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Mailchimp pricing in 2026: cost by contact tier

Updated Data checked September 29–30, 2026Compiled by the Which Email Tool editorial teamSources ↓

How much does Mailchimp cost in 2026?

Mailchimp sells three paid plans, each priced by contact tier: the more contacts in your audience, the higher the monthly price.

Mailchimp paid plans, regular price per month with monthly billing, before tax. A list size between two tiers is priced at the tier that contains it. Checked on the official pricing page, September 30, 2026.
ContactsEssentialsStandardPremium
500$13$20$350
1,000$26.50$45$350
2,500$45$60$350
5,000$75$100$350
10,000$110$135$350
25,000$270$310$620
50,000$385$450$815
Emails a month10× the contact limit12× the contact limit15× the contact limit
Plan stops at50,000 contacts100,000 contacts200,000 contacts

These are regular prices. The 1,000 row uses the 501–1,500 tier.From the 10,000-contact tier up, the pricing page leads with a 15% discount for the first 12 months: $93.50 on Essentials and $114.75 on Standard at 10,000 contacts.Premium’s starting price already covers 10,000 contacts, so it is the same at every smaller list size.Listed prices do not include sales tax or other transaction taxes.

Automation is the main difference between the plans besides price: flows of up to 4 steps on Essentials, up to 200 flows on Standard and Premium, none on Free.

Mailchimp pricing for 5,000 contacts

At 5,000 contacts Essentials costs $75 a month, Standard $100 and Premium $350. The monthly send limit is 10 times the contact limit on Essentials, 12 times on Standard and 15 times on Premium. On Essentials that is about two emails a week to every contact. Each email to one contact is one send, and test and transactional emails count toward the monthly limit.

Here is where Essentials sits among the eleven tools in our data that price by list size. At 5,000 and at 10,000 contacts five cost less and five cost more.

Monthly price at 5,000 subscribers
  1. Moosend$48
  2. MailerLite$4910× contacts per month
  3. SendPulse$52
  4. GetResponse$54
  5. AWeber$6010× subscribers per month
  6. Mailchimp$7510× contacts per month
  7. Constant Contact$8010× contacts per month
  8. Omnisend$8112× contacts per month
  9. Kit$89
  10. ActiveCampaign$9910× contacts per month
  11. Klaviyo$10010× profiles per month

Cheapest paid plan, monthly billing, US dollars. Highlighted: the lowest price with unlimited emails. Brevo is priced by emails sent, not by list size, and is not ranked here. Checked on official pricing pages, September 29–30, 2026.

Mailchimp compared at every list size

The table puts Essentials next to the five tools in our data that cost less at 5,000 and 10,000 contacts, and Kit, which costs more up to 10,000.

Cheapest paid plan of each tool, regular price per month with monthly billing. The lowest price in each row is marked. Checked on official pricing pages, September 29–30, 2026.
List sizeMailchimpEssentialsMoosendProMailerLiteComfortSendPulseStandardGetResponseStarterAWeberLiteKitCreator
500 subscribers$13$9$12$12$191,000 tier$15$391,000 tier
1,000 subscribers$26.50$16$19$18$19$25$39
2,500 subscribers$45$32$33$38$29$35$59
5,000 subscribers$75$48$49$52$54$60$89
10,000 subscribers$110$88$89$78$79$100$139
25,000 subscribers$270$160$179$159$174$210$199
50,000 subscribers$385$315$319$281$299$375$379
Emails included10× contacts per monthunlimited emails10× contacts per monthunlimited emailsunlimited emails10× subscribers per monthunlimited emails

Moosend, MailerLite and SendPulse cost less than Essentials at every list size. GetResponse and AWeber cost more at 500 contacts and less from 1,000 up. The lowest price of the group is Moosend’s at 500, 1,000 and 5,000, GetResponse’s at 2,500 and SendPulse’s from 10,000.

How Mailchimp counts contacts for billing

Subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts all count toward the contact limit; archived, cleaned and deleted contacts do not.The limit is measured at the highest number of contacts stored at any point in the billing cycle, and the bill reflects that peak.

On paid plans, going over the contact limit or the send limit does not interrupt sending; an additional charge appears on the monthly bill.After a temporary rise, the lower contact total has to be kept for a full billing cycle to avoid further charges, and a downgrade takes effect at the start of the next cycle.

In practice: archive contacts when they unsubscribe, not at the end of the cycle. Archiving alone does not change the plan. Once the total has stayed down for a full cycle, lower the contact tier on the billing page yourself.

Why a Mailchimp bill goes up

  1. The contact total passed the limit. A charge is added for the extra contacts; it stops once you raise the tier or bring the total down and keep it there.
  2. Unsubscribed contacts stayed in the audience. They count until archived.
  3. A first-year discount ended. On larger tiers the pricing page leads with a discounted price for the first 12 months; the regular price follows.
  4. You sent more than the plan includes. Sends over the monthly allowance are charged too.

Mailchimp free plan limits

Mailchimp’s free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month: two emails a month to a full list, enough for trying the editor and not for a weekly newsletter. The Free plan has a daily cap of 250 sends, no email scheduling, a limited template selection, one seat and one audience, email support for the first 30 days, and the Mailchimp badge stays on emails. On the Free plan, going over the contact or send limit pauses sending until you upgrade or reduce the contact total.

Free plan limits as published by each vendor. Checked September 30, 2026.
ToolSubscriber limitEmailsVendor branding in emailsNotes
Mailchimp250500 / monthYesalso capped at 250 sends a day
SendPulse50015,000 / monthYes5 automation flows, 3 sender addresses
MailerLite2502,500 / monthYes
Brevo100,000300 / dayYesunused daily sends do not roll over
Kit10,000UnlimitedYes

Other ways Mailchimp charges

  • Credits instead of a plan. Pay As You Go replaces the monthly fee with prepaid credits, one per email, that expire after 12 months; credit prices are shown only inside the account.
  • Nonprofits. Mailchimp’s pricing page says nonprofits and charities can request a 15% discount.
  • Add-ons. Transactional email is a paid add-on to Standard and Premium, and SMS is sold on paid plans in select markets.

Is Mailchimp worth the price?

It can be. Mailchimp’s pricing table lists 300+ integrations on every plan. If your store, CRM or booking tool connects only to Mailchimp, that connection is what the extra money pays for.

If you mostly send campaigns and a few automations, the same list costs less elsewhere. Which tool is lowest depends on the size of the list.

Moosend

Lowest of the group up to 5,000 contacts
At 1,000 subscribers
$16/moPro
At 5,000 subscribers
$48/moPro
At 10,000 subscribers
$88/moPro
Emails on Pro
unlimited emails
Free plan
No free plan

Moosend costs less than Mailchimp Essentials at every list size and does not cap sends. It is email only, and there is a trial instead of a free plan.

Strong points

  • Low entry price with no send cap
  • Prepaid email credits that do not expire are sold as well

Limits

  • No free plan
  • No SMS or messenger channels listed

Moosend pricing page ↗

SendPulse

Lowest of the group from 10,000 contacts
At 1,000 subscribers
$18/moStandard
At 5,000 subscribers
$52/moStandard
At 10,000 subscribers
$78/moStandard
Emails on Standard
unlimited emails
Free plan
500 contacts, 15,000 emails/month

SendPulse also costs less than Mailchimp Essentials at every list size and does not limit emails on the paid plan. SMS and messenger chatbots are available in the same account: SMS is billed per message, and chatbots beyond the free allowance are a separate plan. Check that it has the integrations you use before moving.

Strong points

  • Email, SMS and chatbots for WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and Messenger run from one account
  • Standard plan includes unlimited emails at every list size
  • Separate free tiers for SMTP, chatbots and the course builder

Limits

  • Free plan stops at 500 subscribers and keeps SendPulse branding in emails
  • Pay-as-you-go email credits expire after 12 months
  • SMS is billed per message on top of the plan; none is bundled
  • Chatbots beyond the free allowance are a separate paid plan
  • A dedicated IP is listed only for the SMTP Pro and Enterprise plans

SendPulse pricing page ↗

GetResponse

Lowest of the group at 2,500 contacts
At 1,000 subscribers
$19/moStarter
At 5,000 subscribers
$54/moStarter
At 10,000 subscribers
$79/moStarter
Emails on Starter
unlimited emails
Free plan
500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month

GetResponse Starter costs less than Essentials from 1,000 contacts up and does not cap sends. The Starter plan includes one custom automation workflow.

Strong points

  • Course creator and webinars alongside email
  • Unlimited sends on the Starter plan

Limits

  • SMS and transactional email need the Enterprise plan
  • No messenger chatbots listed

GetResponse pricing page ↗

MailerLite

Same send allowance, lower price
At 1,000 subscribers
$19/moComfort
At 5,000 subscribers
$49/moComfort
At 10,000 subscribers
$89/moComfort
Emails on Comfort
10× contacts per month
Free plan
250 contacts, 2,500 emails/month

MailerLite Comfort gives the same send allowance as Essentials at a lower price at every list size. It is email only.

Strong points

  • Email-only product with a free plan
  • Low entry price at small list sizes

Limits

  • Free plan is limited to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month
  • No marketing SMS or messenger chatbots listed
  • Comfort plan caps sends at 10× contacts; unlimited sending needs the Power plan

MailerLite pricing page ↗

Which one to choose

  • MailchimpYou rely on an integration that exists only for Mailchimp, or your list is small enough that the difference is a few dollars.
  • MoosendYou need email only, no send cap, and the lowest price here for a list of a few thousand.
  • SendPulseYour list is 10,000 or more and you mail it often, or you want SMS or chatbots available later.
  • GetResponseYou want unlimited emails at a price close to the lowest at most list sizes.
  • MailerLiteYou want the same send allowance as Essentials at a lower price.
  • BrevoYou have many contacts but mail them rarely; check the contact allowance of the tier you land on.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Mailchimp cost per month?

Essentials, the cheapest paid plan: $13 at 500 contacts, $26.50 at 1,000, $75 at 5,000 and $110 at 10,000, billed monthly and before tax. Standard is $20, $45, $100 and $135 at the same sizes. Premium starts at $350, which already covers 10,000 contacts. The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month.

How much is Mailchimp for 5,000 contacts?

Essentials is $75 a month, Standard $100 and Premium $350, with monthly sends limited to 10, 12 and 15 times the contact limit. At the same list size Moosend is $48, MailerLite $49 and SendPulse $52.

Why did my Mailchimp bill go up?

Four causes are documented on Mailchimp's own pages. The contact total passed the plan's limit at some point in the billing cycle, which adds a charge. Unsubscribed contacts that were never archived pushed the count up. A first-year discount on a larger tier ended. Or you sent more than the plan's monthly allowance.

How does Mailchimp count contacts for billing?

Subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts all count; archived, cleaned and deleted contacts do not. The limit is measured at the highest count at any point in the billing cycle, so archiving at the end of the month does not undo an overage.

Is the Mailchimp free plan worth it?

Only for a very small list. It covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, which is two emails a month to a full list, with no scheduling. Among the free plans compared here, Kit covers 10,000 contacts and unlimited emails, SendPulse 500 contacts and 15,000 emails a month, MailerLite 250 contacts and 2,500 emails a month and Brevo 100,000 contacts and 300 emails a day.

Sources

Every price and limit on this page comes from the vendor’s own public pages. How we choose and check.

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