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Mailchimp alternatives in 2026

Build a list, send a campaign, and see who opened it — without paying per contact. Compare the options below by their fit, pricing and tradeoffs, then check which Mailchimp features Listmonk covers before switching.

Side by side

Mailchimp alternatives compared

ToolTypeBest forPricingTradeoff
Listmonk on Borg App Hub Open source Build a list, send a campaign, and see who opened it — without paying per contact. No per-seat cost; pay for AI + compute Runs inside your Borg workspace.
Brevo SaaS Teams with large lists but moderate send volume Free plan; paid tiers bill by email volume, not contact count Cheaper for big, low-send lists; fewer advanced automation features
ActiveCampaign SaaS Teams wanting deep automation and light CRM in one tool Starter from $15/month for 1,000 contacts.

Checked 2026-10-07. Vendor source

 Closest feature match to Mailchimp but a steeper learning curve
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) SaaS Creators selling digital products to an email list Free tier; paid plans scale with subscriber count Strong for creators, lighter on e-commerce/retail features
Klaviyo SaaS E-commerce brands wanting revenue-attributed email and SMS Free tier; paid plans scale with contacts Built around Shopify/e-commerce data, less general-purpose
Constant Contact SaaS Small businesses wanting a simple builder and event tools Lite from $12/month; price increases with contact count.

Checked 2026-10-07. Vendor source

 Simpler automation than Mailchimp, geared to small-business basics
MailerLite SaaS Budget-conscious senders wanting a clean editor Free tier for up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails/month.

Checked 2026-10-07. Vendor source

 Lighter feature set than Mailchimp at the high end

The push

Why teams leave Mailchimp

  • You're billed for every contact stored, not how many you actually email.

  • The free plan has shrunk repeatedly: fewer contacts, fewer sends, a tighter daily cap.

  • Pricing has risen roughly 5-10% a year since Intuit's 2021 acquisition.

  • Unsubscribed and inactive contacts still count toward your bill unless you archive them by hand.

Before switching

Check the coverage you need

Review the feature details for Listmonk before moving your workflow from Mailchimp.

  • Automation / drip sequences

    Partly covered

    Basic automations work; Mailchimp's visual multi-step journey builder has no direct match.

  • Deliverability tooling

    Partly covered

    You bring and configure your own SMTP/DKIM setup; there's no shared sender reputation to inherit.

See the full feature coverage for Listmonk.

Borg App Hub

Listmonk, without the seat tax

Build a list, send a campaign, and see who opened it — without paying per contact. The Borg App Hub runs Listmonk with no per-seat cost and no usage caps. You pay only for the AI and compute you use, inside a workspace you control.

Start free See Listmonk on Borg

Early access for Search Atlas Mastermind and Enterprise.

Questions

Mailchimp alternatives, answered

Why does my Mailchimp bill keep going up without adding subscribers?

Mailchimp bills on total contacts stored, including unsubscribed ones unless you archive them, and its published prices have risen most years since 2021.

How small is Mailchimp's free plan now?

As of 2026 it's capped at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, both well below where it started.

Is there an open-source or free alternative to Mailchimp?

Yes. Listmonk is a free, self-hosted newsletter manager; Brevo and Kit both offer usable free SaaS tiers.

Can a self-hosted tool match Mailchimp's automation builder?

Basic trigger-based sequences work, but Mailchimp's visual multi-branch journey builder doesn't have a direct open-source equivalent yet.

Do I need to worry about deliverability if I self-host email sending?

Yes. You're responsible for your own SPF/DKIM setup and sender reputation instead of inheriting a shared one from a SaaS vendor.

How does Borg App Hub pricing work?

There's no per-seat cost and no usage caps. You pay only for the AI and compute Listmonk uses, as part of your existing Borg subscription.

Ready to look closer? See Listmonk on the Borg App Hub.

Mailchimp pricing checked 2026-10-07. Pricing source