Mailerlite vs Mailchimp: Affordable Alternative vs Market Leader

Overview

Mailerlite positions itself as the affordable alternative to Mailchimp. Both offer email broadcasting with automation, but at very different price points. The question is whether Mailchimp's extra features justify the premium.

Key Differences

Price vs Features

Mailerlite offers impressive value. At 10,000 subscribers, you pay roughly half what Mailchimp charges. The features cover most email marketing needs.

Mailchimp justifies higher prices with more features, integrations, and brand recognition. Whether those extras matter depends on your needs.

Simplicity vs Breadth

Mailerlite keeps things cleaner. The interface is intuitive, the features are focused on email and related tasks. Less overwhelming for smaller teams.

Mailchimp can feel bloated with features most users never touch. The tradeoff is capability when you need it.

Pricing Comparison

Who Should Choose What

Choose Mailerlite if:

• Budget is a primary consideration
• You want a generous free tier
• Your needs are straightforward email marketing
• You prefer a cleaner, simpler interface
• You are a small business or startup

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You need extensive integrations
• Advanced automation is critical
• You want the largest template library
• Brand recognition matters (clients, investors)
• You use e-commerce platforms like Shopify

The Bottom Line

For most small to medium businesses, Mailerlite delivers excellent value. The feature gap with Mailchimp is smaller than the price gap.

If you need Mailchimp's specific integrations or advanced features, the premium may be justified. But audit your actual needs first.

For subscription businesses wanting revenue attribution, neither is ideal. Sequenzy fills that gap with native billing integration that both lack.