Mailchimp vs SendPulse: 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 SendPulse side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below, SendPulse leads on higher user rating. 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 intuitive drag-and-drop editor accessible to non-technical users
SendPulse
Multi-channel marketing automation platform for email, chatbots, CRM, and online courses.
Best for you if:
- • You want a fully free tool (Mailchimp requires payment)
| At a Glance | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $13/mo, billed monthly Essentials plan | Free 100% free |
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 | 4.6/5 Trustpilot 4.5 · Capterra 4.6 · G2 4.6 4,303 reviews |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
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 | n/a |
Choose Mailchimp or SendPulse?
Choose Mailchimp if
- 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 SendPulse if
- You want a fully free tool (Mailchimp requires payment)
- You want comprehensive suite of integrated marketing tools on one platform
- You want offers a generous free plan with significant features
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
SendPulse
Multi-channel marketing automation platform for email, chatbots, CRM, and online courses.
SendPulse's Free tier is incredibly generous, offering a vast array of features including email, chatbots, CRM, and even an online course builder, which is rare for a free plan.
Strengths
- Pro: Comprehensive suite of integrated marketing tools on one platform.
- Pro: Offers a generous free plan with significant features.
- Pro: User-friendly drag-and-drop editors and pre-made templates.
- Pro: AI-powered tools for content creation and refinement.
- Pro: 24/7 multi-language customer support and extensive knowledge base.
Weaknesses
- Con: Advanced features like unlimited emails and users are only available on higher-tier paid plans.
- Con: Pricing for larger subscriber lists can increase significantly.
- Con: Some features like SMS campaigns are not included in the free plan.
Key features
Plans and prices: Mailchimp vs SendPulse
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp |
| mailchimp.com/pricing read Oct 26, 2026 |
| SendPulse |
| sendpulse.com/pricing read Oct 31, 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 SendPulse pricing.
Key Takeaways
Mailchimp
- Choose if you want grow your business with email, SMS, and AI marketing
SendPulse
- Higher user rating: 4.6/5 vs 3.9/5
What the data shows
On the data below, SendPulse leads on higher user rating. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
- SendPulse has the higher user rating (3.9/5 from 31,997 reviews for Mailchimp, 4.6/5 from 4,303 reviews for SendPulse).
- Mailchimp starts at $13/mo, billed monthly; SendPulse has no public paid plan price on file.
- Both have 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 SendPulse compare in 2026?
On the data below, SendPulse leads on higher user rating. We do not name an overall winner for this pair. SendPulse has the higher user rating (3.9/5 from 31,997 reviews for Mailchimp, 4.6/5 from 4,303 reviews for SendPulse). Mailchimp starts at $13/mo, billed monthly; SendPulse has no public paid plan price on file. Both have a free plan.
What are Mailchimp and SendPulse used for?
Mailchimp: Grow your business with email, SMS, and AI marketing. SendPulse: Multi-channel marketing automation platform for email, chatbots, CRM, and online courses.
What does Mailchimp cost vs SendPulse?
Mailchimp's cheapest paid plan is Essentials at $13/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. SendPulse is free. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 31, 2026.
What's the main difference between Mailchimp and SendPulse?
Mailchimp's main strength: intuitive drag-and-drop editor accessible to non-technical users. SendPulse's main strength: comprehensive suite of integrated marketing tools on one platform.