Bottom line: Mailchimp costs $13–$1,600+/month depending on your plan and contact count. At 5,000 contacts on Standard, you'll pay $100/mo — while Brevo charges $25/mo for the same volume. The "starting at" prices are for 500 contacts only.
1. Plans Overview
Mailchimp has 4 plans: Free, Essentials, Standard, and Premium. Each has different feature sets and contact tier pricing.
- Free: 500 contacts, 1K emails/mo, 1 user, Mailchimp branding
- Essentials ($13+): Remove branding, A/B testing, basic automation (4-step max), 3 users
- Standard ($20+): Multi-step automation, send-time optimization, retargeting, 5 users
- Premium ($350+): Advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, priority support, unlimited users
2. Full Pricing Table
| Contacts | Essentials | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13/mo | $20/mo | — |
| 1,500 | $27/mo | $45/mo | — |
| 2,500 | $45/mo | $60/mo | — |
| 5,000 | $75/mo | $100/mo | — |
| 10,000 | $110/mo | $135/mo | $350/mo |
| 25,000 | $270/mo | $310/mo | $620/mo |
| 50,000 | $385/mo | $450/mo | $815/mo |
| 100,000 | — | $800/mo | $1,600/mo |
3. Hidden Costs & Overages
These are the costs Mailchimp doesn't emphasize on their pricing page:
- Duplicate contacts: Same person in two audiences = charged twice
- Unsubscribed contacts: They still count toward your total
- Automatic tier upgrades: Exceed your contact limit by 1 and you're bumped to the next tier
- SMS add-on: Separate cost, not included in any plan
- Transactional email: Separate product, $20+/mo for API sending
At 5,000 actual contacts with 2,000 unsubscribed, you're paying for 7,000 contacts — which is the 10K tier ($100/mo Standard).
4. How to Save vs Mailchimp
Here's what you'd pay at 5K contacts across platforms:
- Mailchimp Standard: $100/mo
- Brevo Starter: $25/mo ← save $900/year
- MailerLite Growing Business: $45/mo ← save $660/year
- ConvertKit Creator Pro: $50/mo
→ See all Mailchimp alternatives · Mailchimp vs Brevo comparison
5. FAQ
Is Mailchimp really free?
Yes — Free plan includes 500 contacts and 1,000 emails/month. But you get Mailchimp branding, no automation, and 1 user.
Does Mailchimp charge for unsubscribed contacts?
Yes. All contacts in your audience count toward your billing tier — including unsubscribed and cleaned (bounced) contacts.
What's the cheapest Mailchimp plan?
Essentials at $13/mo for 500 contacts is the cheapest paid plan. But for most businesses with 1K+ contacts, Brevo ($9/mo) or MailerLite (free up to 1K) are cheaper.