The 7 Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2026
Mailchimp still works, but most people leave for three reasons: the price climbs fast as your list grows, the automation feels dated, and it was never built for creators or media newsletters. Here are the seven alternatives worth switching to, ranked by who they actually suit, with an honest downside for every one.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Kit is built for people who publish, not just broadcast. The free plan runs to 10,000 subscribers, the automation is genuinely easy, and it has the cleanest creator tooling anywhere - landing pages, paid newsletters, a recommendation network. If you are leaving Mailchimp to grow an audience, start here.
Try Kit free →| # | Tool | Best for | Free plan | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kit | Creators, newsletters | 10,000 subs | ~$25/mo | Try free |
| 2 | Beehiiv | Growth & monetization | 2,500 subs | ~$39/mo | Try free |
| 3 | MailerLite | Simplicity & budget | 1,000 subs | ~$10/mo | Try free |
| 4 | GetResponse | All-in-one automation | Limited | ~$19/mo | Try free |
| 5 | AWeber | Small business email | 500 subs | ~$15/mo | Try free |
| 6 | Brevo | Big lists, low volume | 300/day | ~$9/mo | Try free |
Kit
Best for creators & newslettersKit rebuilt itself around creators and it shows. Automations are visual and quick to set up, the free plan is unusually generous, and the recommendation network can grow your list for you. It is not the tool for a heavy ecommerce store, and the templates are deliberately plain, but for writing and growing a newsletter it is the most natural move off Mailchimp.
Pros
- Free up to 10,000 subscribers
- Best creator tooling anywhere
- Fast, visual automations
Cons
- Plain email templates
- Light on ecommerce
Beehiiv
Best for growth & monetizationBeehiiv is the platform behind a lot of the newsletters you have heard of. It leans hard into growth (referral programs, a paid recommendation network, SEO-friendly web archives) and ad monetization. If your goal is a big media newsletter you can make money from, nothing else here matches it. The trade-off is weaker general business automation.
Pros
- Built-in referral & growth tools
- Ad network for monetization
- Strong web/SEO archive
Cons
- Weaker general automation
- Overkill for a small list
MailerLite
Best for simplicity & budgetMailerLite is the easiest tool here to just pick up and use, and it is consistently the cheapest paid plan for a growing list. You lose some depth compared with ActiveCampaign and the growth features of Beehiiv, but for a clean newsletter or a small business that wants low cost and no learning curve, it is hard to beat.
Pros
- Cheapest paid plans
- Genuinely easy to learn
- Solid free plan
Cons
- Fewer advanced features
- Approval process to start
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Mailchimp?
MailerLite has the most useful free plan for most people (1,000 subscribers with core automation). If you are a creator, Kit is the best free option, since its free tier now goes up to 10,000 subscribers.
Which alternative is the cheapest?
MailerLite and Brevo are usually cheapest per subscriber. Brevo bills by emails sent rather than list size, which is cheaper if you have a large list you email infrequently.
Can I move my Mailchimp list over?
Yes. Every tool here imports a Mailchimp CSV, and most offer free migration help on paid plans. Kit and ActiveCampaign will rebuild your automations for you.
Mailchimp or Beehiiv for a newsletter?
Beehiiv, in almost every case, if growth and monetization matter. Mailchimp only wins if you also need a basic website and store bundled in.
Which is best for ecommerce?
Klaviyo or Brevo beat Mailchimp on revenue attribution and store integrations. For a light Shopify store, GetResponse or MailerLite cover the basics for less.
Which one should you pick?
Creator or newsletter? Switch to Kit (or Beehiiv if monetization is the goal). Want the lowest cost and least hassle? MailerLite. Every one of them imports your Mailchimp list in a few minutes, so switching is far less painful than staying on a plan that keeps getting pricier.
Some links above are affiliate links. If you sign up through them we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. We only recommend tools we would use ourselves, and commissions never change our rankings.