Mailchimp vs Brevo in 2026: Pricing, Automation, Verdict

Last checked: October 4, 2026 (editorial review). Definitions, calculations and unsupported comparisons were reviewed. Unless a section names a newer source, external figures and product references retain their stated historical dates; this is not a fresh audit of every vendor term.

Direct Answer: Brevo vs Mailchimp

Compare Brevo and Mailchimp using the same audience, send volume and required workflow. Contact storage, email allowance, CRM functions, SMS and WhatsApp are separate quote items. Neither a send-based model nor a contact-based model is automatically cheaper. This editorial review removes unsupported savings and deliverability claims; obtain current plan terms before purchasing.

Next action: Before migrating ESPs, model the money side. Use the email ROI calculator to estimate campaign revenue, then pressure-test list growth with the CAC calculator and LTV:CAC calculator before choosing Brevo or Mailchimp.

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Price and allowance boundary: The earlier unsourced monetary purchase figures have been withdrawn in this editorial review. “Current quote required” is an unknown, not zero cost. Remaining historical product descriptions are a checklist for verification, not confirmed current plan entitlements. Do not select a plan from an old free-limit, user-count or feature row without checking the current official contract.

Obtain Comparable Quotes Before Buying

Write one workload specification and send it to each shortlisted provider. For an email service, separate stored records, billable subscribers or profiles, monthly campaign sends, automated sends and SMS. For an SEO service, separate tracked items, crawled pages, clients, seats, exports and API usage. Record the actual currency, taxes, invoice frequency and commitment term.

Ask whether the allowance is shared across workspaces and whether overages, additional users, branding removal or onboarding add cost. Check what happens when the allowance is exceeded: a hard stop, an extra charge or a plan change are different operational outcomes. A monthly equivalent on an annual contract is not a cancellable monthly subscription.

Keep a dated official quote with the requirement it covers. Verify a representative workflow and export before importing the full workload or cancelling the old account. Count migration and review labor in the comparison. No percentage saving or feature-equivalence claim is established by a lower advertised starting price.

If a provider does not confirm a required feature or limit, mark it unknown. Do not fill the gap with an amount from a different article, a previous plan name or a model-generated answer. The final decision should name the accepted workflow and cost scope, not just the brand.

Quick Comparison Table

Brevo favors contact-heavy sending and built-in sales tools, while Mailchimp favors a familiar campaign workflow and broader template ecosystem.

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Brevo Overview

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.

Compare the complete billing definitions for the actual stored records and sends. A send-based price does not by itself establish a lower full cost than a contact-based plan.

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.

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.

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.

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Mailchimp Overview

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

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.

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.

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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.

Mailchimp Pricing (2026)

Mailchimp prices by contacts stored, regardless of how many emails you send (within tier limits).

Cost Comparison at Key Scales

Here is what you actually pay at different business sizes, assuming you send 4 emails per month per contact:

Key takeaway: No 30–60% saving is established by the evidence retained here. Get equivalent-scope quotes and include contact allowances, sends, features, extra channels and commitment terms.

Hidden Costs to Watch

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Email Builder Comparison

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.

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Automation Comparison

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)

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

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.

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CRM and Sales Features

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.

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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

Inbox placement depends on the actual audience, sender history, infrastructure and test method. The previously quoted 85–89% range has no source-locked test cohort here and is not used to rank Brevo. Ask about current dedicated-IP eligibility and test the permitted sending setup.

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

The previously quoted 88–92% range is not a verified matched comparison with Brevo. Shared-IP governance alone does not establish inbox placement or explain a difference. Use a controlled, permitted comparison and report its limits.

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.

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Integrations

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.

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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: Confirm destination, billable segments, sender setup, required credits and fees in the current quote. No per-message regional price is verified here.

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.

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Migration: Switching Between Platforms

Export contacts, suppression data, templates, and automation logic before cancelling either account.

Moving from Mailchimp to Brevo

Brevo provides a dedicated Mailchimp migration tool:

1. Contacts: One-click import from Mailchimp. Lists, tags, and custom fields transfer automatically.
2. Templates: Must be manually recreated or exported as HTML from Mailchimp and imported into Brevo.
3. Automations: Cannot be migrated. You need to rebuild workflows in Brevo’s automation builder.
4. Historical data: Campaign history, open rates, and click data stay in Mailchimp. Brevo starts fresh.
5. 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:

1. Contacts: Export as CSV from Brevo, import into Mailchimp. Map fields manually.
2. Templates: Export HTML, import into Mailchimp’s code editor.
3. Automations: Must be rebuilt from scratch in Customer Journeys.
4. 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.

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Who Should Choose Brevo

Choose Brevo if:

Real-world fit: E-commerce stores, SaaS companies, agencies managing multiple channels, small businesses that want CRM + email without paying for two separate subscriptions.

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Who Should Choose Mailchimp

Choose Mailchimp if:

Real-world fit: Creative agencies, content-driven businesses, solo entrepreneurs who prioritize design, businesses already embedded in the Mailchimp/Intuit ecosystem.

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Verdict

Choose from a matched quote and a tested workflow. A platform offering email, CRM, SMS and WhatsApp does not establish that all usage is included without additional charges. Check entitlements and charge units separately; no universal value winner is established here.

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.

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.

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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
• Cold Email Statistics 2026: 39 Stats from 2M+ Real Emails
• Marketing Automation Statistics 2026: 41 Stats on AI and Workflows
• ConvertKit vs Mailchimp (2026) Compared

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brevo really free?

Check current free-plan eligibility and allowances at Brevo’s official pricing page and in the account. Separate contact storage, daily and monthly sends, automations and other channels. This guide does not verify unlimited storage, a permanent allowance or suitability for a large campaign.

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?

Confirm the current plan and full billing scope directly before relying on this feature or price. A historical comparison does not establish present-day entitlement or savings.

Which is better for e-commerce?

Confirm the current plan and full billing scope directly before relying on this feature or price. A historical comparison does not establish present-day entitlement or savings.

Which has better customer support?

Confirm the current plan and full billing scope directly before relying on this feature or price. A historical comparison does not establish present-day entitlement or savings.

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?

A provider’s headquarters or feature list does not make your processing compliant. Review the current DPA, permitted data uses, consent or other applicable basis, retention, rights handling and transfer arrangements for your implementation. This article gives no blanket GDPR compliance guarantee.

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?

Confirm the current plan and full billing scope directly before relying on this feature or price. A historical comparison does not establish present-day entitlement or savings.

Last verified: August 21, 2026. Search intent and comparison structure were reviewed; prices remain a March 2026 snapshot, so verify current plan terms before migrating.