Mailchimp vs Brevo (2026)
A head-to-head on price, free access, and staying power. Both live and price-verified as of Jul 21, 2026.
The verdict, first
Brevo
- if it starts cheaper, at $9/mo against $13/mo.
- if you lean toward the more recent build, from 2012.
What each one is
Mailchimp
What sets it apart Intuit Assist, a generative AI assistant integrated into the campaign editor that rewrites email copy in line and drafts campaigns, bundled at no extra cost on paid tiers rather than sold as an add-on.
Owned by Intuit, Mailchimp is an email and SMS marketing platform built for small businesses and e-commerce sellers. Its campaign builder embeds Intuit Assist, a generative AI assistant that edits email copy in line (adjusting length, tone, or grammar) and drafts product-announcement campaigns, included at no added charge on the Standard and Premium plans. Pricing runs from a free tier capped at 250 contacts to Essentials at $13 per month, with Standard at $20 and Premium at $350. Billing scales with contact count, so costs climb as an audience grows.
Sources Mailchimp Marketing Pricing (official) · Introducing Intuit Assist for Mailchimp (official newsroom) · Mailchimp homepage
Brevo
What sets it apart Prices by the number of emails sent rather than by contacts stored, so contact lists remain unlimited across plans.
Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, combines email and SMS campaigns, WhatsApp messaging, a built-in CRM, live chat, and transactional email in one platform, with AI-assisted copy and subject-line suggestions and per-contact send-time optimization layered on top. Its commercial model differs from most rivals in that paid plans meter the number of emails sent rather than the number of contacts stored, so contact lists stay unlimited across tiers; the free plan allows 300 emails per day and paid plans start at $9 per month. The fit is small and mid-sized businesses that want multichannel marketing from a single tool, and it suits teams holding large lists but sending at moderate volume.
Sources Brevo homepage (vendor) · Brevo pricing page (vendor) · Omnisend - Brevo Review 2026 · SMTPedia - Brevo Pricing 2026
Side by side
| Metric | Mailchimp | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| From $/mo | $13 | $9 |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Founded | 2001 | 2012 |
| Best for | solo & SMB | solo & SMB |
| Status | Live | Live |
ALL FIGURES = LOWEST PAID MONTHLY PLAN · STATUS & PRICE VERIFIED JUL 21, 2026
Where they differ
Price
Brevo is the cheaper entry at $9/mo, versus $13/mo for Mailchimp. Both prices are the lowest paid monthly plan, verified Jul 21, 2026.
Free access
Both Mailchimp and Brevo offer a permanent free tier - you can trial either at no cost. A permanent free tier lowers the risk of committing before you have validated the fit.
Track record
Mailchimp has been operating since 2001; Brevo since 2012. For a tool you build a business process on, a longer survival record matters.
Questions of record
Mailchimp or Brevo - which is better in 2026?
Is Mailchimp cheaper than Brevo?
Does Mailchimp or Brevo have a free tier?
Are Mailchimp and Brevo still maintained?
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