Mailchimp and MailerLite do the same core job: they collect signups and send emails to your list. For a small business, the differences that matter are what you get for free, how automations work, and how each tool counts your list.
All facts below come from the Mailchimp pricing page and the MailerLite pricing page, as of October 2026. Prices are in US dollars. Both prices rise with the size of your list, and can differ by country and billing period.
The short verdict
- Pick MailerLite if you want automations and a landing page on the free plan, or you send a simple newsletter on a tight budget.
- Pick Mailchimp if you want 24/7 email and chat support on your first paid plan, or the other tools you use already connect to it.
Free plans side by side
Mailchimp free plan:
- Up to 250 contacts.
- Up to 500 emails a month, and no more than 250 a day.
- 1 user and 1 audience.
- No automation flows.
- Email support for the first 30 days.
MailerLite free plan:
- Up to 250 subscribers.
- 2,500 emails a month.
- 2 user seats.
- 3 active automations, with up to 5 steps each.
- 1 website, 1 landing page and 3 active forms.
- Community support.
For a business that wants a welcome email to go out on its own from day one, MailerLite's free plan covers it. On Mailchimp, you need a paid plan for that.
Paid plans
Mailchimp, for up to 500 contacts:
- Essentials: $13 a month. 3 seats, flows of up to 4 steps, sends up to 10 times your contacts.
- Standard: $20 a month. 5 seats, up to 200 flows, sends up to 12 times your contacts.
- Premium: for larger teams, with unlimited seats and phone support.
At the time of writing, Mailchimp offered 50% off for the first 12 months.
MailerLite:
- Comfort: from $12 a month. 3 seats, 50 active automations, 10 landing pages and email support.
- Power: from $25 a month. Unlimited seats and automations, live chat and email support.
MailerLite says paying yearly saves 10%.
How each one counts your list
This affects your bill more than the starting price.
Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts toward your limit, according to its help page on contacts. Archived contacts do not count.
MailerLite bills on active subscribers. Its pricing page says any address that was active at any point in the billing cycle counts, even if you delete it later. On the free plan, going over 250 active subscribers locks campaigns and automations until you upgrade or remove people.
Support
- Mailchimp: 24/7 email and chat on Essentials and Standard. Phone and priority support on Premium.
- MailerLite: community support on Free, email on Comfort, live chat and email on Power.
Websites and landing pages
MailerLite includes websites and landing pages in every plan: 1 each on Free, 10 on Comfort and unlimited on Power. If you need a simple page to collect signups, that may be enough. There are tips in how to write landing page copy.
Moving from one to the other
Switching is possible either way. Mailchimp lets you export your contacts as CSV files, and you can import them into MailerLite. Keep the signup date and consent details for each person, and only move people who agreed to hear from you.
Plan time to set up your welcome email and signup form again in the new tool, then send a test to yourself.
How to decide
- Write down your list size and sends per month. Check both against each free plan.
- List the automations you need now. If it is just a welcome email, MailerLite's free plan may be enough.
- Check your integrations. Make sure your shop, booking tool or forms connect to the tool you pick.
- Decide how you want help. Mailchimp's paid plans include 24/7 chat. MailerLite adds live chat on Power.
- Send a test email from both. See which editor feels easier to you.
If you are just starting, read how to build an email list first. For more options, see Mailchimp alternatives for small business.