Mailchimp vs Brevo: Which Is Better for Small Businesses? (2026)

Mailchimp and Brevo are the two email platforms small businesses compare most, and the choice comes down to one question: do you keep a large list, or do you email a small list often? Mailchimp charges by the contacts you store. Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, charges by the emails you send. That single difference decides which one is cheaper for you, so here is the full comparison: pricing, free plans, features, and a clear verdict.

Mailchimp vs Brevo at a Glance

• Pricing model: Brevo charges by monthly email volume; Mailchimp charges by contacts stored.
• Free plan: Brevo stores up to 100,000 contacts and sends 300 emails a day. Mailchimp’s free plan stores 250 contacts and allows 500 sends a month.
• Entry paid price: Brevo Starter from $9/month; Mailchimp Essentials from $13/month.
• Extra channels: Brevo includes SMS and a built-in CRM; Mailchimp’s SMS is a paid add-on.
• Transactional email: Included on every Brevo plan; on Mailchimp it needs a separate add-on.

Pricing: The Deciding Factor

Brevo’s paid plans start at $9/month for Starter (from 5,000 emails a month) and $18/month for Standard, with automation and A/B testing. Mailchimp’s Essentials starts at $13/month and Standard at $20/month at the 500-contact entry band, and both rise as your list grows.

The math flips depending on your list. At 5,000 contacts, Mailchimp’s Essentials runs around $75/month while Brevo can still sit on its $9 Starter plan if your monthly sends stay under 5,000. At 50,000 contacts, Mailchimp’s Essentials climbs to around $385/month, while Brevo’s volume pricing stays far lower for the same list emailed occasionally. But if you email a small list daily, Mailchimp’s contact-based pricing can come out ahead, because its send allowance grows with your contact tier. Before comparing a single price, write down two numbers: how many contacts you keep, and how many emails you send per month.

Prices change, so check the current pricing on each vendor’s own site before you commit — the figures here reflect pricing reported in October 2026 comparisons.

Free Plans: Not a Close Contest

Brevo’s free plan is far more generous: up to 100,000 contacts and 300 sends a day, with the Brevo logo on your emails. Mailchimp’s free plan, cut back in early 2026, stores just 250 contacts with 500 sends a month. For a new business testing email marketing, Brevo’s free plan can carry you much further before you pay anything.

Features Compared

Automation

Both tools handle welcome sequences, abandoned carts, and basic journeys. Mailchimp’s Standard and Premium plans allow up to 200 flows with more steps, while Brevo’s Standard plan offers unlimited-contact automation with A/B testing and send-time optimization. For most small businesses, both are enough; Mailchimp edges ahead only on very complex automation.

Templates and Editor

Mailchimp wins on polish. It has the larger template library and the friendlier drag-and-drop editor, plus personalized product recommendations on every plan and predictive segmentation from Standard up. Brevo’s editor is solid and improving, but Mailchimp still feels more refined.

Ecommerce

Mailchimp is the stronger ecommerce pick, with deeper store integrations and product recommendations built in. Brevo covers the basics well, but if your store runs on email revenue, Mailchimp’s ecommerce tooling earns its price.

SMS, CRM, and Transactional Email

This is where Brevo pulls ahead. SMS marketing is built in (credits extra), a CRM is included, and transactional emails — order confirmations, password resets — go out through the same account on every plan via API and SMTP. On Mailchimp, transactional email needs a separate add-on starting around $20 per block of 25,000 sends, and only on Standard or higher.

Ease of Use

Mailchimp is the easier tool to learn, with a cleaner interface and the largest app marketplace for integrations. Brevo’s interface is functional rather than beautiful, and its support is rated weaker than Mailchimp’s. If you want the friendliest experience and rarely need support, Mailchimp has the edge. If you are comfortable with a slightly plainer interface in exchange for lower bills, Brevo wins.

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose Brevo if: your list is large but you email modestly, you want SMS and a CRM in the same account, you need transactional email, or you want the most generous free plan.

Choose Mailchimp if: your list is small and you email often, you run an ecommerce store, you want the best templates and easiest editor, or you need complex automation and predictive segmentation.

If you are still comparing email platforms, the same logic applies to other pairings in this series. Our main comparison of Mailchimp vs ConvertKit looks at the creator-focused rival, our Mailchimp vs MailerLite guide covers the budget alternative, and our ConvertKit vs MailerLite comparison weighs the two creator favorites against each other.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brevo really cheaper than Mailchimp?

For large lists emailed occasionally, yes — often by a wide margin, because Brevo bills sends, not contacts. For small lists emailed very often, Mailchimp can be cheaper. It depends on your list size and send frequency.

Can I switch from Mailchimp to Brevo later?

Yes. Both tools let you export contacts and import them into the other. Expect to rebuild your templates and automations, so switching costs time even though the contacts move easily.

Does Brevo still go by Sendinblue?

No. Sendinblue rebranded as Brevo. If you see old Sendinblue references, they mean the same company and platform.

The Bottom Line

For most small businesses in 2026, Brevo is the better value: a far bigger free plan, send-based pricing that stays cheap as your list grows, and SMS, CRM, and transactional email included. Mailchimp remains the better pick for ecommerce stores and for anyone who values polish and the easiest editor above price. Count your contacts, count your sends, and the right choice becomes obvious.