MailerLite vs Mailchimp: Which One Should You Use?

Email marketing remains one of the most effective digital strategies for building customer relationships, promoting products, and driving email conversions. By sending targeted, personalized messages directly to subscribers’ inboxes, you can better engage with your audience, boost brand awareness, and achieve measurable results throughout your day-to-day operations.

Whether you’re a small business owner, a creator, or a seasoned marketer, choosing the right email platform is key to reaching your campaign goals. MailerLite and Mailchimp should be considered as they are among the two most popular email marketing platforms available on today’s market.

MailerLite vs Mailchimp overview

MailerLite: Best for Automation

MailerLite is a user-friendly email marketing platform designed to help businesses, creators, and nonprofits connect with their audience through powerful yet simple tools. Known for its clean interface and intuitive drag-and-drop editor, this software platform makes it easy to design professional-looking email campaigns without the need for any coding skills. Users can access a library of mobile-responsive templates, build custom landing pages, and create automation workflows to streamline communication based on subscriber behavior.

MailerLite stands out as a top platform for automation thanks to its intuitive workflow builder, which allows users to create advanced email sequences based on subscriber actions and behavior. Its visual editor makes it simple to map out automation logic as part of a trigger-based system where pre-loaded workflows are initiated once a subscriber completes a particular action. Combined with its affordability and ease-of-use, MailerLite offers powerful automation tools that are accessible to businesses of all sizes.

MailerLite pricing

Free Plan ($0.00/month)

• Drag-and-drop editor
• Email automation builder
• Comparative reporting
• Signup forms and pop-ups
• 24/7 email and chat support for up to 30 days

Growing Business Plan ($10.00/month)

• All perks offered in the Free Plan
• Unlimited templates
• Dynamic emails
• Campaign auto-resend
• 24/7 email support

Advanced Plan ($20.00/month)

• All perks offered in Growing Business Plan
• Facebook Integration 
• Custom HTML editor 
• Enhanced automations 
• 24/7 live chat and email support

Mailchimp: Best for analytics

Mailchimp is a comprehensive marketing platform best known for its powerful email marketing capabilities and wide range of integrated tools. Originally built as an email service provider, it has since evolved into a full-featured marketing solution that supports everything from email campaigns and automation to social media ads, landing pages, and even websites. Mailchimp is especially popular among small to medium-sized businesses thanks to its user-friendly interface and scalable features.

Mailchimp excels in analytics by offering detailed, real-time reporting that helps users track campaign performance with the utmost precision. It provides insights on open rates, click-through rates, audience engagement, and e-commerce revenue, along with visual dashboards for easy data interpretation.

Advanced features like A/B testing, comparative reporting, and predictive analytics empower users to make data-driven decisions. With these tools, Mailchimp enables users to refine strategies and maximize return on investment (ROI), making it one of the best platforms for email marketing analytics. All of these features have made it one of the most popular marketing tools out there. 

Mailchimp Pricing

Free Plan ($0.00/month)

• Limited reporting and analytics capabilities 
• Pop-up forms
• Social posting
• Limited pre-built email templates
• Email support for first 30 days

Essentials Plan ($13.00/month)

• Reporting and analytics capabilities 
• Pre-built email templates
• Basic reports
• A/B Testing
• 24/7 email and chat support

Standard Plan ($20.00/month)

• Creative assistant 
• Custom-coded templates
• Dynamic content 
• Reporting tools
• 24/7 email and chat support

Premium Plan ($350.00/month)

• Generative AI features
• Pre-built email templates
• SEO tools
• Real-time engagement and revenue reporting
• Phone and priority support

MailerLite vs Mailchimp: Drag-and-drop email builders

MailerLite

MailerLite’s drag-and-drop email builder is one of its most popular features, offering a seamless, code-free way to design professional emails. Users can easily add and rearrange content blocks like text, images, buttons, videos, and social links, all with a simple click-and-drag interface.

The builder is intuitive and responsive, making it ideal for beginners while still offering flexibility for experienced marketers. Each block is customizable, allowing you to match your brand’s look and feel. Additionally, real-time previews ensure designs are mobile-friendly.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop email builder is a powerful, user-friendly tool that simplifies the process of creating professional email campaigns. Users can choose from a wide range of content blocks and easily arrange them to suit their layout needs. The builder offers advanced styling options for fonts, colors, and spacing, allowing full brand customization without coding. It also includes real-time previews and mobile optimization to ensure emails look great on any device.

Verdict

When it comes to drag-and-drop email building, MailerLite stands out for its ease-of-use, while Mailchimp offers more advanced customization. MailerLite’s builder is clean, intuitive, and beginner-friendly, making it ideal for users who want to create professional-looking emails quickly without possessing the technical know-how.

Meanwhile, Mailchimp’s builder provides greater flexibility and advanced design options, including dynamic content, product recommendations, and more precise styling controls. While powerful, its interface can feel cluttered and overwhelming for new users.

For small businesses, solo creators, or teams who value speed and simplicity, MailerLite offers a better drag-and-drop experience overall. However, marketers with complex design needs or larger campaigns may benefit more from Mailchimp’s advanced tools.

Ultimately, MailerLite wins for usability, while Mailchimp is better suited for those who need deeper customization.

MailerLite	Mailchimp
Overall, the MailerLite builder streamlines the email creation process, and helps craft visually engaging campaigns quickly and efficiently.	Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned marketer, Mailchimp’s builder makes it easy to design effective, visually appealing emails with minimal effort.

TechRepublic Premium: Feature Comparison: Email Marketing Software and Services

MailerLite vs Mailchimp: Automation tools

MailerLite

MailerLite’s automation tools are powerful yet easy to use, making them ideal for both beginners and experienced users. The platform features a visual workflow builder that allows for the creation of automated email sequences triggered by subscriber actions, such as sign-ups, clicks, or purchases. Automation can be used for onboarding, abandoned cart recovery, lead nurturing, and more.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp offers robust automation tools designed to support complex, data-driven marketing strategies. Its automation builder allows users to create workflows triggered by actions such as sign-ups, purchases, website activity, or customer behavior. Mailchimp enables highly targeted and customized campaigns as well. It’s especially powerful for e-commerce businesses, with tools for abandoned cart emails, product retargeting, and post-purchase follow-ups.

While the interface may feel overwhelming to beginners, it provides flexibility and depth for experienced marketers. 

Verdict

When comparing automation tools, Mailchimp offers more advanced capabilities, while MailerLite excels in simplicity and ease-of-use. Mailchimp’s automation system supports complex workflows with dynamic content, predictive analytics, and e-commerce triggers, which are ideal for businesses needing data-driven, personalized campaigns. However, its complexity can be overwhelming for beginners.

In contrast, MailerLite’s automation builder is intuitive and visually clear, making it accessible to users at all levels. It handles common tasks like onboarding, follow-ups, and behavioral triggers efficiently.

Overall, Mailchimp is better for advanced users with complex needs, while MailerLite is the better choice for straightforward, time-saving automation with a gentler learning curve.

MailerLite	Mailchimp
Despite its simplicity, MailerLite’s automation system is flexible and scalable, enabling users to build complex workflows. It proves to be a standout feature for streamlining communication and saving time.	Mailchimp’s automation tools are comprehensive and well-suited for businesses looking to scale and optimize their outreach.

MailerLite vs Mailchimp: Email templates

MailerLite

MailerLite offers a strong selection of professionally designed, mobile-responsive email templates that cater to a wide range of marketing needs, including newsletters, promotions, events, and product launches. These templates are easy to customize using MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor, allowing users to adjust layouts, colors, fonts, and images to match their brand.

Users on paid plans gain access to the full template gallery, while all users can save custom layouts as reusable templates. The platform also supports HTML for advanced design control. 

Mailchimp

Mailchimp provides a wide variety of well-designed, mobile-optimized email templates that suit a range of campaign types, such as product promotions, newsletters, and event announcements. Its drag-and-drop editor allows users to easily customize these templates by adding content blocks, changing colors, and adjusting layouts to fit their style.

Users can also save custom templates for future use and access seasonal or industry-specific designs. For advanced users, Mailchimp supports full HTML editing for complete design control.

Verdict

When it comes to email templates, Mailchimp offers a broader selection and more advanced customization options compared to MailerLite. Mailchimp’s template library includes a wide range of professional, mobile-responsive designs tailored to different industries and campaign types, along with full HTML editing for advanced users. It also features smart content blocks like product recommendations and dynamic personalization.

While MailerLite provides clean, modern templates that are easy to customize, access to the full gallery requires a paid plan. Mailchimp ultimately has the edge for users seeking versatility and depth, while MailerLite remains a strong choice for quick, beginner-friendly template creation.

MailerLite	Mailchimp
MailerLite’s templates are well-designed, versatile, and ideal for creating visually appealing emails quickly and efficiently.	Combined with its user-friendly interface and responsive designs, Mailchimp’s template library makes it easy to create polished, engaging emails for any audience or goal.

MailerLite vs Mailchimp: Analytics and reporting 

MailerLite

MailerLite offers straightforward, easy-to-understand analytics and reporting tools that help users track the performance of their email campaigns. It’s a reliable tool for monitoring campaign success and making informed content and timing decisions. Users can view key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates and unsubscribe rates through a clean, intuitive dashboard. Reports also show subscriber engagement over time, link activity, and device usage, which allows for basic audience insights.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp excels in analytics and reporting, offering comprehensive insights that help users optimize their marketing campaigns. Its dashboard displays detailed metrics such as open and click-through rates, bounce rates, and subscriber activity. Users can access advanced features like A/B testing results, conversion tracking, and comparative reporting across campaigns. For e-commerce users, Mailchimp tracks sales generated from emails, customer lifetime value, and product performance.

Predictive analytics and audience segmentation reports further empower data-driven decision-making. 

Verdict

When it comes to analytics and reporting, Mailchimp outperforms MailerLite by offering more advanced, in-depth tools. Mailchimp provides comprehensive reports that include open and click rates, A/B test results, conversion tracking, and e-commerce performance metrics like sales and customer value. It also features predictive analytics and audience segmentation insights, allowing users to refine their strategies with precision.

While MailerLite offers clear, user-friendly reporting that’s ideal for beginners, it lacks the depth and customization Mailchimp delivers.

For users seeking detailed data to drive marketing decisions, Mailchimp is the stronger choice, whereas MailerLite is better suited for simpler, quick-glance performance tracking.

MailerLite	Mailchimp
While it lacks some of the in-depth analysis and predictive tools found in more advanced platforms, MailerLite’s reporting is ideal for small businesses and users who want quick, actionable data.	While the interface can be complex for beginners, its depth and precision make Mailchimp a powerful choice for businesses seeking advanced reporting and actionable performance insights.

MailerLite vs Mailchimp: Mobile optimization

MailerLite

Every email template and content block is fully responsive, automatically adjusting to different screen sizes without requiring manual edits. The platform includes a built-in mobile preview mode, allowing users to see exactly how their emails will appear on smartphones and tablets before sending. This ensures consistent formatting, clear visuals, and easy navigation for mobile readers.

Additionally, MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor maintains responsiveness as you customize content, helping you create professional, mobile-friendly campaigns effortlessly. It’s an ideal choice for marketers focused on mobile-first engagement.

Mailchimp

All templates are fully responsive, automatically adjusting to fit various screen sizes without requiring extra formatting. The drag-and-drop editor is designed with mobile usability in mind, and users can preview how emails will appear on mobile before sending.

Mailchimp also includes mobile-specific design tips and testing tools to improve readability and engagement on smaller screens. Overall, Mailchimp provides a robust, user-friendly mobile optimization experience for modern email marketing.

Verdict

Both MailerLite and Mailchimp offer strong mobile optimization, but Mailchimp has a slight edge due to its advanced design tools and detailed mobile performance tracking. Mailchimp provides responsive templates, mobile previews, and testing features that help ensure emails render perfectly on all devices. It also includes mobile-specific analytics to gauge campaign effectiveness on smartphones and tablets.

MailerLite also excels with mobile-friendly templates and an intuitive preview mode, offering a seamless experience for most users. However, Mailchimp’s added insights and fine-tuning options make it the better choice for users who prioritize mobile performance and want more control over cross-device presentation.

MailerLite	Mailchimp
MailerLite offers strong mobile optimization features, ensuring that emails look great and function properly across all devices.	Mailchimp offers excellent mobile optimization features, ensuring that every email campaign looks polished and performs well across various devices.

Alternatives

When it comes to email marketing software, there are numerous options available for small businesses and individuals to utilize in order to help with improving their overall reach and engagement. While MailerLite and Mailchimp are two great platforms of note, there are a few more available options that may be worth considering as well. 

Brevo

Brevo is a great email marketing option because it offers flexible, volume-based pricing, allowing users to send large email campaigns without paying per contact. It supports multi-channel marketing with email, SMS, and chat, and includes a built-in CRM for managing customer relationships. Its automation features are robust yet user-friendly, making it easy to create personalized campaigns. With strong deliverability and essential tools available (even on free plans), Brevo is ideal for businesses seeking a scalable and cost-effective email marketing solution. 

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is a solid choice for email marketing due to its user-friendly interface and extensive template library, making it easy to create professional emails quickly. It offers strong list management, event marketing tools, and reliable customer support, making it ideal for small businesses and nonprofits. With scalable pricing and useful tracking analytics, Constant Contact provides an accessible, all-in-one solution for marketers looking to improve engagement and grow their audience.

Common Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience, but it’s easy to make mistakes that can hurt your campaign’s success.

Not segmenting your email list

One of the most common errors is neglecting to segment your email list. Sending the same message to everyone ignores the diverse needs of your subscribers and leads to lower engagement and higher unsubscribe rates. Instead, tailor your emails based on demographics, behavior, or purchase history.

Not optimizing for mobile

Another frequent mistake is ignoring mobile optimization. With most people checking email on smartphones, poorly formatted emails can look unprofessional and frustrate readers. Always use responsive templates and preview your emails on different devices before sending.

Overloaded content

Overloading emails with too much content or too many calls-to-action (CTAs) can also confuse readers and reduce clicks. So, remember to keep your message clear and focused with a single, compelling CTA. You should also avoid sending emails too frequently, as bombarding subscribers could lead them to unsubscribe from your email list altogether.

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