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.
Substack — Substack is a newsletter platform that lets writers publish and monetize directly to subscribers. It works best for Independent writers and journalists and Creators monetizing written content.
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
Substack
Rating
4.3 / 5
4.5 / 5
Pricing Model
Freemium
Free
Starting Price
Free / $13/mo
Free
Category
Marketing & Lead Generation
Marketing & Lead Generation
Free Plan
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Pros & Cons
Mailchimp
Pros
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
Cons
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
Substack scores 4.5/5 vs Mailchimp's 4.3/5 in our editorial ratings, making it the higher-rated option overall. Substack is especially strong for Independent writers and journalists.
Which is cheaper, Mailchimp or Substack?+
Both tools offer free access. Mailchimp is freemium. Paid plans start from Free / $13/mo. Substack is free. Paid plans start from Free (revenue share).
What is the main difference between Mailchimp and Substack?+
Mailchimp is a popular email marketing and automation platform for small businesses. Substack is a newsletter platform that lets writers publish and monetize directly to subscribers. The key distinction is focus: Mailchimp is best suited for Small businesses starting with email marketing, while Substack works better for Independent writers and journalists.
Verdict
Recommended choice
Substack
Based on our editorial ratings, Substack scores higher (4.5/5 vs 4.3/5). Substack is particularly well-suited for Independent writers and journalists. That said, Mailchimp remains a strong choice if small businesses starting with email marketing is your priority.