- If your sales team works in a CRM, an email tool that's part of it usually beats a standalone one.
- For newsletters and simple automations, lighter tools cost less and are quicker to learn.
- Check how each platform counts contacts and sends before comparing prices; they differ a lot.
- Deliverability depends more on your domain set-up and list hygiene than on the platform.
Why look for Mailchimp alternatives?
Mailchimp is still one of the best-known email platforms, and for many businesses it works fine. Teams usually start looking for Mailchimp alternatives for one of four reasons:
- Price: costs rise as your contact list grows, and plans and limits have changed several times over the years.
- CRM fit: sales enquiries live in a CRM, and keeping two contact lists in sync is a chore.
- B2B needs: lead scoring, sales notifications and longer nurture sequences matter more than ecommerce features.
- Simplicity: for a monthly newsletter and a welcome sequence, a lighter tool may be easier.
Before comparing platforms, decide which of those matters most to you. It narrows the field quickly.
The main Mailchimp alternatives compared
Plans, prices and limits change often, so check each provider's pricing page before you decide. This comparison focuses on what each platform is best at.
| Platform | Best for | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot (Marketing Hub) | Teams already using, or planning to use, HubSpot CRM | Email, forms, CRM and reporting in one place; free tools to start | Costs rise quickly at higher tiers and contact counts |
| Brevo | Budget-conscious teams that send to large lists | Pricing based on emails sent rather than contacts; email, SMS and basic CRM | Fewer advanced B2B reporting features |
| MailerLite | Newsletters and simple automations | Clean editor, landing pages and forms; quick to learn | Lighter on CRM and sales features |
| ActiveCampaign | Detailed automation and lead scoring | Powerful automation builder, lead scoring, CRM add-on | Takes time to set up well |
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | Newsletter-led content marketing | Simple tagging, newsletter-first design | Built for creators more than sales teams |
| Mailjet | Teams that need transactional and marketing email together | Collaboration features, transactional email | Automation is more basic |
| Zoho Campaigns | Businesses already using Zoho CRM | Tight Zoho integration, low cost | Best value only inside the Zoho suite |
| Campaign Monitor | Design-led newsletters | Strong templates and editor | Fewer CRM and sales features |
How to choose the best email marketing platform
Work through these questions in order. The first one usually decides it.
1. Where do your contacts and sales live?
If your sales team works in a CRM, start with the email tool that's part of it, or integrates with it properly. HubSpot users rarely do better than HubSpot's own email; Zoho users are usually best with Zoho Campaigns. Two separate contact lists always drift apart.
2. What will you actually send?
| If you mainly send… | Look at |
|---|---|
| A monthly newsletter and occasional announcements | MailerLite, Kit, Campaign Monitor |
| Lead nurture sequences and sales follow-up | HubSpot, ActiveCampaign |
| Large volumes to a big list on a budget | Brevo |
| Marketing plus transactional emails (receipts, notifications) | Mailjet, Brevo |
3. How is it priced?
Some platforms charge by number of contacts, others by emails sent, and some count unsubscribed or duplicate contacts. A tool that looks cheap at 2,000 contacts can be expensive at 10,000. Work out your cost at today's list size and at double it.
4. Does it connect to your website?
Check that it connects to your website platform (such as WordPress or Webflow) and your forms, so new enquiries and subscribers flow in without manual exports.
Deliverability matters more than the platform
Whichever tool you choose, whether your emails reach the inbox depends mostly on things you control:
- Authenticate your domain. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC for the domain you send from. Google and Yahoo have required this for bulk senders since 2024, and every major platform walks you through it.
- Send from your own domain, not a free address such as Gmail.
- Only email people who opted in, and make unsubscribing easy.
- Clean your list. Remove addresses that bounce or haven't opened in a long time.
How to switch from Mailchimp
- Export your audience, including tags, groups and unsubscribed contacts, so you don't email people who opted out.
- Rebuild your key automations, such as welcome emails, in the new tool before you switch off the old one.
- Authenticate your domain in the new platform.
- Update your website forms to send sign-ups to the new tool.
- Warm up gradually. Send to your most engaged contacts first, then the rest of the list.
- Keep the old account for a month in case you need to check past data.
Questions
What is the best alternative to Mailchimp?
It depends on how you work. HubSpot suits teams that want email and CRM together, Brevo suits large lists on a budget, MailerLite suits simple newsletters, and ActiveCampaign suits detailed automation.
What is the best email marketing platform for a small B2B business?
For most small B2B teams, the best choice is the one that works with the CRM your sales team uses. If you don't have a CRM yet, HubSpot's free tools are a common starting point.
Is there a free alternative to Mailchimp?
Several platforms, including HubSpot, Brevo and MailerLite, have offered free plans with limits on contacts or sends. Check current limits on each provider's pricing page, as they change.
Will switching email platforms affect deliverability?
It can briefly, while the new platform builds a sending history for your domain. Authenticate your domain, send to engaged contacts first and increase volume gradually.
Do I need SPF, DKIM and DMARC?
Yes, if you send marketing email. Google and Yahoo require authentication for bulk senders, and without it your emails are far more likely to land in spam.
Every guide is checked against the platform it describes before it’s published, and re-checked when the platform changes.