Email Marketing Tools
Mailchimp Review for Ecommerce Sellers
Mailchimp's free plan is 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, with no automation flows. What that means for a small store's email.
Best for: Sellers who mainly send newsletters and want a familiar, standalone tool
Category: Email Marketing Tools
Last updated: 2026-09-27
Official site: mailchimp.com
Pricing and features may change. Always verify details on the official website before subscribing.
Our rating
4.2 / 5
Weighted from five criteria published on our review methodology page, using Mailchimp's own published pricing and plan limits. Last checked 2026-09-27.
- Free plan usefulness
- 4/530% weight
- The free plan is permanent, but marketing automation flows are excluded entirely, which is a core feature for an ecommerce store, so this sits in the band for a gated core feature.
- Entry price for a small seller
- 4/520% weight
- Mailchimp prices paid plans by contact tier and in local currency. At the 0-500 contact tier the pricing page showed Essentials at HK$94/month, roughly US$12, which falls in the $10.01 to $20 band.
- Cost predictability as you grow
- 4/520% weight
- Cost scales with your contact count, but the rule is published per tier and each tier lists its send multiplier, so it can be worked out in advance.
- Platform fit
- 5/520% weight
- Works standalone with any website and does not require an ecommerce platform connection.
- Price transparency
- 4/510% weight
- All four standard plans are published with their contact and send limits. Only very large lists above 200,000 contacts go to custom pricing.
Quick verdict
Mailchimp's advantage is that it works with any store and needs no platform connection, which makes it a safe default if you are not on Shopify. For ecommerce specifically the free plan is weaker than it looks: 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with no automation flows at all. That last point is the one that matters, because a welcome email and an abandoned cart sequence are the two highest-return emails a small store can send, and neither is possible on the free plan. Omnisend's free plan includes automation, so if ecommerce automation is the goal, compare those two free plans before choosing on brand recognition.
- Best for
- Sellers who mainly send newsletters and want a familiar, standalone tool
- Main category
- Email Marketing Tools
What is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is a general email marketing platform that works with any website, and it has the most recognisable name in the category. The free plan's real numbers matter more than its reputation though. Mailchimp's help centre states the Free plan includes up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month, with a daily send limit of 250. Because a campaign to 250 contacts counts as 250 sends, a full-size free list can receive about two emails a month. The free plan also excludes marketing automation flows entirely, which is the feature most ecommerce stores actually need.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Standalone, so it works with any store platform
- Free plan has no time limit
- 300+ integrations available even on the free plan
- Well-known interface with a large amount of documentation
Cons
- Free plan is capped at 250 contacts and 500 sends a month
- Marketing automation flows are not included on the free plan at all
- Email scheduling and A/B testing require a paid plan
- Paid pricing is shown in local currency and varies by contact tier, so it must be checked for your own settings
Free plan and pricing
Free plan
A permanent free plan, but the numbers are tighter than most reviews report: 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. It also excludes automation flows, so abandoned cart emails are not possible without upgrading.
- 250 contacts
- 500 emails per month
- 250 emails per day
- 1 audience
- 1 seat
- No marketing automation flows
- No email scheduling or A/B testing
- Email support for the first 30 days only
Plans
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 250 contacts · 500 sends/month · 1 audience · No automation flows |
| Essentials | from 500 contacts | 3 audiences · 3 seats · Automation flows up to 4 steps · A/B testing · Scheduled emails |
| Standard | from 500 contacts | 5 audiences · 5 seats · Expanded automation · Advanced segmentation · Custom reports |
| Premium | from 10,000 contacts | Unlimited audiences and seats · Multivariate testing · Phone support |
Pricing in detail
Mailchimp publishes four marketing plans. Free is $0 with 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. Essentials is the entry paid plan and includes up to 500 contacts, with a monthly send limit of 10 times your contact limit. Standard includes 500 contacts and 12 times your contact limit in sends. Premium includes 10,000 contacts and 15 times your contact limit. Two things make the paid prices harder to quote than other tools on this site: the cost depends on your contact tier, and Mailchimp shows prices in your local currency. When we checked, the 0-500 contact tier showed Essentials at HK$94/month and Standard at HK$143/month, and the page listed a promotional rate on Standard of $10/month for 12 months, then from $20/month. Check the pricing page with your own currency and contact count selected.
Who should use Mailchimp?
- Sellers who mainly send newsletters rather than automated flows
- Stores with a list under 250 contacts
- Merchants who want an email tool independent of their store platform
- Beginners who want a familiar interface and plenty of documentation
Who should avoid Mailchimp?
- Stores that need abandoned cart or welcome automations on the free plan
- Sellers with a list larger than 250 contacts who cannot pay yet
- Stores sending frequent campaigns, because 500 sends a month runs out quickly
- Anyone who needs a fixed, easily predictable monthly bill
Alternatives
If Mailchimp is not the right fit, compare these alternatives:
Final verdict
Mailchimp's advantage is that it works with any store and needs no platform connection, which makes it a safe default if you are not on Shopify. For ecommerce specifically the free plan is weaker than it looks: 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with no automation flows at all. That last point is the one that matters, because a welcome email and an abandoned cart sequence are the two highest-return emails a small store can send, and neither is possible on the free plan. Omnisend's free plan includes automation, so if ecommerce automation is the goal, compare those two free plans before choosing on brand recognition.
Is Mailchimp right for your store?
Start by checking the current pricing, free plan limits, integrations, and whether the tool solves a problem you already have.
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Browse all ecommerce tool reviews
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Best Lists
Compare recommended ecommerce tools
Use curated best tool lists to compare several software options for a specific ecommerce task or seller type.
Comparisons
Compare similar tools side by side
Read direct comparisons when you are choosing between two similar tools or switching from one platform to another.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailchimp free?
Yes, there is a free plan with no time limit that includes up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month, with a daily send limit of 250. It excludes marketing automation flows.
How many emails can I send on Mailchimp's free plan?
500 per month, with a daily limit of 250. Because a campaign to 250 contacts counts as 250 sends, a full-size free list can receive about two emails a month.
Does the Mailchimp free plan include automations?
No. Marketing automation flows are not included on the free plan. Single email automations and automation flows of up to 4 steps start on the Essentials plan.
How much does Mailchimp cost?
Paid plans are Essentials, Standard and Premium, all priced by contact tier and shown in your local currency. Essentials starts at the 500-contact tier. Check the pricing page with your own currency selected for an exact figure.