If you are choosing your first email marketing tool, Mailchimp and Brevo will almost certainly be on your list. Both are popular, both have free plans and both can handle newsletters, promotions and simple automations.
The biggest difference is how they charge you. Understanding that one point makes the choice much easier.
The key difference: contacts vs emails sent
Mailchimp mostly charges by the number of contacts on your list. The more people you store, the more you pay, even if you rarely email them.
Brevo mostly charges by the number of emails you send. You can store a large list cheaply, and you pay more when you send more.
So the question is simple. Do you have a big list that you email now and then? Brevo will often be cheaper. Do you have a smaller list that you email often? Compare both carefully, because Mailchimp can work out well there too.
The free plans
Free plans change often, so always check the current details on each website. At the time of writing:
- Mailchimp free: up to 250 contacts and 500 emails per month, with a daily cap of 250. No scheduling, no automations and Mailchimp branding in your emails. These limits were tightened in February 2026.
- Brevo free: up to 300 emails per day, with plenty of room for contacts. Brevo branding is added to your emails, you get one user, and only basic reports.
For a business testing email for the first time, Brevo's free plan gives you much more room. Mailchimp's free plan works best as a short trial.
Ease of use
Mailchimp has spent years polishing its editor and it shows. Templates look good, the drag and drop builder is easy and the help articles are very clear. Many people find it the friendlier of the two on day one.
Brevo is also easy to use, though some screens feel busier because it packs in more tools. Once you know where things are, it is quick to work with.
Beyond email
Both tools now do more than send emails.
- Brevo includes SMS, WhatsApp campaigns, a simple sales pipeline and transactional emails like order confirmations. That makes it attractive if you want one tool for many channels.
- Mailchimp is strong on marketing features like audience insights, product recommendations for online shops and a large library of integrations with other apps.
Automations
Automations are emails that send by themselves when something happens, like a welcome series when someone joins your list.
On Mailchimp, automations need a paid plan. Brevo's free plan includes basic automations, with limits on how many contacts can enter them. If automations are central to your plans and your budget is tight, Brevo has the edge.
Who should pick Mailchimp
- You want the most polished editor and templates.
- You run an online shop and want its ecommerce features and integrations.
- Your list is fairly small and you value a well known brand with lots of tutorials.
Who should pick Brevo
- You have a large list but send only a few campaigns per month.
- You want SMS or WhatsApp campaigns in the same tool.
- You want automations without paying on day one.
What matters more than the tool
Whichever you pick, your results will depend far more on three things: authenticating your domain, only emailing people who asked to hear from you, and sending emails that are genuinely useful. A great tool cannot fix a bad list, and a simple tool works fine with a good one.
Start with the one that fits your budget and list size today. Moving later is possible. Both let you export your contacts as a CSV file, and our guide to moving your email list walks you through it.
Email tools change their plans and screens often. If something here no longer matches what you see,let us know and we will check it.