Creator Quick verdict
- Our pick for most creators and small senders: MailerLite. Both free plans stop at 250, but MailerLite Free allows 2,500 emails a month, while Mailchimp Free allows 500 sends a month, with no more than 250 a day. By our arithmetic, that’s 5× the monthly sends.
- Automations on a $0 plan. MailerLite Free includes 3 active automations of up to 5 steps each. Mailchimp’s plan table lists marketing automation flows as not included on Free.
- Paid newsletters. MailerLite’s comparison table lists “Send paid newsletters” and “Sell recurring subscriptions” on Comfort and Power. Neither Mailchimp’s pricing page nor its plan help article lists paid newsletter subscriptions.
- Clear prices. MailerLite Comfort starts at $12/month for up to 500 subscribers ($10.80/month billed yearly). Mailchimp’s calculator showed Essentials from $13/month and Standard from $20/month for up to 500 contacts, after a 14-day trial (checked October 7, 2026).
- Where Mailchimp wins: an SMS add-on (select countries), pay-as-you-go credits, and advanced segmentation and onboarding on Standard and Premium.
Try MailerLite free Free for up to 250 subscribers, plus a 14-day premium trial with no credit card (October 7, 2026). Affiliate link.
Side-by-side
| Dimension | MailerLite | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan list size | Up to 250 active subscribers (unsubscribed and bounced don’t count) | Up to 250 contacts (subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts all count) |
| Free plan sends | 2,500 emails/month | 500 sends/month |
| Daily cap on Free | None stated on the pricing page | 250 sends/day |
| Automations on Free | 3 active automations, up to 5 steps each | Marketing automation flows not included |
| Seats and support on Free | 2 seats; community support and knowledge base (24/7 live chat for every account’s first 14 days) | 1 seat; email support for the first 30 days |
| Starting paid price | Comfort $12/month (up to 500 subscribers), or $10.80/month billed yearly; Power from $25/month | Essentials from $13/month and Standard from $20/month for up to 500 contacts (monthly “starts at” prices in its calculator, checked October 7, 2026); Premium from $350/month with 10,000 contacts |
| Paid sending limits | Comfort: 10× the top of your subscriber tier; Power: unlimited (fair use) | Essentials 10×, Standard 12×, Premium 15× your contact limit |
| Paid newsletters and commerce | Paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions on Comfort and Power; digital products or bookings on every plan (1 on Free) | Paid newsletters not listed on its pricing page or plan help article |
| Branding | MailerLite logo removal on Comfort and Power | Mailchimp branding removal on Essentials, Standard and Premium |
| Landing pages and website | 1 website and 1 landing page on Free, 10 on Comfort, unlimited on Power | Free lets you “try out” landing pages and forms; its trial terms mention separate Website plans |
| Free trial | 14-day premium trial for every new account, no payment method needed (capped at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails) | 14-day trial of Standard or Essentials; the trial terms say valid payment information is required at enrollment |
| Nonprofit discount | 30% on paid plans | 15% |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Sources: MailerLite’s pricing page, Mailchimp’s pricing page and About Mailchimp pricing plans, all checked October 7, 2026. Both vendors say taxes may apply on top of their prices.
Free plans compared
As of October 7, 2026, the two free plans share a 250 ceiling and not much else.
- MailerLite Free covers up to 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails a month and 2 user seats. It includes all three editors, 3 automations, 1 website, 1 landing page, 3 signup forms and 1 digital product or booking. The MailerLite logo stays on, templates are limited, and support is community-only after the first 14 days.
- Mailchimp Free covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a daily limit of 250. You get 1 audience, 1 seat, limited templates and basic reporting. Mailchimp’s plan table lists automation flows, email scheduling and branding removal as not included on Free, and support is email for the first 30 days.
What that means for a weekly newsletter. By our arithmetic, a weekly send to 250 people uses about 1,000 emails a month (4 × 250). That fits MailerLite Free’s 2,500 with room to spare. On Mailchimp Free, 500 sends a month covers two sends to 250 people.
Who counts toward 250. MailerLite bills on active subscribers; unsubscribed and bounced addresses don’t count. Mailchimp’s help center says subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts are all included in your contact count.
When you outgrow free. MailerLite’s FAQ says that once a free account passes 250 active subscribers, campaigns and automations are locked until you upgrade or remove subscribers. Mailchimp’s help center says that going over 250 contacts on Free puts a hold on live and test emails until you upgrade or reduce your contact total.
For every free plan side by side, see our best free newsletter platforms page.
Pricing as your list grows
MailerLite publishes every tier. These are its USD prices on October 7, 2026:
| Subscribers | Comfort (monthly) | Comfort (billed yearly, per month) | Power (monthly) | Power (billed yearly, per month) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 250 | Free plan covers it ($0) | |||
| Up to 500 | $12 (5,000 emails) | $10.80 | $25 | $22.50 |
| Up to 1,000 | $19 (10,000 emails) | $17.10 | $39 | $35.10 |
| Up to 2,500 | $33 (25,000 emails) | $29.70 | $49 | $44.10 |
| Up to 5,000 | $49 (50,000 emails) | $44.10 | $69 | $62.10 |
| Up to 10,000 | $89 (100,000 emails) | $80.10 | $129 | $116.10 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Source: MailerLite’s price slider and published price table, checked October 7, 2026. Comfort sends 10× the top of your tier; Power sends are unlimited under a fair-use policy. Check your own list size on MailerLite’s full price slider.
Mailchimp’s side. Mailchimp’s calculator uses contact bands of 0–500, 501–1,500, 1,501–2,500, 2,501–5,000 and up. Its help center says Essentials and Standard prices start at 500 contacts and rise with your list; Essentials stores up to 50,000 contacts, Standard 100,000 and Premium 200,000. At the 500-contact band, its pricing page shows Standard sending up to 6,000 emails a month, against 5,000 on MailerLite Comfort. We opened Mailchimp’s pricing calculator in a browser, in US dollars, on October 7, 2026; these are the monthly “starts at” prices it showed after the 14-day trial:
| Contacts | Essentials (monthly) | Standard (monthly) | Premium (monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–500 | $13 | $20 | $350 |
| 501–1,500 | $26.50 | $45 | $350 |
| 1,501–2,500 | $45 | $60 | $350 |
| 2,501–5,000 | $75 | $100 | $350 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Source: Mailchimp’s pricing calculator, currency set to USD, checked October 7, 2026. Premium shows $350 at each of these bands because its base price includes 10,000 contacts (Mailchimp help center). Mailchimp says overages apply if you go over your contact or send limit, and its pricing page says annual plans are available for Standard and Premium at 10,000+ contacts through its sales team, so there’s no self-serve yearly price to compare at these sizes. Mailchimp’s bands don’t line up exactly with MailerLite’s tiers, so check your own list size on both pages.
Features creators care about
- Automations. MailerLite: 3 on Free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power. Mailchimp: none on Free, flows of up to 4 steps on Essentials, up to 200 flows on Standard and Premium.
- Templates. Both limit templates on Free; Mailchimp sends custom-coded templates only on Standard and Premium.
- Pages and sites. MailerLite includes a website builder with a blog section on every plan, and custom domains on Comfort and Power. Mailchimp’s help mentions trying landing pages and forms on Free; its trial terms list Website plans among add-on fees.
- Earning money. MailerLite sells paid newsletter subscriptions through Stripe on Comfort and Power, and digital products or bookings on every plan.
- Lists and seats. MailerLite lists unlimited audiences on every plan; Mailchimp gives 1, 3, 5 or unlimited from Free to Premium.
Where each one wins
MailerLite wins on…
- Free sending (2,500 a month vs 500), free automations, a free website and a second seat.
- Paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions on Comfort and Power.
- A no-card trial, published prices and a bigger nonprofit discount (30% vs 15%).
Mailchimp wins on…
- SMS marketing as a paid add-on in select countries.
- Advanced segmentation, predictive segments, custom reports and onboarding on Standard and Premium, plus phone support on Premium.
- Pay As You Go credits, 5 seats on Standard (vs 3 on Comfort) and 300+ integrations (vs MailerLite’s 100+, by each vendor’s count).
Switching from Mailchimp to MailerLite
MailerLite’s help article How to switch from Mailchimp to MailerLite (live on October 7, 2026) sets out four steps:
- Import your subscribers with MailerLite’s Mailchimp import tool, either by logging in to Mailchimp or with a Mailchimp API key. Mailchimp tags become MailerLite groups, and duplicates across groups count once toward your plan. Only basic, field-based segments come across; advanced ones (behavioral, e-commerce) must be rebuilt. Later Mailchimp changes need a manual “Sync again”.
- Recreate your forms and landing pages from MailerLite’s templates.
- Recreate your email templates in the drag & drop editor.
- Rebuild your automations by hand. MailerLite calls them automations and offers ready-made templates.
On Free, every active address you import counts toward 250. For large lists, MailerLite’s FAQ points to its migration page and success team.
Which should you choose?
Choose MailerLite if…
- You’re starting a newsletter and want to send weekly on a $0 plan.
- You want a welcome sequence or other automation without paying.
- You plan to charge for your newsletter or sell digital products.
Choose Mailchimp if…
- You need SMS alongside email.
- You run a store and want predictive segments and onboarding help on Standard.
- You send rarely and prefer to buy credits as you go.
On a tight budget with more than 250 subscribers?
EmailOctopus’s free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, with EmailOctopus branding (pricing page, checked October 7, 2026). It doesn’t cover paid newsletters. See MailerLite vs EmailOctopus.
Visit EmailOctopusReferral link: if you sign up and pay, you get $15 off your first payment and we may earn a $15 account credit.
FAQ
Is MailerLite better than Mailchimp?
For most solo creators, yes, on the facts we checked: 2,500 free emails a month against 500, free automations, and paid newsletters on Comfort and Power. Mailchimp fits better if you need SMS or Standard’s advanced segmentation.
MailerLite vs Mailchimp: which free plan is better?
MailerLite Free. Both stop at 250, but MailerLite allows 2,500 emails a month, 3 automations and 2 seats. Mailchimp Free allows 500 sends a month (250 a day), 1 seat and no automation flows.
What are the Mailchimp free plan limits?
Up to 250 contacts, 500 sends a month and 250 a day, with 1 audience and 1 seat. Unsubscribed contacts count, and going over puts sending on hold.
MailerLite vs Mailchimp pricing: which is cheaper?
On the prices we checked (October 7, 2026, monthly billing), MailerLite is cheaper at these sizes. MailerLite Comfort is $12/month at up to 500 subscribers, $19 at up to 1,000 and $33 at up to 2,500. Mailchimp’s calculator showed Essentials from $13 (0–500 contacts), $26.50 (501–1,500) and $45 (1,501–2,500), and Standard from $20, $45 and $60. Mailchimp’s bands differ from MailerLite’s tiers, so compare your exact list size on both pricing pages.
Does the MailerLite free plan include automation?
Yes: 3 active automations with up to 5 steps each, plus unlimited automation templates.
What is the best Mailchimp alternative for newsletters?
MailerLite is our pick for most creators. For the biggest free list, look at Kit (free up to 10,000 subscribers; see Kit vs MailerLite); for the lowest prices as you grow, EmailOctopus (free up to 2,500 subscribers); for a publication platform, Beehiiv.
Related
- MailerLite for newsletter creators: plans, limits, setup
- Beehiiv vs MailerLite
- Beehiiv vs Mailchimp
- MailerLite vs EmailOctopus
- Mailchimp alternatives
- Constant Contact vs Mailchimp
- Best free newsletter platforms
- Best newsletter tools for creators
- All comparisons
Sources (checked October 7, 2026)
- MailerLite pricing page: Free, Comfort and Power plan cards, price slider, comparison table and pricing FAQ (checked October 7, 2026)
- MailerLite help: what’s included in the 14-day trial: 14-day premium trial, no payment method needed, trial limits (checked October 7, 2026)
- MailerLite paid newsletter subscriptions page: paid newsletter subscriptions via Stripe (checked October 7, 2026)
- MailerLite help: switching from Mailchimp: Mailchimp import and migration steps (checked October 7, 2026)
- Mailchimp pricing page: plan table, contact bands and “starts at” prices (USD), annual-plan note, pricing FAQ and free-trial terms (checked October 7, 2026)
- Mailchimp help: about pricing plans: Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium limits and features, and how contacts are counted (checked October 7, 2026)
- EmailOctopus pricing page: EmailOctopus free plan limits (checked October 7, 2026)
MailerLite and Mailchimp are trademarks of their owners. We run Creator Mail Stack independently, and it is not endorsed by either company. We’re in MailerLite’s affiliate program and EmailOctopus’s referral program, as described in the disclosure. Found something out of date? Tell us.