Quick answer
MailerLite - MailerLite wins for most builders because its free tier is much less cramped, with more subscribers, more monthly sends, more landing pages, and a built-in website path before you pay.
How the free tiers compare
Mailchimp’s free plan is mostly a contact-capped starter for small list management. It gives you the basics of email campaigns, forms, landing pages, and reports, but the ceiling is low at 250 contacts and 500 emails per month, and key conveniences like email scheduling are withheld. MailerLite’s free tier is broader for builders who want to actually publish and test ideas: 500 subscribers, 12,000 emails per month, 10 landing pages, 1 website, and 1 digital product or booking. That makes MailerLite better if you are validating a newsletter, a simple product funnel, or a lightweight creator site. Mailchimp is the better fit when you care more about Mailchimp’s ecosystem, templates, and audience tools, or you expect to stay very small. Once paid, both are flat-priced at the low end, but Mailchimp’s pricing climbs much faster at the top end.
Mailchimp vs MailerLite free tier, side by side
| Mailchimp FTV 41 | MailerLite FTV 49 | |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts / subscribers MailerLite gives you double the audience cap before paid plans start. | 250 contacts | 500 subscribers |
| Monthly email volume This is the biggest practical gap for active senders. | 500 emails per month, or 250 per day | 12,000 monthly emails |
| Users / seats | 1 user | 1 user seat |
| Landing pages Mailchimp includes landing pages, but MailerLite gives a clear count. | Included | 10 landing pages |
| Website Both include website building on the free tier, but MailerLite’s quota is explicit. | Included free website builder and publishing | 1 website |
| Digital products or bookings This is a meaningful free-tier advantage for creators and solo sellers. | Not included in the free plan details provided | 1 digital product or booking |
| Support Both limit free support, but the exact window differs. | Email support for first 30 days | 24/7 email and chat support for up to 14 days |
After you outgrow the free tier
Both products use flat monthly pricing on their first paid tiers, so the main difference is not a complex usage meter but how fast you hit the next rung. MailerLite starts at $10/month for Growing Business and $20/month for Advanced, with an Enterprise plan at custom pricing. Mailchimp starts at $17/month for Essentials, then $25/month for Standard, and jumps to $500/month for Premium. For small teams, MailerLite is cheaper and simpler. Mailchimp gets expensive much sooner if you need higher contact ceilings, and its top tier is far above MailerLite’s entry paid plans.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Mailchimp | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| 500 subscribers, light newsletter sending Mailchimp’s free plan is capped below this audience size. | Not available on free tier; would need paid plan once above 250 contacts | Free (within tier) |
| 12,000 emails/month, 500 subscribers MailerLite’s free tier already includes 12,000 monthly emails. | Paid plan required; price not stated for this exact usage | Free (within tier) |
| 3 user seats MailerLite includes 3 seats on its first paid tier, while Mailchimp’s Essentials includes 3 admin users. | Paid plan required; Essentials starts at $17/mo | $10/mo on Growing Business |
| 100,000 contacts MailerLite’s Enterprise starts at 100K+ subscribers with custom pricing; no exact monthly rate was provided. | Standard - $25/mo (up to 100,000 contacts) | Enterprise - contact sales / custom pricing |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Mailchimp when…
- You only need a tiny list and want to stay under 250 contacts.
- You want basic email campaigns plus simple audience management with Mailchimp’s built-in reports and contact tools.
- You are already tied into Mailchimp integrations or want the Mailchimp mobile app.
- You are fine with no email scheduling on the free plan and mainly need a starter mailbox for one audience.
Pick MailerLite when…
- You want a free plan that can support a real newsletter test with 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month.
- You need landing pages and a website before you spend money.
- You want to sell one digital product or booking from the free tier.
- You want more room to build automations and publish without immediately running into the free plan ceiling.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, MailerLite is the better free-tier choice. It gives you more room to test a newsletter, publish a simple site, and even sell a small digital product without paying immediately. Mailchimp’s free plan is fine if you specifically want Mailchimp’s ecosystem and can live inside a much tighter 250-contact, 500-email ceiling. Once you pay, MailerLite stays cheaper at the entry level, while Mailchimp becomes the more expensive route as you scale.
Read the full listings: Mailchimp and MailerLite. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.