Mailchimp vs MailerLite: Which Saves You $90 to $792 a Year?
MailerLite Comfort costs less than Mailchimp Essentials at 1k, 10k and 50k contacts on the same monthly billing. The gap is $90 a year at 1,000 contacts and grows to $792 at 50,000.
It’s MailerLite, and across the three list sizes checked, the saving grows with your list. At 50,000 contacts on the same monthly billing, Mailchimp costs $792 a year more, per Mailchimp’s pricing page and MailerLite’s pricing page. That is about $66 more every month, the widest gap of the three sizes.
MailerLite Costs Less at All Three List Sizes Checked
Verdict: MailerLite Comfort is the cheaper entry plan at 1k, 10k and 50k contacts. Mailchimp is worth its higher price only if you need its reporting or its wider set of integrations.
Mailchimp’s flaw, and the fix. Mailchimp’s pricing page says overage fees apply when you go over your contact or send limit. The fix is to match the plan to your send count. At 10k contacts, Standard (Mailchimp’s middle plan) includes 120,000 emails a month, and Power (MailerLite’s higher-priced plan) has no monthly cap.
Mailchimp’s 15% promo on 10,000+ contacts narrows the price gap in year one only.
MailerLite’s flaw, and the fix. MailerLite’s pricing page caps Comfort at 10 sends per contact a month. At 10k contacts, that is 100,000 emails.
If you need more, Power removes the monthly cap but adds $480 a year at 10k on monthly billing. Pay yearly and that step drops to $432.
Strengths. MailerLite has the lower 12-month cost at all three sizes, a free plan, and a flat 10% off for yearly billing.
Mailchimp wins on reporting and integrations. EmailToolTester rates Mailchimp’s reporting higher, including social and conversion tracking. Moosend’s December 2023 comparison counts 335 Mailchimp integrations against 143 for MailerLite.
Pick MailerLite if price decides it and Comfort’s send cap covers your schedule. Pick Mailchimp if you need conversion reporting or a specific integration. Skip Mailchimp if you don’t need its reporting or a specific integration: buy MailerLite Comfort, which costs $90 to $792 a year less on monthly billing.
The 12-Month Gap: $90 at 1k, $252 at 10k, $792 at 50k
All prices were read on 2026-10-20 from Mailchimp’s pricing page and MailerLite’s pricing page. Both columns use monthly billing, so you are comparing the same terms. Mailchimp’s promo is left out because it only lasts 12 months.
| Contacts | Mailchimp Essentials ($ per 12 months, billed monthly) | MailerLite Comfort ($ per 12 months, billed monthly) | Gap, same billing ($ per 12 months) | Extra saving, Comfort billed yearly ($ per 12 months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $318.00 | $228.00 | $90.00 | $22.80 |
| 10,000 | $1,320.00 | $1,068.00 | $252.00 | $106.80 |
| 50,000 | $4,620.00 | $3,828.00 | $792.00 | $382.80 |
Gap at 10,000 contacts = $1,320.00 for Essentials (Mailchimp pricing) - $1,068.00 for Comfort (MailerLite pricing) = $252.00 per year.
Yearly saving at 10,000 contacts = $1,068.00 - $961.20 = $106.80. That is 10% of the monthly-billing total, and the same 10% holds at 1k and 50k.
Say you pay MailerLite yearly and Mailchimp monthly. Then your real saving is $112.80 at 1k and $358.80 at 10k. At 50k it is $1,174.80. Use those figures only if that is truly how you would pay each vendor.
Is There a Cheaper Option Than Mailchimp? MailerLite Free, Then Comfort
If your list is still small, start free. MailerLite’s free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. That is 10 emails per subscriber.
The next price point checked here is Comfort at 1,000 contacts, at $228.00 a year billed monthly, per MailerLite. Mailchimp Essentials at the same size costs $318.00 billed monthly, per Mailchimp. That works out to about $26.50 a month against $19.
If you want to spend nothing on tools for longer, see a $0 five-tool small business marketing stack.
Mid-Tier Plans Sit $72 Apart at 10k Contacts
At 10,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard costs $1,620.00 for 12 months, per Mailchimp’s pricing page. It includes 120,000 emails a month, which allows 12 per contact.
MailerLite Power has no monthly email cap at the same size. It costs $1,548.00 billed monthly or $1,393.20 billed yearly, per MailerLite’s pricing page.
On monthly billing, Power saves you $72 a year. Billed yearly, it saves $226.80. This round covers the 10k band only.
Mailchimp’s 15% Promo Puts Standard $16 Below MailerLite Power at 10k, Year One Only
Mailchimp offers 15% off for 12 months on 10,000+ contacts, per its pricing page. If the promo applies to Standard, year one costs $1,620.00 x 0.85 = $1,377.00. That is $16.20 less than Power billed yearly.
On the entry plans, the promo is not enough. Essentials at 10k drops to $1,122.00, still $54 above Comfort billed monthly. At 50k it drops to $3,927.00, still $99 above Comfort billed monthly.
| Plan at 10,000 contacts | Cost ($ per 12 months) | Emails per month |
|---|---|---|
| MailerLite Comfort, billed monthly | $1,068.00 | 100,000 |
| Mailchimp Standard, 15% promo (year one) | $1,377.00 | 120,000 |
| MailerLite Power, billed yearly | $1,393.20 | Unlimited |
| MailerLite Power, billed monthly | $1,548.00 | Unlimited |
| Mailchimp Standard, billed monthly | $1,620.00 | 120,000 |
MailerLite’s yearly price is a billing choice, while Mailchimp’s 15% is a promo that ends after 12 months. Read the promo row as a one-year price.
Ease of Setup: Two of Three Comparison Sites Lean MailerLite
The three comparison sites don’t agree:
- Moosend’s comparison gives Mailchimp its ease-of-use and setup category: “Mailchimp is the winner of this category.”
- EmailToolTester says both tools work for beginners and that “Overall, MailerLite has a better designed interface.” For “the most affordable option, then MailerLite is the tool to go for.”
- Selzy warns that Mailchimp’s “interface can be confusing to novices.”
If you’re a first-time sender, two of three sites lean toward MailerLite’s interface.
Set Up SPF or DKIM Before Your First Send From Either Tool
Since February 1, 2024, Gmail’s sender guidelines have required every sender to set up SPF or DKIM authentication for their sending domains. SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) are the two email authentication methods that rule names.
The rule applies the same way whichever tool you pick. For the other checks to run on any sending platform, see CRM Marketing Platforms: 7 Checks Before You Pay.
Pick MailerLite for Price, Mailchimp for Reporting and Integrations
- Under 10,000 contacts: pick MailerLite Comfort. It costs less at 1k, and Mailchimp’s promo does not apply.
- At 10k or 50k contacts, within Comfort’s send cap: pick Comfort billed yearly, at $961.20 at 10k or $3,445.20 at 50k.
- 10k contacts, more than 10 and up to 12 sends per contact a month: Mailchimp Standard on the promo ($1,377.00) costs less than Power billed yearly ($1,393.20) in year one. In year two, Power costs less. Past 12 sends per contact, Power is the plan here with no monthly cap.
- Reporting or integrations first: pick Mailchimp and plan for the higher price.
How We Evaluated
Prices come from MarketingRating’s email-marketing pricing dataset. They were read from Mailchimp’s pricing page and MailerLite’s pricing page on 2026-10-20. Each comparison uses the same contact band and billing term, and promos are shown apart from base cost.
The ease-of-setup round draws on three comparison sites, and the sending rule comes from Gmail Help. To check a cell yourself, open MailerLite’s pricing page and pick 10,000 subscribers on monthly billing. Multiply the monthly price by 12; you should get $1,068.00.
Next Step: Find Your Row, Then Price the Promo
Count your contacts today and find your row in the gap table. If you have 10,000 or more, check at checkout whether Mailchimp’s 15% applies to your plan. Then compare that price with MailerLite billed yearly. For other price matchups, browse MarketingRating’s tool comparisons.
FAQ
What does MailerLite cost at 1,000 contacts on yearly billing?
Comfort billed yearly costs $205.20, per MailerLite. That works out to $17.10 a month.
What happens when Mailchimp’s 15% promo ends?
Standard at 10k goes back to $1,620.00 a year. Over two years Standard totals $2,997.00, against $2,786.40 for Power billed yearly. Mailchimp costs $210.60 more.
How much does MailerLite’s yearly billing save per month?
It saves $1.90 a month at 1k and $8.90 at 10k. At 50k it saves $31.90 a month, based on the gap table.
