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MailerLite
- Best for
- Small businesses that want automations, forms and landing pages without a steep price
- Price from
- Free up to 250 subscribers; paid listed from $12 a month
The closest like-for-like switch. MailerLite includes automations, signup forms, landing pages and a website builder, and it lists a Mailchimp importer for moving subscribers. Its free plan also covers 250 subscribers, the same as Mailchimp’s, but with 2,500 emails a month against Mailchimp’s cap of 500 a month, and with 3 automations included.
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Kit
- Best for
- Creators and coaches who sell products or run a paid newsletter
- Price from
- Free for up to 10,000 subscribers; Creator listed at $33 a month for 1,000 subscribers
Kit is the pick if you sell to your own audience. The free plan allows a far larger list than Mailchimp’s, and it adds a digital store, subscriptions and a recommendation network. You give up general-purpose ecommerce tooling, and unlimited automations need the paid Creator plan.
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Brevo
- Best for
- Businesses with a big list they email occasionally, or that also send system emails and SMS
- Price from
- Free plan up to 300 emails a day; Starter listed from 5,000 emails a month
Brevo limits free sending by the day rather than by contact count, which can suit a large list mailed rarely. It lists email and SMS sending, an AI content generator and advanced segmentation on Starter. We could not read plan prices from the page, so check them for your list size.
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GetResponse
- Best for
- Marketers who want funnels, landing pages and automation in one paid tool
- Price from
- Starter $19 a month monthly billing, $15.58 a month billed annually
GetResponse’s Starter includes unlimited sends, a landing page builder and one custom automation. Unlimited automation workflows, abandoned cart recovery and sales funnels begin on the $59 a month Marketer plan. It is the better route if you want to build funnels, though it costs more than the others here.
Mailchimp is the email tool most small businesses meet first. It is familiar and widely integrated, but its limits push many people to look around, especially once a list grows past the free plan.
This page compares four alternatives using each company’s own pricing and features pages, read on 12 October 2026. We have not run campaigns in all four, so the page is labelled as researched. See how we test for what that means.
What Mailchimp offers today
Mailchimp’s marketing plans are Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium. Its pricing page lists the Free plan at 250 contacts with a cap of 500 sends a month or 250 a day, one seat, one audience, and no automation flows. Essentials adds scheduling, branding removal and up to 4 flow steps. Standard adds generative AI at no extra cost and up to 200 flows. Premium adds phone and priority support, SSO and advanced testing. Standard and Essentials include a 14-day free trial.
On the page we read, the paid plans showed promotional first-year prices and the ongoing monthly price was blank, so we cannot give you a reliable figure for what you will pay after the first year. That uncertainty is itself a reason to compare.
What to look for in an alternative
Before you switch, decide what is actually bothering you.
- If it is the free plan limits, look at Kit, Brevo or MailerLite, whose free plans are measured differently.
- If it is automation limits, look at MailerLite or GetResponse, where automation counts are listed on the plan pages.
- If it is price at your list size, use each vendor’s calculator with your real number, because a “from” price describes the smallest tier only.
What you lose when you switch
Every switch costs a few hours. Subscribers move easily; automations, templates, signup forms and reports do not. Plan on rebuilding your welcome series first and running both tools for a short overlap. Keep your Mailchimp export as a backup for at least a month.
Also check consent records. If your list was collected with a clear opt-in, importing it is straightforward. If it was not, do not import it into any tool.
Our recommendation
For most small businesses, MailerLite is the easiest switch. It offers a Mailchimp importer and puts automations, forms and landing pages into plans with low starting prices. Pick Kit if you are a creator, Brevo if your list is big and quiet, and GetResponse if you want funnels and are happy to pay more.
Compare them on your own numbers in the best email marketing software for small business list, and read the Kit vs MailerLite comparison if those two are your finalists.
Common questions
Why do people leave Mailchimp?
The reasons we see most are the small free plan, pricing that rises with list size, and automation limits on lower tiers. Mailchimp’s free plan lists 250 contacts and a cap of 500 sends a month or 250 a day, and its Essentials plan lists up to 4 flow steps. If those limits do not bother you, there is no need to move.
How do I move my list from Mailchimp?
Export your audience as a CSV from Mailchimp, then import it into the new tool. MailerLite lists a dedicated Mailchimp importer. Automations, templates and forms usually need to be rebuilt by hand.
Is there a free Mailchimp alternative?
Yes. Kit lists a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers, Brevo’s free plan allows up to 300 emails a day, and MailerLite’s free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month.