7 Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 24 min read
Mailchimp is a popular tool for small businesses getting started with email marketing. While it offers a free tier (500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo), its paid plans start at $13/mo. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 7 best Mailchimp alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 7
- Free alternatives: 7 (ConvertKit (Kit), Beehiiv, Brevo (Sendinblue))
- Open-source options: Listmonk
- Best overall: ConvertKit (Kit)
- Best free: ConvertKit (Kit)
Why Look for Mailchimp Alternatives?
People commonly look for Mailchimp alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Mailchimp has a free tier, its paid plans starting at $13/mo can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Gets expensive fast and limited free plan now are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Mailchimp overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Data ownership: Organizations wanting data sovereignty prefer open-source, self-hosted alternatives.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | ✓ 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo | $13/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | No | Small businesses getting started with email marketing |
| ConvertKit (Kit) | ✓ Up to 10,000 subscribers | $25/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Content creators and newsletter writers |
| Beehiiv | ✓ Up to 2,500 subscribers | $39/mo | ⭐ 4.5 | No | Newsletter creators focused on growth |
| Brevo (Sendinblue) | ✓ 300 emails/day | $25/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | No | Businesses wanting multichannel marketing on a budget |
| MailerLite | ✓ Up to 1,000 subscribers | $9/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Small businesses wanting affordable email marketing |
| Buttondown | ✓ Up to 100 subscribers | $9/mo | ⭐ 4.3 | No | Technical writers and developers |
| Listmonk | ✓ Free (self-hosted) | Free | ⭐ 4.3 | ✓ Yes | Developers wanting self-hosted email marketing |
| EmailOctopus | ✓ Up to 2,500 subscribers | $8/mo | ⭐ 4.2 | No | Budget-conscious businesses |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
ConvertKit (Kit)
Email marketing platform designed for creators.
ConvertKit (now rebranding to Kit) is an email marketing platform built specifically for creators — bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and course creators. It focuses on subscriber-first email marketing with powerful automation, tagging, and landing pages designed to help creators grow their audience and revenue.
Pros
- ✓ Built for creators
- ✓ Generous free tier
- ✓ Great automations
- ✓ Creator Network
Cons
- ✗ Limited design options
- ✗ Basic analytics
- ✗ No A/B testing on free
- ✗ Higher pricing at scale
Beehiiv
Newsletter platform built for growth.
Beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built by early Morning Brew team members. It focuses on helping newsletter creators grow their audience with built-in referral programs, monetization tools, and a recommendation network. Beehiiv has quickly become the go-to platform for newsletter-first businesses.
Pros
- ✓ Built for newsletters
- ✓ Growth tools included
- ✓ Monetization options
- ✓ Modern interface
Cons
- ✗ Limited to newsletters
- ✗ Can get expensive
- ✗ Newer platform
- ✗ Limited automation
Brevo (Sendinblue)
All-in-one marketing platform for email, SMS, and chat.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is an all-in-one marketing platform offering email marketing, SMS marketing, chat, CRM, and marketing automation. Known for its competitive pricing based on emails sent rather than contacts stored, Brevo is popular among businesses wanting multichannel marketing without breaking the bank.
Pros
- ✓ Multichannel marketing
- ✓ Pay by emails not contacts
- ✓ Good free tier
- ✓ Transactional email included
Cons
- ✗ Interface can be clunky
- ✗ Limited templates
- ✗ Basic landing pages
- ✗ Support can be slow
MailerLite
Email marketing tool with a generous free plan and simple interface.
MailerLite is an email marketing platform known for its simplicity, generous free plan, and excellent deliverability. It offers everything small businesses need — email campaigns, automations, landing pages, and a website builder — at a fraction of the cost of competitors.
Pros
- ✓ Great free plan
- ✓ Simple interface
- ✓ Affordable pricing
- ✓ Good deliverability
Cons
- ✗ Limited advanced features
- ✗ Basic automation
- ✗ Approval process for new accounts
- ✗ Limited integrations
Buttondown
Minimal newsletter tool for independent writers.
Buttondown is a small, elegant tool for producing newsletters. Built and maintained by a single developer, it focuses on doing email newsletters well without bloat. It supports Markdown, has a clean API, and offers features like automation and analytics without the complexity of larger platforms.
Pros
- ✓ Simple and clean
- ✓ Markdown support
- ✓ Indie-built
- ✓ Great API
Cons
- ✗ Limited free tier
- ✗ Basic templates
- ✗ Small team
- ✗ Limited design options
Listmonk
Self-hosted, open-source newsletter and mailing list manager.
Listmonk is a high-performance, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager. It's completely free and open source, capable of handling millions of subscribers with a single binary. Built in Go, it's lightweight and fast, making it perfect for developers and organizations wanting complete control over their email marketing.
Pros
- ✓ Completely free
- ✓ Self-hosted
- ✓ High performance
- ✓ Open source
Cons
- ✗ Requires hosting
- ✗ Technical setup
- ✗ No visual builder
- ✗ Limited support
EmailOctopus
Simple, affordable email marketing for growing businesses.
EmailOctopus is a budget-friendly email marketing platform that offers all the essential features at a fraction of the cost of competitors. It provides a clean interface, automation capabilities, and landing pages, making it ideal for startups and small businesses watching their budget.
Pros
- ✓ Very affordable
- ✓ Good free tier
- ✓ Simple interface
- ✓ Great deliverability
Cons
- ✗ Limited advanced features
- ✗ Basic automation
- ✗ Fewer integrations
- ✗ Limited reporting
🏆 Our Recommendations
Best Overall Alternative:
ConvertKit (Kit) — Content creators and newsletter writers
Best Free Alternative:
ConvertKit (Kit) — Up to 10,000 subscribers
Best Open-Source Alternative:
Listmonk — Developers wanting self-hosted email marketing
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Mailchimp?
The best free alternative to Mailchimp is ConvertKit (Kit), which offers Up to 10,000 subscribers.
Is there an open-source alternative to Mailchimp?
Yes! Listmonk is open-source alternative to Mailchimp that you can self-host for free.
What is the cheapest alternative to Mailchimp?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: ConvertKit (Kit), Beehiiv, Brevo (Sendinblue). For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $8/mo.
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