Email marketing · Head to head
Mailchimp vs Klaviyo
The classic small-business dilemma: the easiest platform against the e-commerce specialist. The right answer depends almost entirely on whether you sell products online.
Mailchimp
8.2/10vs
Klaviyo
8.8/10| Mailchimp | Klaviyo | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Beginners and general small business | E-commerce brands |
| Free tier | Yes — ~500 contacts | Yes — 250 contacts |
| Automation | Good basics | Category-leading flows |
| Store data use | Integrated, shallower | Native, catalogue + behaviour |
| Ease of use | Easiest in category | Moderate learning curve |
| Cost at 10k contacts | High | Higher — revenue justified |
Where Mailchimp wins — and where Klaviyo wins
Mailchimp
- Far gentler start for non-marketers
- Cheaper entry for very small lists
- Broader general-purpose template library
Klaviyo
- Flows that demonstrably print e-commerce revenue
- Predictive segmentation and analytics
- Email + SMS orchestrated around store behaviour
Our verdict
If you run an online store past the earliest stage, Klaviyo is worth every penny of its premium. For newsletters, services and general small-business marketing, Mailchimp gets you sending faster for less.
How we compare: assessments draw on vendor documentation, published pricing, product testing where noted, and our published methodology. Prices are indicative entry-level figures — confirm current plans with vendors. We may earn commission from links on this page; it never affects our verdicts.