Mailchimp vs Klaviyo: Which Should You Choose?

Last updated June 12, 2026

Quick Verdict

Choose Mailchimp for general small-business email — newsletters, promotions, simple journeys — at a friendlier entry price with an easier learning curve. Choose Klaviyo when you run an online store and revenue depends on behavioral flows: its store-event data model, segmentation, and predictive analytics convert measurably better for e-commerce, which is why serious stores migrate despite higher costs.

Side-by-Side Comparison

AspectMailchimpKlaviyo
PricingFreemium · from $13/moFreemium
Free plan
Open source
API available
No signup required
Best forSmall businesses starting structured email marketing
Platformsweb
Best forGeneral small-business email marketingE-commerce stores living on email revenue
Data modelContacts with tags and segmentsStore events: viewed, carted, purchased
AutomationCustomer Journeys cover the basicsDeep behavioral flows with predictive analytics
Free tier500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo250 contacts, 500 sends/mo
Pricing at scaleClimbs with contacts; cheaper earlyHigher, but tied to revenue-driving features
IntegrationsBroad small-business catalogDeepest Shopify/WooCommerce integration
Mailchimp logo

Mailchimp

The best-known email marketing platform — campaigns, automations, and a marketing CRM for small business.

Mailchimp (an Intuit company) is the household name of email marketing, used by millions of small businesses to send newsletters, build automations, and manage customer data in one marketing CRM. The platform spans drag-and-drop email design with a large template library, customer journeys with branching automation, segmentation and predictive analytics, plus landing pages, forms, SMS (in supported regions), and light social/ads tooling. Its integration catalog — Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, and hundreds more — keeps it at the center of small-business stacks. AI features generate copy, subject lines, and design variants. Pricing starts free for very small lists and scales by contact count; costs rise noticeably as lists grow, which is the most common reason users eventually shop for alternatives — but for getting a business onto professional email marketing quickly, Mailchimp remains the default on-ramp.

Pros

  • Easiest mainstream entry into email marketing
  • Huge template and integration ecosystem
  • Free plan to start; everything in one place

Cons

  • Contact-based pricing gets expensive as lists grow
  • Automation depth trails specialist tools like Klaviyo
Klaviyo logo

Klaviyo

Growth marketing platform for e-commerce with advanced email and SMS marketing automation and analytics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Mailchimp or Klaviyo?

Choose Mailchimp for general small-business email — newsletters, promotions, simple journeys — at a friendlier entry price with an easier learning curve. Choose Klaviyo when you run an online store and revenue depends on behavioral flows: its store-event data model, segmentation, and predictive analytics convert measurably better for e-commerce, which is why serious stores migrate despite higher costs.

Do Mailchimp and Klaviyo have free plans?

Yes, both Mailchimp and Klaviyo offer a free plan, so you can trial each before committing.

Is Mailchimp or Klaviyo open source?

Neither tool is open source.