8 Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2026 (Free & Paid)
Devon Reyes
Devon covers SEO, growth and the SaaS economy. Ex-agency, now full-time analyst at Tolodora.
Mailchimp made email marketing mainstream, but its pricing has a reputation for climbing steeply as your list grows, and many users find its automation and value lacking compared to newer tools. Whether you're a creator, an online store, or a small business watching the budget, 2026 has excellent alternatives — several with more generous free plans and stronger automation. Here are eight worth knowing.
Comparing against the original?
See Mailchimp's profile, rating & reviews on Tolodora →
MailerLite
- Pricing
- 9.4/10
- Functionality
- 8.6/10
- Ease of use
- 9.2/10
- Support
- 8.6/10
What I like
Clean, easy, and a genuinely generous free plan with automation.
Best for
Small businesses and creators wanting simple, affordable email.
MailerLite is beloved for its clean interface, real automation even on free, and friendly pricing as you grow. For most small businesses and creators it does everything Mailchimp does, more simply and for less.
ConvertKit / Kit
- Pricing
- 8.2/10
- Functionality
- 8.8/10
- Ease of use
- 8.8/10
- Support
- 8.6/10
What I like
Built for creators, with powerful tagging, automation and monetization.
Best for
Creators, newsletter writers and course sellers.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is designed for creators monetising an audience, with subscriber tagging, visual automations, and built-in commerce. If your business is your audience, it's tailored to exactly that.
Brevo
- Pricing
- 9.2/10
- Functionality
- 8.8/10
- Ease of use
- 8.4/10
- Support
- 8.4/10
What I like
Email plus SMS and CRM, priced by sends rather than contacts.
Best for
Businesses with big lists who send infrequently.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) charges by emails sent rather than contacts stored, which is a huge saving for large lists. It bundles email, SMS, and a light CRM, making it a strong all-in-one for growing businesses.
Klaviyo
- Pricing
- 7.0/10
- Functionality
- 9.5/10
- Ease of use
- 8.0/10
- Support
- 8.6/10
What I like
Deep e-commerce data and automation that drives real revenue.
Best for
Online stores serious about email-driven sales.
Klaviyo is the e-commerce email powerhouse, with deep store integrations and data-driven automations that reliably lift revenue. It's pricier, but for online stores where email is a major sales channel, the ROI justifies it.
Beehiiv
- Pricing
- 8.4/10
- Functionality
- 8.8/10
- Ease of use
- 9.0/10
- Support
- 8.4/10
What I like
Built for newsletters, with growth and monetization tools baked in.
Best for
Newsletter publishers focused on growth and revenue.
Beehiiv is purpose-built for newsletters, with referral programs, ad network access, and growth tooling designed to turn a newsletter into a business. For serious newsletter publishers it's the specialist's choice.
EmailOctopus
- Pricing
- 9.6/10
- Functionality
- 7.8/10
- Ease of use
- 8.8/10
- Support
- 8.0/10
What I like
Simple, very affordable email with a solid free tier.
Best for
Budget-focused senders who want the basics done well.
EmailOctopus keeps things minimal and cheap — straightforward email campaigns and automations at one of the lowest prices around, with a usable free tier. For senders who want the essentials without paying for features they won't use, it's ideal.
ActiveCampaign
- Pricing
- 7.4/10
- Functionality
- 9.4/10
- Ease of use
- 8.0/10
- Support
- 8.6/10
What I like
Best-in-class automation and CRM for sophisticated campaigns.
Best for
Businesses that want advanced automation and sales features.
ActiveCampaign is the automation heavyweight, combining powerful email workflows with CRM and sales features. If your marketing needs sophisticated, behaviour-driven automation, it goes far beyond what Mailchimp offers.
Loops
- Pricing
- 8.2/10
- Functionality
- 8.4/10
- Ease of use
- 9.2/10
- Support
- 8.0/10
What I like
Modern, beautifully simple email built for SaaS and startups.
Best for
SaaS companies wanting clean transactional and marketing email.
Loops is a fresh, design-forward email tool aimed at SaaS and startups, blending marketing and transactional email in a clean, developer-friendly package. For modern software companies it's a refreshingly simple alternative.
The best Mailchimp alternative depends on who you are. A creator monetising an audience, an e-commerce store chasing revenue, or a small business wanting simple newsletters each have a different ideal pick. Be clear about your use case and your list size, then choose the tool whose pricing and features fit — you'll likely get more capability for less than Mailchimp charges.
Keep exploring
Building one of these alternatives?
List your tool on Tolodora and get discovered by buyers comparing options.
Launch Your Product
