Best Mailchimp alternatives in 2026
Short answer: Mailchimp Standard costs $100 a month at 5,000 contacts and $800 at 100,000. Every tool below is cheaper at most list sizes. SendFox is free for 1,000 contacts and $29 once for 5,000.
Pick SendFox for the lowest cost for creators, Kit or beehiiv for creator growth tools, MailerLite or EmailOctopus for a cheap Mailchimp-style builder, and ActiveCampaign if you need sales automation.
This list is written by SendFox, so we are on it. Every price is the vendor's own number, and we say where others are better.
What each costs per month
| Tool (plan) | 5,000 | 10,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SendFox | $29 once | $39 | $79 | $79 | $149 |
| Mailchimp (Standard) | $100 | n/a | n/a | $450 | $800 |
| Kit (Creator) | $89 | $139 | $199 | $379 | $679 |
| beehiiv (Scale) | $89 | $109 | $169 | $249 | $329 |
| MailerLite (Comfort) | $49 | $89 | $179 | $319 | $439 |
| EmailOctopus (Pro) | $31.50 | $44.50 | $94.50 | $178 | $345 |
| AWeber (Lite) | $60 | $100 | $210 | $375 | $600 |
| ActiveCampaign (Plus (annual)) | $145 | $189 | $389 | $609 | n/a |
| Substack (Free + 10% of paid subs) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Monthly price by number of subscribers, monthly billing unless noted, read from each vendor's pricing page in September 2026. n/a means the vendor does not publish a price at that list size (custom quote or no tier there). SendFox: $29 once covers 5,000 contacts and 300,000 total sends; above that, Pro plans are monthly.
Why people leave Mailchimp
- Price climbs with your list. $100/month at 5,000 contacts, $450 at 50,000, $800 at 100,000 on Standard.
- Send caps. Standard allows 12x your contact count in sends per month.
- Custom quotes past 100,000. Standard stops there and Premium is quoted.
The alternatives
1. SendFox: lowest cost for creators
Free for 1,000 contacts. $29 once covers 5,000 contacts and 300,000 sends. Past that, Pro starts at $19/month and every feature ships on every tier. Smart Pages, RSS-to-email Smart Campaigns, a subscriber referral program, and paid newsletters on your own Stripe account with no platform fee. Imports straight from Mailchimp.
Not for: ecommerce stores that need product-level automations or teams that need a CRM.
2. Kit (formerly ConvertKit): creator growth tools
Free plan to 10,000 subscribers without automations. Creator is $89/month at 5,000. Strong recommendations network and sequences. Kit takes 3.5% + 30¢ on digital product and paid newsletter sales. See SendFox vs Kit.
3. beehiiv: newsletter publishing
Scale is $89/month at 5,000 and $329 at 100,000. Built-in web publishing and an ad network.
4. MailerLite: Mailchimp-style builder, cheaper
Comfort is $49/month at 5,000. Drag-and-drop editor, landing pages and automations.
5. EmailOctopus: cheapest monthly option
Pro is $31.50/month at 5,000 and $345 at 100,000. Simple and inexpensive.
6. ActiveCampaign: sales and CRM automation
Plus is $145/month at 5,000 (billed annually). Lead scoring, deal pipelines and predictive sending. If you need those, it is the better tool.
7. Substack: free to send, takes a cut
No monthly fee. Takes 10% of paid subscriptions. Discovery inside the Substack app is the real advantage.
How to switch
- Create a free SendFox account.
- Connect Mailchimp and import your audience, or upload a CSV.
- Replace your signup form with a SendFox form or Smart Page.
- Send your next email.
FAQ
What is the cheapest alternative to Mailchimp?
At 5,000 subscribers, Mailchimp Standard is $100 a month. SendFox is $29 once for 5,000 contacts, or free up to 1,000 contacts. EmailOctopus Pro is $31.50 a month at the same size.
Is there a free alternative to Mailchimp?
Yes. SendFox is free for 1,000 contacts and 3,000 sends a month. Substack is free to send but takes 10% of paid subscriptions.
Can I move my Mailchimp list to another tool?
Yes. SendFox connects to Mailchimp and imports your audience directly, or you can upload a CSV export.
Start free. Pay once if you grow.
Free for 1,000 contacts. $29 once for 5,000. Import from Mailchimp, Kit or a CSV in minutes.
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