True cost comparison — not just what the pricing page says
Quick Verdict
Mailchimp saves you 100%
Best for Mailchimp
Email marketing and CRM automation platform. Contact-based pricing from $15-$145/mo sounds fair unti
Best for ActiveCampaign
Email marketing platform with automation. Free for 500 contacts, then contact-based pricing creates
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...
Email marketing and CRM automation platform. Contact-based pricing from $15-$145...
Advertised
$15
/month
True Cost
$128
/month (typical)
Contact Tier Scaling
Lite at $15/mo for 1K contacts, but 10K contacts = $79/mo, 25K = $149/mo, 50K = $259/mo. Pricing sca...
CRM & Sales Require Plus
CRM pipeline, lead scoring, and SMS marketing require Plus plan at $49/mo minimum — over 3x the Lite...
Transactional Email Separate
Transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets) are NOT included. Requires separate Post...
$9/mo annual
$29/mo annual
$49/mo annual
ActiveCampaign advertises $15/mo. Mailchimp advertises $0/mo.
ActiveCampaign has 3 documented hidden fees. Mailchimp has 4.
ActiveCampaign confidence: 77%. Mailchimp confidence: 80%.
| Metric | Mailchimp | ActiveCampaign | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $0/mo | $15/mo | Mailchimp |
| True Monthly Cost | $113/mo | $128/mo | Mailchimp |
| Hidden Fee Total | +$113/mo | +$113/mo | Mailchimp |
| # Hidden Fees | 4 | 3 | ActiveCampaign |
| Confidence Score | 80% | 77% | Mailchimp |
| Pricing Tiers | 4 | 3 | — |
| Affiliate Program | No public affiliate program (discontinued 2022) | None | — |
Mailchimp advertises $0/mo and ActiveCampaign advertises $15/mo. However, when you include hidden fees, Mailchimp has 4 documented hidden fees adding +$113/mo, while ActiveCampaign has 3 hidden fees adding +$113/mo. Based on true cost, Mailchimp is typically 100% cheaper.
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.
ActiveCampaign has 3 documented hidden fees: Contact Tier Scaling, CRM & Sales Require Plus, Transactional Email Separate. These add approximately +$113/mo on top of the $15/mo advertised price.
Choose Mailchimp if: Email marketing and CRM automation platform. Contact-based pricing from $15-$145/mo sounds fair unti. Choose ActiveCampaign 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. Mailchimp data has a 80% confidence score and ActiveCampaign has 77%. Prices were last verified in April 2026. For the most accurate estimate, enter your specific usage in our calculator.
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