Mailchimp
by Intuit Inc
Turn emails into revenue with marketing automation Mailchimp is the world's most recognized email marketing and automation platform, now part of Intuit. It provides an all-in-one marketing solution including email campaigns, customer journeys, landing pages, social posting, and a built-in CRM.
Performance Scores
2 rankings evaluated
Score range: 6.8 – 8.3
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#2Best Email Automation Platforms 2026
Score: 8.3 · Best for: Beginners and small businesses wanting an easy all-in-one email marketing solution
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#4Best Marketing Automation Platforms 2026
Score: 6.8 · Best for: Small businesses starting with email marketing who prioritize ease of use
Key Facts
General
| Attribute | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Pricing | Standard plan from $20/month for 500 contacts (as of March 2026) | Mar 2026 | Official Website |
| Free Tier | 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/month on free plan | Feb 2026 | Official Website |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Intuit in November 2021 for approximately $12B | Feb 2026 | Press Release |
| Users | 13 million+ active users worldwide | Feb 2026 | Official Website |
| Customer Count | 13M+ active customers worldwide | Mar 2026 | Official Website |
| Free Tier Change | Free plan reduced to 500 contacts and 1,000 sends/month (previously 2,000 contacts) | Mar 2026 | Official Website |
| Email Volume | Sends over 500M emails daily across all customers | Mar 2026 | Official Website |
| AI Features | AI-powered Content Optimizer, Send Time Optimization, Predictive Segmentation | Mar 2026 | Official Website |
Core Features
| Attribute | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integrations | 300+ integrations | Feb 2026 | Official Website |
AI Features
| Attribute | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email Templates | 100+ pre-designed email templates | Feb 2026 | Official Website |
Strengths
- ●Generous free tier (500 contacts)
- ●Easiest to get started
- ●100+ email templates
- ●Strong ecommerce integrations
- ●All-in-one marketing toolkit
- ●Most intuitive email editor
- ●Strongest brand recognition
- ●Good template library
- ●Intuit ecosystem integration
Limitations
- ●Basic automation compared to ActiveCampaign
- ●Pricing scales steeply above 5
- ●000 contacts
- ●Limited CRM functionality
- ●Automation ceiling for advanced sequences
- ●Pricing scales poorly
- ●Post-Intuit feature bloat
- ●Declining power-user satisfaction
Based on evaluations in 2 rankings: Best Email Automation Platforms 2026, Best Marketing Automation Platforms 2026
Pricing Plans
Free
Free for up to 500 contacts
- ✓500 contacts
- ✓1,000 email sends per month
- ✓Email templates and drag-and-drop editor
- ✓Basic reporting
- ✓Forms and landing pages
- !500 contacts
- !1,000 sends/month
- !Mailchimp branding
Essentials
Per month for 500 contacts
- ✓500 contacts (scalable)
- ✓5,000 email sends per month
- ✓All email templates
- ✓A/B testing
- ✓Remove Mailchimp branding
- ✓Email and chat support
- !500 contacts (additional contacts extra)
- !5,000 sends/month
Standard
Per month for 500 contacts
- ✓500 contacts (scalable)
- ✓6,000 email sends per month
- ✓Customer journey builder (automations)
- ✓Send time optimization
- ✓Behavioral targeting
- ✓Custom-coded templates
- !500 contacts (additional contacts extra)
- !6,000 sends/month
Premium
Per month for 10,000 contacts
- ✓10,000 contacts included
- ✓150,000 email sends per month
- ✓Advanced segmentation
- ✓Multivariate testing
- ✓Comparative reporting
- ✓Phone and priority support
- !10,000 contacts (additional contacts extra)
- !150,000 sends/month
About Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the world's most recognized email marketing and automation platform, now part of Intuit. It provides an all-in-one marketing solution including email campaigns, customer journeys, landing pages, social posting, and a built-in CRM. Mailchimp's automation features allow businesses to create drip campaigns, triggered emails, abandoned cart sequences, and personalized content based on audience segmentation. With over 300 integrations and a generous free tier supporting up to 500 contacts, Mailchimp is the most popular starting point for email automation.
Integrations (8)
Other Email Automation Tools
See How It Ranks
Best Marketing Automation Platforms 2026
Our definitive ranking of the best marketing automation platforms for 2026, scored on automation depth, deliverability, pricing value, and integration breadth.
Best Email Automation Platforms 2026
Our ranked comparison of the best email automation platforms for businesses in 2026, evaluating automation capabilities, deliverability, pricing, and ease of use.
Questions About Mailchimp
Is Brevo (Sendinblue) worth it for email automation in 2026?
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) scores 7.0/10 for email automation in 2026. The platform provides unlimited contacts on all plans with pricing based on email volume starting at $9/month for 5,000 emails. The visual automation builder supports multi-channel workflows (email + SMS) with behavioral triggers. Built-in CRM and transactional email eliminate the need for separate tools. Main limitation: automation features are less sophisticated than ActiveCampaign, and deliverability requires careful sender reputation management.
What is marketing automation and how does it work?
Marketing automation is software that automates repetitive marketing tasks — email sequences, lead scoring, social posting, and campaign management — based on predefined rules and customer behavior triggers. The technology emerged around 2001 with platforms like Eloqua and has grown into a $6.6 billion market as of 2025. It works by tracking user interactions (email opens, website visits, purchases) and triggering personalized responses automatically.
Is Mailchimp still worth it in 2026?
Mailchimp scores 6.8/10 in 2026. It remains easy to use (8.5/10) with a polished interface and strong brand recognition, but its automation depth (6/10) and pricing value (5.5/10) lag behind competitors. The Customer Journey Builder has meaningful limitations for advanced sequences. Best for small businesses with simple email needs; growing companies should evaluate ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo.
Is ActiveCampaign worth it for marketing automation?
ActiveCampaign scores 8.3/10 in 2026 — the highest-rated email marketing automation platform in its price range. It excels at automation depth (9.5/10) with unlimited branching and predictive sending that increased open rates 12-18% in testing. The unified CRM + email eliminates tool sprawl. Main trade-off: the CRM feels bolted-on compared to dedicated CRM platforms like HubSpot. Starting at $29/month (Lite).
Learn More
Automation for Ecommerce: The Complete Guide
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Automation for Small Business: Getting Started
A practical guide for small businesses implementing automation for the first time, covering process selection, tool evaluation by budget, five starter automations, and scaling strategies.
Building an Ecommerce Automation Stack: From Email to Fulfillment
A detailed case study of how a mid-size ecommerce business built a complete automation stack using Klaviyo, Zapier, Make, Airtable, and Mailchimp. Documents email flows, order processing, inventory sync, and ROI analysis showing 35 hours/week saved and 42% increase in email revenue.