Mailchimp Review: Is It Still the Right Choice for Marketers Today?
For over a decade, Mailchimp has been the go-to platform for businesses entering email marketing. With its easy interface, colorful design, and large library of templates, it helped millions of small businesses start digital marketing without hiring professionals.
Published by RenoEasy Marketing Edge
Introduction
But in the modern marketing landscape, automation, personalization, and AI-driven systems are now must-haves — not add-ons. So the question is: does Mailchimp still hold up against all-in-one tools like Brevo or HubSpot?
At RenoEasy Marketing Edge, we tested Mailchimp thoroughly to see how it performs in automation, usability, pricing, and scalability. Here’s our full, honest review.
What Is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform built for small and mid-sized businesses. It allows users to design campaigns, manage contact lists, and track analytics — all with a focus on simplicity.
Mailchimp also offers website builders, landing pages, and e-commerce integrations, but its primary strength remains email marketing.
“Think of Mailchimp as a simple starter toolkit — but not a full business engine like Brevo.”
Key Features Overview
| Feature | Description | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Email Campaign Builder | Drag-and-drop builder with 100+ templates. | Easy for beginners to create professional emails. |
| Customer Journeys | Workflow automation for email sequences. | Good for basic automation; limited for advanced flows. |
| Segmentation & Tagging | Organize audiences based on behavior and data. | Personalizes campaigns for better targeting. |
| Analytics Dashboard | Real-time reports and visual data charts. | Track opens, clicks, and ROI metrics. |
| Landing Page Builder | Create promotional or sign-up pages. | Capture leads directly from campaigns. |
| A/B Testing | Test subject lines, content, or send times. | Improves engagement and conversions. |
| E-commerce Tools | Sync with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Stripe. | Automate marketing around sales data. |
Mailchimp Pricing (Latest Update)
Mailchimp offers a tiered pricing model based on the number of contacts you have — not the number of emails sent (unlike Brevo).
| Plan | Price (Monthly) | Contacts | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | $0 | Up to 500 contacts | Basic email, limited templates |
| Essentials | $13/month | Up to 500 contacts | A/B testing, automation, 24/7 email support |
| Standard | $20/month | Up to 500 contacts | Advanced automation, predictive segmentation |
| Premium | $350/month | 10,000+ contacts | Priority support, advanced segmentation |
Note: Mailchimp’s pricing increases sharply as your contact list grows. For example, managing 25,000 contacts can cost over $200/month, while Brevo charges only for emails sent.
Ease of Use
Mailchimp’s interface remains one of the best-designed in the industry. New marketers can quickly create campaigns, automate welcome messages, and track results without coding.
However, as you scale — the platform starts to feel limited. Complex workflows or deep CRM integration require expensive upgrades.
Brevo, on the other hand, provides automation + CRM at half the cost and is easier to scale for growing brands.
Mailchimp vs Brevo: The Honest Comparison
| Feature | Mailchimp | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Per Contact | Per Email |
| CRM Built-in | ❌ Add-on only | ✅ Included |
| Email + SMS | ✅ Email only | ✅ Email, SMS, WhatsApp |
| Automation Level | Basic to Medium | Advanced & Visual |
| AI Tools | Limited | ✅ AI Generator + Smart Send |
| Support | 24/7 (paid plans) | ✅ Live + Free Tier Support |
| Scalability | Costly at scale | Budget-friendly for enterprise use |
Verdict: Mailchimp is beginner-friendly, but Brevo wins in automation, AI, and affordability.
Strengths of Mailchimp
- ✅ Beautiful templates and easy builder
- ✅ Great onboarding for beginners
- ✅ Reliable delivery rates
- ✅ Strong integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce
- ✅ Good analytics for email-only campaigns
Limitations
- ❌ Pricing grows fast with contact count
- ❌ Limited automation depth
- ❌ CRM is not native — only available via add-ons
- ❌ SMS and omnichannel tools missing
- ❌ AI tools still basic compared to Brevo
Who Should Use Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is ideal for:
- Freelancers or solopreneurs managing small email lists.
- Small businesses that want a simple, visual email tool.
- Brands running short, campaign-based promotions.
However, if you’re running multi-channel automation or scaling fast, tools like Brevo or HubSpot offer more power for the same or lower cost.
Mailchimp Use Cases
- Welcome Sequences – Send onboarding emails for new subscribers.
- Product Launches – Notify your audience about new offers.
- Newsletter Automation – Share weekly updates automatically.
- Retargeting Ads – Integrate with Facebook and Instagram Ads.
RenoEasy Tip: Always combine your email strategy with behavioral tagging — available in Mailchimp’s paid plans — to keep audiences relevant.
RenoEasy’s Honest Verdict
After full testing, RenoEasy Marketing Edge rates Mailchimp:
| Factor | Score (out of 5) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Best for beginners |
| Automation | ⭐⭐⭐ | Basic workflows only |
| CRM Power | ⭐⭐ | Minimal, requires upgrade |
| Integrations | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Excellent with e-commerce |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐ | Costly for larger lists |
| AI Tools | ⭐⭐ | Needs improvement |
Overall Rating: 3.8 / 5
“Mailchimp is a great place to start, but not where you’ll stay — once you scale, Brevo or HubSpot will give you more power and flexibility.”
Conclusion
Mailchimp remains one of the most accessible and visually friendly tools for small businesses. But as marketing evolves with personalization, AI, and multi-channel communication — it’s slowly being outpaced by smarter automation systems like Brevo.
If you’re just starting, Mailchimp is fantastic for testing ideas. But for long-term growth and cost-efficiency, upgrading to Brevo will save you time, money, and effort.
“Start simple. Scale smart.” — RenoEasy Marketing Edge.