Mailchimp vs Benchmark Email

Brevo

ActiveCampaign

MailerLite

Brevo is a CRM and email marketing solution that helps businesses run multi-channel marketing campaigns across email, WhatsApp, SMS, web push, and Facebook ads. Teams can trigger transactional emails, SMS, and WhatsApp notifications over Brevo SMTP and APIs.

ActiveCampaign is the AI-first marketing platform built to transform how marketers, agencies, and entrepreneurs work. Use Active Intelligence to power goal-aware automations and orchestrate personalized experiences across email, SMS, and WhatsApp. 

From newsletters to automated customer journeys—join 700,000 businesses scaling the easy way with MailerLite. 

The Email Marketing Platform That Does It All!!!

Mailchimp's customer support is slow to respond to tickets, and the prices are much higher for large businesses.

MailChimp features allow you to send marketing emails, automated messages, and targeted campaigns. And our detailed reports help you keep improving over time.

Abandoned Cart Saver

A/B Testing

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

AI/Machine Learning

Alerts/Notifications

Appointment Scheduling

Archiving & Retention

Audience Targeting

Automated Publishing

Automated Responses

Automated Scheduling

Autoresponders

Behavioral Analytics

Behavioral Targeting

Behavior Analytics

Brand Guidelines

Campaign Analytics

Campaign Management

Campaign Planning

Campaign Scheduling

Campaign Segmentation

Campaign Tracking

CAN-SPAM Compliance

Channel Management

Click Tracking

Collaboration Tools

Contact Database

Contact Management

Content Analytics

Content Library

Content Management

Content Marketing

Conversion Rate Optimization

Conversion Tracking

Customer Database

Customer Journey Mapping

Customer Profiles

Customer Segmentation

Customer Surveys

Customizable Branding

Customizable CTAs

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Customization

Dashboard

Data Analysis Tools

Data Import/Export

Data Synchronization

Design Management

Drag & Drop

Drip Campaigns

Dynamic Content

eCommerce Management

Email Campaign Management

Email Distribution

Email Management

Email Marketing

Email Reminders

Email Sequences

Email Templates

Email Tracking

Engagement Tracking

Event Triggered Actions

Filtering

For Insurance Industry

For iPad Devices

Form Builder

For Small Businesses

For Startups

GDPR Compliance

Generative AI

Geolocation

HTML Editor

Image Library

Inbox Management

Interaction Tracking

Landing Pages/Web Forms

Lead Capture

Lead Generation

Lead Management

Lead Nurturing

Lead Segmentation

List Management

Live Chat

Location Tracking

Mailing List Management

Marketing Automation

Marketing Calendar

Mass Texting

Mobile Access

Mobile App

Mobile Optimization

Mobile Survey

Monitoring

Multi-Account Management

Reviews for Mailchimp come from a wide variety of industries, including marketing and advertising (11% of reviewers), information technology and services (7%), and computer software (6%). The most frequent use case for Mailchimp cited by reviewers is email marketing (83% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Some users say Mailchimp’s free plan is a strong starting point, and they appreciate the flexibility to scale as their needs grow. However, some reviewers report that pricing becomes expensive and feature limitations frustrate small businesses.

Value for money

The Mailchimp integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: WordPress (a website builder product rated 4.7 out of 5 for its integration with Mailchimp), Shopify (an eCommerce product, 4.5), and WooCommerce (an eCommerce product, 4.4).

Integrations

Mailchimp is an email marketing solution offering key features such as email campaign management, contact database, and reporting/analytics, among others.

Mailchimp

Web-based

Windows

iPhone

iPad

Android

HubSpot Marketing Hub

Constant Contact

Emma by Marigold

SendGrid

GetResponse

Moosend

AWeber

Drip

Keap

Campaign Monitor by Marigold

MailUp

Klaviyo

iContact

HubSpot CRM

Omnisend

Zoho Campaigns

Free

Essentials

Standard

Premium

Complex security and access controls

43% of reviewers feel negative about Mailchimp’s security and access control features. Some users report difficulties with privacy compliance, two-factor authentication, and password requirements. Reviewers indicate that importing lists, managing permissions, and dealing with opt-in protocols are tedious and restrictive. They say security measures sometimes hinder usability, with accounts locked or inaccessible due to upgrades. Users mention concerns about data vulnerability, excessive security prompts, and challenges with user management, making Mailchimp less convenient for organizations with strict privacy needs.

Frequent spam and deliverability problems

80% of reviewers feel negative about Mailchimp’s spam and deliverability issues. Some users report that emails often land in spam or promotions folders, reducing visibility and engagement. Reviewers indicate that strict spam filters, lack of dedicated IP addresses, and unpredictable account suspensions create frustration. They say bulk campaigns are easily flagged, and recipients may not receive important messages. Users mention challenges with anti-spam laws, limited control over deliverability, and difficulties appealing suspensions, making reliable communication harder for many businesses.

Challenging list management and segmentation

Graphic designer

There is non enough customizing available for the list, I can only use 5 exception that are not enough when you have a large database and you need to target specific country in the same list

41% of reviewers feel negative about Mailchimp’s list management. Some users report confusion with lists, groups, and segments, leading to duplicate contacts and higher costs. Reviewers indicate that segmenting and tagging are cumbersome, and importing lists from other platforms is difficult. They say managing large databases is expensive, and features for classifying or moving contacts are limited. Users mention that list updates, automation, and reporting are less intuitive than expected, requiring extra attention and making Mailchimp less attractive for businesses with complex audience needs.

Restrictive subscriber management and pricing

36% of reviewers feel negative about Mailchimp’s subscriber management and pricing. Some users report that the free plan limits subscriber numbers and automation, while paid plans become expensive as lists grow. Reviewers indicate that unsubscribes, duplicate subscribers, and list syncing are difficult to manage, often leading to higher costs. They say the unsubscribe process is awkward, and support for free users is limited. Users mention that tracking inactive subscribers and handling multiple lists is inefficient, making Mailchimp less suitable for businesses with large or complex subscriber bases.

Limited image and text editing

53% of reviewers feel negative about Mailchimp’s image and text editing capabilities. Some users report that the editor is clunky, with restricted options for customizing layouts, resizing images, and formatting text. Reviewers say uploading and managing images is cumbersome, and formatting often breaks across devices. They indicate that creative freedom is limited, and editing templates can be frustrating, especially for those seeking advanced customization. Users mention frequent glitches, slow uploads, and inconsistent mobile previews, which complicate campaign design.

Intuitive drag-and-drop editor

Marketer

One of the standout features for me is the drag-and-drop editor, which allows for easy and visually appealing email creation without the need for extensive design skills.

Senior software engineer

Mailchimp provides a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor that allows you to create visually appealing and engaging email campaigns.

92% of reviewers feel positive about Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop editor. Users think the interface is straightforward and time-saving, enabling them to build visually appealing emails without design expertise. Some reviewers report that the editor allows for easy customization of templates, quick insertion of images and videos, and efficient collaboration among team members. They appreciate the flexibility for both beginners and experienced users, noting that the drag-and-drop functionality streamlines campaign creation and supports rapid deployment of professional-looking emails.

Efficient client communication

Business Manager

MailChimp allows me to keep in touch with my leads, prospect clients, and new clients, so I can make them come back to my shop.

93% of reviewers feel positive about Mailchimp’s client communication features. Users report that Mailchimp simplifies keeping in touch with clients, sending updates, and managing feedback. Some reviewers find it easy to personalize messages, automate outreach, and segment audiences for targeted communication. They appreciate the platform’s integrations with CRM and database tools, which help maintain client relationships and organize marketing efforts. Reviewers indicate Mailchimp reduces manual work, improves professionalism, and enables regular engagement with clients, supporting loyalty and retention.

Versatile email templates

Analista de Recursos Humanos

What I like the most about this program is the diversity of templates it has, in my case this facilitates the creative and design process since I have a wide range of possibilities to express the idea I want to convey in the mail.

88% of reviewers feel positive about Mailchimp’s email templates. Reviewers appreciate the wide variety of pre-designed templates, which help them create attractive and effective emails quickly. Some users report that templates are easy to customize with branding, images, and personal touches, saving time and effort. They indicate that the ability to save and reuse templates supports consistent communication, and exporting HTML is useful for other platforms. Users say Mailchimp’s templates cater to both basic and advanced needs, supporting diverse marketing campaigns.

Founder and CEO

The automation feature of mailchimp eliminates the need to send a welcome email after each subscription to our service and most importantly, mailchimp also prevents most of our emails from going into spam folders.

Visa Consulting Specialist

I prefer creating clean email templates and updating them in advance that ensures that the clients are kept informed even during the peak times of consultations.

Marketing Manager

At my last organization, we were looking for an afforadble email marketing platform that allowed for more customization to support our branding, had more mobile responsiveness, and offered more robust features in terms of marketing capabilities with targeting.

Marketing

Mailchimp makes email makreting so easy, it has a drag/drop style editing style, with a template library for paid accounts and integration with many other platforms, like Canva, Splose etc. Free plan can be used, as long as your mail list is smaller, otherwise you require paid apps with additional features

Operations Manager

Mailchimp charges double or more for contacts if the same email address is added to more than one list, and it still counts cleaned contacts toward your total even though you can no longer send to them which is a huge complaint of mine.

Design Lead

Very flexible Email marketing and campaign monitoring software that allows easy sales operation management and to generate leads and coordination across marketing teams is incredible.

Sr. Communications Consultant

It helps users build their audience base/contact list, and it doesn’t require the sender to have to know the ins and outs of HTML coding, which can be complicated for some.

Graphic Designer

Honestly, the biggest draw for me is the pure "plug-and-play" nature of the platform; I can jump into the drag-and-drop editor and have a professional-looking newsletter ready to send in under twenty minutes.

Community Affairs Consultant

One downside of Mailchimp is that the number of contacts per email list is limited by the tier you pay for. If you want more advanced email metric data, you will have to pay for a higher tier of Mailchimp.

Talent Attraction Specialist

We least enjoy being unable to access any deleted templates. Since Mailchimp allows us to store many templates and files, and several users in one account, it would be helpful to access any accidentally deleted files.

Youth Worker

Its simplicity allows for a speedy and professional look, while maintaining an accessible price point for those requiring, while ensuring highest standard for GDPR

Consultant

I’ve used Mailchimp in many ways, not only for sending campaigns but also to integrate it with external systems like our management software and website.

Conference Coordinator

The ability to save a copy of audience data before deleting audiences could be slightly faster and easier to do; it feels like it takes a while to do this, especially when you have 50+ audiences.

That said, the cost can add up quickly, especially as your audience grows or if you need access to more advanced features. Despite the higher pricing, the convenience, reliability, and range of tools make it a solid choice for businesses looking for an all-in-one email marketing solution.

Website Owner

What I liked least about mailchimp is that the HTML codes for email capture landing pages can be quite long and a bit overwhelming especially for beginners who may not be familiar with code.

Legal Assistant

Certain advanced features—such as more complex customer journeys, detailed segmentation, or customization—aren’t as accessible on basic plans.

Quality Assurance Manager

It makes sending out bulk emails very easy as you can easily reach all your contacts with one email and ease of knowing what has gone to clients as you dont have too many messages to sift through

Head of eCommerce

As an ecommerce business we need more commercially centred email marketing tools. While Mailchimp has been a good servant to me it is expensive for what it is and a tad big brother telling you what you can and can't do and is overly intrusive regarding its abuse metrics when you are simply sending an email to previous customers about new ranges you are launching.

Mailchimp vs Benchmark Email Comparison (2026)

Mailchimp vs Benchmark Email Comparison (2026)

Mailchimp

Benchmark Email

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives