| Decision point | MailerLite | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free audience limit | Up to 250 active subscribers | Up to 250 contacts |
| Free email volume | 2,500 monthly emails | 500 monthly sends, with a 250-per-day cap |
| Paid plan structure | Free, Comfort, and Power, with published starting prices and subscriber tiers | Essentials, Standard, and Premium, with pricing based on selected contact tier |
| Compare before paying | Automation, forms, sites, landing pages, sends, and support limits by plan | Contact counting, audience count, monthly sends, overages, and support by plan |
The Free plans are not like-for-like
MailerLite lists 2,500 monthly emails for up to 250 active subscribers. Mailchimp lists 500 monthly sends for up to 250 contacts and a daily cap of 250. The audience terms differ, and the monthly totals are only useful if the providers count your records the way you expect. Check how unsubscribed, archived, or suppressed records affect the billable audience.
Compare the work you need to do
MailerLite’s public pages include email editors, visual automations, forms, landing pages, and website features, with plan-specific caps. Mailchimp’s plan comparison includes multiple audiences, automation flows, forms, reporting, and its broader integration catalog, with feature allowances that vary by tier. Create a short list of the exact tasks your team will run and verify each against the selected plan.
How to make the pricing comparison fair
- Use the same active-contact count and the same definition of an address you can market to.
- Estimate the same campaign and automation sends per month.
- Compare the same billing interval and currency.
- Include tax, overages, extra seats, and any add-ons.
- Check export and suppression handling before importing.
Which one should you choose?
MailerLite’s Free send allowance is higher on the published snapshot above. That may matter to a small sender who needs more than 500 monthly sends while staying near the 250-person tier. Mailchimp may still fit better when a particular integration, audience workflow, or plan feature is central to the business. The published caps alone do not prove which service will perform better for your audience.