Email Marketing
MailerLite vs Mailchimp: Cost for Local Business
For a small local business, MailerLite is the simpler and usually cheaper start: its paid Comfort plan starts at $12 a month, and Power at $25. Mailchimp's Essentials starts at $13 a month and Standard at $20, but those are first-year prices shown for the 10,000-plus contact tier. Both free plans stop at 250 contacts, so the real price for your list size sits behind each vendor's tier selector.
This guide is for owners of cafes, salons, groomers and studios with an email list in the hundreds or low thousands. We opened both pricing pages on 2026-10-24. Neither page showed prices for 500, 1,000 or 2,500 contacts in the text we could read, so we do not state them. Examples with invented inputs are labelled as assumptions.
$12→
MailerLite Comfort, from per month
MailerLite pricing page, 2026-10-24
$25→
MailerLite Power, from per month
MailerLite pricing page, 2026-10-24
$13→
Mailchimp Essentials, first 12 months at 10,000+ contacts
Mailchimp pricing page, 2026-10-24
$20→
Mailchimp Standard, first 12 months at 10,000+ contacts
Mailchimp pricing page, 2026-10-24
Estimates for illustration; actual numbers vary.
How Do the Free Plans Compare?
Both stop at 250 contacts, but they differ in what you can send and do inside that limit.
MailerLite Free is $0 for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. It includes 2 seats, 3 active automations, 3 active forms, one website and one landing page. If active subscribers go over 250, campaigns and automations are locked until you upgrade or remove subscribers.
Mailchimp Free is $0 for up to 250 contacts, with sending capped at 500 emails a month or 250 a day. It includes one seat and one audience, and no marketing automation flows. Sending pauses if the contact or email limit is exceeded.
For a list of 200 people you email twice a month, either works. If you email weekly, Mailchimp's 500-email monthly cap is reached in about two sends to a list of 250.
What Do the Paid Plans Cost?
MailerLite lists Comfort from $12 a month and Power from $25 a month, with Enterprise custom-priced from 200,000 subscribers. Annual billing saves 10%. The page shows only the starting prices, not the price for 1,000 or 2,500 subscribers, which sits in its pricing calculator.
Mailchimp lists Essentials, Standard and Premium. The prices on the page, $13 and $20 for Essentials and Standard and $350 for Premium, are for the 10,000-plus contact tier in the first 12 months. The page ties a 15% saving to that tier. Prices for 500 or 1,500 contacts are set by a selector we could not read, so check it with your own list size.
Because both vendors price by list size, the only fair test is to enter the same contact count into both calculators on the same day.
How Do Limits and Features Compare?
| MailerLite | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month | 250 contacts, 500 emails a month or 250 a day |
| Paid starting price | Comfort from $12, Power from $25 | Essentials $13, Standard $20 (first 12 months, 10,000+ contacts) |
| Top tier | Enterprise, custom, 200,000+ subscribers | Premium, $350 at 10,000+ contacts |
| Seats | Comfort 3, Power unlimited | Essentials 3, Standard 5, Premium unlimited |
| Automations | Comfort 50 active, Power unlimited | Essentials 4 flow steps, Standard up to 200 |
| Monthly sends | Comfort 10 times the subscriber tier, Power unlimited (fair use) | Essentials 10 times the contacts, Standard 12 times, Premium 15 times |
| SMS | Not listed on the pricing page | Add-on on paid plans |
| Branding removal | Comfort and above (logo removal) | Essentials and above |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | 14 days on Essentials and Standard |
The Mailchimp send figures come from the multipliers on its page. The page states "up to 6,000 emails" for Standard, and the other multiples are derived from those multipliers.
How Does Each Count and Bill Your List?
Billing rules matter more than the sticker price once your list grows.
MailerLite bills on active subscribers, counted cumulatively within each billing cycle, so an address that was active at any point counts even if you delete it later. If you pass your limit on a paid plan, the limit rises to the next tier and your card is charged. Upgrades apply immediately and downgrades at the next billing cycle. The page has no refund policy.
Mailchimp bills overage automatically if you exceed your contact or sending limit on a paid plan, and paid plans are not paused if overages are paid on time. The page does not explain how contacts are counted. It notes you may be moved to another contact tier when billing starts after a trial.
Which One Should a Local Business Pick?
- Pick MailerLite if you want automations, forms and a landing page on the free or lowest paid plan, and you want a price that does not jump when you add a few users.
- Pick Mailchimp if you need its 300-plus integrations, SMS as an add-on, or a vendor your team or agency already knows. Our Mailchimp vs Constant Contact comparison and ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp comparison cover the other side.
- Stay on a free plan if your list is under 250 and you send once or twice a month.
- Look elsewhere if you sell online and need store-driven flows. See Mailchimp vs Klaviyo.
Whichever you pick, a list only grows if you collect addresses on purpose. Our email list building strategies post covers it.
A Worked Example: A Salon With 800 Contacts
All inputs are assumptions for illustration. They are not vendor prices.
| Input (assumption) | Value |
|---|---|
| Contacts | 800 |
| Campaigns per month | 4 |
| Emails sent per month | 3,200 |
| Free plans | Not usable, both cap at 250 contacts |
| Mailchimp send ceiling | 8,000 at 800 contacts on Essentials (10 times) |
| MailerLite Comfort send ceiling | 10 times the tier's ceiling per its FAQ, so at least 8,000 |
Both paid plans cover 3,200 emails with room to spare, so sending volume is not what separates them. The difference is the tier price at 800 contacts, which neither page shows in readable text, and the plan features you need. Enter 800 into both calculators and add any add-ons, such as SMS, before deciding.
Do This Today
Clean your list first: remove bounced and long-inactive addresses, then enter the cleaned count into both vendors' calculators. Because MailerLite counts every address active during the cycle, deleting after sending does not lower that month's bill.
FAQ
Is MailerLite cheaper than Mailchimp?
On the starting prices shown, yes: MailerLite Comfort from $12 against Mailchimp Essentials at $13, and Power from $25 against Standard at $20. But those are not like for like, since Mailchimp's figures are first-year prices at 10,000-plus contacts. Compare both calculators with your own list size.
Can I use either for free?
Yes, up to 250 contacts. MailerLite allows 2,500 emails a month and Mailchimp 500 a month or 250 a day.
What happens if my list passes 250 on a free plan?
On MailerLite, campaigns and automations lock until you upgrade or reduce subscribers. On Mailchimp, sending pauses if you exceed the contact or send limit.
Is there a contract?
Neither page states a minimum contract length. MailerLite plans are billed monthly or yearly, and Mailchimp's pages describe a 14-day trial for Essentials and Standard.
Does either offer a nonprofit discount?
MailerLite gives nonprofits 30% off paid plans after verification. Mailchimp's page mentions 15% for nonprofits via its Billing team.
Sources
- MailerLite: Pricing (checked 2026-10-24; plans, free plan limits, billing rules)
- Mailchimp: Marketing pricing (checked 2026-10-24; plan prices at 10,000+ contacts, free plan limits, feature table, send multipliers)
- Mailchimp: Pricing (checked 2026-10-24; overage billing)
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Nataliia
Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.
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