list. (Brevo Help)
Mailchimp is still an excellent platform, especially for businesses that need advanced email marketing and are willing to pay more as their audience grows. (Mailchimp)
Pricing Note
Marketing platform pricing and feature limits can change over time. The prices and limits mentioned in this comparison reflect the information available when this review was written. Always check the official pricing pages before purchasing.
