Brevo vs Mailchimp: $32 or $75 a month for the same 5,000 contacts
Two email platforms priced on the same list sizes from their published figures. Brevo bills mainly on the emails you send, Mailchimp on the contacts you store, and that one difference decides most small-business budgets.
Updated Sep 2026Research-based · not purchased or tested
Wins on price8.1
Brevo
Best for big, quiet lists
Buy it if your list is big and you send rarely: $32 a month at 5,000 contacts against $75, a free plan that stores 100,000 contacts, and transactional email on every plan. Skip it if you need a fourth login, because that means the $499 Professional plan.
Buy it if you work as a team: 5 seats on the $20 Standard plan, 300-plus integrations, and a pause button for a slow season. Skip it if your list is large and you email it rarely, because you pay for every contact stored.
Winners marked per row · Brevo figures from brevo.com; Mailchimp prices from Brevo's published comparison table, plan limits from mailchimp.com.
Free plan
Contacts stored
100,000
250
Sending limit
300 emails a day
500 a month, 250 a day
Automation on the free plan
Up to 2,000 contacts
Not included
Paid plans
Price at 500 contactsone email a month
$9/mo
$13/mo
Price at 5,000 contactsone email a month
$32/mo
$75/mo
Price at 20,000 contactsone email a month
$32/mo
$195.50/mo
Seats on the ~$20 plan
3 (Standard, from $18)
5 (Standard, $20)
Automation on that plan
Unlimited contacts
Up to 200 flows
Terms and reputation
Pause billing
No
3 or 6 months, twice a year
Integrations
150+
300+
Trustpilot scorechecked 7 Sep 2026
4.0 (7,196 reviews)
2.6 (1,506 reviews)
The numbers, drawn
Published figures side by side. Amber = row winner. Not Shoptera measurements.
Monthly price, 5,000 contactslower is better · $/mo
Brevo32
Mailchimp75
One email a month · Brevo's published comparison table
Monthly price, 20,000 contactslower is better · $/mo
Brevo32
Mailchimp195.5
One email a month · Brevo's published comparison table
Contacts stored on the free planhigher is better · contacts
Brevo100000
Mailchimp250
Brevo free-plan FAQ · Mailchimp pricing page
User seats on the ~$20 planhigher is better · seats
Brevo Standard3
Mailchimp Standard5
Brevo Standard from $18 · Mailchimp Standard $20
Cost of actually owning it
The monthly price is one number. Here's the 12-month math at three list sizes.
500 contacts12 months, one email a month
$108
$156
5,000 contacts12 months, one email a month
$384
$900
20,000 contacts12 months, one email a month
$384
$2,346
A fourth user seatcheapest plan that allows it, per month
$499 (Professional)
$20 (Standard)
12 × the monthly price in Brevo's comparison table (Mailchimp figures checked by Brevo on 7 Aug 2026), before Brevo's 10% yearly discount or any Mailchimp introductory offer.
Round by round
The same data, called like a match.
Free plan
Brevo's free plan stores 100,000 contacts and sends 300 emails a day. Mailchimp's holds 250 contacts and sends up to 500 emails a month.
Brevo
A big list you email rarely
At 5,000 contacts and one email a month, Brevo's table shows $32 against $75. At 20,000 contacts it is still $32 against $195.50.
Brevo
A small list you email often
Brevo's price climbs with every extra campaign because it bills on sends. Mailchimp Essentials allows sends up to 10 times your contact count. A 500-contact list sending daily is expensive on both.
Depends on you
Seats for a team
Mailchimp's $20 Standard plan includes 5 seats. Brevo Standard stops at 3, and a fourth seat means Professional at $499 a month.
Mailchimp
A quiet season
Mailchimp lets you pause for 3 or 6 months, twice in any 12, with billing stopped. Brevo has no pause and its terms rule out refunds.
Mailchimp
Integrations
Mailchimp lists 300-plus integrations against Brevo's 150-plus.
Mailchimp
Public reviews
On Trustpilot, Brevo scores 4.0 from 7,196 reviews. Mailchimp scores 2.6 from 1,506, with 66% one-star. These are public ratings, not Shoptera findings.
BTBrevo, Trustpilot4.0 out of 5 · 7,196 reviews · 7 Sep 2026
76% of reviews are five-star and 13% one-star. Brevo has replied to 97% of its negative reviews, and the one-star share clusters around account suspensions.
MTMailchimp, Trustpilot2.6 out of 5 · 1,506 reviews · 7 Sep 2026
66% of reviews are one-star. Mailchimp has replied to 91% of its negative reviews.
Questions people ask about this matchup
Is Brevo cheaper than Mailchimp?
At every list size in Brevo's published table, at one email a month: $9 against $13 at 500 contacts, $32 against $75 at 5,000, and $32 against $195.50 at 20,000. Brevo's price rises as you send more campaigns; Mailchimp's is set by how many contacts you store.
Which has the better free plan?
Brevo, on volume. It stores 100,000 contacts and sends 300 emails a day, with a Brevo sticker on every email. Mailchimp's free plan holds 250 contacts and sends up to 500 emails a month.
Which is better for a team?
Mailchimp. Its $20 Standard plan includes 5 seats. Brevo Standard allows 3, and the next Brevo plan with more seats is Professional at $499 a month.
Can I pause either plan?
Mailchimp lets you pause for 3 or 6 months, up to twice in 12 months, with billing stopped. Brevo has no pause, and its terms state that prepaid fees are not refunded.
Want a third option?MailerLite and Kit both offer stronger free plans for creators
Wins on price8.1
Wins on seats