Mailchimp vs ConvertKit
Both charge per subscriber and both get expensive as your list grows. Here is the honest breakdown of where each tool wins and where it falls short in 2026.
Key takeaways
The core difference: Mailchimp counts every contact including unsubscribers against your bill. ConvertKit charges for active subscribers only. That gap compounds fast after 5,000 contacts.
- ConvertKit free plan: 10,000 subscribers. Mailchimp free plan: 250 contacts (cut Jan 2026)
- Mailchimp bills ghost contacts: unsubscribers count toward your limit unless manually archived
- ConvertKit raised prices ~35% in Sep 2025, so the gap at mid-tier lists is now smaller than it was
- ConvertKit has built-in digital commerce; Mailchimp does not
Mailchimp vs ConvertKit: Quick Comparison
| Features | Mailchimp | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan subscribers | 250 | 10,000 |
| Free plan sends/month | 500 | Unlimited |
| Starting paid price | $13/month | $39/month |
| At 5k subscribers | $75/month | $89/month |
| Bills inactive contacts | Yes | No |
| Tag-based (no dupes) | No | Yes |
| Creator commerce | No | Yes |
| Visual automation | Standard+ only | All paid plans |
| Landing pages | Yes | Yes |
| Social ad integration | Yes | No |
What Are Mailchimp and ConvertKit?
Mailchimp
The default email platform for businesses of all sizes — newsletters, automations, landing pages, social ads, and basic CRM in one tool.
- Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 sends/month (cut January 2026)
- Essentials from $13/month, Standard from $20/month, Premium from $350/month
- 300+ native integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, and Salesforce
- Ghost billing: unsubscribed and bounced contacts count toward your paid limit unless manually archived
- Automations only available on Standard and above
ConvertKit
A creator-focused email platform built for writers, indie founders, and course sellers who want audience ownership without Mailchimp's complexity.
- Free Newsletter plan: up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited sends
- Creator: $39/month (1k subs), $59/month (3k), $89/month (5k)
- Creator Pro: $79/month — adds subscriber scoring and newsletter referral system
- Active-only billing: unsubscribers removed automatically, no manual cleanup
- Built-in digital commerce: sell products and paid newsletters directly via Stripe
Pricing Models: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and mailtani
Mailchimp: contact-based, plus ghost billing
- Free: 250 contacts, 500 sends/month (cut in January 2026)
- Essentials: $13/month for 500 contacts, $75/month for 5,000 contacts
- Standard: $20/month for 500 contacts, $100/month for 5,000 contacts
- Premium: $350/month for 10,000 contacts
- Unsubscribed and inactive contacts count toward your limit unless manually archived
ConvertKit: active-subscriber billing, 35% price hike in Sep 2025
- Newsletter: free for up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends
- Creator: $39/month for 1,000 subs, $59/month for 3,000, $89/month for 5,000
- Creator Pro: $79/month for 1,000 subs (subscriber scoring, referral network)
- Active-only billing: unsubscribers removed automatically, no ghost contacts
- Annual plans discount roughly 16% off the monthly rate
mailtani: €89 once, then near-zero sending costs
- One-time €89 payment — no monthly fee ever
- Unlimited contacts and sends — your cost never grows with your list
- AWS SES: ~$0.10 per 1,000 emails — a 10k-subscriber send costs about $1
- Full deliverability control on your own dedicated sending infrastructure
Mailchimp vs ConvertKit: The Full Breakdown
Free plan gap: ConvertKit gives you 10,000 subscribers and unlimited sends for free. Mailchimp cut its free plan in January 2026 to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month. For a founder building a list from zero, ConvertKit is the obvious starting point unless you specifically need Mailchimp integrations.
Mailchimp ghost billing is a cost most users discover too late. Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed, and bounced contacts toward your paid limit. An abandoned list with 3,000 ghost contacts plus 2,000 active ones puts you in the 5,000-contact pricing tier on day one. You must manually archive dead contacts to avoid this. ConvertKit removes unsubscribers automatically.
Tag-based billing eliminates a hidden cost driver. In Mailchimp, the same person in two lists counts twice. In ConvertKit, one subscriber with ten tags is billed once. For founders running multiple sequences and lead magnets, the Mailchimp model can result in 20-40% inflated contact counts compared to actual unique people.
ConvertKit raised prices ~35% in September 2025. The Creator plan that was $15/month for 1,000 subscribers is now $39/month. This narrows the price gap at mid-tier list sizes. At 5,000 contacts, both tools cost roughly $75-100/month depending on the plan. The active-only billing model still saves money for founders with messy or high-churn lists.
Mailchimp wins on integrations and social. If you run Facebook or Google ad retargeting alongside email, Mailchimp's native ad integrations are ahead of ConvertKit. Mailchimp also connects natively with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and BigCommerce. These features only matter if you actively use them.
How Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and mailtani Compare, Feature by Feature
| Feature | Mailchimp | ConvertKit | mailtani |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan (10k contacts) | 14-day trial | ||
| Active-only billing | |||
| Tag-based (no dupes) | |||
| Creator commerce | |||
| Visual automation builder | ✓ Standard+ | ||
| Drip / email sequences | ✓ Standard+ | ||
| A/B testing | ✓ Standard+ | ||
| Subscriber scoring | ✓ Pro | ||
| Referral / newsletter network | ✓ Pro | ||
| Landing pages | |||
| Social ad management | |||
| Shopify / WooCommerce native | |||
| Drag-and-drop email editor | |||
| Email templates library | ✓ limited | ✓ limited | |
| Custom sending domain | |||
| SPF / DKIM setup | |||
| Dedicated sending IP | ✓ Premium | ||
| Bring your own SMTP | |||
| Email warmup | |||
| Inbox rotation | |||
| Flat / one-time pricing | |||
| Unlimited contacts |
The Third Option: Why Founders Pick mailtani
- One-time €89 payment with no monthly fees, no per-contact charges, and no billing surprises
- Bring your own AWS SES or Resend key: full deliverability control, never on a shared IP pool
- Email sequences and drip campaigns included: no paid plan upgrade required
- Unlimited contacts and sends: your tool cost stays flat as your list grows
What Each Tool Is Built For
Mailchimp
Optimised for businesses with diverse marketing needs.
Social ads, landing pages, 300+ integrations, and advanced CRM segmentation make Mailchimp a solid choice if you run multi-channel marketing beyond email. It is overbuilt and overpriced for creators or founders who only need email.
ConvertKit
Optimised for creators monetising an audience.
Tag-based subscriber management, built-in digital commerce, and a 10,000-subscriber free plan make ConvertKit the default for writers, podcasters, and indie founders. It is less suited to businesses that need deep e-commerce integrations or social ad management.
Mailchimp vs ConvertKit: Who Should Choose Which?
Choose Mailchimp if...
- You run multi-channel marketing and need Facebook/Google ad integration
- You need 300+ native integrations with third-party tools
- You run an e-commerce store and want Mailchimp's shopping automation
- Your list is small and clean — ghost billing is a non-issue for you
Choose ConvertKit if...
- You are a creator, writer, or indie founder building a list from zero
- You want a free plan with 10,000 subscribers, not 250
- You want to sell digital products directly without a third-party checkout
- You have a high-churn list and want active-only billing (no ghost contacts)
- You want tag-based segmentation without duplicate billing
Mailchimp vs ConvertKit: Pros & Cons
Mailchimp
Pros
- 300+ native integrations — Shopify, Salesforce, WooCommerce, and more
- Multi-channel marketing — Facebook and Google ad integration built in
- Strong template library — hundreds of drag-and-drop email designs
- All-in-one platform — landing pages, social ads, basic CRM in one tool
- Brand recognition — widely supported by third-party tools and agencies
Cons
- Ghost billing — unsubscribed and bounced contacts count toward your paid limit
- Free plan gutted — cut to 250 contacts and 500 sends/month in January 2026
- Automations locked — visual automation only available on Standard ($20/mo) and above
- Gets expensive fast — 50,000 contacts costs $339/month on Standard
- List-based model — same contact in two lists billed twice
ConvertKit
Pros
- 40x more generous free plan — 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends
- Active-only billing — unsubscribers removed automatically, no ghost contacts
- Tag-based model — one subscriber across all sequences, billed once
- Built-in digital commerce — sell products and paid newsletters via Stripe
- Subscriber scoring and referral network on Creator Pro
Cons
- Price hike Sep 2025 — Creator plan rose ~35%, from $15 to $39/month for 1k subs
- No drag-and-drop editor — text-first design, limited visual customisation
- Minimal e-commerce integrations — no native Shopify or WooCommerce
- No social ad management — email-only, no Facebook or Google retargeting
- No BYOS or dedicated IP on base plans — shared sending infrastructure
Neither Mailchimp nor ConvertKit right for you?
Both platforms charge per subscriber and costs grow as your list grows. mailtani is €89 once: connect your own AWS SES or Resend key and send unlimited emails with sequences, broadcasts, warmup, and inbox rotation included. Your bill stays flat.
14-day free trial
Before You Decide: Common Questions Answered
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What mailtani Brings to the Table
Who Uses These Tools
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Bring your own SMTP key. Unlimited contacts, sequences, warmup, and inbox rotation for €89 once.
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