At a glance
Mailchimp
- Free plan
- 250 contacts and 500 emails a month (250 a day). No automation flows.
- Paid plans from
- $13 a month (Essentials, up to 500 contacts)
- Best for
- People who plan to pay and want a well-known tool with 300+ integrations
- Skip it if
- You want to stay free past 250 people or keep many unsubscribed contacts
Prices checked 2026-10-21 · Sources
Quick answer
Mailchimp's Free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month (no more than 250 a day). It has no automation flows, no email scheduling, and every email carries a Mailchimp referral badge. It works for a very small list you email by hand. Most people outgrow it fast, and then Essentials starts at $13 a month for up to 500 contacts, or Standard at $20 if you want real automations.
Is the free plan enough?
Enough for you if you have fewer than 250 contacts and send a newsletter now and then. Mailchimp Free includes:
- up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a daily limit of 250
- 1 audience and 1 user
- forms and landing pages
- a limited set of email templates and basic reports
Not enough if you want any of these, which need a paid plan:
- automation flows such as a welcome series (Free gets only a "free preview")
- scheduling an email for later
- A/B testing
- emails without the Mailchimp badge
If your list goes past 250 contacts on Free, Mailchimp holds all sending, including test emails, until you upgrade or cut your list.
Sources: Mailchimp pricing plans, compare plans.
What it costs when you outgrow it
Mailchimp charges by how many contacts you store, not how many people are subscribed. Monthly prices in USD:
| Contacts | Essentials | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13 | $20 | $350 |
| 1,500 | $26.50 | $45 | $350 |
| 2,500 | $45 | $60 | $350 |
| 5,000 | $75 | $100 | $350 |
| 10,000 | $110 | $135 | $350 |
Source: mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing, checked 2026-10-21. Prices change; the vendor's page is the final word.
Price for each tier up to that many contacts (0–500, 501–1,500 and so on). Premium's price includes 10,000 contacts. At the 5,001–10,000 tier the page currently shows 15% off the first 12 months: $93.50 Essentials, $114.75 Standard, $297.50 Premium.
- What each plan adds: Essentials gets automation flows of up to 4 steps, scheduling, A/B testing and no Mailchimp branding. Standard gets up to 200 flows with branching, and dynamic content. Premium adds unlimited users and audiences and phone support.
- Send limits: Essentials lets you send 10 times your contact limit each month, Standard 12 times and Premium 15 times. At 500 contacts that's 5,000 and 6,000 emails a month on Essentials and Standard.
- Trial: Essentials and Standard come with a 14-day free trial, but you have to enter payment details to start it. After 14 days you're charged unless you cancel or switch to Free.
- Yearly billing: not offered on small lists. Mailchimp lists annual plans only for Standard and Premium at 10,000+ contacts, through sales.
Sources: Mailchimp pricing, pricing plans.
Catches to know
- Unsubscribed contacts still count. Your bill is based on all stored contacts, including people who unsubscribed and people who never subscribed. Only archived, cleaned or deleted contacts don't count (your contacts, pricing plans).
- You pay for your busiest day. Your bill uses the highest contact total in the month, so deleting contacts late in the month doesn't lower it (additional charges).
- Going over costs extra, automatically. On paid plans, going past your contact or send limit doesn't stop sending. Mailchimp adds extra contact blocks to your bill instead (additional charges).
- Test emails use up sends. Test and transactional emails count toward your monthly send limit (pricing plans).
- A badge on every free email. Free accounts have to include a Mailchimp referral badge on all emails (email footers).
- No refunds on a downgrade. Mailchimp says downgrades take effect at the end of the billing period, and you won't get a refund for charges already billed (compare plans FAQ).
- No free address for your footer. US law requires a postal address in marketing emails. Mailchimp doesn't offer a shared address. It says to use an address where you can receive mail, and suggests a P.O. box if you work from home (email footers, address ideas).
Mailchimp vs Kit and MailerLite at a glance
| Mailchimp Free | Kit Free | MailerLite Free | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free contacts | 250 | Up to 10,000 | 250 |
| Free sends | 500 a month, 250 a day | No sending limits | 2,500 a month |
| Automations on Free | None (preview only) | None | 3, up to 5 steps each |
| Cheapest paid plan (monthly) | $13 (Essentials, 500) | $39 (Creator, 1,000) | $12 (Comfort, 500) |
| Free footer address | No | Yes, Kit's shared address | No |
Sources: Mailchimp compare plans, Kit pricing, MailerLite pricing. More detail in our Kit review and MailerLite review.
Who should pick Mailchimp, and who should skip it
Pick Mailchimp if you plan to pay anyway and want a well-known tool with 300+ integrations, cheap entry pricing ($13 for up to 500 contacts), and room to grow into Standard's bigger automations.
Skip Mailchimp if you want to stay free past 250 people (Kit Free allows up to 10,000), you want a free welcome series (MailerLite Free includes 3 automations), or you keep many unsubscribed contacts that you don't want to pay for.
FAQ
Is Mailchimp really free?
Yes, for up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month (250 a day). It has no automation flows or scheduling, and emails carry a Mailchimp referral badge.
How much is Mailchimp after the free plan?
Essentials costs $13 a month for up to 500 contacts, $45 for 2,500 and $110 for 10,000. Standard is $20, $60 and $135 at the same sizes. Prices checked October 21, 2026.
Do unsubscribed contacts count toward my Mailchimp bill?
Yes. Subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts all count. Archive or delete contacts you no longer email to stop paying for them.
Do I have to put my home address in Mailchimp emails?
You need an address where you can receive mail. Mailchimp doesn't provide one, and suggests a P.O. box if you work from home.
Does the Mailchimp trial need a credit card?
Yes. Mailchimp's trial terms say you must enter valid payment details when you start the 14-day trial.
What changed
- 2026-10-21: Written from Mailchimp's official pricing and help pages.
Sources
All accessed 2026-10-21 (America/New_York).
- Mailchimp pricing, plans, trial terms and FAQ: https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/ (contacts set to 0–500, 501–1,500, 1,501–2,500, 2,501–5,000 and 5,001–10,000, USD, monthly)
- Mailchimp, compare plans: https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/compare-plans/
- Mailchimp, "About Mailchimp Pricing Plans": https://mailchimp.com/help/about-mailchimp-pricing-plans/
- Mailchimp, "About Additional Charges": https://mailchimp.com/help/about-additional-charges/
- Mailchimp, "About Your Contacts": https://mailchimp.com/help/about-your-contacts/
- Mailchimp, "About Email Footers": https://mailchimp.com/help/about-campaign-footers/
- Mailchimp, "Alternative Physical Address Ideas": https://mailchimp.com/help/alternative-physical-address-ideas/
- Kit pricing (checked 2026-10-19): https://kit.com/pricing
- MailerLite pricing (checked 2026-10-19): https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing