Mailchimp vs MailerLite
Detailed comparison — pricing, features, pros & cons
Mailchimp — Mailchimp is a popular email marketing and automation platform for small businesses. It works best for Small businesses starting with email marketing and Creators building newsletter audiences.
MailerLite — MailerLite is an affordable email marketing platform with a generous free plan. It works best for Small businesses and bloggers on a budget and Creators starting their first email list.
This comparison covers pricing, key strengths and limitations, and what each tool does best to help you choose the right fit for your workflow.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Mailchimp | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Free / $13/mo | Free / $9/mo |
| Category | Marketing & Lead Generation | Marketing & Lead Generation |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Pros & Cons
- Industry-leading deliverability reputation built over 20+ years with major ISPs
- Drag-and-drop email builder with 100+ templates requires no HTML knowledge
- Audience manager handles contacts, tags, segments, and purchase history in one view
- Pre-built automation journeys for welcome, abandoned cart, and re-engagement campaigns
- Pricing jumps sharply with list growth — 10K contacts costs $110/mo on Standard
- Automation logic is less powerful than ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo at comparable price
- Landing page builder produces basic, template-constrained pages without custom code access
MailerLite - Free plan supports up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month
- Excellent email deliverability rates
- Intuitive drag-and-drop email and landing page editor
- Includes website builder, pop-ups, and surveys at no extra cost
- Automation capabilities less advanced than ActiveCampaign or HubSpot
- Limited CRM features compared to all-in-one platforms
- Some advanced features only available on paid plans
Who Is It For?
- Small businesses starting with email marketing
- Creators building newsletter audiences
- Ecommerce stores with abandoned cart automation
- Marketers needing beginner-friendly email campaigns
- Small businesses and bloggers on a budget
- Creators starting their first email list
- Teams wanting simple, reliable email marketing
- Businesses needing landing pages included with email
Which Tool Should You Choose?
- Small businesses starting with email marketing
- Creators building newsletter audiences
- Ecommerce stores with abandoned cart automation
- Marketers needing beginner-friendly email campaigns
Choose MailerLite if… - Small businesses and bloggers on a budget
- Creators starting their first email list
- Teams wanting simple, reliable email marketing
- Businesses needing landing pages included with email
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mailchimp better than MailerLite?
Which is cheaper, Mailchimp or MailerLite?
What is the main difference between Mailchimp and MailerLite?
Verdict
Based on our editorial ratings, MailerLite scores higher (4.7/5 vs 4.3/5). MailerLite is particularly well-suited for Small businesses and bloggers on a budget. That said, Mailchimp remains a strong choice if small businesses starting with email marketing is your priority.