Quick answer
EmailOctopus - EmailOctopus wins for most builders who want a bigger, simpler free email plan, while Mailchimp wins if you need broader marketing features and are willing to work within a much tighter cap.
How the free tiers compare
These free tiers solve different problems. EmailOctopus is the more generous starter if your main job is sending email newsletters or basic campaigns at modest scale: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails a month, one landing page, one form, and no card required. Mailchimp’s free plan is narrower on volume, capped at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, but it offers a much wider product surface area, including audience tools, basic automation preview, surveys, social posting, and a website builder. The tradeoff is that Mailchimp pushes you into paid plans faster, and its pricing steps up by contact count, while EmailOctopus has a simpler jump to a low-cost flat Pro plan. If you are trying to stay free as long as possible, EmailOctopus is the easier fit. If you need more marketing utilities before you pay, Mailchimp is broader but tighter.
EmailOctopus vs Mailchimp free tier, side by side
| EmailOctopusFTV 52 | MailchimpFTV 41 | |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts / subscribersEmailOctopus gives the larger free list size by a wide margin. | 2,500 subscribers | 250 contacts |
| Monthly send limitMailchimp’s free send cap is much lower. | 10,000 emails per month | 500 emails per month or 250 per day |
| Landing pages | 1 landing page | Included |
| FormsMailchimp’s free plan includes forms. | 1 form | Included forms and landing pages |
| UsersBoth free tiers are single-user. | 1 user | 1 user |
| Reports retention | 30 days | Basic reports included |
| Credit card required | No | No |
After you outgrow the free tier
EmailOctopus has a simple flat upgrade path: Pro starts at $9/month billed yearly, with 10,000 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month. Mailchimp also starts flat at $17/month for Essentials, then moves to $25/month Standard and $500/month Premium, but the real pricing driver is contact count and plan tier. For small teams, EmailOctopus is cheaper. Mailchimp becomes materially more expensive as you grow, especially once you need more contacts, more automation, or higher support tiers.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | EmailOctopus | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 contacts, moderate newsletter sending | $9/mo | ~$17/mo |
| 5,000 contacts | $9/mo | ~$17/mo |
| 20,000 contactsBoth remain within the listed first paid tiers, though Mailchimp’s pricing is contact-based and may vary on the live pricing page. | $9/mo | ~$17/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick EmailOctopus when…
- You want to send newsletters to a few thousand subscribers without paying yet.
- You only need one landing page and one form to start collecting leads.
- You want a free plan with a larger monthly send allowance than a few hundred emails.
- You prefer a simpler upgrade path to a low flat monthly price once you outgrow free.
- You need to keep costs predictable instead of pricing by contact count.
Pick Mailchimp when…
- You only have a small list and want the broadest set of marketing tools on a free plan.
- You want access to website building, surveys, social posting, and basic automation previews in the free tier.
- You expect to use audience management and segmentation tools early.
- You plan to start on free and test the product before choosing a contact-based paid tier.
- You need the larger ecosystem of templates and integrations that comes with Mailchimp’s platform surface.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, EmailOctopus is the better free-tier pick because it gives you far more room to grow before you pay, and its first paid step is cheap and simple. Mailchimp is the choice when you care less about list size and more about the extra marketing surface area in the free plan. If you are trying to validate an email list or run a lean newsletter, EmailOctopus is the clearer winner.
Read the full listings: EmailOctopus and Mailchimp. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.