Mailchimp Review: Pros & Cons And The Best Plans (2023)

As one of the pioneers in email marketing software, Mailchimp has established itself as a prominent tool in the industry over its 21 years of operation. With its comprehensive set of features, Mailchimp caters to a diverse range of audience groups, including startups, small businesses, developers, and agencies. While Mailchimp holds the largest market share among email marketing platforms, it is important to note that, like any tool, there are areas where it can be further improved.

If you're considering Mailchimp for your business, you're likely looking for insights to make an informed decision. In this unbiased Mailchimp review, we provide an analysis based on our own experience and an examination of customer reviews to assist you in evaluating whether Mailchimp is the right fit for your needs.

Mailchimp Overview

Mailchimp is a popular marketing automation platform that enables businesses and individuals to create, manage, and analyze their email marketing campaigns. It was founded in 2001 and has since grown to become one of the leading email marketing service providers.

Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform that offers a range of tools and features to help businesses manage their marketing efforts. It is primarily known for its email marketing capabilities but also provides solutions for social media management, customer relationship management (CRM), landing pages, marketing automation, and more.

With Mailchimp, users can create and send email campaigns using customizable templates and intuitive drag-and-drop tools. It offers advanced segmentation options to target specific audiences and automation features to send personalized messages based on triggers or customer behavior. Mailchimp also provides robust analytics and reporting to track campaign performance and optimize marketing strategies.

Mailchimp's user-friendly interface, extensive integrations with other platforms and apps, and a wide range of features make it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. It offers different pricing plans, including a free plan with limited features and paid plans with additional capabilities and higher email volume allowances.

Mailchimp is a comprehensive marketing platform that empowers businesses to effectively reach their audience, drive engagement, and grow their brand. Its features, ease of use, and scalability make it a suitable option for businesses looking to streamline their marketing efforts and achieve their marketing goals.

Pros of Mailchimp:

User-Friendly Interface: Mailchimp offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and use the platform, even for beginners or those with limited technical knowledge.

Comprehensive Feature Set: Mailchimp provides a wide range of features beyond email marketing, including social media management, landing pages, marketing automation, and CRM. This allows businesses to manage multiple aspects of their marketing efforts in one platform.

Customizable Templates: Mailchimp offers a variety of customizable email templates, making it simple for users to create professional-looking emails without design or coding skills.

Advanced Segmentation and Targeting: Mailchimp's segmentation and targeting options enable businesses to send personalized and relevant messages to specific segments of their audience, increasing engagement and conversion rates.

Automation Capabilities: With Mailchimp's automation features, users can set up automated email campaigns based on triggers or customer behavior, saving time and effort while maintaining personalized communication with their audience.

Analytics and Reporting: Mailchimp provides robust analytics and reporting tools to track the performance of email campaigns, social media posts, and other marketing activities. This data helps businesses measure the effectiveness of their efforts and make data-driven decisions.

Cons of Mailchimp:

Complexity for Advanced Features: While Mailchimp is user-friendly, some of its more advanced features, such as complex automation workflows, may require a learning curve or technical knowledge to fully utilize.

Limited Customer Support for Free Plan: Users on the free plan have limited access to customer support, with priority support reserved for paid plans. This may be a drawback for businesses with limited budgets relying solely on the free plan.

Pricing Structure: As businesses scale and require higher email volumes or additional features, the pricing of Mailchimp can become more expensive compared to other email marketing platforms.

Limited A/B Testing in Free Plan: A/B testing, which allows businesses to test different variations of their campaigns, is only available in paid plans. Users on the free plan may not have access to this important feature.

Mailchimp Pricing Overview

Mailchimp offers different pricing plans to accommodate businesses of various sizes and needs. Here is an overview of Mailchimp's pricing options:

Free Plan

Mailchimp's Free plan allows users to send up to 10,000 emails per month to a maximum of 2,000 subscribers. It offers basic email marketing features, including customizable templates, audience segmentation, and some automation options. However, it has limited access to advanced features and support. It includes all the basics you need to get started, such as:

• Up to 500 contacts: You can add up to 500 contacts to your Mailchimp list for free.
• 1,000 sends per month: You can send up to 1,000 emails per month to your contacts.
• Daily send limit of 500: You can only send 500 emails per day on the Free plan.
• Basic email templates: You can use Mailchimp's basic email templates to create your email campaigns.
• Basic reporting: You can track the performance of your email campaigns with Mailchimp's basic reporting tools.
• Free email support: You can get free email support from Mailchimp if you have any questions about using the platform.

Essentials Plan

The Essentials plan starts at $9.99 per month. It includes all the features of the Free plan and offers additional functionality such as unlimited emails, advanced segmentation, A/B testing, and custom branding. This plan is suitable for small businesses looking for more flexibility and advanced tools. It includes a number of features that are not available on the Free plan, such as:

• Up to 50,000 contacts: You can add up to 50,000 contacts to your Mailchimp list on the Essentials plan.
• 10,000 sends per month: You can send up to 10,000 emails per month to your contacts on the Essentials plan.
• Daily send limit of 2,000: You can send up to 2,000 emails per day on the Essentials plan.
• Advanced email templates: You can use Mailchimp's advanced email templates to create your email campaigns.
• Advanced reporting: You can track the performance of your email campaigns with Mailchimp's advanced reporting tools.
• 24/7 email support: You can get 24/7 email support from Mailchimp if you have any questions about using the platform.

Standard Plan

The Standard plan starts at $14.99 per month. It includes all the features of the Essentials plan and adds more advanced features like automation series, retargeting ads, and custom templates. This plan is suitable for growing businesses that require more advanced automation and marketing capabilities. It includes a number of features that are not available on the Essentials plan, such as:

• Up to 100,000 contacts: You can add up to 100,000 contacts to your Mailchimp list on the Standard plan.
• 20,000 sends per month: You can send up to 20,000 emails per month to your contacts on the Standard plan.
• Daily send limit of 5,000: You can send up to 5,000 emails per day on the Standard plan.
• Advanced email templates: You can use Mailchimp's advanced email templates to create your email campaigns.
• Advanced reporting: You can track the performance of your email campaigns with Mailchimp's advanced reporting tools.
• 24/7 email support: You can get 24/7 email support from Mailchimp if you have any questions about using the platform.

Premium Plan

The Premium plan is designed for businesses with larger subscriber lists and more complex needs. The pricing varies based on specific requirements. It includes all the features of the Standard plan and offers additional features like advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, and phone support. This plan is suitable for businesses that require extensive automation, in-depth reporting, and dedicated support. It includes all of the features of the Essentials and Standard plans, plus a number of additional features, such as:

• Up to 200,000 contacts: You can add up to 200,000 contacts to your Mailchimp list on the Premium plan.
• Unlimited sends per month: You can send an unlimited number of emails per month to your contacts on the Premium plan.
• Daily send limit of 10,000: You can send up to 10,000 emails per day on the Premium plan.
• Advanced email templates: You can use Mailchimp's most advanced email templates to create your email campaigns.
• Advanced reporting: You can track the performance of your email campaigns with Mailchimp's most advanced reporting tools.
• 24/7 email support: You can get 24/7 email support from Mailchimp if you have any questions about using the platform.
• Dedicated onboarding: You will be assigned a dedicated onboarding specialist to help you get started with Mailchimp.
• Phone support: You can get phone support from Mailchimp if you need to speak to someone directly.
• Cobrowse support: You can use Cobrowse support to get help from a Mailchimp expert while you are using the platform.
• Unlimited seats: You can have an unlimited number of seats on the Premium plan, so you can share your account with your team.

The Premium plan is a good option for businesses that need the most comprehensive set of features that Mailchimp offers. It includes a number of features that are not available on the Essentials or Standard plans, such as unlimited sends, dedicated onboarding, phone support, and cobrowse support.

Here is a table that compares the Mailchimp Free, Mailchimp Essentials, Standard, and Premium plans:

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mailchimp is a well-established and popular email marketing platform that offers a range of features and capabilities to help businesses effectively manage their marketing campaigns. With its user-friendly interface, customizable templates, automation capabilities, and reporting tools, Mailchimp provides businesses with the tools they need to engage with their audience and drive results.

Overall, Mailchimp is a reliable choice for businesses looking to leverage email marketing to engage with their audience and drive conversions. Its wide range of features, ease of use, and scalability make it a popular option in the market. However, it's recommended to carefully evaluate your specific needs and compare Mailchimp with other email marketing platforms to determine the best fit for your business.

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