We've got a confession: we used to recommend Mailchimp to every startup that asked. Not anymore. Mailchimp got acquired by Intuit in 2021, and since then it's been squeezing smaller users while pushing enterprise features nobody asked for. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) has been quietly picking off the disgruntled ex-MC crowd with better pricing and built-in SMS. We spent two weeks testing both head-to-head to settle this once and for all.
Quick Verdict: Brevo wins for most startups, hands down. Better pricing, better deliverability, and multi-channel out of the box. Mailchimp still wins if you want the best drag-and-drop email builder and don't care about paying extra for it.
1. At a Glance
The short version: Brevo is cheaper, delivers better, and does more. Mailchimp looks prettier doing less.
| Dimension | Mailchimp | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free (500 contacts, 1k/mo) | Free (300 emails/day) |
| Paid From | $13/mo (500 contacts) | $9/mo (5k emails) |
| SMS Marketing | ❌ Not available | ✅ Built-in |
| Automation | ⭐⭐⭐ Basic triggers | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Advanced workflows |
| Templates | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 100+ | ⭐⭐⭐ ~40 |
| Deliverability | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent |
| Best For | Design newsletters | Automation & multi-channel |
2. Pricing Face-Off
Here's where Mailchimp loses most of its fanbase. Mailchimp charges by contacts — that free plan of 500 contacts gets expensive fast. Hit 5,000 contacts on the Essentials plan? That's $45/mo. Meanwhile, Brevo charges by emails sent. No contact limit. At 5k contacts sending weekly, Brevo's Starter plan ($9/mo) is about 5x cheaper.
Mailchimp Pricing
- Free: 500 contacts, 1k emails/mo
- Essentials: $13/mo (500 contacts)
- Standard: $20/mo (500 contacts)
- Premium: $350/mo (10k contacts)
💰 Contact-based = painful for growing lists
Brevo Pricing
- Free: 300 emails/day
- Starter: $9/mo (5k emails/mo)
- Business: $25/mo (10k emails/mo, no contact limit)
💰 Volume-based = scales beautifully
Winner: Brevo — it's not even close. Unless you're sending to fewer than 1,000 contacts, Brevo is significantly cheaper at every tier.
3. Round 1: Email Builder & Design
Mailchimp's Creative Assistant (AI that builds emails from your brand assets) is genuinely impressive. You answer a few questions, pick a layout, and it generates a branded template in seconds. Their template library has 100+ designs, and the drag-and-drop editor is the most polished in the industry.
Brevo's editor works fine — drag, drop, done — but the template library is smaller (~40) and less varied. The design tools feel like a 2020 product compared to Mailchimp's 2025 UI. It's functional, not delightful.
Honest take: If you're a design-forward brand that sends visually rich newsletters weekly, Mailchimp's editor is worth the premium. Everyone else won't notice the difference.
Winner: Mailchimp — best email designer on the market for non-designers.
4. Round 2: Automation & Deliverability
Mailchimp's automations are basic — triggers based on signup, date, or activity. It works for welcome sequences and abandoned cart, but you hit a wall fast. Want conditional logic or split paths? You need the Standard plan ($20/mo+).
Brevo's visual workflow builder is a genuine automation tool. Create complex, multi-branch sequences with conditions, delays, and goals — all on the Starter plan. And Brevo's deliverability (97-99%) edges out Mailchimp because they run their own EU-based email infrastructure with dedicated IPs on all paid plans.
Winner: Brevo — better automation, better deliverability, lower plan required.
5. Round 3: SMS & Multi-Channel
Mailchimp doesn't do SMS. Period. You need a separate tool (Twilio, etc.) and integration. Brevo has SMS built-in — send transactional and marketing texts from the same platform. It also includes WhatsApp, live chat, and a basic CRM. This matters a lot if your customers are mobile-first (which is most of them these days).
Winner: Brevo — the multi-channel play is a no-brainer for modern startups.
6. Pros & Cons
Mailchimp
- ✅ Best email builder & templates
- ✅ Great onboarding for beginners
- ✅ Strong brand recognition
- ✅ Creative Assistant AI tool
- ❌ Expensive as list grows
- ❌ No SMS
- ❌ Basic automation (pay up for advanced)
- ❌ Intuit's pricing creep is real
Brevo
- ✅ Volume-based pricing = scales with you
- ✅ SMS, WhatsApp, chat included
- ✅ Excellent deliverability
- ✅ Advanced automation on Starter
- ❌ Template library is 1/3 the size
- ❌ UI is less polished
- ❌ Fewer integrations
- ❌ Customer support can be slow on free
7. The Winner
Brevo wins this showdown. It's cheaper, more capable, and better for modern multi-channel marketing. Mailchimp is still a fine tool for beginners who care about design quality — but it's harder to recommend at 2026 prices.
• You want the most beginner-friendly experience
• Your contact list is small (< 2,000) and you send frequently
• You need SMS + email in one platform
• Automation is key to your strategy