Mailchimp vs Brevo: Which Email Platform Wins for Small Business in 2026?
Mailchimp vs Brevo comparison: pricing, features, SMS, automation. Best choice for small business email marketing.
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The Small Business Email Question
You've got a list of 500-5,000 customers. You need email to stay in touch. Mailchimp and Brevo both offer free tiers and grow with you, but they've taken very different paths.
Pricing: Where the Divergence Starts
| Tier | Mailchimp | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Up to 500 contacts, unlimited sends | Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day |
| Starter ($20-30/mo) | 500-1K contacts | Unlimited contacts, higher daily limit |
| Standard ($50-100/mo) | 1K-5K contacts | SMS included, bundled |
| Premium ($300+/mo) | Dedicated IP | Dedicated support |
Mailchimp: The Familiar Choice
Millions of small businesses use Mailchimp. Free tier: 500 contacts, unlimited sends. The interface is clunky but gets the job done.
SMS: Not included — separate add-on ($0.01-0.02 per message).
Integrations: Best in class. Native connectors for Shopify, WordPress, Stripe, and hundreds more.
Cost at scale: For 5,000 contacts: $100-150/mo. For 10K: $300+. Per-contact cost gets steep.
Brevo: The SMS-First Platform
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) charges by sending volume, not contacts. And SMS is built in.
Free tier: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails per day (~9K/month).
SMS: $0.05-0.08 per SMS, included in paid plans. This is Brevo's differentiator.
CRM: Lightweight CRM included in paid plans.
Cost at scale: For 100K emails/month and 10K SMS: $50-150/mo.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Mailchimp | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier contacts | 500 | Unlimited |
| Automation | Basic (paid plans) | Robust (all plans) |
| SMS included | No (add-on) | Yes (paid plans) |
| CRM features | Limited | Full CRM (paid) |
| Deliverability monitoring | Basic | Advanced (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) |
SMS Economics
SMS conversion is 2-3x better than email, but 5-10x more expensive. Use SMS for high-value campaigns (flash sales, urgent notifications), not bulk announcements.
Verdict
Choose Mailchimp if: Shopify store, under 500 contacts, don't need SMS, want largest integration ecosystem.
Choose Brevo if: Need SMS + email bundled, managing 500+ contacts, want built-in CRM, care about deliverability monitoring.
At 5,000 contacts: Mailchimp is $100-150/mo. Brevo is $40-60/mo. The cost difference is significant.
