Mailchimp vs Marketo: 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 Mailchimp and Marketo side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below, 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:
Mailchimp
Grow your business with email, SMS, and AI marketing
Best for you if:
- • You want a free tier before you commit
Marketo
Orchestrate cross-channel campaigns with AI personalization and revenue attribution
Best for you if:
- • You want deep cross-channel orchestration in a single platform
| At a Glance | Mailchimp | Marketo |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $13/mo, billed monthly Essentials plan | Not published |
Category | Marketing Automation Email Marketing | Marketing Automation Email Marketing |
Rating | 3.9/5 Capterra 4.5 · G2 4.3 · Trustpilot 2.6 31,997 reviews | 3.8/5 G2 4.1 · SourceForge 2.5 3,163 reviews |
Free plan | Yes | No |
Watch out for | 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 | Add-ons like Marketo Measure can increase price |
Choose Mailchimp or Marketo?
Choose Mailchimp if
- You want a free tier before you commit
- You want intuitive drag-and-drop editor accessible to non-technical users
- You want comprehensive free plan to get started with basic email marketing
Choose Marketo if
- You want deep cross-channel orchestration in a single platform
- You want robust multi-touch attribution links marketing spend to revenue
In-Depth Analysis
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
Marketo
Orchestrate cross-channel campaigns with AI personalization and revenue attribution
It's best suited for large enterprises with significant marketing budgets and complex automation needs.
Watch out
Add-ons like Marketo Measure can increase price
Strengths
- Pro: Deep cross-channel orchestration in a single platform
- Pro: Robust multi-touch attribution links marketing spend to revenue
- Pro: Scales to millions of contacts with enterprise-grade reliability
- Pro: Tight integration with Salesforce and the wider Adobe Experience Cloud
- Pro: AI-driven personalization across email, web, and chat
Weaknesses
- Con: No public pricing-plans start around $40K/year and can exceed $1M
- Con: Steep learning curve requiring dedicated admin or consultant
- Con: Implementation timeline typically runs several months
- Con: Database-size pricing model makes costs unpredictable as contacts grow
- Con: UI feels dated compared to newer marketing automation tools
Key features
Plans and prices: Mailchimp vs Marketo
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp |
| mailchimp.com/pricing read Oct 26, 2026 |
| Marketo | No plan prices on file | business.adobe.com/products/marketo/pricing.html read Oct 3, 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 Mailchimp pricing and Marketo pricing.
Key Takeaways
Mailchimp
- Has a free plan
Marketo
- Choose if you want orchestrate cross-channel campaigns with AI personalization and revenue attribution
What the data shows
On the data below, Mailchimp leads on a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
- User ratings are within 0.2 points (3.9/5 from 31,997 reviews for Mailchimp, 3.8/5 from 3,163 reviews for Marketo).
- Mailchimp starts at $13/mo, billed monthly; Marketo has no public paid plan price on file.
- 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 Mailchimp and Marketo compare in 2026?
On the data below, Mailchimp leads on a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair. User ratings are within 0.2 points (3.9/5 from 31,997 reviews for Mailchimp, 3.8/5 from 3,163 reviews for Marketo). Mailchimp starts at $13/mo, billed monthly; Marketo has no public paid plan price on file. Only Mailchimp has a free plan.
What are Mailchimp and Marketo used for?
Mailchimp: Grow your business with email, SMS, and AI marketing. Marketo: Orchestrate cross-channel campaigns with AI personalization and revenue attribution.
What does Mailchimp cost vs Marketo?
Mailchimp's cheapest paid plan is Essentials at $13/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. Marketo has no public paid-plan price on file. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 26, 2026.
What's the main difference between Mailchimp and Marketo?
Mailchimp's main strength: intuitive drag-and-drop editor accessible to non-technical users. Marketo's main strength: deep cross-channel orchestration in a single platform.