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MailerLite vs Mailchimp

By Alexandre S. Published Prices checked

Verdict: Mailchimp or MailerLite

MailerLite costs less at every list size we price, and its AI writer comes on its cheapest paid plan. At 10,000 contacts with AI, MailerLite Comfort costs $89 a month and Mailchimp Standard $135, checked . Both terms let the vendor use your AI inputs to improve AI models, and Mailchimp’s clause names Customer Data.

Mailchimp

Best for
Small lists that want a large integrations catalogue and templates: Essentials starts at $13 a month for 500 contacts.
Not for
Buyers needing AI on a cheap plan (none on Essentials) or holding many unsubscribed contacts, which are billed. Terms let Mailchimp use AI inputs and outputs, Customer Data included, for machine learning (terms 30).

MailerLite

Best for
Small lists that want automations, landing pages and AI drafting at a low entry price: Comfort starts at $12 a month for 500 subscribers.
Not for
Buyers needing a free plan above 250 subscribers or AI features on Free (the AI writing assistant is paid only); terms let MailerLite use your AI inputs and outputs to improve AI models (clause 17.3).
Mailchimp and MailerLite on price, billing and AI. Prices checked 6 Nov 2026.
MailchimpMailerLite
Where they differ
Monthly from (USD) $13$12
Cheapest plan with AI writing StandardComfort, the entry paid plan
Who counts towards the bill Subscribed, non-subscribed and unsubscribed contactsActive subscribers only
Over the limit on a paid plan Overage blocks on the next billMoved to the next tier and charged
Free plan 250 contacts, 500 sends a month250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month
Yearly discount None published10% off monthly
AI terms Inputs, outputs and Customer Data for machine learning (30)Inputs and outputs to improve AI models (17.3)
The same on both
Free plan Both: Yes

What do Mailchimp and MailerLite cost at your list size?

MailerLite charges less at each of the four list sizes below, on each vendor’s cheapest paid plan. Those plans are Essentials at Mailchimp and Comfort at MailerLite.

At 500 contacts the two sit a dollar apart: Essentials lists $13 a month and Comfort $12 a month, checked (Mailchimp plans, MailerLite pricing).

Mailchimp's pricing page comparison grid: Premium, Standard and Essentials plan cards with the 50% introductory price and list price, generative AI listed on Premium and Standard only, and monthly email sends at 15, 12 and 10 times contacts
Mailchimp’s plan grid: introductory and list prices, sends per month and the plans that include generative AI Mailchimp plan comparison grid, captured

The gap widens with the list. At 50,000 Essentials costs $385 a month against $319 for Comfort.

Yearly billing widens it again. MailerLite takes 10% off for paying a year ahead (MailerLite pricing). Mailchimp publishes no yearly price, and its pricing page shows a 50% offer for the first 12 months that these figures leave out.

MailerLite's pricing page at 500 subscribers with yearly billing selected: Power at 22.50 dollars a month, Comfort at 10.80 dollars, Free at 0 dollars with 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails
MailerLite’s plan cards at 500 subscribers with yearly billing selected, and the Free plan capped at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. MailerLite pricing page, captured

All 15 email tools at your own list size: the email price table.

What does the AI cost on each?

On MailerLite, nothing beyond the entry paid plan. Its AI writing assistant comes with Comfort; Mailchimp keeps generative AI off Essentials and puts it on Standard.

Mailchimp's pricing page: the Standard plan sends up to 6,000 emails a month and lists generative AI features, at 10 dollars a month for 12 months at 0 to 500 contacts, then 20 dollars
Mailchimp’s Standard plan card lists generative AI features and 6,000 emails a month. Mailchimp pricing page, captured

With AI writing on both sides, the gap grows: the table compares each vendor’s cheapest plan that includes it (Mailchimp plans, MailerLite pricing).

Cheapest plan with AI writing, monthly billing, prices checked 1 Nov 2026
Contacts Mailchimp Standard MailerLite Comfort Mailchimp costs more by
500 $20 $12 $8
2,500 $60 $33 $27
10,000 $135 $89 $46
50,000 $450 $319 $131

Scroll sideways for all 4 columns

Standard also brings predictive segmentation, which groups contacts by how likely they are to buy. Mailchimp’s plan grid names it under Premium, and its footnote makes it available “on Standard or Premium plans only” (Mailchimp plans). MailerLite’s Comfort adds smart sending, which picks a send time per subscriber, and a subject line generator.

Who counts towards your bill?

Mailchimp bills people who left your list; MailerLite does not. That changes the real price of an older list more than any tier does.

Mailchimp counts subscribed, non-subscribed and unsubscribed contacts towards your limit. Only archived, cleaned or deleted contacts drop out (Mailchimp help). A list of 8,000 active readers with 3,000 past unsubscribes prices at the 15,000 tier until you archive them. On Essentials that is $180 a month in place of $110 (pricing data).

How contacts are counted

Subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts are included in your contact count.

Archived, cleaned, and deleted contacts don’t count toward your contact total or the price of your marketing plan.

Mailchimp’s help centre: unsubscribed contacts count towards the contact total and the price. Mailchimp, About Mailchimp pricing plans,

MailerLite counts active subscribers only. One catch: an address active at any point in a billing cycle counts for that cycle, even if you delete it later (pricing FAQ).

How do you count subscribers?

Counting Billing is based on the number of active subscribers in your account. Subscribers who have unsubscribed or bounced don’t count. To keep things fair, we use a cumulative count within each billing cycle: this means any address that was active at any point during the cycle counts toward your limit, even if it’s deleted later.

Paid accounts When the number of active subscribers exceeds the current subscriber limit, the subscriber limit will automatically increase and your credit card will be charged for the next pricing tier.

Free accounts When the number of active subscribers exceeds the 250 active subscriber limit, sendings will be locked (campaigns + automation).

MailerLite’s pricing FAQ on how subscribers are counted and what happens past the limit. MailerLite, Pricing FAQ: how subscribers are counted,

Going over differs too. Mailchimp keeps sending and adds overage blocks to the next bill. MailerLite moves a paid account up a tier and charges the card. On either free plan, sending stops past 250.

Does Mailchimp or MailerLite train AI on your list?

Both terms say yes in some form. The difference is how far each clause reaches.

Mailchimp’s terms, section 30, updated 10 October 2025 and still current at the 1 Nov 2026 check, say it “may use your Inputs and Outputs, including Customer Data, for machine learning purposes”. The clause points to account-setting preferences without saying they switch training off.

Standard Terms of Use, 30

We may use your Inputs and Outputs, including Customer Data, for machine learning purposes in order to develop and improve the AI Model, the Services, and similar products and features, and you instruct us to process Customer Data for such purposes.

Mailchimp’s standard terms of use, section 30. Mailchimp, Standard Terms of Use, 30,

MailerLite’s terms, clause 17.3, updated 22 September 2026, read “You grant MailerLite a license to use your Inputs and Outputs to improve AI models”, without naming your subscriber data.

Terms of service, 17.3

You grant MailerLite a license to use your Inputs and Outputs to improve AI models, and you agree to comply with any restrictions on AI usage.

MailerLite’s terms of service, clause 17.3. MailerLite, Terms of service, 17.3,

The AI policy says its partners OpenAI and Google do not train on your data under enterprise agreements. Neither the policy nor clause 17.3 names a way to opt out of MailerLite’s own use. All 15 tools side by side: does your email tool train AI.

How do you move from Mailchimp to MailerLite?

MailerLite has a built-in Mailchimp import. Its switching guide, last edited 13 August 2026, connects to your Mailchimp account and pulls the lists you pick.

  1. Active subscribers come across; unsubscribed and unconfirmed ones are optional and cannot be sent newsletters.
  2. Mailchimp tags become MailerLite groups, and fields map automatically or by hand.
  3. Only basic, field-based segments are rebuilt. Behavioural and e-commerce segments do not move.

Templates and automations stay behind, and so do forms and landing pages: you rebuild them. Changes made in Mailchimp after the import need a manual “Sync again”. The guide also asks you to authenticate your sending domain before the first campaign.

MailerLite’s AI policy says it uses AI to review accounts and campaigns, and that review cannot be switched off (AI policy).

Slow support leads Mailchimp’s complaints; quick support leads MailerLite’s praise

We read 25 public sources on Mailchimp and 22 on MailerLite, from Trustpilot and Reddit. They date from 12 June to 30 October 2026, most of them the 20 latest Trustpilot reviews of each.

On Mailchimp:

On MailerLite:

Two of those closures came as the first campaign was about to go out. Import into MailerLite and authenticate your domain before you cancel Mailchimp.

Which one fits your list?

Choose MailerLite if you want AI drafting at the lowest entry price, or if your list carries years of unsubscribes. Its profile and pricing page cover Power and every tier.

Stay on Mailchimp if you need predictive segmentation, which MailerLite’s pricing does not list; Mailchimp puts it on Standard and Premium. The Mailchimp profile covers its plans, and Mailchimp alternatives sorts the other rivals by job.

Weighing a third option? Brevo vs MailerLite prices by emails sent, Kit vs Mailchimp suits creators, and the AI email marketing hub lists all 15 tools.

Questions buyers ask about Mailchimp and MailerLite

Is MailerLite cheaper than Mailchimp?

Yes, at 500, 2,500, 10,000 and 50,000 contacts on each one’s cheapest paid plan, and by more once you add AI.

Which free plan is bigger, Mailchimp or MailerLite?

Both hold 250 contacts. MailerLite Free allows 2,500 emails a month against Mailchimp’s 500, but has no AI writing assistant.

Can I import my Mailchimp list into MailerLite?

Yes. MailerLite’s import connects to Mailchimp and brings active subscribers, with tags turned into groups. Automations and templates are rebuilt by hand.

Do unsubscribed contacts cost money on MailerLite?

No. MailerLite counts active subscribers only. On Mailchimp, unsubscribed contacts count until you archive them.

More email tool comparisons sit together in the AI email marketing hub

Sources

  1. Mailchimp: Mailchimp marketing plans and pricing, the plan grid, the generative AI row, predictive segmentation footnote and the overage line. Checked
  2. Mailchimp: About Mailchimp pricing plans, which contacts count towards the limit. Checked
  3. Mailchimp: Mailchimp Standard Terms of Use, updated 10 October 2025; section 30 on AI inputs, outputs and Customer Data. Checked
  4. MailerLite: MailerLite pricing, Free, Comfort and Power by subscriber tier, the 10% yearly discount, the AI rows and the subscriber FAQ. Checked
  5. MailerLite: MailerLite Terms of Service, updated 22 September 2026; clause 17.3 on AI inputs and outputs. Checked
  6. MailerLite: MailerLite AI policy, OpenAI and Google as AI partners; account and campaign review by AI. Checked
  7. MailerLite: How to switch from Mailchimp to MailerLite, last edited 13 August 2026; the Mailchimp import, tags to groups, and what you rebuild by hand. Checked
  8. Trustpilot: Mailchimp on Trustpilot, the 20 most recent reviews, 30 September to 30 October 2026. Checked
  9. Trustpilot: MailerLite on Trustpilot, the 20 most recent reviews, 13 to 30 October 2026. Checked
  10. Reddit: r/Emailmarketing threads naming Mailchimp or MailerLite, seven items from 12 June to 23 July 2026, several of them titles whose bodies were removed. Checked
Portrait of Alexandre S.

Alexandre S.

Alexandre S. is a creative ad strategist and copywriter with ten years' experience in digital marketing across multiple channels.

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