MailerLite vs Mailchimp [A Comprehensive, Expert Comparison]

Choosing between MailerLite vs Mailchimp feels like a choice between features and pricing. 

Both platforms have their strengths and glaring weaknesses, but one consistently treats budget-conscious marketers better while the other excels at complex automation workflows.

As an email deliverability consultant and marketer who has helped hundreds of businesses escape the spam folder and boost their campaign’s conversion rates, I’ve prepared this comprehensive MailerLite vs Mailchimp comparison guide that covers:

• Email editor differences and template quality
• Free plan generosity and real-world usage limits
• List management structures that affect your billing
• Automation depth and workflow building capabilities
• Migration strategies that preserve your sender reputation
• Send multiplier traps that catch growing businesses off guard
• Hidden costs and overage policies that impact your bottom line

Let’s help you figure out which platform serves your business model better and how to avoid the pitfalls.

Quick answer — which platform should you choose?

Here’s the breakdown for marketers who need answers fast (as of September 2025):

Feature	MailerLite	Mailchimp	Winner
Free plan generosity	500 subs/12,000 emails	500 contacts/1,000 emails	MailerLite
Send multipliers	Unlimited on paid plans	10x-15x harsh limits	MailerLite
Automation complexity	100 steps, free plan included	200 steps, paid plans only	Depends on needs
Landing pages	Modern, integrated builder	Basic functionality	MailerLite
Email editor options	3 types, including rich-text	4 types, including AI-powered	Tie
List management	Unified master list	Separate audiences (duplicate billing)	MailerLite
E-commerce features	Basic but sufficient	Advanced and comprehensive	Mailchimp
Deliverability tools	Standard plus MailerCheck integration	Standard features only	MailerLite
Overage protection	Auto-upgrades tiers when exceeded	Charges overages, suggests upgrade	MailerLite
Pricing transparency	Clear and predictable	Complex tier structure	MailerLite

Why your platform choice won’t matter if emails hit spam

Both MailerLite and Mailchimp offer solid email marketing features, but they share a critical blind spot that most marketers discover too late — neither platform consistently gets your emails into inboxes.

A client recently told me how switching from Mailchimp to MailerLite saved her $200 monthly, only to watch her open rates plummet from 24% to 8% because her new domain wasn’t properly warmed up (something neither platform handles automatically).

To fix that, you can choose Maxify Inbox by EmailWarmup, which offers:

• Unlimited deliverability consultations with email experts
• Expert DNS setup for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication
• Email list validation and replacement for pristine contact quality
• Unlimited email warmup that builds sender reputation gradually
• A dedicated IP address that protects your reputation from other senders

We can set everything up for you right away. Want to know how?

Schedule your consultation call

MailerLite vs Mailchimp — which platform is budget-friendly?

The pricing conversation between these platforms goes beyond monthly fees — it’s about understanding the hidden multipliers and limits that can turn a $30 budget into a $300 surprise.

Free plan reality check

MailerLite’s free plan gives you 500 subscribers with 12,000 monthly emails. Mailchimp’s free plan offers the exact subscriber count but caps you at just 1,000 monthly emails with a daily limit of 500 sends.

Think about what this means for your weekly newsletter. With MailerLite, you can email your 500 subscribers 24 times per month (12,000 ÷ 500 = 24). With Mailchimp, you get exactly two newsletters before hitting the wall.

A client who launched a successful weekly newsletter on Mailchimp’s free plan discovered in week three that she’d used up her monthly allowance. Her fourth newsletter sat in drafts until the next billing cycle (talk about killing momentum).

Send multiplier mathematics

Once you outgrow free plans, the real cost differences emerge through send multipliers — the hidden ratios that determine how many emails you can actually send.

Here’s where Mailchimp’s pricing becomes problematic:

Plan tier	Send multiplier	1,000 subs monthly limit
Essentials	10x	10,000 emails
Standard	12x	12,000 emails
Premium	15x	15,000 emails

MailerLite keeps things simpler with unlimited sends on their paid plans (though limits may apply above 50,000 subscribers).

Let me break down real costs at different growth stages:

Subscriber count	MailerLite cost	Mailchimp Standard cost	Monthly savings with MailerLite
2,500	$25/month	$60/month	$35
10,000	$50/month	~$115/month	$65

Note that prices are approximate and vary by region/taxes. Always confirm with live calculators.

Overage policies that bite

Mailchimp doesn’t interrupt service when you exceed limits — instead, they charge overages and recommend upgrading to prevent future charges. However, these unexpected costs can strain budgets quickly.

MailerLite handles overages differently by automatically upgrading your tier when you exceed subscriber limits, then notifying you about the change. While this prevents service interruption, it can also result in surprise billing increases.

Additionally, both platforms offer nonprofit discounts: MailerLite provides 30% off while Mailchimp offers 15% for qualifying organizations.

Which email editor actually makes design easier?

Creating compelling emails shouldn’t require a design degree, yet many platforms make the process unnecessarily complicated. Both platforms approach email creation differently, reflecting their core philosophies.

Editor options and flexibility

Here’s how the breakdown looks:

Feature	MailerLite	Mailchimp
Template count	60-90 modern templates	100-225 templates (quality varies)
Free plan template access	Limited access	Limited access
Rich-text editor	Yes, dedicated option	Plain text only
AI writing assistant	Basic (30 languages)	Advanced with Creative Assistant
Built-in image editing	Yes	No (Canva integration)
Spam testing	No (requires third-party)	No built-in
Client preview testing	Desktop/mobile only	60+ email clients (paid plans)

MailerLite offers three distinct editor options: a drag-and-drop builder, a rich-text editor perfect for content creators, and custom HTML editing (available only on Advanced plans). 

The rich-text editor stands out for newsletter-style emails without design complexity — you can literally compose emails like blog posts.

Mailchimp provides multiple editor types, including a classic drag-and-drop builder, an AI-powered builder, plain text editing, and full HTML editing. 

The variety sounds appealing, but the interface can feel cluttered with options that overwhelm newcomers.

Content elements and media integration

MailerLite’s editor integrates directly with Giphy and Unsplash — includes built-in image editing software. 

You can add video content, testimonials, image carousels, quizzes, and surveys with responses stored within MailerLite. The file manager connects with Google Drive, making media organization straightforward.

Mailchimp offers advanced elements like product blocks and surveys, with Canva integration for design and Giphy for animated GIFs. However, finding these features within Mailchimp’s interface can be confusing due to the platform’s feature density.

The winner depends on your priorities. 

MailerLite excels in straightforward email creation with modern templates and intuitive editing. Mailchimp provides more sophisticated design control and testing capabilities, but with complexity that can frustrate beginners.

Mailchimp vs MailerLite — automation builders compared

Both platforms handle email automation differently, reflecting their core philosophies about complexity versus simplicity.

Workflow depth and capabilities

MailerLite includes full automation workflows even on its free plan (a major advantage over Mailchimp). You can create up to 100-step automations with triggers like:

• Link clicks
• Field updates
• Form completions
• Subscriber joining groups
• Purchase and abandoned cart events
• Important dates like birthdays or anniversaries

The visual workflow builder makes creating multi-step journeys intuitive, even for beginners. Additionally, MailerLite provides about 15 pre-made automation templates covering common scenarios.

Automation feature	MailerLite	Mailchimp
Maximum steps	100	200
Free plan availability	Yes, full features	No automation
Pre-built templates	~15 templates	100+ journeys
E-commerce triggers	Basic cart abandonment	Advanced behavioral triggers
AI assistance	Basic	Revenue intelligence predictions
Multi-channel campaigns	Email only	Email, SMS, ads, postcards

Mailchimp pushes automation capabilities much further with up to 200 journey steps and AI-powered customer journey creation. 

However, automation features aren’t available on the free plan, and many advanced options require Standard or Premium tiers.

E-commerce automation strength

MailerLite handles basic e-commerce triggers adequately — abandoned carts, purchase follow-ups, and customer re-engagement flows work well for most online stores. Integration with Shopify and WooCommerce covers essential scenarios without complications.

Mailchimp dominates e-commerce automation with specialized triggers for viewing specific products, purchasing from particular categories, time since last purchase, and predictive analytics that identify customers ready to convert. Revenue intelligence features help predict optimal timing for promotional campaigns.

The complexity difference becomes clear when you need multi-channel automation. 

MailerLite focuses purely on email sequences, while Mailchimp can include SMS messages, social media ads, and even physical postcards within the same workflow (though this increases costs significantly).

Does list management actually affect your costs?

How platforms organize your subscribers directly impacts your monthly bill and campaign effectiveness. The structural differences between these platforms can mean hundreds of dollars in savings or unexpected charges.

Contact counting and billing structure

Here’s how the billing structure looks (as per contact-count):

List management aspect	MailerLite	Mailchimp
Contact counting	Once per email address	Once per audience
Free plan audience limit	Unlimited groups in one list	One audience only
Segmentation	Dynamic, updates automatically	Advanced with predictive demographics
Custom fields	Text, number, date	Multiple field types plus CRM data
Automation between lists	Yes, within the master list	Not between different audiences

MailerLite uses a unified master list approach where each contact counts only once, regardless of how many groups or segments they belong to. This prevents the dreaded duplicate billing that catches many marketers off guard.

Mailchimp treats each audience as separate, meaning the same person appearing in multiple audiences gets counted and charged multiple times. 

Free plan users are limited to one audience, which forces awkward workarounds for businesses with multiple customer types or product lines.

Segmentation capabilities and automation

MailerLite’s dynamic segmentation updates automatically based on subscriber behavior — opens, clicks, purchase history, geographic data, and custom fields. You can create complex segments using multiple criteria, and the segmentation engine runs efficiently without lag.

Mailchimp offers powerful segmentation with “Any” or “All” logic across numerous filters, including predictive demographics (estimated age and gender) and sophisticated e-commerce behavior tracking. 

However, the interface complexity means longer setup times and potential confusion for team members managing campaigns.

For most growing businesses, MailerLite’s unified approach prevents billing surprises while providing sufficient segmentation power. 

Mailchimp’s advanced features benefit larger organizations with complex customer data needs, but the learning curve and potential for duplicate charges require careful management.

What additional features matter for growing businesses?

Email marketing platforms increasingly offer tools beyond basic campaigns, attempting to become complete marketing solutions. 

The breadth and quality of these additional features can determine whether you need separate tools or can consolidate your marketing stack.

Website and landing page creation

The breakdown shows who wins in the web or landing page building comparison:

Website builder feature	MailerLite	Mailchimp
Free plan pages	10 landing pages + 1 website	8 landing page templates
Blogging capability	Yes, with a rich-text editor	No
AI page generation	Yes (Advanced plan)	No
Custom domain hosting	Yes	Yes
Built-in analytics	Yes, comprehensive	Yes, basic
E-commerce integration	Stripe for digital products	Physical products through the site

MailerLite includes robust website and landing page builders with your email marketing plan. You can create up to 10 landing pages and one complete website on the free plan, using the same drag-and-drop editor that handles email creation.

The AI-powered landing page creation (available on Advanced plans with trials for lower tiers) can generate complete pages based on your goals and brand style. 

Custom domain hosting works seamlessly, and built-in analytics track page views, conversions, and subscriber collection without requiring external tools.

Digital product sales and monetization

MailerLite allows direct digital product sales through Stripe integration, letting you sell e-books, downloads, courses, and subscriptions without external platforms. 

You can create product pages within MailerLite and handle payments through your connected Stripe account. Paid newsletter subscriptions work particularly well for content creators looking to monetize their audience.

Mailchimp focuses more on e-commerce integration rather than direct selling, connecting with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other platforms to facilitate product recommendations, abandoned cart recovery, and purchase-based automation. 

While you can sell physical products through Mailchimp-built websites, the digital product capabilities aren’t as developed as MailerLite’s.

Multi-channel marketing capabilities

MailerLite focuses primarily on email marketing with some social media integration, but lacks SMS marketing, social media advertising, or comprehensive multi-channel campaigns. You’ll need third-party integrations through Zapier for SMS functionality.

Mailchimp has evolved into a multi-channel marketing platform offering SMS campaigns, social media advertising (Facebook, Instagram, X), content calendar management, and integrated campaign tracking across channels. 

The all-in-one approach appeals to businesses wanting unified marketing management, though it increases complexity and costs.

How do analytics help you make better decisions?

Both platforms provide analytics, but their approaches reflect different philosophies about data complexity versus actionable insights.

Analytics feature	MailerLite	Mailchimp
Reporting style	Clean, simple dashboards	Comprehensive, feature-rich
E-commerce tracking	Basic revenue attribution	Advanced product performance
Predictive analytics	Smart send timing only	Customer lifetime value, purchase likelihood
Custom reports	Limited options	Extensive customization
Comparative analysis	Basic performance trends	Industry benchmarks, peer comparisons
Export capabilities	Essential data only	Granular export options

Core metrics and reporting clarity

MailerLite presents analytics in clean, easy-to-understand formats that focus on actionable metrics — opens, clicks, unsubscribes, bounce rates, and subscriber engagement trends. 

The visual reports include click maps showing which links generate the most engagement and geographic data revealing where your audience engages most.

The contextual approach means analytics appear directly within automation workflows and campaign reports, making it easy to spot performance issues quickly. 

Website and landing page analytics track views, subscribers collected, and conversion rates with the same clean interface style.

E-commerce tracking and revenue attribution

MailerLite offers purchase tracking for Shopify and WooCommerce stores, showing total orders and revenue generated from email campaigns. The reporting focuses on essential e-commerce metrics without overwhelming detail, making it easy to calculate ROI on email marketing efforts.

However, you’ll need to monitor detailed sales performance through your Stripe dashboard rather than MailerLite directly, since the platform doesn’t provide comprehensive revenue analytics within its interface.

Mailchimp excels at e-commerce analytics with deep integration into online stores. 

You can track revenue attribution down to specific campaigns, see product performance across email efforts, and analyze customer lifetime value trends. Product-specific reporting shows which items drive the most engagement and sales from email marketing.

The reporting philosophy difference becomes clear in daily use. MailerLite helps you understand performance quickly and make immediate improvements without getting lost in data complexity. 

Mailchimp provides the depth needed for sophisticated analysis and multi-channel attribution, but requires more time investment to extract actionable insights.

The deliverability reality check

Neither platform solves the fundamental deliverability challenge that plagues most email marketers — building sender reputation and avoiding spam folders.

Built-in deliverability tools

Both MailerLite and Mailchimp provide basic deliverability features:

• Basic reputation monitoring
• Bounce handling and basic list cleaning
• SPF and DKIM authentication setup guides
• Testing previews (though not comprehensive spam scoring)

To put it in perspective:

Deliverability feature	MailerLite	Mailchimp
Domain authentication	SPF/DKIM setup guides	SPF/DKIM setup guides
List cleaning	MailerCheck integration (built-in)	Third-party tools required
Automatic warmup	No	No
Spam testing	Third-party tools needed	Preview integrations only
Reputation monitoring	Basic reporting	Basic reporting

However, these tools only address surface-level issues. They don’t warm up new domains, gradually build sending volume, or provide the sophisticated reputation management that modern email marketing requires.

List hygiene and validation

MailerLite users can perform built-in list cleaning via the MailerCheck integration, which provides seamless single sign-on access to email verification services. This native tie-in makes maintaining list quality more convenient than external solutions.

Mailchimp users typically rely on external services, such as ZeroBounce or NeverBounce, for comprehensive list cleaning, which requires additional subscriptions and manual export/import processes.

A better alternative to both these options would be our free email validation API. 

Domain warming gap

When you switch platforms or launch with a new domain, your sender reputation starts at zero. Both Mailchimp and MailerLite will happily let you blast 5,000 emails on day one, which virtually guarantees placement in the spam folder.

A proper email warmup takes 8-12 weeks of gradual volume increases, authentic engagement generation, and reputation monitoring. Neither platform handles this automatically, leaving marketers to figure out warm-up strategies independently. 

For that, you’ll need to get your hands on Maxify Inbox, which offers you unlimited GPT-5-powered, automated email warmup for your emails, so that your emails go to the inbox instead of spam.  

How to migrate without losing momentum

Switching email platforms feels risky because you’re moving your most valuable business asset — your subscriber relationships.

Export and import process

MailerLite makes importing Mailchimp data straightforward. You can export your Mailchimp lists with all custom fields and segmentation data, then import everything directly into MailerLite with minimal formatting required.

Going the other direction (MailerLite to Mailchimp) requires more manual cleanup because Mailchimp’s import process is pickier about data formatting.

Automation rebuilding

Neither platform can directly import automation workflows from competitors. You’ll need to rebuild welcome sequences, cart abandonment flows, and nurture campaigns manually.

MailerLite’s simpler automation builder makes this process faster, while Mailchimp’s complexity means more time investment during migration, but potentially more sophisticated results.

Sender reputation preservation

The biggest migration risk isn’t technical — it’s deliverability. Switching platforms often means changing domains or IP addresses, which can reset your sender reputation to zero.

Smart migration involves:

• Gradually shifting traffic rather than switching overnight
• Monitoring deliverability metrics closely during transition
• Running email warmup for 6-8 weeks before full migration
• Setting up your new domain authentication before switching

I’ve seen businesses lose 40-60% of their email performance during poorly planned migrations. The platform choice matters far less than the migration execution.

Support when things go wrong

Email marketing problems rarely happen during business hours, making support quality crucial for both platforms.

Free tier limitations and paid support

Mailchimp includes 30 days of email support for new Free accounts, after which you’re limited to documentation and community forums. MailerLite Free is self-service only, though new signups get 14-day access to support channels.

Support feature	MailerLite	Mailchimp
Free plan support	Self-service (14 days after signup)	30-day email for new accounts
Paid plan support	24/7 email, live chat on Advanced	Email and chat on paid plans
Response time	Under 4 hours typically	Varies by plan tier
Knowledge base quality	Practical how-to guides	Comprehensive education resources
Onboarding assistance	Standard setup help	Free 1:1 onboarding call

Documentation and learning resources

Mailchimp offers more extensive educational content — guides, webinars, certification programs, and detailed case studies. 

Their learning academy provides structured courses for beginners through advanced users.

MailerLite’s documentation focuses on practical how-to guides rather than comprehensive education. The content is well-written and actionable, but its scope doesn’t align with Mailchimp’s offerings.

API limitations and developer considerations

For businesses needing custom integrations, API capabilities become crucial decision factors.

MailerLite publishes clear rate limits of 120 requests per minute, making it straightforward to plan integrations and avoid throttling issues. Their API documentation covers essential functions with simpler implementation requirements.

Mailchimp uses a concurrency-based model focusing on 10 simultaneous connections with per-endpoint caps rather than blanket rate limits. The API offers more comprehensive functionality but with increased complexity for developers.

Choose based on integration needs rather than assumed throughput — neither platform provides universally “higher” limits, just different approaches to managing API usage.

Real user experiences across different business types

Platform choice often depends more on your specific business model than abstract feature comparisons.

E-commerce experiences

Sarah runs a sustainable fashion brand with 3,500 subscribers. She switched from Mailchimp to MailerLite after hitting send limits during Black Friday promotions. 

“Mailchimp’s multipliers meant I could only send 42,000 emails per month on the Standard plan, but I needed daily deal emails plus newsletters. MailerLite eliminated that stress completely.”

However, David operates a multi-brand jewelry business and stayed with Mailchimp specifically for advanced segmentation capabilities. 

“I need workflows that trigger different content based on purchase history, location, and engagement levels. MailerLite’s automation wasn’t sophisticated enough for my customer journey complexity.”

SaaS and service businesses

Marketing consultant Lisa found MailerLite perfect for client newsletters and lead generation. 

“The landing page builder alone saved me $50 monthly from my previous setup. Creating opt-in pages takes five minutes instead of wrestling with separate tools.”

Conversely, a B2B software company with complex onboarding sequences preferred Mailchimp’s automation depth. Their customer success manager noted: 

“We trigger different nurture tracks based on trial behavior, team size, and integration usage. Mailchimp’s 200-step workflows accommodate our complexity.”

Content creator perspectives

Podcast host Marcus switched to MailerLite for cost savings but returned to Mailchimp after six months. 

“MailerLite saved me money, but my open rates dropped from 28% to 19%. The deliverability difference was significant enough to justify Mailchimp’s higher cost.”

Newsletter creator Emma had the opposite experience:

“MailerLite’s modern templates made my content look more professional. Subscriber feedback improved, and engagement rates increased even though I was paying less.”

Which platform wins for growing businesses?

The answer depends entirely on your growth trajectory and priorities.

Choose MailerLite if you:

• Plan to sell digital products directly
• Want transparent pricing structures
• Value modern landing page capabilities
• Need predictable costs without sending limit anxiety
• Prefer simple automation workflows (up to 100 steps)
• Prioritize user-friendly interfaces over feature complexity
• Need blogging capabilities integrated with email marketing

Choose Mailchimp if you:

• Require sophisticated automation workflows with up to 200 steps
• Need advanced e-commerce analytics and predictive insights
• Want multi-channel marketing (SMS, social ads, postcards)
• Run complex multi-brand or multi-product businesses
• Value comprehensive educational resources
• Have budget flexibility for premium features
• Need extensive third-party integrations

Neither platform wins if you ignore deliverability fundamentals. Both offer solid marketing tools, but your success ultimately depends on reaching inboxes consistently.

The missing piece that both platforms ignore

Mailchimp and MailerLite compete on features, pricing, and user experience — but they both miss the most critical factor determining your email marketing success — email deliverability.

Your beautiful templates and sophisticated automation workflows become worthless if emails land in spam folders. Your cost savings disappear when open rates drop because your domain lacks sender reputation.

Maxify Inbox by EmailWarmup fills the deliverability gap that both platforms leave wide open. While they focus on creating and sending emails, we focus on getting those emails into inboxes where they actually generate results. Our services include:

• Ongoing deliverability consultations providing strategy and troubleshooting
• Unlimited email warmup that builds sender reputation gradually and naturally
• Dedicated IP addresses that protect your reputation from other senders’ mistakes
• Email validation that removes bad addresses and replaces them with correct ones

Don’t let your platform choice become meaningless because emails never reach their destination. 

Schedule a free consultation

Frequently asked questions

Here are some commonly asked questions about MailerLite vs Mailchimp comparison: