Mailchimp vs Convertkit (April 2025)

Mailchimp-vs-Convertkit

Table of Contents

Our Verdict

Mailchimp-vs-Convertkit-Our-Verdict

It is best to go with Convertkit instead of Mailchimp for email marketing. This is because Convertkit:

  • provides more advanced automation features, allowing for complex email sequences based on subscriber behavior.
  • offers better tools for segmenting your audience, which can lead to more targeted and effective email campaigns.
  • emphasizes content over design, which can help in creating more engaging emails that focus on the message.
  • works efficiently for bloggers and creators, with effective tools for growing and managing audiences.

Mailchimp also has some amazing features which include its free tier that allows small businesses and startups to explore email marketing without initial investment, its user-friendly interface and extensive template library which makes it easy to create attractive campaigns, and its advanced analytics and A/B testing which helps to optimize marketing efforts. Additionally, Mailchimp’s broad range of marketing tools, including ads and landing pages, along with its extensive app integrations, provide a comprehensive marketing platform that can scale with a business’s growth.

What do you value most in email marketing?

If you’re looking for a cost-effective solution with a strong set of marketing tools, Mailchimp might be the better choice, but If you need sophisticated automation and segmentation to deeply engage with your audience, ConvertKit is your perfect option.

The choice is yours, Convertkit gives more value to your clients.

Why Choose Mailchimp

Mailchimp is most suitable for:

  • Small businesses and startups
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Design variety
  • Marketing optimization
  • Scalability
  • Integration

Mailchimp is not good for:

  • Marketers who need highly sophisticated automation and segmentation beyond what Mailchimp offers.
  • Bloggers and creators who need a platform designed specifically for their content distribution and audience engagement strategies.
  • Businesses that prefer a more streamlined, content-focused approach without the need for extensive design customization.
  • Individuals or businesses that need specific integrations that Mailchimp does not support.
  • Organizations sending a very large volume of emails that may find better rates with other providers who focus on high-volume sending.

Why Choose Convertkit

Convertkit is best for:

  • Bloggers and content creators who need advanced email automation to manage their subscribers.
  • Online course creators looking for targeted communication based on user engagement.
  • Podcasters and YouTubers who want to grow and engage their audience through email.
  • Authors and artists who prefer to sell products or services directly to their audience.
  • Small business owners who focus on building a strong relationship with their customer base.

Convertkit is not right for:

  • Businesses that prefer a more traditional email design with extensive customization options.
  • Users who are looking for a free plan to start their email marketing efforts.
  • Large enterprises needing a wide array of integrative marketing solutions beyond email.
  • Marketers who require in-depth analytics and reporting features for complex campaigns.
  • Those who do not need the advanced automation and segmentation features that ConvertKit offers.

Main Differences

Mailchimp is ideal for you if you’re looking for an all-in-one marketing platform that is user-friendly and offers a free plan to get started with email marketing. It’s particularly beneficial if you need a variety of design options and templates to create visually appealing emails, and if you value having advanced analytics and A/B testing to optimize your campaigns. Moreover, Mailchimp’s extensive integration capabilities make it a great fit if you wish to connect your email marketing with other tools and services you use, supporting your business as it grows.

ConvertKit is a great fit for you if you’re a blogger, content creator, or online entrepreneur who values deep audience engagement through advanced email automation and segmentation. Its focus on delivering content effectively, without the distraction of complex design elements, makes it perfect for those who want to grow their subscriber list and sell digital products or services directly. ConvertKit’s ease of creating targeted campaigns and automated funnels tailored to subscriber behavior can significantly enhance your ability to connect with and understand your audience.

Mailchimp-Plans-and-Pricing
  • Free Plan: Suitable for beginners, includes basic features like email creation and sending, with a maximum of 500 contacts, 500 daily limit and 1000 monthly limits of email sends.
  • Essentials Plan: Starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts and it offers more advanced features like A/B testing and access to more templates, designed for growing businesses.
  • Standard Plan: On its usual plan, it starts at $20 per month for up to 500 contacts or more after the first year. It offers advanced automation and integration options, ideal for optimizing the marketing strategies of your business.
  • Premium Plan: Starts at $350 per month for up to 10,000 contacts and provides the most advanced features, including multivariate testing and phone support, for large organizations or those with complex needs.

Note each of these plans has different pricing for the 1st one year, which depends on the number of contacts you want to send emails to. Be aware that there’s an ongoing 50% discount on that 1st payment. For instance, if you select the standard plan, you pay $10 for the first 12 months instead of $20 for sending emails to 500 contacts. Or the premium plan at $175 for the first 12 months, you pay $175 instead of $350 for sending emails to 100,000 contacts.

Convertkit-Plans-and-Pricing
  • Free Plan: It is completely free and includes up to 1,000 subscribers and basic features like unlimited landing pages and forms, and email broadcasts.
  • Creator Plan: Starts at $9 per month on annual billing for up to 300 subscribers; includes additional features like automated email sequences and integrations.
  • Creator Pro Plan: Starts at $25 per month (billed annually) for up to 300 subscribers; includes more advanced features like subscriber scoring and a newsletter referral system.

Mailchimp integrates with QuickBooks, while Convertkit has no direct accounting integration–it only connects through third-party connectors like Zapier.

Mailchimp’s outstanding features include a generous free plan that makes it accessible for small businesses and startups, a user-friendly interface that simplifies the creation and management of email campaigns, and a wide array of design options with numerous templates. It also offers advanced analytics and A/B testing to help you optimize your marketing strategies, along with comprehensive marketing automation tools. Additionally, Mailchimp’s extensive integration capabilities with various apps and services make it a versatile choice for businesses looking to streamline their marketing efforts across multiple platforms.

ConvertKit shines with features perfect for content creators and online entrepreneurs, offering advanced email automation and subscriber segmentation to deliver personalized content. Its simplified email design prioritizes content delivery, enhancing reader engagement. ConvertKit also provides easy-to-use landing pages and forms, direct sales tools for digital products, and a high email deliverability rate. These features, together with a supportive creator community and dedicated customer support, make ConvertKit an outstanding platform for creators looking to grow their audience and monetize their work effectively.

Standout Features

Mailchimp-Standout-Features

Here are some of the features that make Mailchimp stand out:

  • Free Plan: Accessible email marketing with a robust free tier.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Easy to navigate for beginners.
  • Design Flexibility: Wide range of templates and customization options.
  • Advanced Analytics: In-depth insights into campaign performance.
  • A/B Testing: Optimize campaigns with comparative testing.
  • Marketing Automation: Automated emails based on user behavior.
  • Extensive Integrations: Connects with numerous apps and services.
  • Ads and Landing Pages: Tools to expand marketing reach.

Convertkit

Convertkit-Standout-Features

Here are the features that make Convertkit outstanding:

  • Creator-Focused: Tailored for bloggers and content creators.
  • Advanced Automation: Sophisticated email sequences and funnels.
  • Subscriber Segmentation: Targeted content based on user data.
  • Content-Driven Design: Simplified design that emphasizes content.
  • Landing Pages and Forms: Easy-to-use tools for audience growth.
  • Commerce Tools: Sell products and subscriptions directly.
  • Email Deliverability: High rate of successful email delivery.
  • Community Support: Enjoy community and support for creators.

Pros and Cons of Mailchimp

Pros-and-Cons-of-Mailchimp

Pros

  • Offers a free plan that is quite generous for small businesses and startups.
  • Has a very user-friendly interface, with a drag-and-drop email builder which is great for those who are new to email marketing.
  • Has a wide variety of templates and customization tools, which makes it easier to create visually appealing emails.
  • Offers a comprehensive set of tools including analytics, A/B testing, and automation.
  • Includes features like ads, landing pages, and integration with a large number of apps and services.
  • Integrates extensively with other apps and services.
  • Suits businesses of all sizes, with plans that grow with your needs.

Cons

  • Becomes costly as your subscriber list and feature requirements grow.
  • Has a multitude of features and options which may overwhelm you.
  • Lacks some of the advanced automation capabilities of its competitors.
  • Has mixed reviews regarding the responsiveness of customer support

Pros and Cons of Convertkit

Pros-and-Cons-of-Convertkit

Pros

  • Facilitates advanced email automation and segmentation for personalized communication.
  • Prioritizes content delivery with a simplified email design that enhances reader engagement.
  • Provides easy-to-use landing pages and forms to help grow your subscriber list.
  • Supports direct sales of digital products and subscriptions through its commerce tools.
  • Ensures high email deliverability rates for effective campaign reach.
  • Cultivates a supportive community and offers dedicated customer support for creators.

Cons

  • Lacks a free plan, which may be a barrier for those just starting out.
  • Focuses primarily on content creators, which might not suit all business types.
  • Offers fewer design and template options compared to some competitors.
  • May require additional steps for integration with certain third-party services.
  • Presents a steeper learning curve for those unfamiliar with automation tools.

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Customer Reviews

Mailchimp reviews reflect a mix of perspectives. Forbes Advisor gives it a high rating of 4.8, lauding its user-friendly nature and free plan, while NerdWallet highlights its comprehensive marketing features but notes the need for external integration for text marketing. Gartner offers a more critical view, pointing out limitations in functionality and a complex pricing structure. TechRadar and G2 also provide insights, balancing the platform’s strengths against its weaknesses in comparison to competitors. Overall, these ratings suggest that while Mailchimp has good comments for its ease of use and cost-effectiveness, some reviewers have reservations about its feature set and cost at higher levels of use.

In the case of ConvertKit, TechRadar acknowledges its excellent automation and list management capabilities, yet noting the potential costliness for growing subscriber lists. LinoDash awards ConvertKit high marks for its user interface and efficient design, while Better Marketer and Podia offer balanced views on its strengths and limitations. Overall, ConvertKit gets praises for its user-friendly automation tools and functionality, particularly for content creators, though some reviews suggest a need for improvements in its pricing and customer support.

Competitors

Competitors of Mailchimp and Convertkit include:

HubSpot

HubSpot is an all-in-one marketing platform that offers a vast array of tools for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service. It’s particularly known for its powerful CRM capabilities, which allow businesses to keep track of customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. HubSpot’s email marketing tools are robust, with options for personalization, automation, and performance tracking, making it a strong competitor in the email marketing space.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign stands out with its advanced automation and customer relationship management (CRM) features. It’s designed for businesses looking to automate their marketing, sales, and support in one place. With a focus on creating a seamless customer experience, ActiveCampaign offers detailed tracking, complex automation workflows, and segmentation capabilities to deliver personalized content.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a marketing platform created for online businesses—featuring powerful email and SMS marketing automation. Its main strength lies in its integration with e-commerce platforms, which allows for highly targeted, data-driven campaigns. Klaviyo helps businesses create memorable experiences for customers through personalized, multi-channel marketing campaigns.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is a veteran in the email marketing industry, known for its ease of use and excellent customer support. It offers a wide range of templates and tools for email creation, contact management, social media sharing, and analytics. It’s particularly beneficial for small businesses and nonprofits that need straightforward, effective marketing solutions.

Omnisend

Omnisend is an e-commerce marketing platform that integrates email marketing with SMS and other messaging channels for an omnichannel approach. It offers advanced segmentation, automation, and personalization features, which are essential for e-commerce businesses looking to increase their sales and customer retention.

Pro Tips

  • Assess your audience to determine whether Mailchimp’s diverse templates or ConvertKit’s content-focused design suits your needs better.
  • Prioritize your content strategy, choosing Mailchimp for visual content or ConvertKit for a text-based approach that enhances written content engagement.
  • Streamline your automation processes with ConvertKit for simplicity or Mailchimp for more complex sequences.
  • Investigate the integration capabilities of both platforms to ensure seamless connectivity with other tools you use.
  • Test both platforms to evaluate user-friendliness and decide which interface you prefer for daily operations. This also helps you see which one feels right for your business. to ensure your emails consistently reach your audience’s inboxes.
  • Evaluate the level of support and community resources each platform provides to facilitate your marketing efforts.
  • Analyze the pricing structures of Mailchimp and ConvertKit to find the best fit for your budget and growth trajectory.
  • Verify the deliverability rates

Recap

Mailchimp is a sophisticated and holistic tool for email marketing, offering lots of tools and fancy designs for businesses that want it all. ConvertKit is more like a sharp, specialized tool—easy to handle and perfect for you as a writer and creator if you love to connect with your readers without fuss. If you love having lots of features and options, pick Mailchimp. If you prioritize simplicity and concentration on writing, go with ConvertKit. So, the best platform for you is one that aligns with your specific needs, whether it features richness or simplicity and focus.

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