Brevo vs Mailchimp (2026): Honest Comparison
Direct Answer: Brevo vs Mailchimp
Brevo is cheaper for high-volume senders because it prices by emails sent rather than contacts stored, includes a built-in CRM at no extra cost, and offers SMS and WhatsApp marketing on the same platform. Mailchimp has a better email template library, more polished drag-and-drop builder, and deeper third-party integrations. Choose Brevo if you send a lot of emails to a growing list and need multi-channel tools without paying extra; choose Mailchimp if email-only marketing with strong design flexibility is your priority.
Quick Comparison Table
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the key differences.
| Feature | Brevo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per emails sent | Per contacts stored |
| Free plan | 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts | 250 contacts, 500 emails/month |
| Starting paid price | $9/month (Starter, 5,000 emails) | $13/month (Essentials, 500 contacts) |
| Email builder | Drag-and-drop + HTML | Drag-and-drop + HTML + AI assist |
| Template library | ~60 templates | ~130+ templates |
| Marketing automation | Visual workflow builder (all plans) | Customer Journeys (Standard+) |
| Built-in CRM | Yes, free | No (integrates with external) |
| SMS marketing | Yes, built-in | Yes (add-on via Twilio) |
| WhatsApp campaigns | Yes, native | No |
| Transactional email | Yes, same platform | Yes (via Mandrill add-on, $20/mo+) |
| Landing page builder | Yes (paid plans) | Yes (all plans) |
| A/B testing | Subject line + content | Subject line + content + send time |
| Deliverability tools | Dedicated IP (Standard plan) | Dedicated IP (Premium plan, $350+/mo) |
| Phone support | Standard plan ($18/mo+) | Premium plan ($350/mo+) |
| Multi-user seats | Up to 10 (Standard plan) | 1-5 seats depending on plan |
Brevo Overview
Here is what you need to know about the core features and capabilities.
What Is Brevo?
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue, rebranded in May 2023) is an all-in-one marketing platform built in Paris. It covers email marketing, SMS campaigns, WhatsApp messaging, transactional emails, marketing automation, CRM, and live chat, all from a single dashboard.
The key differentiator: Brevo charges based on the number of emails you send, not the number of contacts in your database. This is a fundamental pricing difference that makes Brevo significantly cheaper for businesses with large contact lists and moderate send volumes.
Brevo Strengths
Pricing that scales with usage, not list size. If you have 50,000 contacts but only send 2 campaigns a month, Brevo costs a fraction of what Mailchimp charges. Mailchimp bills you for every contact stored, whether you email them or not.
Multi-channel marketing included. SMS campaigns, WhatsApp messages, and transactional emails are available without add-ons. Mailchimp requires Mandrill (starting at $20/month extra) for transactional email and has limited SMS capability.
Free CRM. Brevo includes a sales CRM with pipeline management, deal tracking, and task assignment at no additional cost. Mailchimp does not have a native CRM, it relies on integrations with tools like Salesforce or HubSpot.
Marketing automation on all plans. Even the free plan includes basic automation workflows. The visual automation builder is available starting at the Starter plan ($9/month). Mailchimp gates its Customer Journeys feature behind the Standard plan (starting at $20/month for 500 contacts).
Transactional email on the same platform. Order confirmations, password resets, and shipping notifications are handled in Brevo without a separate service. Mailchimp requires Mandrill, which is a separate product with its own pricing.
Brevo Weaknesses
Smaller template library. Around 60 email templates compared to Mailchimp’s 130+. The designs are functional but less polished.
Email builder is adequate, not exceptional. The drag-and-drop editor works but feels less refined than Mailchimp’s. Fewer content blocks, less granular design control.
Fewer third-party integrations. Brevo has around 150+ native integrations. Mailchimp has 300+. If you rely on niche tools, Mailchimp is more likely to have a direct connection.
Reporting is basic on lower plans. Advanced analytics like click heatmaps, comparative reports, and predicted demographics are only available on higher tiers. Mailchimp provides more reporting depth at mid-tier plans.
Brand recognition. Mailchimp is a household name. Brevo (especially under its Sendinblue name) is less known. This matters if you need stakeholder buy-in or are evaluating tools with a non-technical team.
Mailchimp Overview
Here is what you need to know about the core features and capabilities.
What Is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is the most widely used email marketing platform globally, with over 12 million active users as of 2026. Founded in 2001 and acquired by Intuit in 2021, Mailchimp offers email marketing, basic automation, landing pages, social media posting, and analytics. It positions itself as an all-in-one marketing platform for small businesses, though its core strength remains email.
Mailchimp Strengths
Superior email builder. The drag-and-drop editor is best-in-class. Content blocks snap together smoothly, and the design controls (padding, border radius, background patterns) are granular. The AI-powered content assistant can generate subject lines and body copy directly in the editor.
Larger template library. Over 130 pre-built templates covering every industry and use case. They are well-designed and responsive out of the box.
Deep integrations ecosystem. 300+ native integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Salesforce, Canva, Google Analytics, and virtually every major SaaS tool. Zapier fills any gaps.
Predictive analytics. Mailchimp uses machine learning to predict customer lifetime value, purchase likelihood, and optimal send times. These features are available on Standard plans and above.
Content optimizer. Before sending, Mailchimp analyzes your email against industry benchmarks and suggests improvements to subject lines, body length, link count, and image-to-text ratio.
Stronger reporting. Click maps, comparative campaign reports, industry benchmarks, and social media performance tracking are available on mid-tier plans.
Mailchimp Weaknesses
Expensive at scale. Mailchimp charges per contact. At 50,000 contacts on the Standard plan, you are paying $450/month. Brevo’s Standard plan for 40,000 emails/month costs $75/month. The gap is substantial.
Contacts you do not email still count. Unsubscribed contacts, contacts you imported but never email, and contacts in draft segments all count toward your billing limit. You have to manually archive or delete them to avoid paying.
Free plan is extremely limited. 250 contacts, 500 emails/month, a daily cap of 250 sends, and support that disappears after 30 days. It is barely usable for testing, let alone running a real business.
Transactional email is separate. Mandrill starts at $20/month on top of your Mailchimp subscription. There is no way to send transactional emails from the core Mailchimp platform.
No built-in CRM. Mailchimp has “audience management” features but no true CRM with deal tracking, pipeline management, or sales tasks. You need an external CRM integration.
Automation is gated. Customer Journeys (the visual automation builder) requires the Standard plan. The free and Essentials plans get only single-trigger automations (welcome emails, birthday messages), not multi-step workflows.
Pricing Comparison
This is where the Brevo vs Mailchimp decision gets concrete. The two platforms use fundamentally different pricing models, and the cost implications diverge dramatically as your business scales.
Brevo Pricing (2026)
Brevo prices by emails sent per month, not contacts. All plans allow up to 100,000 contacts.
| Plan | Monthly Price | Emails/Month | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 300/day (~9,000/mo) | Up to 100,000 contacts, basic automation, CRM |
| Starter | $9 | 5,000 | No daily limit, basic reporting |
| Starter | $17 | 10,000 | Same as above, higher volume |
| Starter | $29 | 20,000 | Same as above, higher volume |
| Standard | $18 | 5,000 | Marketing automation, A/B testing, advanced stats, phone support |
| Standard | $35 | 20,000 | Same as above, higher volume |
| Standard | $75 | 40,000 | Same as above, higher volume |
| Standard | $89 | 60,000 | Same as above, higher volume |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Dedicated IP, advanced integrations, priority support, SLA |
Mailchimp Pricing (2026)
Mailchimp prices by contacts stored, regardless of how many emails you send (within tier limits).
| Plan | 500 Contacts | 2,500 Contacts | 5,000 Contacts | 10,000 Contacts | 25,000 Contacts | 50,000 Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 (250 max) | , | , | , | , | , |
| Essentials | $13 | $45 | $75 | $110 | $270 | $385 |
| Standard | $20 | $60 | $100 | $135 | $310 | $450 |
| Premium | $350 | $350 | $350 | $350 | $620 | $815 |
Cost Comparison at Key Scales
Here is what you actually pay at different business sizes, assuming you send 4 emails per month per contact:
| Scenario | Brevo Cost | Mailchimp Cost | Savings with Brevo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 contacts, 2,000 emails/mo | $0 (Free) | $13 (Essentials) | $156/year |
| 2,500 contacts, 10,000 emails/mo | $35 (Standard) | $60 (Standard) | $300/year |
| 5,000 contacts, 20,000 emails/mo | $65 (Standard) | $100 (Standard) | $420/year |
| 10,000 contacts, 40,000 emails/mo | $75 (Standard) | $135 (Standard) | $720/year |
| 25,000 contacts, 100,000 emails/mo | $129 (Standard) | $310 (Standard) | $2,172/year |
| 50,000 contacts, 200,000 emails/mo | Custom | $450 (Standard) | Depends on quote |
Key takeaway: Brevo is 30-60% cheaper than Mailchimp at most scales. The gap widens as your list grows because Brevo charges by email volume rather than contacts stored.
Hidden Costs to Watch
Brevo:
- Removing the Brevo logo from emails: $10/month add-on (Starter plan only; Standard plan includes this)
- Dedicated IP address: available on Standard plan at higher tiers
- SMS credits: purchased separately based on country ($1 buys approximately 100 SMS in the US)
Mailchimp:
- Mandrill (transactional email): $20/month + $0.20 per 500 additional emails
- Extra seats: Essentials includes 3 seats, Standard includes 5, Premium includes unlimited
- Pay-as-you-go credits: available but expensive ($0.02-0.04 per email credit)
- Overages: If you exceed your contact limit, Mailchimp auto-upgrades your tier and charges accordingly
Email Builder Comparison
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the key differences.
Brevo Email Builder
Brevo uses a block-based drag-and-drop editor. You add content blocks (text, image, button, divider, columns) and arrange them vertically. The editor is functional and produces clean, responsive emails.
What works well:
- Clean interface with minimal clutter
- Easy to insert dynamic content (contact first name, custom attributes)
- Direct HTML editing for advanced users
- Mobile preview toggle
What could be better:
- Fewer content block types than Mailchimp (no built-in countdown timer, no product recommendation blocks)
- Less granular spacing and padding controls
- Template customization options are limited compared to Mailchimp
- No AI-generated content suggestions (as of early 2026)
Mailchimp Email Builder
Mailchimp’s Creative Assistant and drag-and-drop builder are best-in-class among email marketing platforms.
What works well:
- Smooth, responsive drag-and-drop experience
- AI content generator for subject lines and body text
- Product recommendation blocks that pull from your connected store
- Content optimizer that scores your email before sending
- Extensive font, color, and layout customization
- Built-in image editor with cropping, filters, and overlays
What could be better:
- The builder can feel slow with very long emails (20+ content blocks)
- Some advanced design features are locked to Standard and Premium plans
- Custom HTML templates sometimes render differently in the preview vs. actual send
Verdict on Email Builder
Mailchimp wins on email design. If your business depends on visually polished, brand-consistent email campaigns, Mailchimp’s builder gives you more control and better templates. Brevo’s builder is perfectly adequate for standard marketing emails, newsletters, and promotional campaigns, it just is not as refined.
Automation Comparison
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the key differences.
Brevo Automation
Brevo provides a visual workflow builder where you map out automation sequences using a flowchart-style interface. Triggers, conditions, and actions are connected with drag-and-drop paths.
Available triggers:
- Contact added to a list
- Email opened or clicked
- Website page visited (requires tracking code)
- Contact attribute changes
- Purchase made (e-commerce integration)
- Custom event via API
- Date-based (birthday, anniversary, custom date field)
Available actions:
- Send email
- Send SMS
- Send WhatsApp message
- Update contact attribute
- Add/remove from list
- Wait (time delay or until condition)
- A/B split within automation
- Webhook (call external API)
Key advantage: Brevo includes automation on all paid plans. The Standard plan ($18/month) gives you the full visual workflow builder with unlimited automation workflows. Even the free plan supports basic automation (welcome email, birthday email).
Multi-channel advantage: A single automation can send an email, wait 2 days, check if opened, and if not, send an SMS or WhatsApp message. You do not need to switch platforms or pay for a separate SMS service.
Mailchimp Automation
Mailchimp calls its automation feature “Customer Journeys.” It uses a visual builder where you create step-by-step paths based on customer behavior.
Available triggers:
- Subscriber joins audience
- Specific tag added
- Email activity (open, click)
- E-commerce activity (purchase, cart abandonment, product viewed)
- Date-based triggers
- API-triggered events
- Segment or group changes
Available actions:
- Send email
- Wait (time delay)
- If/else branching
- Group/tag updates
- Webhook
- Archive contact
- Unsubscribe contact
Key limitations:
- Customer Journeys requires the Standard plan ($20/month for 500 contacts, $135/month for 10,000 contacts on Standard)
- The Essentials plan only gets single-trigger automations (one email per trigger)
- No native SMS or WhatsApp integration within automations
- A/B testing within automations is limited to the Premium plan
Predictive features: Mailchimp uses machine learning to predict optimal send times and customer purchase likelihood. These are genuinely useful and not available in Brevo. However, they require the Standard plan and a meaningful amount of historical data to work accurately.
Verdict on Automation
Brevo wins on automation value. You get the full visual workflow builder at a fraction of the cost, plus multi-channel capability (email, SMS, WhatsApp) within a single automation. Mailchimp’s automation is powerful but more expensive to access, the Standard plan pricing is higher than Brevo’s equivalent tier.
If predictive analytics and AI-driven send-time optimization matter to you, Mailchimp has an edge. But for most businesses, Brevo’s automation is more than sufficient and costs significantly less.
CRM and Sales Features
Here is what matters most in practice.
Brevo CRM
Brevo includes a free sales CRM with every account. It is not as deep as Salesforce or HubSpot, but for small to mid-size businesses, it covers the essentials:
- Deal pipeline: Visual drag-and-drop pipeline with customizable stages
- Contact management: Unified contact record showing email activity, website visits, CRM interactions
- Task management: Assign tasks to team members with due dates
- Meeting scheduling: Built-in calendar booking link (like Calendly)
- Sales automation: Automated task creation and deal stage updates
- Notes and call logging: Track conversations and follow-ups
This CRM is included at no extra cost. For a business that sends marketing emails and manages a sales pipeline, having both in one platform eliminates the need for a separate CRM subscription.
Mailchimp CRM
Mailchimp does not have a CRM. It has “audience management” features:
- Contact profiles with engagement history
- Tags and segments for organization
- Customer lifetime value predictions (Standard plan+)
- Purchase history (with e-commerce integration)
These are useful for marketing segmentation but do not replace a CRM. There is no deal pipeline, no task management, and no sales automation. You need to integrate with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, or another CRM tool.
Verdict on CRM
Brevo wins by default. It has a CRM; Mailchimp does not. If you need sales and marketing in one platform, Brevo delivers that. If you already use a dedicated CRM and just need an email marketing tool, this difference is irrelevant.
Deliverability
Deliverability is the most important metric in email marketing, it does not matter how good your automation is if emails land in spam.
Brevo Deliverability
Brevo uses shared IP pools for most users and offers dedicated IP addresses on the Standard plan (recommended for senders doing 50,000+ emails/month). Independent deliverability tests from EmailToolTester (2025) placed Brevo’s inbox placement rate at approximately 85-89%, which is good but not market-leading.
Brevo deliverability features:
- Automatic list hygiene (hard bounces removed automatically)
- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication setup wizard
- Dedicated IP option (Business plan)
- Domain verification required before sending
- Send-time throttling to protect IP reputation
Mailchimp Deliverability
Mailchimp has historically strong deliverability. EmailToolTester’s 2025 tests placed Mailchimp’s inbox placement at approximately 88-92%. Mailchimp invested heavily in abuse prevention, accounts that trigger spam complaints are suspended quickly, which keeps the shared IP pool clean.
Mailchimp deliverability features:
- Omnivore abuse prevention system (proactive list scanning)
- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication
- Dedicated IP option (Premium plan, $350+/month)
- Content optimization suggestions that improve inbox placement
- Pre-send checklist that flags potential deliverability issues
Verdict on Deliverability
Mailchimp has a slight edge. The difference is not dramatic (2-5 percentage points in testing), but Mailchimp’s aggressive spam prevention keeps its shared IPs cleaner. If deliverability is your top concern and you are not ready for a dedicated IP, Mailchimp is the safer choice.
That said, both platforms deliver well when you follow best practices: authenticate your domain, clean your list regularly, and avoid spam trigger words.
Integrations
Here is what matters most in practice.
Brevo Integrations
Brevo has 150+ native integrations, covering the major categories:
- E-commerce: Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, BigCommerce
- CMS: WordPress, Wix
- CRM: Salesforce, Pipedrive (plus its own built-in CRM)
- Forms: Typeform, Gravity Forms, OptinMonster
- Analytics: Google Analytics, Segment
- Payments: Stripe, PayPal
- Zapier: Yes, for connecting to 5,000+ apps
Mailchimp Integrations
Mailchimp has 300+ native integrations:
- E-commerce: Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, Squarespace Commerce, Wix eCommerce
- CMS: WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Ghost
- CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho
- Social: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn
- Design: Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud
- Analytics: Google Analytics, Mixpanel
- Advertising: Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads
- Zapier: Yes
Verdict on Integrations
Mailchimp wins on breadth. If you use niche tools or need direct connections to a wide range of platforms, Mailchimp is more likely to have a native integration. Brevo covers the essentials, and Zapier fills most gaps, but the native integration experience is always smoother.
SMS and WhatsApp Marketing
This is a category where Brevo has a clear structural advantage and Mailchimp simply does not compete.
Brevo SMS and WhatsApp
Brevo includes SMS and WhatsApp marketing natively. You can:
- Send SMS campaigns to segmented contact lists, with personalization (first name, custom fields), scheduling, and performance tracking
- Send WhatsApp campaigns using Meta’s WhatsApp Business API, with template approval, rich media (images, documents), and interactive buttons
- Combine channels in automations, a single automation workflow can send an email, wait 2 days, check if opened, and send an SMS if not. This multi-channel approach is genuinely useful for e-commerce abandoned cart recovery and appointment reminders
- SMS pricing: Pay-per-message. Approximately $0.01 per SMS in the US, $0.04-0.08 in Europe. Credits are prepaid.
- WhatsApp pricing: Based on Meta’s per-conversation pricing model. Brevo adds a small markup.
Mailchimp SMS
Mailchimp added basic SMS capabilities in 2024, but the implementation is limited:
- Available as a paid add-on, not included in any standard plan
- US and UK phone numbers only (as of early 2026)
- No WhatsApp integration
- Cannot combine SMS with email automations in a single Customer Journey
- Pricing is per-credit, with credits purchased in bundles
Verdict on SMS and WhatsApp
Brevo wins decisively. If multi-channel marketing (email + SMS + WhatsApp) matters to your business, Brevo is the only reasonable choice between these two platforms. Mailchimp’s SMS feature is an afterthought; Brevo’s is a core capability.
For businesses in industries where SMS and WhatsApp are essential, e-commerce, hospitality, healthcare, local services, this alone can be the deciding factor.
Migration: Switching Between Platforms
These are the most effective options available, ranked by practical value.
Moving from Mailchimp to Brevo
Brevo provides a dedicated Mailchimp migration tool:
- Contacts: One-click import from Mailchimp. Lists, tags, and custom fields transfer automatically.
- Templates: Must be manually recreated or exported as HTML from Mailchimp and imported into Brevo.
- Automations: Cannot be migrated. You need to rebuild workflows in Brevo’s automation builder.
- Historical data: Campaign history, open rates, and click data stay in Mailchimp. Brevo starts fresh.
- Timeline: Contact migration takes minutes. Rebuilding templates and automations takes 1-3 days depending on complexity.
Moving from Brevo to Mailchimp
Mailchimp does not have a Brevo-specific import tool, but:
- Contacts: Export as CSV from Brevo, import into Mailchimp. Map fields manually.
- Templates: Export HTML, import into Mailchimp’s code editor.
- Automations: Must be rebuilt from scratch in Customer Journeys.
- CRM data: Does not transfer, Mailchimp has no CRM. Export deal data to a separate CRM.
Migration Tip
Before migrating, export everything from your current platform: contact lists, email templates (HTML), automation workflow screenshots, and campaign performance reports. Having documentation of what you built makes reconstruction significantly faster.
Who Should Choose Brevo
Choose Brevo if:
- You have a large contact list (5,000+) and want to save on monthly costs
- You need SMS, WhatsApp, and email marketing in one platform
- You want a built-in CRM without paying for a separate tool
- You send transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets) and want them on the same platform as marketing emails
- You need marketing automation on a budget, Brevo Standard gives you full automation at $18/month
- You are in e-commerce and want to combine promotional emails with transactional messages
- You are a small team that values having sales and marketing tools consolidated
Real-world fit: E-commerce stores, SaaS companies, agencies managing multiple channels, small businesses that want CRM + email without paying for two separate subscriptions.
Who Should Choose Mailchimp
Choose Mailchimp if:
- Email design quality is critical to your brand
- You need advanced predictive analytics (customer lifetime value, purchase likelihood, send-time optimization)
- You rely on a wide ecosystem of third-party integrations
- You are email-only and do not need SMS, WhatsApp, or transactional email
- You are a content creator or small business that values a polished, intuitive interface
- You already use Intuit products (QuickBooks, TurboTax) and want tight integration
- You need phone support and are willing to pay $350/month for the Premium plan
Real-world fit: Creative agencies, content-driven businesses, solo entrepreneurs who prioritize design, businesses already embedded in the Mailchimp/Intuit ecosystem.
Verdict
For most small to mid-size businesses, Brevo is the better value. The per-email pricing model is fundamentally more cost-effective than per-contact pricing once your list exceeds a few thousand contacts. Adding CRM, SMS, WhatsApp, and transactional email at no extra cost makes Brevo the more complete platform.
Mailchimp is the better email marketing tool in isolation. Its builder, templates, integrations, and predictive analytics are ahead of Brevo. If email is your only marketing channel and you want the best possible email experience, Mailchimp delivers.
The deciding factor is scale. At 500 contacts, the price difference is negligible. At 10,000 contacts, Brevo saves you $900+/year. At 25,000+ contacts, the savings compound to the point where Brevo is the only rational choice unless Mailchimp-specific features are irreplaceable for your workflow.
My recommendation: Start with Brevo if you are building a new email program. Switch to Mailchimp only if you hit a specific limitation that Brevo cannot solve, which, for most businesses, will not happen.
Related Reading
- Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2026 Compared
- Constant Contact vs Mailchimp (2026) Compared
- Klaviyo vs Mailchimp (2026): Which Email Platform Wins?
- Best Email Marketing Tools in 2026 Compared
- ConvertKit vs Mailchimp (2026) Compared
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is what matters most in practice.
Is Brevo really free?
Yes. Brevo’s free plan includes unlimited contacts, 300 emails per day (approximately 9,000 per month), basic marketing automation, CRM, and live chat. The limitation is the daily sending cap and Brevo branding on emails.
Did Sendinblue change its name?
Yes. Sendinblue rebranded to Brevo in May 2023. The platform, features, and pricing remained the same, only the name and visual identity changed. If you see articles referencing Sendinblue, they are talking about the same product.
Can I migrate from Mailchimp to Brevo?
Yes. Brevo has a built-in Mailchimp import tool that transfers contacts, lists, and segments. Email templates need to be manually recreated or copied via HTML. Automation workflows need to be rebuilt. The migration is straightforward for contacts but requires work for templates and automations.
Does Brevo have an affiliate program?
Yes. Brevo offers a referral program that pays a commission for each referred customer. Payouts vary but are typically in the range of $5-$100 depending on the plan the referred customer signs up for. Mailchimp does not have a formal affiliate program.
Which is better for e-commerce?
Brevo is better for most e-commerce businesses. It combines transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping notifications), marketing automation (abandoned cart, product recommendations), and SMS/WhatsApp follow-ups in one platform. Mailchimp requires Mandrill for transactional email, which adds $20+/month.
Which has better customer support?
Mailchimp offers 24/7 email and chat support on the Essentials plan and phone support on the Premium plan ($350+/month). Brevo offers email support on Starter, phone support on Standard ($18+/month). Brevo’s phone support is accessible at a much lower price point.
Can I use both Brevo and Mailchimp together?
Technically yes, but it creates complexity. Some businesses use Mailchimp for marketing emails and Brevo for transactional emails (which is cost-effective since Brevo’s transactional pricing is lower than Mandrill’s). However, managing two platforms means two sets of analytics, two contact databases, and potential deliverability conflicts.
Is Brevo GDPR compliant?
Yes. Brevo is headquartered in Paris and was built with GDPR compliance as a core feature. It includes consent management, double opt-in, data processing agreements, and GDPR-compliant signup forms. Mailchimp is also GDPR compliant but is US-based, which some European businesses view as a consideration for data sovereignty.
Which platform is easier to learn?
Mailchimp has a slight edge in user experience. The interface is more polished, the onboarding flow is more guided, and the help documentation is extensive. Brevo is not difficult to learn, but the interface feels more utilitarian. For complete beginners, Mailchimp’s first-time setup experience is smoother.
How do I choose between Brevo Starter and Brevo Standard?
Choose Starter ($9/month) if you only need basic email marketing without advanced automation. Choose Standard ($18/month) if you need marketing automation workflows, A/B testing, advanced reporting, or phone support. The $9/month difference is worth it for any business that plans to use automation.
Last verified: March 2026
