Mailchimp Price Increase: Users Seek Alternatives in 2025

The past year, recent increase in Mailchimp's prices has surprised many in email marketing. Small business owners are suddenly shelling out upwards more for email marketing services.

Our favorite email marketing tool, Mailchimp, has transformed into an expensive platform. New pricing considerations affect businesses of all sizes, but small businesses and startups take effects the hardest. Many users are actively searching for cheaper email marketing solutions for 2025.

What Mailchimp is used for?

We use Mailchimp as our detailed marketing platform to manage and communicate with clients through multiple channels. The platform serves over 13 million active customers worldwide and offers an extensive suite of marketing tools that go beyond simple email services.

Mailchimp's core marketing capabilities make it stand out:

• Email campaign creation and automation
• Website and landing page development
• Social media marketing management
• SMS marketing integration
• Customer trip mapping
• Analytics and reporting tools
• AI-powered marketing assistance

Mailchimp's powerful automation features help us deliver targeted messages at the perfect time. The platform lets us create stunning landing pages for specific marketing goals. This makes growing our audience and promoting products much easier.

The platform works seamlessly with over 300 apps and web services. This integration streamlines our marketing processes across different channels. Mailchimp's Customer Journey feature builds dynamic, automated marketing paths that deliver tailored experiences to each contact. Their mobile app lets us manage campaigns and track subscriber activity from our smartphones, which adds flexibility to campaign management.

How much does Mailchimp cost?

Mailchimp has changed its pricing structure with four tiers that cater to different business needs. Let's get into their current pricing model which has seen some changes lately.

Free Plan provide you up to 500 contacts and lets you send 1,000 emails monthly. 

Essentials Plan costs USD 13.00 per month and includes up to 5,000 email sends. 

Standard Plan comes in at USD 20.00 monthly with 6,000 email sends. Businesses with larger requirements can opt for the Premium Plan starting at USD 350.00 per month.

Your contact list size directly impacts the cost. The Standard Plan pricing varies like this:

• USD 45.00 monthly for 1,500 contacts
• USD 135.00 monthly for 10,000 contacts
• USD 450.00 monthly for 50,000 contacts

The platform counts every contact in your pricing, even those who unsubscribed. This makes keeping your mailing lists clean a vital part of managing costs. You'll pay twice for contacts that appear on multiple lists.

Going over your monthly limits won't stop your service - you'll just pay extra charges. Mailchimp's Pay As You Go option matches the Essentials plan's features but lets you buy email credits as needed.

Mailchimp marketing platform features

Mailchimp's feature set goes well beyond simple email services. The platform serves as a strong marketing solution with six major categories that boost our marketing potential.

Marketing Essentials gives us powerful tools like A/B testing and campaign management. The Content Creation suite has an AI-powered Content Optimizer and Creative Assistant that creates unique designs and copy.

Audience Management tools are particularly impressive. We can target based on behavior, manage customer relationships through the marketing CRM, and create customized campaigns using predictive demographics.

Marketing Automation features make Mailchimp truly shine. The Customer Journey Builder lets us create automated campaigns that adapt to customer interactions. We can track these campaigns with detailed Reporting & Analytics tools that give smart recommendations and insights for optimization.

The platform connects smoothly with popular services:

• Design tools like Canva for visual content creation
• E-commerce platforms including Shopify and WooCommerce
• Analytics services such as Google Analytics
• Business tools like QuickBooks Online

The new AI Marketing Tools have improved our omnichannel marketing efforts. These tools combine the Campaign Manager, Content Optimizer, and Creative Assistant to create unique content and deliver smart recommendations.

Understanding the Mailchimp price increase

Mailchimp increased pricing last year, showing major changes that affect users at every tier. They announced an average increase of 11% in prices. This represents a big deal as their pricing strategy has evolved again.

Breakdown of new pricing structure

The new structure limits Free plan users to 500 contacts and 1,000 monthly email sends. Many businesses that relied on the free tier must now choose between upgrading or trimming their contact lists.

Changes to feature availability

The Standard plan now includes features that only Premium users could access before. Users can now work with Multivariate Testing, Comparative Reporting, and Advanced Segmentation.

Impact on different plan tiers

Legacy Plan users face unexpected changes despite promises about price protection. Our review shows several hidden costs:

• Charges for unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts
• Additional fees when contact limits are exceeded
• Costs for add-on contact blocks based on plan type

Cost analysis for small businesses

Small businesses feel a substantial effect from these changes. Users now pay for every contact, including unsubscribed ones. This can drive up costs based on how well you maintain your lists.

Enterprise-level price changes

Enterprise users must adapt to new pricing structures, with Premium plans starting at USD 350.00 monthly. Organizations with more than 250,000 contacts need direct communication with Mailchimp for custom pricing.

Hidden costs and fees

Users should know about these additional charges that affect total costs:

• Overage fees for exceeding contact limits
• Transaction fees for certain features
• Add-on costs for SMS marketing and transactional emails

Comparing Mailchimp pricing

We analyzed Mailchimp's pricing and matched it against its main competitors to help businesses make better choices. The comparison shows big differences in costs between platforms.

Mailchimp vs CampaignHQ

CampaignHQ has more flexible pricing plans that start at USD 7.00 per month. This is much lower than Mailchimp's starting price of USD 13.00.

Mailchimp vs Moosend

Businesses can save up to 45% by switching to Moosend. Moosend's fair subscriber counting system stands out because Mailchimp charges multiple times when contacts appear in different lists.

Mailchimp vs MailerLite

MailerLite gives you better value for money:

• USD 39.00 lets you send unlimited emails to 5,000 contacts
• You don't pay for unsubscribed contacts
• The free plan includes 12,000 monthly emails

Mailchimp vs GetResponse

GetResponse works better for growing businesses:

• A monthly fee of USD 54.00 for 5,000 subscribers beats Mailchimp's USD 75.00
• Every paid plan includes unlimited email sends
• Long-term contracts get you discounts from 18% to 50%

Mailchimp vs Brevo

Brevo stands out as a budget-friendly choice that bases its pricing on email volume instead of contact list size. To name just one example, see how sending one monthly email to 5,000 contacts costs USD 29.00 with Brevo, while Mailchimp charges USD 75.00.

What are the financial impact on businesses?

Our scrutinizing of email marketing's financial world shows that businesses put USD 1,001 to USD 5,000 yearly into their email marketing campaigns. The returns are impressive - businesses earn USD 36 for every dollar spent.

The ROI benefits tell an interesting story:

• 35.9% of digital marketers say it brings most important profit contributions
• 18.5% call it their most profitable marketing channel
• 22.6% of businesses spend under USD 500 and generate substantial profits

Email marketing budgets make up 10-20% of the total marketing spend. Small businesses pay agencies USD 200 to USD 900 monthly, while mid-sized companies invest USD 4,000 to USD 20,000 monthly.

We found these key factors affect the costs:

• Company's size and subscriber base
• Email marketing software choice
• Campaign frequency and complexity
• Design requirements
• List management needs

Quality email lists play a vital role in managing costs effectively. These lists need engaged subscribers who choose to opt-in and show real interest in the content. This approach leads to better campaign results. Smart budget allocation prevents surprise costs that could hurt campaign performance.

CampaignHQ the best Mailchimp alternative for 2025

We found that CampaignHQ stands out among alternatives as a solution for businesses looking to avoid the mailchimp price increase. Our analysis shows that CampaignHQ's services cost 75% less than Mailchimp.

Budget-friendly options

CampaignHQ's pricing structure is clear and straightforward. Every plan comes with all features, so you won't need to upgrade to get important tools. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from unlimited subscribers and flexible payment options.

Feature comparison

CampaignHQ matches Mailchimp's main features and adds some unique benefits:

• AI-assisted email creation with WYSIWIG editor
• Unlimited automated workflows (versus Mailchimp's 4 in simple plan)
• Advanced segmentation capabilities
• Dedicated IP address at USD 40.00 (an exclusive offering)
• Priority customer support

Migration process overview

Moving from Mailchimp to CampaignHQ is simple and direct. The team helps you understand your business's specific needs. Here's what the migration involves:

1. Exporting Mailchimp audience data
2. Importing contacts to CampaignHQ
3. Setting up email templates
4. Configuring automation workflows
5. Testing and optimization

The platform's accessible interface makes email creation and management quick. This saves time that you can spend on content creation and connecting with subscribers. With tailored help and useful strategies, your email marketing campaigns can achieve better results.

Conclusion

Mailchimp's steep price hike has altered the map of email marketing for 2025. Small businesses now pay more, and they need budget-friendly alternatives to survive. Our analysis shows email marketing gets $36 for every dollar spent, which proves its value despite higher costs.

CampaignHQ emerges as the best Mailchimp alternative with similar features at 75% lower prices. Growing businesses benefit from the platform's unlimited subscriber model and complete feature set. The simple migration process will give users a smooth transition for their marketing operations.

Email marketing keeps changing, and businesses must stay ahead of the curve. Our research shows that picking the right platform affects marketing budgets and ROI by a lot. We suggest learning about CampaignHQ's solutions to get economical email marketing results without quality loss.

Email marketing's future needs a careful look at costs, features, and expandable solutions. Smart platform choices help businesses grow steadily and successfully. Our full assessment shows that switching to affordable options like CampaignHQ makes practical and financial sense for businesses that want to last.

Let's talk about the most common questions people ask about Mailchimp's recent pricing changes and alternatives.

Is Mailchimp no longer free?

Mailchimp still has a free plan, but with tighter limits. You can have up to 500 contacts and send 1,000 emails each month. Your account will be pause right away if you go over the limits, and you'll need to upgrade with a paid plan.

How much does it cost to send 1000 emails on Mailchimp?

The price depends on your plan choice. The free plan lets you send 1,000 emails monthly without paying anything. The Essentials plan starts at USD 13.00 per month and gives you room for bigger email campaigns.

How to reduce Mailchimp bill?

We've found some smart ways to cut down Mailchimp costs:

• Clean up your list by removing inactive contacts and run re-opt-in campaigns
• Keep unsubscribed contacts in archives instead of deleting them
• Combine multiple audiences and use tags to manage them
• You might want to switch to a cheaper plan if you're not using all the features

Who is Mailchimp's biggest competitor?

Market research shows CampaignHQ, HubSpot Marketing Hub, and Constant Contact are Mailchimp's main rivals.