Head-to-head comparison
beehiiv vs Mailchimp
beehiiv is built for publishing and growing a newsletter. Mailchimp is a broader marketing platform for campaigns, automations and customer email. The decision is about the business model behind your list, not the editor.
The short answer
beehiiv is the better fit when the newsletter is the business: publishing, referral growth and monetisation live in one workflow. Mailchimp is the better fit when email supports a shop, service business or broader marketing calendar and you need established automation and segmentation.
Do not choose on the free plan alone. Both free tiers are for evaluation; the paid tier that fits your list size and feature needs is the real price.
Choose beehiiv if…
The newsletter is the product, and you want publishing, growth and monetisation in one place.
- You publish a newsletter as the main product, not a side campaign
- You want referral and audience-growth tools built into the platform
- You want monetisation options such as subscriptions, boosts or an ad network
- You prefer a publishing workflow over a general campaign builder
Choose Mailchimp if…
Email supports a shop, service business or wider marketing calendar, and you need established automation and segmentation.
- You run campaigns alongside a website, shop or service business
- You need segmentation, journeys and A/B testing in one account
- You want templates and integrations that a team already knows
- You need contact and e-commerce data connected to email
Who should skip each product — and who should choose neither
Skip beehiiv if…
- You need deep e-commerce or CRM integrations for a shop
- You need complex multi-step automations across a sales pipeline
- Your email is a small part of a wider marketing calendar
- You need an established template and agency ecosystem
Skip Mailchimp if…
- The newsletter itself is the product and monetisation is the goal
- You want a simpler publishing-first workflow
- You want referral growth and an ad network in the same platform
- You need to keep costs predictable as the list grows
Choose neither when
Choose neither if you need transactional email from an application, a full sales CRM, or a blog with no email list. Those are different product categories. If you only send occasional announcements to a small list, a free tier may be enough, but check the send and contact caps first.
How to decide: buyer criteria that matter
Ignore the feature list on the pricing page until you have answered these questions. They decide which plan you actually need.
A publication monetises attention; a shop monetises transactions. Choose the platform built for your revenue.
Model the price at your current list and at double it. Both vendors scale pricing with usage.
List the journeys you actually run. Newsletter platforms are not CRM automation engines.
If ads, subscriptions or referrals are part of the plan, check which tier unlocks them.
Confirm the shop, CRM, analytics and payment tools you depend on are supported.
Check that you can export subscribers and content, and that your sending domain is yours.
Verified pricing
| Question | beehiiv | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free plan available; limits apply | Free plan available; contact and send caps apply |
| Paid pricing model | Tiers scale with subscriber count and feature level | Plans scale with contact count and feature level |
| Entry promotion | Check the current offer on the official pricing page | Standard promoted at $20/mo for 12 months at the entry contact tier, then contact-based pricing |
| Included sends | Depends on plan; check the current allowance | Standard lists 6,000 emails/month at the entry tier |
| Annual billing | Discounts vary by plan | Discounts vary by plan and contact tier |
Free plans, trials and material limits
| Question | beehiiv | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Available, with subscriber and feature limits | Available, with contact and monthly send caps |
| Trial on paid plans | Check the current offer | Check the current offer |
| What the free tier is for | Evaluating publishing and growth tools | Small lists and occasional campaigns |
| Material limits | Subscriber cap, send allowance and gated growth features | Contact cap, send cap and limited automations |
Where they actually differ
| Area | beehiiv | Mailchimp | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Newsletter publishing and audience growth | Marketing campaigns and customer email | beehiiv is publishing-first; Mailchimp is campaign-first. |
| Growth tools | Referral programmes and recommendations | Signup forms, landing pages and integrations | beehiiv is built for audience growth; Mailchimp for list capture across a business. |
| Monetisation | Subscriptions, boosts and ad-network options | E-commerce and revenue integrations | Only beehiiv treats newsletter monetisation as a core feature. |
| Automation | Publishing and subscriber workflows | Journeys, segmentation and A/B testing | Mailchimp is deeper for complex automation. |
| E-commerce and CRM | Limited | Established integrations | Mailchimp fits a shop or service business better. |
| Design and templates | Publication-style layouts | Large template library | Choose the workflow your team can produce in every week. |
| Analytics | Newsletter and growth metrics | Campaign, audience and revenue reporting | The better dashboard is the one that matches your business model. |
| Pricing scale | Subscriber-based tiers | Contact-based tiers | Model your own list size; neither is universally cheaper. |
Genuine limitations
Every tool is a compromise. These are the drawbacks we would want to know before paying.
beehiiv limitations
- Paid tiers scale with subscriber count and feature level
- Some growth and monetisation features are gated to paid plans
- Free-plan limits on subscribers and sends apply
- Fewer conventional campaign and CRM features than Mailchimp
Mailchimp limitations
- Pricing scales with contact count and plan level
- Free-plan contact and send caps restrict regular campaigns
- The Standard promotion is time-limited, then pricing changes
- Advanced automation and reporting are gated by tier
Switching, export and migration
Neither platform offers a complete one-click migration of automations, tags and historical reporting. Subscribers are portable; workflow logic is not. Plan the move for a quiet week and warn readers that a verification email may arrive.
Moving from Mailchimp to beehiiv
- Export subscribers as CSV, including status and consent evidence.
- Map tags and segments manually; group names rarely transfer cleanly.
- Recreate automations and welcome sequences in the new platform.
- Authenticate the sending domain with the required DNS records before the first send.
Moving from beehiiv to Mailchimp
- Export subscribers and suppression lists from beehiiv before cancelling.
- Rebuild signup forms, referral settings and monetisation features that Mailchimp does not replicate.
- Re-verify the sending domain and test deliverability with a small segment.
- Keep the old account active until the first campaign has sent cleanly.
Use-case conclusion
beehiiv — publishing, growth and monetisation are the core product.
Mailchimp — shop integrations and customer journeys are established.
beehiiv — referral tools are built for audience growth.
Mailchimp — deeper journeys, segmentation and testing.
Either free tier — compare the caps before importing.
Neither — use a transactional email service.
Alternatives worth considering
If neither fits, decide whether you need a different newsletter platform, a simpler campaign tool, or a transactional email service. Those are separate purchases.
Frequently asked questions
Is beehiiv cheaper than Mailchimp?
It depends on your list size and the features you need. beehiiv prices by subscriber tier; Mailchimp prices by contact tier and plan. Mailchimp's Standard plan was promoted at $20 per month for 12 months at the entry tier on 12 November 2026, but that promotion is time-limited. Compare the tier that covers your current list.
Which is better for a newsletter?
beehiiv is built around newsletter publishing, growth and monetisation, so it is usually the more direct fit. Mailchimp can send a newsletter, but its strengths are campaigns, segmentation and business integrations.
Can I migrate my subscribers?
Yes. Both platforms support subscriber export and import, usually as CSV. Tags, automations and historical reports do not transfer cleanly, so budget time to rebuild them and re-verify your sending domain.
Does Mailchimp still have a free plan?
Yes, with contact and monthly send caps. The limits are low for a growing list, so check the current allowance before importing an audience.
Which is better for e-commerce?
Mailchimp, because shop integrations, customer data and revenue reporting are part of its core workflow. beehiiv is designed for publications rather than product catalogues.
Sources and how this page was checked
This page is based on published product, plan and pricing information read from the official pages below on 12 November 2026. It is not a hands-on lab test. Evidence label: source-verified; not hands-on tested. Prices and limits change, so confirm them on the vendor site before you buy.
Access note: beehiiv's pricing page returned an HTTP 403 error to our automated check on 12 November 2026. We therefore describe its pricing structure and link to the official page rather than quoting figures that could not be verified. Mailchimp pricing varies by contact count; only its displayed entry promotion is quoted.
How we compared
We compare products by the job a buyer repeats, not by feature counts. Each verdict weighs the published pricing, the limits of the plan you would actually need and the workflow the product is built around. Where a fact could not be verified on an official page, we say so instead of filling the gap.
Read our editorial method →