Act-On vs Mailchimp: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Act-On and Mailchimp side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below, Act-On leads on higher user rating; Mailchimp leads on a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Act-On
Marketing automation for growth
Mailchimp
Grow your business with email, SMS, and AI marketing
Best for you if:
- • You want a free tier before you commit
| At a Glance | Act-On | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | From $900/mo flat, billed monthly Professional plan | Free plan, paid from $13/mo, billed monthly Essentials plan |
Category | Marketing Automation Email Marketing | Marketing Automation Email Marketing |
Rating | 4.2/5 G2 4.1 · Capterra 4.3 · TrustRadius 4.2 1,558 reviews | 3.9/5 Capterra 4.5 · G2 4.3 · Trustpilot 2.6 31,997 reviews |
Free plan | No | Yes |
Watch out for | Potential onboarding/setup fees | ALL contacts count: subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed, and 'cleaned' contacts all count toward your plan limit. You pay for contacts who unsubscribed last year unless you manually archive them. This inflates costs by 20-40% for most lists |
Choose Act-On or Mailchimp?
Choose Act-On if
- You need marketing automation features specifically.
Choose Mailchimp if
- You want a free tier before you commit
- You want to grow your business with email, SMS, and AI marketing
In-Depth Analysis
Act-On
Marketing automation for growth
However, this often indicates a higher price point, likely placing it in the expensive category compared to market averages for similar feature sets.
Watch out
Potential onboarding/setup fees
Strengths
- Pro: Flexible pricing model based on active contacts marketed to, not total database size.
- Pro: Comprehensive suite of marketing automation tools including email, analytics, lead generation, lead scoring, and sales enablement.
- Pro: Strong emphasis on customer support and professional services, including implementation and migration assistance.
- Pro: Advanced AI capabilities for marketing analytics, segmentation, and email content generation.
- Pro: High email deliverability rates due to proprietary SMTP servers and expert services, ensuring compliance with regulations like CAN-SPAM, CCPA, GDPR, and HIPAA.
Weaknesses
- Con: Specific pricing details are not transparently listed and require contacting sales for a quote.
- Con: While AI is mentioned, the extent of its application across all features isn't fully detailed.
- Con: The platform's complexity for new users or smaller teams without dedicated marketing resources is not explicitly addressed.
Key features
Mailchimp
Grow your business with email, SMS, and AI marketing
Mailchimp was once the default email marketing tool for small businesses, and its free tier was legendary.
Watch out
ALL contacts count: subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed, and 'cleaned' contacts all count toward your plan limit. You pay for contacts who unsubscribed last year unless you manually archive them. This inflates costs by 20-40% for most lists
Strengths
- Pro: Intuitive drag-and-drop editor accessible to non-technical users
- Pro: Comprehensive free plan to get started with basic email marketing
- Pro: Powerful automation workflows rivaling dedicated automation platforms
- Pro: Extensive template library with mobile-responsive designs
- Pro: Strong deliverability rates backed by Intuit infrastructure
Weaknesses
- Con: Free plan capped at just 250 contacts and 500 sends per month
- Con: Pricing scales steeply as contact lists grow beyond initial tiers
- Con: Advanced segmentation and multivariate testing require higher tiers
- Con: Phone support only available on the highest tier
- Con: Removing Mailchimp branding requires a paid plan
Key features
Plans and prices: Act-On vs Mailchimp
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Act-On |
| act-on.com/pricing read Nov 7, 2026 |
| Mailchimp |
| mailchimp.com/pricing read Nov 11, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Act-On pricing and Mailchimp pricing.
Key Takeaways
Act-On
- Higher user rating: 4.2/5 vs 3.9/5
Mailchimp
- Has a free plan
What the data shows
On the data below, Act-On leads on higher user rating; Mailchimp leads on a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
- Act-On has the higher user rating (4.2/5 from 1,558 reviews for Act-On, 3.9/5 from 31,997 reviews for Mailchimp).
- Entry prices are not ranked, they are charged on different bases: Act-On $900/mo flat, billed monthly; Mailchimp $13/mo, billed monthly.
- Only Mailchimp has a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Act-On and Mailchimp compare in 2026?
On the data below, Act-On leads on higher user rating; Mailchimp leads on a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair. Act-On has the higher user rating (4.2/5 from 1,558 reviews for Act-On, 3.9/5 from 31,997 reviews for Mailchimp). Entry prices are not ranked, they are charged on different bases: Act-On $900/mo flat, billed monthly; Mailchimp $13/mo, billed monthly. Only Mailchimp has a free plan.
What are Act-On and Mailchimp used for?
Act-On: Marketing automation for growth. Mailchimp: Grow your business with email, SMS, and AI marketing.
What does Act-On cost vs Mailchimp?
Act-On's cheapest paid plan is Professional at $900/mo flat, billed monthly. Mailchimp's cheapest paid plan is Essentials at $13/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Nov 11, 2026.
What's the main difference between Act-On and Mailchimp?
Act-On's main strength: flexible pricing model based on active contacts marketed to, not total database size. Mailchimp's main strength: intuitive drag-and-drop editor accessible to non-technical users.
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