Mailchimp alternatives for small business: seven options compared

Why small businesses look for Mailchimp alternatives#

Most shops start comparing when the list grows or the bill changes. Mailchimp’s Free plan now covers 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a daily limit of 250 ^S2. If a Free account goes over 250 contacts, Mailchimp holds live and test sends until you upgrade or reduce the list ^S2.

How contacts are counted matters as much as the price. Mailchimp includes subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts in your contact count; archived, cleaned and deleted contacts do not count ^S2. On paid plans, going over your contact or sending limit is billed automatically as an overage ^S1. Essentials starts at $13 a month and Standard at $20 a month, each after a 14-day free trial that asks for payment details ^S1.

None of this makes Mailchimp a poor choice. It is a mature tool with a visual editor, forms and a large integration directory. But a small shop with a growing list, few campaigns a month and no one to manage a dashboard often wants a different balance of price, features and effort. Our Tellnod vs Mailchimp page covers that comparison in more detail.

The alternatives at a glance#

Free plan limits below come from each product’s official pricing page, checked on October 22, 2026. They change often, so confirm them before you move.

Prices in US dollars, before tax. Entry prices are the lowest tier each page lists and rise with list size.

Which alternative fits which kind of business#

Klaviyo and Omnisend: automation-first e-commerce

Both are built around store data. Klaviyo’s free plan lets you build automations, segments and reports within its limits ^S4. Omnisend says its free plan includes the features of its paid plans, with limits on contacts and emails, and requires the “Powered by Omnisend” badge ^S9. Choose one of these if a welcome series and cart reminders already earn a real share of your orders. For more on this route, see Klaviyo alternatives for small shops.

Brevo and MailerLite: low-cost all-rounders

Brevo caps its free plan by daily sends rather than list size ^S5, which suits a large list that hears from you rarely. Removing the “Sent with Brevo” footer is a paid feature, and multi-step automation sits in its Standard plan ^S5. MailerLite’s free plan includes three active automations and two seats, and sending is locked if active subscribers pass 250 ^S6. See Tellnod vs Brevo for a closer look at Brevo.

Kit: newsletter first

Kit’s free plan is generous on subscribers and includes unlimited broadcasts, but its visual automation builder and sequences are paid features, and Kit branding stays on free emails ^S7. It fits a brand that publishes a regular newsletter more than one that runs promotions.

Shopify Email: if you already sell on Shopify

Eligible Shopify plans include 10,000 emails at the start of every month, and automation emails count toward that allowance, except abandoned checkout automations ^S8. It keeps everything in the Shopify admin. Our guide to email marketing for Shopify stores compares it with the other routes.

Dashboard or AI chat: two ways to run email#

The bigger difference between these tools today is where the work happens. Most are dashboards: you log in, build the email in an editor, pick a list and schedule it. Several now connect an AI assistant to an existing account. Mailchimp’s connector for Claude, for example, plans and drafts campaigns and saves them as drafts in your Mailchimp account ^S3; Brevo’s pricing page lists MCP for ChatGPT and Claude ^S5, and MailerLite includes MCP access on its paid plans ^S6.

Tellnod takes the other route. It is an MCP connector that is itself the email tool: setup, contacts, drafting, previews and sending all happen in the Claude or ChatGPT conversation, with no separate dashboard to learn. The tradeoff is depth. Tellnod has no drag-and-drop editor, and automated flows such as a welcome series are planned, not available yet.

What a campaign looks like in Claude or ChatGPT#

Here is how Ninefold, a small apparel brand, would send its autumn knitwear campaign after connecting Tellnod:

1. “Set up my brand from ninefold.com.” Tellnod picks up the logo and colors from the website.
2. “Import this CSV of customers. Only mark people as subscribed if the file says they opted in.”
3. “Email customers who bought outerwear last winter about the new wool coats, with free shipping until Sunday.” The real email appears in the chat, in Ninefold’s brand, with desktop and mobile previews.
4. “Make the headline shorter and send a test to me.”
5. The assistant prepares the send and shows an approval card with the recipient count, excluded contacts and schedule. Nothing goes out until you press Confirm, and the AI cannot press it for you. You can cancel until the send time.

The Free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,000 emails a month, with “Sent with Tellnod” in the footer. Starter removes the footer and starts at $15 a month for 1,000 contacts. Every new workspace starts on a 14-day Starter trial with no card. Details are on the pricing page.

How to choose: a decision checklist#

• Count your real list. Include unsubscribed contacts if your current tool bills for them, then check which tier that puts you in with each alternative.
• Estimate monthly sends. List size times campaigns a month. Compare that with daily or monthly send caps, not only contact limits.
• Decide whether you need automated flows now. If cart reminders and a welcome series matter today, pick a tool that includes them on your plan.
• Check the branding rule. Most free plans add the provider’s footer or badge; find out what removing it costs.
• Choose where you want to work. A visual editor in a dashboard, the Shopify admin, or the AI chat you already use.
• Check who presses send. If an assistant helps, confirm whether it can send by itself or only prepares a draft for you to approve.
• Plan your domain. Have a domain where you can add SPF, DKIM and DMARC records before your first large campaign.

Moving your list off Mailchimp#

1. Export your audience as a CSV, including unsubscribed and cleaned contacts, so they stay suppressed in the new tool.
2. Import the file and check that consent status came across. Contacts with no consent record should not be marked as subscribed.
3. Verify your sending domain in the new tool before you send any campaign.
4. Send your opening campaigns to your most engaged customers, then widen the audience over a few weeks.
5. Once nothing depends on the old account, archive contacts there so they stop counting toward your Mailchimp contact total ^S2.

FAQ#