Mailchimp vs Brevo: Budget Email Marketing Done Right
The Quick Verdict
Brevo wins for budget-conscious businesses and anyone who needs transactional email. Its pricing model — based on sends, not contacts — is fundamentally better for most businesses. You get unlimited contacts, built-in transactional email, SMS marketing, and a CRM, all for less than Mailchimp charges for email alone.
Mailchimp has a more polished interface and stronger brand recognition. But if you’re spending real money on email marketing and want more for less, Brevo is the pragmatic choice.
Pricing Comparison
Based on 5,000 contacts / 20,000 emails per month as of March 2026:
| Feature | Mailchimp | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo | Unlimited contacts, 300 sends/day |
| Entry Paid | $75/mo (Standard) | $25/mo (Starter, 20K emails) |
| Mid-tier | $115/mo (Premium) | $65/mo (Business, 20K emails) |
| Contact Limits | Based on plan | Unlimited (all plans) |
| Transactional Email | Mandrill add-on ($$$) | Built-in (all plans) |
| SMS Marketing | No | Yes (pay-per-message) |
| CRM | Basic | Built-in (free) |
The pricing difference is stark. Brevo at $25/mo versus Mailchimp at $75/mo — for a business sending 20,000 emails to a 5,000-person list, that’s a $600/year savings with Brevo.
Feature Comparison
Pricing Model
This is the fundamental difference. Mailchimp charges you based on how many contacts you store. If you have 10,000 contacts but only email 2,000 of them regularly, you’re paying for all 10,000. Brevo charges based on emails sent. Store as many contacts as you want; you only pay when you press send.
For businesses with growing contact lists, Brevo’s model scales more predictably and affordably.
Edge: Brevo.
Transactional Email
Brevo handles both marketing and transactional email in one platform. Order confirmations, password resets, shipping updates — they all flow through the same system with the same tracking and reporting.
Mailchimp requires Mandrill, its separate transactional email service, which starts at $20/mo for 25,000 emails and requires its own setup. Running two separate systems adds cost and complexity.
Edge: Brevo, by a significant margin.
Email Builder
Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop editor is more polished, with better templates and a smoother design experience. Brevo’s editor is functional and has improved significantly since its Sendinblue days, but Mailchimp still feels more refined for visual campaigns.
Edge: Mailchimp.
Automation
Both platforms offer visual automation builders for common workflows. Brevo’s automation is surprisingly capable for its price point — welcome series, abandoned cart, lead scoring, and webhook triggers are all available on the Business plan. Mailchimp’s Customer Journeys are comparable in scope but cost more to access.
Edge: Tie. Both handle standard automation needs.
SMS Marketing
Brevo includes SMS marketing capabilities with pay-per-message pricing. You can combine email and SMS in the same automation workflows — send an email, wait two days, send an SMS follow-up to non-openers. Mailchimp doesn’t offer SMS at all.
Edge: Brevo (Mailchimp doesn’t compete here).
CRM
Brevo includes a basic CRM with deal pipeline management on all plans. It’s not HubSpot-level, but it covers contact tracking, deal stages, and task management. Mailchimp has audience profiles but no pipeline or deal tracking.
Edge: Brevo.
Ease of Use
Mailchimp is more intuitive for first-time email marketers. The onboarding process is smoother, and the interface feels more consumer-friendly. Brevo’s interface is clean but more utilitarian — it prioritizes function over flair.
Both platforms are learnable in a day. The difference is aesthetic preference, not difficulty.
Deliverability
Mailchimp has slightly better deliverability reputation, partly due to brand recognition and partly due to stricter enforcement on free-tier spammers. Brevo’s deliverability is good but requires attention to authentication setup — make sure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are properly configured.
Both platforms offer dedicated IP options on higher plans for senders who need maximum deliverability control.
Who Should Pick Mailchimp?
- Businesses that prioritize email design quality
- Teams that value the most polished user interface
- Organizations that only need marketing email (no transactional)
- Users who prefer brand-name platforms
Who Should Pick Brevo?
- Budget-conscious businesses at any list size
- Companies that need transactional and marketing email in one platform
- Businesses with large contact lists but moderate send volume
- Teams that want SMS + email in the same automation workflows
- Startups that want a built-in CRM without paying for a separate tool
Our Recommendation
Brevo is the better value for most businesses in 2026. The unlimited-contacts pricing model is fairer, the transactional email inclusion eliminates a separate tool, and the SMS capabilities add a channel that Mailchimp can’t match.
If you’re currently paying Mailchimp $75+/mo and not using any premium-exclusive features, switching to Brevo could cut your bill in half while gaining transactional email and SMS. The migration is straightforward — Brevo can import your Mailchimp contacts and templates.
Mailchimp is only the better pick if email design quality is your top priority and cost isn’t a concern. For everyone else, Brevo delivers more for less.
Read our full Brevo review for details on plan differences and transactional email setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brevo the same as Sendinblue?
Yes. Sendinblue rebranded to Brevo in 2023. The platform, features, and team are identical — just a new name. All existing Sendinblue accounts automatically became Brevo accounts.
How does Brevo's pricing model differ from Mailchimp?
Brevo charges based on the number of emails you send per month, not the number of contacts you store. You can have unlimited contacts on all plans, including free. Mailchimp charges based on contact count and limits sends. For businesses with large contact lists but moderate sending volume, Brevo is dramatically cheaper.
Can Brevo handle transactional emails?
Yes. Brevo includes transactional email (order confirmations, password resets, shipping notifications) on all plans, including free. Mailchimp requires a separate add-on called Mandrill for transactional email, which adds to your cost and complexity.