How Much Does
Mailchimp Cost in 2026?
Mailchimp is the name everyone knows, and that brand recognition carries real weight — especially when you're pitching email campaigns to clients who've heard of exactly one email platform. But Mailchimp in 2026 is a very different product from the scrappy underdog it used to be. Prices went up, the free plan got gutted, and a quiet policy still catches people off guard: they charge you for contacts who've already unsubscribed.
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
Plans & Pricing
Features
Our Verdict
Mailchimp's strengths are real but narrowing. The 600+ template library is still the industry's best — nothing else comes close for visual email design. The built-in CRM works well enough to manage contacts without a separate tool. And the integration ecosystem means Mailchimp plugs into basically everything. But the economics have shifted. The free plan at 250 contacts and 500 sends/month is practically useless — it exists so Mailchimp can say "free plan available" on comparison sites. Kit gives you 10,000 subscribers free. Brevo gives you unlimited contacts free. Mailchimp gives you 250. Then there's the unsubscribed contacts issue. When someone opts out of your emails, Mailchimp keeps them in your contact count — and bills you for them. You have to manually archive or delete unsubscribed contacts to stop paying. It's not a bug; it's their billing model, and it means your actual cost is always higher than what the pricing page suggests. The Essentials plan at $13/mo is reasonable for small lists. Standard at $20/mo adds decent automation. But Premium at $350/mo is a cliff — there's no mid-range option between $20 and $350, which pushes serious users toward ActiveCampaign instead.
Pros
- 600+ templates is the largest library in email marketing — if visual email design matters to your brand, nobody else is close
- Built-in CRM handles contact management without needing a separate tool like HubSpot or Salesforce for small lists
- Integration ecosystem connects to practically every e-commerce, CRM, and content platform you'd want to use
- A/B testing on paid plans lets you split-test subject lines, send times, and content blocks
- Analytics and reporting are genuinely useful — audience insights, click maps, and revenue attribution per campaign
Cons
- Free plan is effectively dead at 250 contacts and 500 sends — Kit offers 10,000 subscribers free, Brevo offers unlimited contacts
- Charges for unsubscribed contacts unless you manually archive them, silently inflating your bill every month
- Pricing cliff from Standard ($20/mo) to Premium ($350/mo) with no middle tier, making it hard to scale affordably
- Recent price increases across all plans have eroded the value advantage Mailchimp used to have over competitors
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Compare Mailchimp with
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does Mailchimp cost per month?
- Mailchimp plans start at $13/mo. They offer 4 plans total.
- Does Mailchimp offer a free trial?
- Yes, Mailchimp offers a free trial. No credit card is typically required to start.
- Does Mailchimp have a free plan?
- Yes, Mailchimp offers a free plan. See the feature comparison above for what's included and the limits.
- Is Mailchimp worth the price?
- With a score of 8.2/10 and plans from $13/mo, Mailchimp delivers strong value for the price.
- What are cheaper alternatives to Mailchimp?
- Cheaper email marketing alternatives include Brevo ($9/mo). See all options on our [Email Marketing pricing comparison](/pricing/email-marketing/) page.