Mailchimp is great for businesses needing robust automation and integrations, while MailerLite excels with its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing for growing businesses.

Mailchimp vs MailerLite: The Ultimate Comparison for Beginners

Choosing the right email marketing tool can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re just starting out. Mailchimp and MailerLite are two popular names that often pop up, and it’s easy to get lost in their feature lists and pricing plans. But don’t worry! I’m Jaber Ahmed, your go-to coach for making email marketing simple and effective. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about Mailchimp vs MailerLite, so you can pick the perfect platform for your business without the confusion. Let’s dive in and see which one is the best fit for you!

What is Mailchimp?

Mailchimp started as a simple email service provider, but it has grown into a full-fledged marketing platform. Think of it as an all-in-one toolkit for small businesses. Beyond sending emails, Mailchimp offers tools for creating websites, social media posts, landing pages, and even managing ad campaigns. It’s known for its powerful automation features, allowing you to send targeted emails based on customer behavior. While it can handle complex strategies, it also offers a user-friendly experience for beginners, especially with its free plan, making it a go-to for many small businesses.

What is MailerLite?

MailerLite is another fantastic email marketing service, often praised for its simplicity and affordability. It focuses on making email marketing easy and accessible for everyone, from solopreneurs to growing businesses. MailerLite provides essential tools for creating and sending professional-looking emails, managing subscriber lists, and building landing pages. It’s particularly loved for its clean interface and straightforward automation capabilities, which are powerful enough for most small to medium-sized businesses without being overly complicated. MailerLite’s commitment to affordability makes it a strong contender for those on a budget.

Key Differences at a Glance

Here’s a quick look at how Mailchimp and MailerLite stack up:

• Mailchimp: Offers a wider range of marketing tools beyond email, more advanced automation, and extensive integrations. Can become more expensive as your list grows.
• MailerLite: Focuses on core email marketing features with a very intuitive interface. Generally more affordable, especially for users with larger lists.

Features Comparison: Mailchimp vs MailerLite

When choosing between Mailchimp and MailerLite, it’s helpful to see how their features compare side-by-side. Both platforms offer core functionalities like email creation, list management, and basic automation, but they differ in depth and breadth.

Feature	Mailchimp	MailerLite
Email Builder	Drag-and-drop editor, pre-designed templates, custom HTML. Offers more advanced design options.	User-friendly drag-and-drop editor, clean templates. Very intuitive for beginners.
Automation	Advanced visual automation builder, behavioral triggers, abandoned cart sequences, customer journey mapping.	Visual automation builder, good range of triggers (e.g., subscribe, form submission), suitable for common workflows.
Landing Pages	Built-in landing page builder with templates.	Integrated landing page builder with good design options.
Forms	Customizable signup forms and pop-ups.	Simple and customizable signup forms and pop-ups.
Segmentation	Robust segmentation based on various data points, including purchase history and engagement.	Good segmentation options based on subscriber data and activity.
Integrations	Extensive integrations with many third-party apps (e.g., e-commerce, CRM, social media).	Good selection of popular integrations, growing over time.
A/B Testing	Available for subject lines, content, and send times.	Available for subject lines and sender names.
Reporting & Analytics	Detailed reports on campaign performance, audience engagement, and growth.	Clear and easy-to-understand reports on campaign metrics.
Deliverability	Generally good deliverability rates.	Consistently good deliverability rates, often highlighted by users.
Website Builder	Yes, includes a website builder.	No, focuses purely on email marketing and related tools.

In more detail: Mailchimp shines with its advanced automation capabilities. You can create complex customer journeys with multiple branches and triggers. Its integration library is also vast, connecting with almost any tool you might be using. MailerLite, on the other hand, simplifies these features. Its automation is powerful enough for most common tasks like welcome sequences or post-purchase follow-ups, and its drag-and-drop editor is incredibly intuitive, making campaign creation a breeze even for those with no design experience.

Pricing Comparison: Mailchimp vs MailerLite

Pricing is a crucial factor for many small businesses. Both Mailchimp and MailerLite offer free plans, but their paid plans differ significantly as your subscriber list grows. It’s important to look at the value you get at each tier.

Plan Tier	Mailchimp (Approximate Pricing for 1,000 contacts)	MailerLite (Approximate Pricing for 1,000 contacts)
Free Plan	Up to 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/month, 1-step automations, basic templates.	Up to 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, drag-and-drop editor, automation, forms, landing pages.
Essentials (Paid Tier)	Starts around $13/month. Includes 500 contacts, 500 sends/month, 2-step automations, A/B testing, custom branding.	Starts around $10/month. Includes 1,000 subscribers, unlimited emails, advanced automation, website builder, surveys.
Standard (Paid Tier)	Starts around $20/month. Includes 500 contacts, 1,500 sends/month, advanced automation, segmentation, behavioral targeting.	Starts around $20/month. Includes 2,500 subscribers, advanced automation, A/B testing, pop-up forms, surveys.
Premium (Paid Tier)	Starts around $300+/month. Includes advanced features, multi-user access, dedicated support.	Starts around $50/month. Includes 5,000 subscribers, all features, segmentation, surveys, A/B testing, premium support.

Note: Pricing can change and is often based on the number of contacts. Always check the official Mailchimp pricing page and MailerLite pricing page for the most current information.

Understanding the Cost: Mailchimp’s free plan is quite limited in terms of contacts. As you grow, its pricing can escalate quickly, especially if you need more advanced features or a larger contact list. MailerLite’s free plan is generally more generous, offering more contacts and features. Their paid plans are also often more budget-friendly, particularly as your subscriber count increases. For example, at the 1,000-contact mark, MailerLite is typically cheaper than Mailchimp while offering more features in its entry-level paid tiers.

Ease of Use & Customer Support

For beginners, ease of use is paramount. Mailchimp has a clean interface, but with its vast array of features, it can sometimes feel a bit complex. However, they offer a wealth of tutorials and a comprehensive knowledge base. Their customer support is available via email and live chat on paid plans, and they have a 24/7 support option for higher tiers.

MailerLite is widely celebrated for its user-friendliness. The interface is intuitive and uncluttered, making it easy to navigate and find what you need. This simplicity extends to its email builder and automation setup. MailerLite offers customer support via email and live chat, and their support team is known for being responsive and helpful, even for users on their free plan, which is a significant advantage.

Pros & Cons of Mailchimp

Pros:

• All-in-One Marketing Platform: Offers tools for email, websites, landing pages, social media, and ads.
• Powerful Automation: Advanced visual automation builder for complex customer journeys.
• Extensive Integrations: Connects with a vast number of third-party applications.
• Robust Analytics: Detailed reporting to track campaign performance.
• Strong Brand Recognition: A well-established and trusted name in email marketing.

Cons:

• Can Be Expensive: Pricing can increase significantly as your list grows or you need more features.
• Steeper Learning Curve: More features can sometimes mean more complexity for beginners.
• Free Plan Limitations: The free plan is quite restricted in terms of contacts and features.
• Less Generous Free Plan: Compared to some competitors, the free tier is less feature-rich.

Pros & Cons of MailerLite

Pros:

• Very User-Friendly: Intuitive interface, easy to learn and use.
• Affordable Pricing: Excellent value, especially for growing businesses and larger lists.
• Generous Free Plan: Offers more contacts and features on its free tier compared to Mailchimp.
• Effective Automation: Powerful yet simple automation builder for common marketing tasks.
• Excellent Customer Support: Responsive and helpful support, even for free users.

Cons:

• Fewer Advanced Features: May lack some of the highly specialized or complex automation options found in Mailchimp.
• Smaller Integration Library: While growing, it doesn’t offer the sheer number of integrations as Mailchimp.
• No Website Builder: Focuses solely on email marketing and related tools, not a full website solution.

Which One Should You Choose?

The best tool for you depends on your specific needs and goals. Here’s a breakdown to help you decide:

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You need a comprehensive marketing suite beyond just email marketing.
• You require highly advanced automation and segmentation based on complex customer behavior.
• You heavily rely on integrations with a wide variety of other software.
• Your budget allows for potential cost increases as your business scales.
• You are comfortable with a slightly steeper learning curve for more powerful tools.

Choose MailerLite if:

• You are a beginner looking for an easy-to-use and intuitive platform.
• Affordability is a top priority, especially as your email list grows.
• You need solid email marketing features, including good automation and landing pages, without unnecessary complexity.
• You value excellent customer support and a clean user interface.
• Your focus is primarily on email marketing and you don’t need a built-in website builder.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is Mailchimp free?

Yes, Mailchimp offers a free plan. It allows up to 500 contacts and 1,000 email sends per month, with basic features like a drag-and-drop editor and 1-step automations. However, the free plan has significant limitations compared to its paid tiers.

Does MailerLite support automation?

Yes, MailerLite offers robust automation features. Its visual automation builder allows you to create workflows based on subscriber actions, such as subscribing to a list, clicking a link, or visiting a specific page. This is available even on its free plan.

Which is better for small businesses?

For most small businesses just starting out, MailerLite is often a better choice due to its ease of use, affordability, and generous free plan. Mailchimp can be a good option for small businesses that anticipate needing advanced features early on or require a broader marketing ecosystem.

Can I switch from Mailchimp to MailerLite?

Absolutely! Switching is straightforward. You can export your subscriber list from Mailchimp and import it into MailerLite. Most email marketing platforms allow you to easily transfer your contacts, and MailerLite provides guides to help with this process.

What is the main difference in their pricing?

The main difference lies in how their pricing scales. MailerLite is generally more affordable, especially for larger lists, and offers more features on its free and lower-tier paid plans. Mailchimp’s pricing can become significantly higher as your contact list grows or you require access to its more advanced features.

Which has a better email builder?

Both offer drag-and-drop email builders. MailerLite’s builder is often praised for its simplicity and ease of use, making it ideal for beginners. Mailchimp’s builder is also user-friendly but offers more advanced design options and customization, which might appeal to those with specific design needs.

Is MailerLite’s free plan good enough to start?

Yes, MailerLite’s free plan is excellent for beginners and small businesses. It offers up to 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails per month, a drag-and-drop editor, automation, landing pages, and forms. This is more than enough to get your email marketing efforts off the ground.

Conclusion: Mailchimp vs MailerLite – Your Best Choice

When comparing Mailchimp and MailerLite, it’s clear that both are capable email marketing platforms, but they cater to slightly different needs.

Choose Mailchimp if: Your business is already growing rapidly, you need to integrate with a very wide array of other tools, and you anticipate needing advanced automation and a broad marketing ecosystem. Mailchimp is a powerful, all-in-one solution for those who can leverage its extensive capabilities and have the budget to match.

Choose MailerLite if: You’re prioritizing ease of use, affordability, and a straightforward yet effective email marketing experience. It’s a fantastic choice for beginners, solopreneurs, and small businesses that want powerful tools without the complexity or high cost. Its generous free plan and user-friendly interface make it incredibly accessible.

My best advice? Don’t be afraid to test them out! Both platforms offer free plans or trials. Sign up for both, play around with their interfaces, create a test email, and see which one feels more natural and intuitive for you. Your confidence in using the tool will directly impact your success with email marketing. Happy emailing!