Our Review of Mailchimp Email Marketing

Mailchimp has been a prominent name in the email marketing game for quite some time now, but is this for good reason? It offers a range of features and functionalities that cater to businesses of all sizes, though the value proposition can shift depending on your specific needs and how deep your pockets are.

Mailchimp Email Marketing Functionality

Mailchimp operates on a tiered subscription model, each offering a different level of access to its tools. Here’s a breakdown of what you can generally expect at each level.

Free Plan: This is often the entry point for many. It typically includes basic email creation and sending capabilities, marketing CRM, Mailchimp branding on emails, and a limited audience size (often around 500 contacts). You’ll usually have access to single-step automations. It’s a good way to dip your toes in and get a feel for the platform.
Essentials Plan: Moving up a notch, this tier usually removes the Mailchimp branding and increases the audience limit. You’ll gain access to more advanced email templates, customer journey builders with a few steps, A/B testing for subject lines, and more detailed reporting. This plan is often suitable for growing businesses that need more sophisticated tools than the free option.
Standard Plan: This plan builds on the Essentials offering with more advanced automation capabilities, including branching logic and multi-step journeys. You’ll typically get access to retargeting ads, behavioural targeting, and more in-depth insights and reporting. This tier is generally aimed at businesses looking to personalise their marketing efforts and scale their campaigns.
Premium Plan: At the top end, the Premium plan offers Mailchimp’s full suite of features. This often includes advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, priority support, and higher sending limits. It’s designed for larger organisations with complex marketing needs and a significant contact list.

Take a look at our analysis and comparison of the features of the top ten email marketing platforms.

How Much Does Mailchimp Cost (And Is It Worth It?)

Mailchimp’s pricing is primarily based on the number of contacts in your audience and the chosen plan. It’s worth noting that these are “from” prices and can increase significantly as your audience grows.

Free Plan: As the name suggests, this tier has no monthly cost, though it comes with limitations on audience size and features.
Essentials Plan: Expect starting prices to be in the region of £10-£20 per month for a smaller audience (e.g., 500 contacts). This will increase as your contact list grows.
Standard Plan: Prices typically start from around £50-£70 per month for a similar small audience, again scaling with your contact numbers.
Premium Plan: This is the most expensive option, with starting prices often upwards of £200 per month, and can run into the thousands for very large audiences.

It’s crucial to use Mailchimp’s pricing calculator to get an accurate estimate based on your specific audience size. They also sometimes offer pay-as-you-go options for users who send infrequently.

The value for money that Mailchimp offers really depends on your business’s size and marketing maturity.

For very small businesses or individuals just starting with email marketing, the Free Plan can be a fantastic entry point to learn the ropes and build a small list without any upfront cost. However, the Mailchimp branding can look a bit unprofessional, and the limited features might quickly become restrictive as you grow.

The Essentials Plan provides a decent step up in functionality and professionalism, and for businesses with a growing but still relatively small list, it can offer good value. The removal of branding and the addition of A/B testing are significant improvements.

The Standard Plan starts to become more of an investment. While the advanced automation and targeting features are powerful, smaller businesses might find the cost a bit steep if they’re not fully utilising these capabilities. For businesses with a clear strategy for leveraging these features to drive sales and engagement, it can represent good value.

The Premium Plan is undoubtedly a significant expense and is generally only justifiable for larger organisations with complex needs and a substantial return on investment from sophisticated email marketing. Smaller businesses are unlikely to find the cost worthwhile.

Overall, Mailchimp can offer good value, particularly at the lower and mid-tiers, provided you actively use the features available. It’s essential to carefully consider your needs and budget and compare Mailchimp with other email marketing platforms to ensure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.

Take a look at where Mailchimp sits on our ranking of the most cost-effective email marketing platforms.

Mailchimp: Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	Weaknesses
User-friendly interface, especially for beginners	Pricing can become expensive as your list grows
Robust automation capabilities at higher tiers	Free plan has Mailchimp branding and limited features
Wide range of integrations with other platforms	Customer support can be slower at lower tiers
Good selection of templates and design tools	Can feel feature-heavy for very basic users
Strong reporting and analytics

Our Analysis: What Type of Business is Mailchimp Best Suited For?

Mailchimp’s versatility means it can cater to a broad range of businesses, but it particularly shines for:

Small to Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs): The Free and Essentials plans are often ideal for SMBs that are growing their email marketing efforts and need a user-friendly platform with essential features.
E-commerce Businesses: The platform’s integration with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and its features like abandoned cart emails and product recommendations make it a strong contender for online retailers.
Content Creators and Bloggers: Building an email list to share updates and content is crucial for creators, and Mailchimp’s list management and campaign tools are well-suited for this purpose.
Marketing Agencies: The platform’s scalability and features can accommodate the needs of agencies managing email campaigns for multiple clients.

However, very large enterprises with highly complex and bespoke needs might find that other, more specialised platforms offer better value and more tailored solutions, despite the Premium plan. Similarly, individuals or very small businesses with extremely basic needs might find simpler and cheaper alternatives available.

Conclusion

Mailchimp remains a solid and popular choice for email marketing, offering a comprehensive suite of features that can scale with your business. Its user-friendly interface makes it accessible for beginners, while its more advanced automation and segmentation tools cater to more sophisticated marketers. However, the cost can become a significant factor as your audience grows, and it’s crucial to carefully evaluate the different tiers to ensure you’re paying for the features you genuinely need. For many small to medium-sized businesses and e-commerce ventures, Mailchimp provides a good balance of functionality and ease of use, making it a valuable tool in their marketing arsenal. Just be sure to keep a close eye on your contact list growth and the associated pricing implications.

Mailchimp Competitors

Check out our comparison of the best email marketing software, and see where Mailchimp sits in the top ten.