“`html

Sendinblue (Brevo) vs Mailchimp (2026): Which Is Better? [Full Comparison]

We may earn commission from links.

Quick Verdict: Brevo vs Mailchimp

When comparing Sendinblue vs Mailchimp 2026, the decision largely depends on your specific email marketing needs. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) wins on overall value pricing, SMS marketing capabilities, and transactional email features, making it ideal for businesses that need an all-in-one solution. Mailchimp wins on template design variety, ease of setup for beginners, and has a larger free tier. Both are excellent platforms, but Brevo offers better value for growing businesses, while Mailchimp remains the stronger choice for those prioritizing design flexibility.

What Is Brevo (Formerly Sendinblue)?

Brevo is a comprehensive customer engagement platform that rebranded from Sendinblue in September 2023. It combines email marketing, SMS marketing, chat, CRM, and marketing automation in a single suite. The platform serves over 500,000 businesses worldwide and positions itself as an affordable alternative to enterprise-level email marketing tools.

Founded in 2012, Brevo’s main strengths include unlimited contacts on most plans, competitive pricing, built-in SMS marketing, and robust transactional email capabilities. The platform is particularly popular among small to mid-sized businesses, e-commerce stores, and SaaS companies looking for affordable, feature-rich marketing automation.

What Is Mailchimp?

Mailchimp, acquired by Intuit in 2021, is one of the most recognizable email marketing platforms globally with over 12 million users. The platform is known for its user-friendly interface, extensive template library, and straightforward automation capabilities. Mailchimp caters to businesses of all sizes, from freelancers to enterprises, with particular strength in serving small businesses and nonprofits.

Mailchimp’s primary advantages include an exceptionally generous free plan, intuitive drag-and-drop editor, strong customer support, and excellent integrations with popular e-commerce and business tools like Shopify and WooCommerce.

Feature Comparison: Brevo vs Mailchimp

Feature	Brevo	Mailchimp
Email Templates	⚠️ Good (80+ templates)	✅ Excellent (500+ templates)
SMS Marketing	✅ Built-in (included on all plans)	❌ Not available
Marketing Automation	✅ Advanced automation included	✅ Good automation features
Transactional Email	✅ Excellent (50,000/day free)	⚠️ Limited features
CRM Integration	✅ Native CRM included	⚠️ Limited CRM functionality
Contact Limit (Free Plan)	✅ Unlimited contacts	⚠️ Up to 500 contacts
A/B Testing	✅ Full A/B testing	✅ Full A/B testing
API Access	✅ Included on all plans	⚠️ Standard plan and above

Pricing Comparison: Brevo vs Mailchimp 2026

Brevo Pricing

Free Plan: Unlimited contacts, up to 300 emails/day, basic automation, SMS included (limited credits). This is Brevo’s standout feature—truly unlimited contacts at no cost.

Starter Plan: $25/month (USD) – Removes sending limits, includes 20,000 SMS credits, advanced automation, and dedicated IP options. For businesses sending more than 300 emails daily, this plan offers excellent value.

Business Plan: $65/month (USD) – Adds dedicated account manager, advanced features, and 100,000 SMS credits.

Mailchimp Pricing

Free Plan: Up to 500 contacts, unlimited emails to those contacts, basic automation, and essential features. Mailchimp’s free plan is generous for small businesses but limits contact growth.

Essentials Plan: $13/month (USD) – Removes contact limits, adds advanced segmentation, and increased automation. This plan is competitive but still lacks SMS functionality.

Standard Plan: $40/month (USD) – Adds multivariate testing, advanced analytics, and API access.

Premium Plan: $350/month (USD) – Full feature set with priority support and advanced deliverability tools.

Pricing Verdict

Brevo offers significantly better value, especially if you need SMS marketing or have a large contact list. Moving from Brevo’s free to paid tier ($25) is more affordable than Mailchimp’s Essentials ($13), but Brevo includes SMS marketing and transactional email capabilities that Mailchimp requires separate purchases. For e-commerce businesses needing SMS, Brevo’s value proposition is substantially stronger.

Ease of Use: Brevo vs Mailchimp

Mailchimp Ease of Use

Mailchimp remains the winner for absolute beginner-friendliness. The interface is intuitive, onboarding is streamlined, and creating your first campaign takes minutes. The platform walks new users through setup with helpful tooltips and a clear navigation structure. Template selection is drag-and-drop simple, and most features are discoverable without documentation.

Brevo Ease of Use

Brevo’s interface has improved significantly since the Sendinblue rebrand. While slightly less polished than Mailchimp, it remains accessible. The learning curve is steeper for complete beginners, but intermediate users appreciate the platform’s depth. Email editor is functional though less visually advanced than Mailchimp. The advantage: Brevo’s dashboard provides more actionable data and native CRM features, which advanced users prefer.

Ease of Use Verdict

Mailchimp wins for beginners; Brevo wins for growing teams. If you’re your company’s first marketer with no technical background, Mailchimp’s learning curve is gentler. If you’re managing multiple campaigns and integrations, Brevo’s deeper feature set becomes an advantage.

SMS Marketing

This is a critical differentiator. Brevo includes SMS marketing on all plans—even free accounts get limited SMS credits. This is invaluable for e-commerce, service businesses, and marketers running multi-channel campaigns. Mailchimp doesn’t offer SMS marketing natively, forcing users to integrate third-party services like Twilio, adding complexity and cost.

Automation & CRM Features

Both platforms offer marketing automation, but Brevo’s native CRM provides contact management, deal tracking, and sales pipeline features without additional cost. Mailchimp’s automation is solid but lacks the CRM depth. For businesses needing integrated customer management, Brevo eliminates the need for separate CRM software.

Template Quality

Mailchimp’s template library is substantially larger (500+ vs Brevo’s 80+). If template design is your priority and you lack design skills, Mailchimp provides more out-of-the-box options. However, both platforms allow custom HTML, and neither is deficient—Mailchimp simply offers more variety.

Who Should Choose Brevo?

• E-commerce businesses needing SMS marketing for order confirmations, shipping updates, and promotions
• SaaS companies sending transactional emails at scale
• Growing startups wanting unlimited contacts on a free plan
• Businesses seeking all-in-one solutions combining email, SMS, CRM, and automation
• Companies prioritizing affordability over template design variety
• International businesses (Brevo serves 180+ countries with localized support)

Who Should Choose Mailchimp?

• Beginners needing the easiest platform to learn
• Small nonprofits and charities (Mailchimp offers nonprofit discounts)
• Designers and agencies wanting extensive template options
• Shopify stores under 500 customers (free plan sufficient)
• Businesses prioritizing template design without technical customization
• Companies already in the Intuit ecosystem (QuickBooks, etc.)

Customer Support

Mailchimp offers 24/7 support via email, chat, and phone on paid plans. Brevo provides email support and a comprehensive knowledge base, with phone support on higher-tier plans. Both have active user communities. Mailchimp’s support is slightly more responsive, but Brevo’s knowledge base is improving.

Integrations

Both platforms integrate with 1,000+ apps through Zapier and native connectors. Brevo integrates with WooCommerce, Shopify, and WordPress natively. Mailchimp’s integrations are slightly broader, particularly for e-commerce platforms. For most businesses, either platform offers sufficient integration options.

Final Verdict: Brevo vs Mailchimp 2026

Brevo offers superior value for most businesses in 2026. The combination of unlimited contacts, SMS marketing, built-in CRM, and affordable pricing creates a compelling value proposition. While Mailchimp maintains advantages in template design and beginner-friendliness, Brevo’s comprehensive feature set justifies the platform switch for growing businesses.

If you’re building an email marketing program from scratch and prioritize simplicity, Mailchimp remains excellent. If you need SMS marketing, unlimited contacts, or advanced automation, Brevo is the clear winner. For price-conscious marketers needing multi-channel capabilities, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is the 2026 winner.

Try Brevo free →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sendinblue still available or did it completely rebrand to Brevo?

Sendinblue completely rebranded to Brevo in September 2023. All existing Sendinblue accounts were migrated to Brevo. The platform, features, and pricing structure remain the same—only the name and branding changed. No users lost functionality during the transition.

Can I use Brevo and Mailchimp together?

Yes, many businesses use both platforms simultaneously. Some use Mailchimp for design-heavy campaigns and Brevo for transactional emails and SMS. However, managing two platforms creates administrative overhead. Most users choose one as their primary platform.

Which platform sends emails faster?

Both Brevo and Mailchimp have excellent deliverability. Brevo claims 99.9% uptime, while Mailchimp guarantees industry-standard uptime. Email sending speed is comparable. Deliverability depends more on sender reputation, list quality, and authentication setup than platform selection.

Does Brevo offer free SMS credits?

Yes, Brevo’s free plan includes limited SMS credits monthly. Paid plans include substantially higher SMS allowances. Mailchimp offers no SMS functionality at any price point.

Can I migrate from Mailchimp to Brevo?

Yes, both platforms provide CSV import/export tools. Mailchimp allows you to export contacts and email histories. Brevo accepts bulk contact imports. Migration typically takes 1-2 hours for most businesses. Some automation rules require manual recreation.

Which platform is better for e-commerce?

Brevo edges ahead for e-commerce due to SMS marketing, transactional email capabilities, and native CRM. Mailchimp remains strong but lacks SMS without third-party integrations. For e-commerce abandonment campaigns and shipping notifications, Brevo’s multi-channel approach is superior.

Is Brevo GDPR compliant?

Yes, both Brevo and Mailchimp are fully GDPR compliant. Both offer data processing agreements, consent management features, and compliance documentation required by GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations.

What’s the best platform for nonprofits?

Mailchimp offers nonprofit discounts and is the traditional choice for nonprofits. However, Brevo’s unlimited contacts free plan is increasingly attractive for nonprofits managing large mailing lists. Compare based on your nonprofit’s specific feature needs rather than tradition.

Can I create landing pages with Brevo or Mailchimp?

Mailchimp offers landing page creation as a paid add-on. Brevo includes basic landing pages. Neither is as robust as dedicated landing page builders like Leadpages or Unbounce, but both are adequate for simple campaigns.

“`