HubSpot Marketing Hub
Inbound marketing automation tied to the HubSpot CRM.
Alternatives · 2026
Alternatives to Mailchimp
Email marketing for small-to-mid businesses.
6 hand-curated alternatives from MintedSaaS's directory. See the Mailchimp listing →
Mailchimp is an email marketing platform built primarily for small-to-mid-size businesses and e-commerce sellers. It combines a free email editor, basic automation, and subscriber management in one product, charging per contact once you exceed the free tier limits. The tool sits in the broader email marketing category alongside platforms like HubSpot Marketing Hub, Brevo, and Klaviyo, each of which takes a different approach to feature depth, pricing structure, and target audience.
Most Mailchimp users start by sending one-off campaigns or simple automation sequences, then grow into more complex workflows. A typical buyer is a bootstrapped founder, solopreneur, or small marketing team that needs to manage a subscriber list without enterprise-grade complexity. They'll use Mailchimp to build landing pages, segment audiences, run welcome sequences, and track basic analytics—but some outgrow it when they need advanced segmentation, stronger CRM integration, or contact-based pricing instead of list-based pricing.
What we offer that competes
Marketo Engage
Adobe's enterprise B2B marketing automation platform.
Brevo
Email, SMS, and CRM tools for SMBs (formerly Sendinblue).
ActiveCampaign
Email marketing automation and lightweight CRM.
Klaviyo
Email and SMS marketing platform focused on ecommerce.
What to look for
- Whether the platform charges per contact (HubSpot, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign) versus per list size (Mailchimp, Brevo) and how costs scale at 10k, 50k, and 100k subscribers.
- Whether automation workflows support conditional branching and multi-step logic or only simple trigger-based sequences.
- Whether the platform offers native or first-party integration with your primary sales or product tool (Shopify, Stripe, your CRM).
- Whether segmentation allows filtering on engagement history, revenue thresholds, or custom events—not just basic demographics.
- Whether you can export your full contact list and email history to move platforms without losing data.
- Whether the platform provides an API with documented rate limits and whether third-party apps are available on a marketplace.
FAQ
What's the main difference between Mailchimp and HubSpot Marketing Hub?
Mailchimp focuses on email-first marketing with list-based pricing, while HubSpot Marketing Hub is a CRM-centric platform that includes email, landing pages, forms, and sales tools—and charges per contact. HubSpot is stronger for businesses that want email and CRM in one platform; Mailchimp is better if you just need affordable email campaigns.
Are there free alternatives to Mailchimp?
Yes. Mailchimp itself has a free tier for up to 500 contacts. Brevo offers a free plan with 300 emails per day. Kit provides free email marketing for Shopify stores. Most free tiers cap at small contact lists or daily sending limits.
Which email marketing platforms have the lowest starting price?
Brevo and Mailchimp both have free tiers. Klaviyo charges from the start but offers deeper ecommerce automation. ActiveCampaign and HubSpot charge per contact. If you're budget-conscious, Mailchimp and Brevo are the cheapest entry points.
What's the best alternative to Mailchimp for ecommerce businesses?
Klaviyo is purpose-built for e-commerce, with native Shopify integration, product recommendations, and revenue-tracking built in. Brevo and ActiveCampaign also support ecommerce, but Klaviyo's ecommerce-first design makes it the stronger choice if selling products is your primary use case.
Can I use Mailchimp alternatives on Shopify?
Yes. Kit is native to Shopify. Klaviyo has a built-in Shopify app and is the most tightly integrated option. Brevo, ActiveCampaign, and HubSpot all have Shopify apps, though integration depth varies. Mailchimp also supports Shopify.
Do Mailchimp alternatives offer automation beyond simple email sequences?
It depends. Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, and Marketo Engage all include advanced automation workflows with conditional logic and multi-channel triggers. Brevo has automation but it's less sophisticated. Mailchimp's automation is basic, so moving to any of these provides more control.
Which Mailchimp alternative is easiest to set up without technical help?
Mailchimp and Brevo are the easiest on-ramps; both require no coding to get started. Kit is Shopify-native so Shopify users can activate it instantly. HubSpot has more features but a steeper learning curve. ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo require more setup investment.
What should I look for in an email marketing platform if I plan to grow?
Look for automation depth (conditional workflows, not just triggers), API access, contact-based pricing instead of list-based (so growing your list doesn't become prohibitively expensive), native integrations with your sales or product tools, and segmentation granularity. Mailchimp's list-based model can become expensive quickly at scale.