Mailchimp Pricing (2026)
Mailchimp charges by the number of contacts in your account, on a monthly plan. The price climbs with every tier of contacts, and the plan you pick decides which features you get. Here is what each plan costs, what it limits, and where the bill surprises people.
Mailchimp’s prices change often and depend on your contact count. The figures below are list prices as published in 2026 (Mailchimp’s pricing page and EmailToolTester’s August 2026 breakdown). Use Mailchimp’s own calculator for your exact number.
The plans at a glance
| Plan | Contacts | Monthly sends | Seats | Automations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Up to 250 | 500 a month, 250 a day | 1 | None |
| Essentials | Priced by tier | 10 times your contacts | 3 | Up to 4 steps |
| Standard | Priced by tier, up to 100,000 | 12 times your contacts | 5 | Up to 200 steps |
| Premium | Priced by tier, no cap | 15 times your contacts | Unlimited | Up to 200 steps |
Segmentation and A/B testing start on Standard. Phone support starts on Premium.
What Mailchimp costs by list size
Monthly list prices for Essentials and Standard:
| Contacts | Essentials | Standard | Standard, per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13 | $20 | $240 |
| 2,500 | $45 | $60 | $720 |
| 5,000 | $75 | $100 | $1,200 |
| 10,000 | $110 | $135 | $1,620 |
| 25,000 | $270 | $310 | $3,720 |
| 50,000 | $385 | $450 | $5,400 |
Mailchimp often discounts the first months or the first year. The prices above are what you pay after the promotion ends. Premium starts at several hundred dollars a month and is aimed at large teams.
Is Mailchimp free?
Only for very small lists. The Free plan allows 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, with a daily cap of 250. It has one seat, one audience, no automations and Mailchimp branding in every email. A list of 250 people that gets two newsletters a month uses the whole allowance.
Once you pass 250 contacts, you move to a paid plan.
The costs that surprise people
You pay for contacts you can’t email. Mailchimp counts unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts toward your plan, not only the people you can send to. A list that has been running for a few years can carry thousands of unsubscribed contacts. Archive them to keep them out of your bill.
Tiers jump. The price moves in steps. Adding a few hundred contacts can push you into the next tier for the whole month.
Features sit a plan higher. Segmentation, A/B testing and longer automations need Standard. If you started on Essentials to save money, those features cost you the upgrade.
Send limits. Essentials allows 10 sends per contact per month and Standard 12. A weekly newsletter plus a few automations fits. Daily sends to your whole list don’t.
What the same list costs on your own server
Broadcast is self-hosted email marketing software. You pay $250 once, run it on a small server, and send through Amazon SES or any other provider. There is no per-contact price, so the bill doesn’t grow with your list.
For 10,000 contacts getting a weekly newsletter:
- Mailchimp Standard: $135 a month, $1,620 a year.
- Broadcast with Amazon SES: $250 once, then about $4 a month in SES fees plus a few dollars for the server.
The difference grows with the list. At 50,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard is $5,400 a year and SES is about $20 a month. Check your own numbers with the pricing calculator, or see what SES costs in detail on our Amazon SES pricing page.
What you give up: Mailchimp’s large integration directory, its landing page and ad tools, and a fully managed service. You run the server, or pay someone to. Our Mailchimp alternatives page compares the options honestly, including where Mailchimp still wins.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Mailchimp cost per month?
It depends on your contact count and plan. At 10,000 contacts, Essentials is about $110 a month and Standard about $135. At 50,000 contacts, Standard is about $450.
Does Mailchimp charge for unsubscribed contacts?
Yes. Unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts count toward your plan’s contact total. Archiving them removes them from the count without deleting their history.
What is the cheapest Mailchimp plan?
The Free plan, for up to 250 contacts. The cheapest paid plan is Essentials, from about $13 a month for 500 contacts.
Can I pay for Mailchimp by emails sent instead of contacts?
Mailchimp has offered pay-as-you-go email credits, which suit lists that send rarely. Check Mailchimp’s pricing page for current availability and rates.
Is there a Mailchimp pricing calculator?
Mailchimp’s pricing page has a contact slider. To compare Mailchimp with Klaviyo, Kit, ActiveCampaign and a one-time license at your list size, use our email marketing pricing calculator.
