MailChimp is often the first newsletter tool that springs to mind, possibly because they have great marketing and a charming monkey-fied aesthetic. But I guess I’m not the only one, as they claim to send roughly 10,800 emails out every second over their platform.
They offer a free plan, with which you can send up to 10,000 emails a month to 2,000 subscribers. This is good news for personal and SMB accounts, as most of the tools and templates are accessible on this free account. Another feature accessible through their free account is their in-built CRM. If you’re an SMB looking for an all-in-one solution then this could be just what you’re looking for. They also have pay-as-you-go options, which work out to be cheaper for low-volume clients, whilst also giving you some included extras such as automation and integration options.
Now let’s have a look to see whether MailChimp really does let you ‘send better emails’:
Is MailChimp the right newsletter service for you?
Recommended if:
Integrations are important to you:
If having a newsletter service that integrates with other tools is essential for you – whether you’re an ecommerce, blogger, nonprofit, or business owner. It offers hundreds of integrations to both popular and niche applications (such as Zapier and WordPress).
You need an all-in-one solution for inbound campaigns and a CRM:
MailChimp have always emphasized the importance of running opt-in based lead capture campaigns. They make it easy to do so with features such as forms, landing pages and automated drip campaigns. With the introduction of their in-built CRM, you can now set up customer profiles and assign customers a lifetime value (Standard plan and upwards).
Not recommended if:
You want automations that are easy to manage:
While they promote themselves as a marketing automation platform, we have to say that MailChimp’s automations are not very intuitive to set up. Lacking a workflow editor, managing the steps in each automation can get a bit unwieldy. We think tools like MailerLite and Benchmark do a much better job here.
You’re an affiliate marketer:
MailChimp has a strict policy prohibiting affiliate marketing under its Terms of Use. The rules are a bit murky, but severe penalties apply (including account cancellation), so if you’re in this industry it’s best to steer clear.
Rating details
| criterion | rating | comments |
|---|---|---|
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Ease of Use new text |
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Easy to use, with clear navigation and a clean interface. Although setting up the initial opt-in process can be somewhat challenging as the menus are a little confusing. |
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Newsletter Creation |
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This editor is fast and simple, using a drag & drop interface. |
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Editor |
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This editor is fast and simple, using a drag & drop interface. |
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Personalization |
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If/then/else logic isn’t very user friendly, but available. MailChimp at least offer a handy cheat sheet to help you grasp the concepts. |
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Email types |
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All the standards that you need such as classic newsletters, autoresponders, A/B testing RSS to newsletter and recurring. |
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Choice and Flexibility of Template Designs |
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Lots of choice, relatively modern looking too. All of the drag & drop templates are responsive, but the classic templates are not. |
Conclusion
MailChimp is a perfectly good tool for most English-speaking users, with its ease of use and range of features, as well as their free plans. Keep in mind, though, that their subscription plans are relatively expensive compared to similar newsletter tools. We recommend you check out this Mailchimp alternatives post before you make your final decision.
There are a bucketload of integrations available for MailChimp, which could be due to the number of active users they have. That, combined with relatively powerful tools (available on the higher tier plans) really do add up to a great tool.
Perhaps if you’re a business with specific needs, like powerful marketing automation, or use of your own tracking-domain, then you may need to look further afield for the correct newsletter tool. But there really is a lot to like from MailChimp.
Check out Mailchimp and other alternatives in our Side-By-Side Comparison
ActiveCampaign: while they don’t feature a free plan, they have very affordable paid plans that are a little bit cheaper than similar MailChimp plans. Feature-wise they are the best email automation software and easily beat MailChimp.
MailerLite: we chose them as a MailChimp alternative because they have a very generous free plan that lets you use all their features (unlike MailChimp). Their feature set is pretty similar with a few extra gimmicks like the landing page creator.
Sendinblue is one of the cheapest all-in-one email marketing tools on the market. It’s available in 6 languages and comes with advanced automation options and a built-in CRM. Check out our Mailchimp vs Sendinblue comparison.
Check out this blog post for our full list of Mailchimp alternatives. Or, use our Smart Finder to help you choose the best newsletter service for your needs.
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