True cost comparison — not just what the pricing page says
Quick Verdict
Brevo saves you 5%
Best for Brevo
All-in-one marketing platform (formerly Sendinblue). Email-based pricing from Free to $18/mo is attr
Best for Mailchimp
Email marketing platform with automation. Free for 500 contacts, then contact-based pricing creates
All-in-one marketing platform (formerly Sendinblue). Email-based pricing from Fr...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$27
/month (typical)
Daily Send Limit on Free
Free plan limits to 300 emails/day (9,000/mo). A list of 10K contacts can't be emailed in one campai...
Brevo Logo on Free & Starter
Brevo branding appears on all emails on Free and Starter plans. Removing it requires Business plan a...
Landing Pages & A/B Testing Paywall
Landing pages, A/B testing, and advanced statistics require Business plan ($18/mo) or higher. Starte...
Email marketing platform with automation. Free for 500 contacts, then contact-ba...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$113
/month (typical)
Unsubscribed Contacts Count
Mailchimp counts unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts toward your billing limit. A list of 10K w...
Steep Contact Tier Scaling
Pricing jumps dramatically: 500 contacts = $13.99/mo, 2,500 = $45/mo, 10K = $100/mo, 50K = $350/mo. ...
Pay-As-You-Go Email Credits
Over-limit sends cost extra as email credits. Standard plan allows 12x your contact limit per month....
Advanced Automation Paywall
Free and Essentials include only basic automations. Customer journeys with branching, A/B testing, a...
Brevo advertises $0/mo. Mailchimp advertises $0/mo.
Brevo has 3 documented hidden fees. Mailchimp has 4.
Brevo confidence: 74%. Mailchimp confidence: 80%.
| Metric | Brevo | Mailchimp | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $0/mo | $0/mo | Brevo |
| True Monthly Cost | $27/mo | $113/mo | Brevo |
| Hidden Fee Total | +$27/mo | +$113/mo | Brevo |
| # Hidden Fees | 3 | 4 | Brevo |
| Confidence Score | 74% | 80% | Mailchimp |
| Pricing Tiers | 3 | 4 | — |
| Affiliate Program | None | No public affiliate program (discontinued 2022) | — |
Brevo advertises $0/mo and Mailchimp advertises $0/mo. However, when you include hidden fees, Brevo has 3 documented hidden fees adding +$27/mo, while Mailchimp has 4 hidden fees adding +$113/mo. Based on true cost, Brevo is typically 5% cheaper.
Brevo has 3 documented hidden fees: Daily Send Limit on Free, Brevo Logo on Free & Starter, Landing Pages & A/B Testing Paywall. These add approximately +$27/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Mailchimp has 4 documented hidden fees: Unsubscribed Contacts Count, Steep Contact Tier Scaling, Pay-As-You-Go Email Credits, Advanced Automation Paywall. These add approximately +$113/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Choose Brevo if: All-in-one marketing platform (formerly Sendinblue). Email-based pricing from Free to $18/mo is attr. Choose Mailchimp if: Email marketing platform with automation. Free for 500 contacts, then contact-based pricing creates . The right choice depends on your team size, usage volume, and which features you need most.
This comparison is based on manual research of official pricing pages, terms of service, and user reports. Brevo data has a 74% confidence score and Mailchimp has 80%. Prices were last verified in April 2026. For the most accurate estimate, enter your specific usage in our calculator.
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