Mailchimp Pricing 2026: Plans, Costs & Best Value
Mailchimp remains one of the most popular email marketing platforms in 2026, serving millions of businesses from solo entrepreneurs to large enterprises. Known for its user-friendly interface and extensive template library, Mailchimp has evolved into a full marketing platform with automations, AI content tools, and advanced analytics. Here's a complete breakdown of Mailchimp's pricing plans and what you get at each level.
Pricing Plans Overview
Mailchimp offers four pricing tiers. All paid plans scale based on the number of contacts in your audience.
| Plan | Monthly Price (500 contacts) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 500 contacts, 1,000 email sends/mo, 1 audience, basic templates, limited reporting |
| Essentials | $13/mo | 3 audiences, 5,000 email sends/mo, A/B testing, email scheduling, 24/7 support, remove Mailchimp branding |
| Standard | $20/mo | 5 audiences, 6,000 email sends/mo, advanced automations, predictive segmentation, AI content optimizer, retargeting ads |
| Premium | $350/mo | Unlimited audiences, 150,000 email sends/mo, advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, phone support, comparative reporting |
Free Plan Details
Mailchimp's free plan allows up to 500 contacts and 1,000 email sends per month. You get access to basic email templates, a single audience list, signup forms, landing pages, and the Mailchimp mobile app. The free tier also includes limited reporting and basic one-step automations like welcome emails.
However, the free plan includes Mailchimp branding on all emails, limits you to one audience, and doesn't offer email scheduling, A/B testing, or advanced automations. Support is limited to email only for the first 30 days, after which it's self-service only.
The free plan is suitable for very small lists and basic email needs, but most businesses will need to upgrade fairly quickly.
How Pricing Scales with Contacts
Mailchimp's pricing increases as your contact list grows. Here's how the main paid plans scale:
| Contacts | Essentials | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13/mo | $20/mo | $350/mo |
| 1,500 | $23/mo | $30/mo | $350/mo |
| 2,500 | $39/mo | $50/mo | $350/mo |
| 5,000 | $69/mo | $100/mo | $350/mo |
| 10,000 | $100/mo | $135/mo | $350/mo |
| 25,000 | $230/mo | $260/mo | $410/mo |
| 50,000 | $350/mo | $410/mo | $620/mo |
| 100,000 | $630/mo | $700/mo | $1,030/mo |
Pay-as-you-go pricing is also available for businesses that send emails infrequently, starting at roughly $1 per 10 email credits.
Hidden Costs and Add-Ons
Mailchimp's pricing can catch users off guard in several ways:
- Unsubscribed contacts count: Mailchimp counts unsubscribed and inactive contacts toward your total unless you manually archive or delete them. This can inflate your bill significantly.
- Overage charges: If you exceed your monthly send limit, Mailchimp charges overage fees rather than blocking sends. Essentials overage is roughly $1.50 per 1,000 additional emails.
- Add-on features: Dedicated IP addresses ($29.95/mo) are only available on Standard and Premium plans. Transactional email (via Mandrill) is a separate product priced at $20 per 25,000 emails.
- SMS add-on: SMS marketing is available as a separate add-on with per-message pricing that varies by country.
- Premium support: Phone support is only included with the Premium plan. Lower tiers get email and chat support only.
Who Should Choose Each Plan?
- Free Plan: Hobbyists or micro-businesses with fewer than 500 contacts who need basic email functionality.
- Essentials: Small businesses that need A/B testing, email scheduling, and professional emails without Mailchimp branding. Best for lists under 5,000.
- Standard: Growing businesses that want advanced automations, predictive segmentation, and AI-powered content optimization. The best overall value for most users.
- Premium: Large businesses or agencies managing multiple audiences, requiring multivariate testing, advanced segmentation, and phone support.
Our Recommendation
The Standard plan is the sweet spot for most businesses. It unlocks Mailchimp's most powerful features including advanced automations, predictive segmentation, and AI content tools at a reasonable price point. The jump from Essentials to Standard is modest, but the feature uplift is substantial.
Be vigilant about contact hygiene. Regularly clean your list by archiving unsubscribed and inactive contacts to avoid paying for contacts you're not marketing to.
Disclaimer
Pricing information is accurate as of March 2026 and is based on publicly available data from Mailchimp's official website. Prices may vary by region, currency, and promotional offers. Mailchimp is an Intuit company and may bundle pricing with other Intuit products. Always verify current pricing directly with Mailchimp before making a purchasing decision.