Mailchimp vs MailerLite pricing: which is cheaper for your team?
MailerLite's cheapest paid tier (Growing Business) lists at $9/month, which beats the other on entry pricing. Mid-tier and enterprise math can flip the answer — use the per-tier table below to see the real cost for your team size at each tier.
Calculate the cost for your team
Mailchimp pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | month | Limited contacts and sends. |
| Essentials | $13 | $13 | month | Starting price; increases by contact count. |
| Standard | $20 | $20 | month | Automation and optimization features. |
| Premium | $350 | $350 | month | Advanced segmentation and larger-team features. |
MailerLite pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | month | 500 active subscribers, 12,000 emails per month, drag and drop editor, basic automation. |
| Growing Business | $10 | $9 | month | Unlimited subscribers and sends, 3 seats, multivariate testing, unlimited websites and landing pages. |
| Advanced | $20 | $18 | month | Unlimited seats, smart sending, AI writing assistant, custom HTML editor, enhanced automations. |
Feature by feature
The non-pricing differences that drive the real decision.
| Capability | Mailchimp | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | month | month |
| Pricing model | Contact-tier marketing plan pricing | Subscriber-tiered email and automation |
| Cheapest paid tier | Essentials at $13/month | Growing Business at $9/month |
| Mid-tier benchmark | Standard at $20/month | Advanced at $18/month |
| Total paid tiers published | 3 | 2 |
| Last verified | 2026-05-16 | 2026-05-17 |
Best for…
Hand-picked use cases mapped to the winner.
| Use case | Winner |
|---|---|
| Lowest entry price (10-person team) | MailerLite Growing Business |
| Most pricing tiers (room to grow) | Mailchimp (3 tiers) |
| Predictable per-seat billing | Neither (both flat/usage) |
| Most recently verified pricing | MailerLite |
Choose Mailchimp when
- Mailchimp prices by plan and contact count, so teams should compare against their actual audience size rather than the lowest advertised starting price.
- Entry tier (Essentials) at $13/month is your budget ceiling.
- Build comparisons at 5k, 25k, and 100k contacts before choosing Mailchimp vs Klaviyo.
Choose MailerLite when
- MailerLite offers a generous free tier for 500 subscribers and paid plans starting at $10 per month for the Growing Business plan with unlimited contacts.
- Entry tier (Growing Business) at $9/month is your budget ceiling.
- Enterprise plan is custom-priced for 100,000-plus subscribers and adds dedicated success manager, dedicated IP, and custom onboarding.
Switching considerations
Watch the hidden fees on both sides. Mailchimp: Contact count, SMS, transactional email, and overages can change the bill. MailerLite: Local taxes may apply on top of listed prices Always confirm with the vendor before purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for a 10-person team, Mailchimp or MailerLite?
At entry tier and 10 seats on annual billing: Mailchimp Essentials comes to $13/mo; MailerLite Growing Business comes to $9/mo. MailerLite is the cheaper entry-tier choice at this team size.
Does Mailchimp have more pricing tiers than MailerLite?
Mailchimp publishes more paid tiers (3 vs 2). More tiers usually means more granular ways to grow without re-platforming.
Which pricing was verified more recently?
Mailchimp's pricing was last verified 2026-05-16; MailerLite's on 2026-05-17. Both pages link to the vendor's official pricing source so you can re-check before committing.