In the ever-crowded world of email marketing tools, Mailchimp continues to be the first name that comes to mind for businesses and creators alike. But how well does it really perform today especially for those relying on free or entry-level plans?
We tested Mailchimp across four critical functions i.e. Email Designing & Templates, Contact List Management, Email Sending & Deliverability, and Reports & Analytics to see how it holds up in real scenarios. From crafting a campaign in under 30 minutes to analyzing engagement metrics, every step was tested hands-on to deliver an honest, data-backed verdict.
If you’re wondering whether Mailchimp is still worth your time (and money), this review cuts through the marketing noise. It highlightis what works beautifully, where it struggles, and whether it’s the right fit for your business.
Quick Snapshot: Mailchimp at a Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Beginner-friendly drag-and-drop builder |
| Best For | Small businesses, freelancers, and marketers who want a trusted, scalable email marketing platform with strong analytics and deliverability. |
| Free Plan | Yes, with Mailchimp branding |
| Paid Plans Start At | $13/month (Essentials) |
| Email Templates | 250+ |
| Automation & A/B Testing | Available only on paid plans |
| Analytics & Exports | Real-time metrics, link tracking, CSV export |
| Deliverability | 100% delivery during testing |
| Integrations | WordPress, Shopify, Elementor, Zapier, WooCommerce, and more |
| Support | Knowledge base + chat (limited for free users) |
Performance Breakdown: Pros and Cons
- Easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor
- 250+ industry-ready templates
- Strong deliverability performance
- Reliable contact management system
- Comprehensive analytics dashboard
- Limited Free Plan Features
- Pricing Escalates with Growth
- Mailchimp Branding on Free Emails
Email Designing & Templates
The drag-and-drop editor in Mailchimp is impressively smooth and intuitive. Even users with no coding experience can design professional emails with ease. During our testing, it took just 30 minutes to create a complete email from scratch, including images, buttons, and text formatting.
Mailchimp offers over 250 industry-specific templates, but a large portion is locked under paid plans. Free-trial users get limited access, though enough to test the core design functionality. Customization is where Mailchimp truly shines. Fonts, colours, and layout adjustments can be made effortlessly, and all design updates reflect instantly in the preview.
Each template is fully mobile-responsive. In our real-world tests, every text and image element aligned perfectly across desktop and mobile views without requiring manual tweaks.
Adding media elements is seamless. Embedding CTAs, images, or videos is quick, and users can easily adjust padding or margins for a clean visual layout. Moreover, Mailchimp lets you save and reuse templates, helping teams maintain visual consistency across campaigns.
Contact List Management
Creating and managing contact lists was a smooth process during our test. Mailchimp allows importing contacts from CSV or tab-delimited TXT files, and it handled our sample upload without a hitch. You can also add contacts manually, and the interface makes manual entry surprisingly efficient.
We found segmentation and tagging straightforward. It’s perfect for future targeting or automation. Tags can be added while creating or editing contacts, which saves time for recurring campaigns.
Mailchimp also performed well in handling duplicates. Duplicate email IDs were automatically identified and replaced with a single valid entry without causing disruption. However, it doesn’t display explicit “duplicate detected” alerts, which could be improved.
Campaign Execution
Our testing showed excellent deliverability. Most emails landed in the Promotions tab, but none went to the spam folder. It’s an impressive result compared to many in-house or lesser-known tools that often see up to 10% spam rate.
The deliverability rate was 100% during tests. Sending to 100 contacts took just a couple of minutes, confirming both speed and reliability. However, the free plan lacks advanced scheduling and automation features. Scheduling and A/B testing options are reserved for paid tiers.
Automation support exists. You can create drip sequences or triggered emails, but only after upgrading. The A/B testing (subject line or design variant testing) is also part of paid plans.
Free users can send up to 1,000 emails per month, and during our 20-email test batch, everything functioned flawlessly. Emails on the free plan, however, carry Mailchimp branding, which can be removed by upgrading.
Even on the free plan, Mailchimp includes one-click unsubscribe links, ensuring compliance with GDPR and CAN-SPAM requirements.
Reports & Analytics
When it comes to analytics, Mailchimp offers one of the most comprehensive dashboards for free-plan users. All core performance metrics including open rate, click-through rate, bounce rate, and unsubscribes are clearly displayed.
The built-in link-click tracking system helps identify user engagement hotspots within the email. You can monitor which CTAs or product links performed best.
The export to CSV function worked smoothly in our testing, allowing data sharing or offline analysis. However, advanced custom reporting options and multi-campaign comparisons are available only under paid plans. Free users can still access detailed summaries but lack flexibility in building tailored analytics.
Pricing & Value
Mailchimp’s pricing scales intelligently offering beginners a free entry point and advanced users automation, analytics, and customization at fair tiers. The Standard Plan provides the best balance between cost and capability, while Premium ensures enterprise-grade flexibility and support.
Free Plan — Best for Starters and Solo Creators
- Email Sends: 1,000/month
- Users: 1 seat
- Audiences: 1
- Support: Email support (first 30 days only)
- AI Features: Not included
What You Get: A great starting point for small lists and first-time users. The drag-and-drop editor, basic templates, and core analytics are all accessible. You can send campaigns, track clicks, and test the workflow without paying. However, Mailchimp branding appears in all outgoing emails, and advanced features like automation or scheduling are unavailable.
Best For: Freelancers, creators, or new businesses testing email campaigns before committing to paid plans.
Essentials Plan — Best for Growing Marketers
- Price: $13/month
- Email Sends: 5,000/month
- Users: 3 seats
- Audiences: 3
- Support: 24/7 Email & Chat
- AI Features: Not included
What You Get: Adds scheduling, A/B testing, and removal of Mailchimp branding. You also get more templates and the ability to target specific segments. It’s a solid choice if you’re running regular campaigns or managing multiple lists.
Best For: Small businesses or marketing teams that want professional campaign management tools without the high cost.
Standard Plan — Best Overall Value
- Price: $20/month
- Email Sends: 6,000/month
- Users: 5 seats
- Audiences: 5
- Support: 24/7 Email & Chat
- AI Features: Included at no additional cost
What You Get: This is Mailchimp’s best value plan. You unlock enhanced automation, personalization, optimization tools, and predictive insights. It’s perfect for marketers who want data-backed decisions and AI-powered recommendations to boost open and click rates.
Best For: Businesses scaling their audience and seeking deeper personalization, workflow automation, and better ROI tracking.
Premium Plan — Best for Enterprises and Large Teams
- Price: Starts at $350/month
- Email Sends: 150,000/month
- Users: Unlimited
- Audiences: Unlimited
- Support: Priority phone & dedicated onboarding
- AI Features: Included
What You Get: Tailored for teams managing complex, high-volume campaigns. Premium users get advanced segmentation, comparative reporting, multivariate testing, and dedicated onboarding. The plan also offers priority support and a scalable infrastructure suitable for enterprise workloads.
Best For: Large enterprises, agencies, or organizations managing multiple brands or high-volume campaigns with strict delivery SLAs.
Mailchimp vs Competitors
Choosing the right email marketing tool often comes down to how much value you get per dollar. Here’s how Mailchimp stacks up against two major competitors — GetResponse and Brevo based on pricing, features, and scalability.
| Plan / Feature | Mailchimp | GetResponse | Brevo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ✅ Yes – Up to 1,000 emails/month | ✅ Yes – Up to 500 contacts | ✅ Yes – 300 emails/day |
| Starting Paid Plan | $13/month (Essentials) | $15.60/month (Email Marketing) | $25/month (Business) |
| Best Value Plan | Standard ($20/month) | Marketing Automation ($48/month) | Business ($65/month) |
| Monthly Email Sends (Entry Plan) | 5,000 | Unlimited | 20,000 |
| Automation Tools | Basic (Standard & above) | Advanced (Included) | Advanced (Included) |
| A/B Testing | Paid plans only | Included from basic plan | Included |
| AI Features | Included (Standard+) | AI subject line & send-time optimization | Smart scheduling & AI recommendations |
| Custom Templates | 250+ (Responsive) | 150+ | 60+ |
| Analytics & Reporting | Core + advanced (Standard+) | Detailed engagement & sales tracking | Real-time reports |
| Support | 24/7 chat (Essentials+) | Email, chat & webinars | Email & live chat |
| Deliverability (Testing) | 100% inbox rate (Promotion tab) | 99% inbox rate | 98% inbox rate |
| Integrations | WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier | Shopify, WooCommerce, HubSpot | Shopify, WordPress, Zapier |
Final Verdict
Mailchimp continues to prove why it remains one of the most trusted names in email marketing. Its seamless editor, strong deliverability, and comprehensive analytics make it an ideal starting point for creators, startups, and growing businesses alike. Even with the limitations in the free plan, the core experience is solid, reliable, quick, and backed by a well-structured interface that simplifies campaign creation from start to send. You don’t need a steep learning curve to get results. Everything from designing newsletters to tracking performance feels intuitive. However, marketers who need advanced automation, multi-variant testing, or white-label control might outgrow the Essentials or Standard plans over time.
It’s not the cheapest or the most advanced tool on the market, but it’s one of the most dependable. For most users especially those prioritizing ease, stability, and quality design, Mailchimp remains a top-tier choice.
