Mailchimp is the most-integrated email tool for small business — the one your Shopify store, your Squarespace site, and your CRM already know how to talk to. For ecommerce operators under 2,500 contacts, it’s still the right pick. Everyone else has better options, and the fact that half of them pay us nothing is the whole point of this page. We’d rather you read the right recommendation than click the most lucrative one.
We earn commission on Mailchimp (via CJ) and ConvertKit (via Impact). We earn zero on Beehiiv, Brevo, Mailerlite, Buttondown, and Ghost — they’re here because they’re genuinely the right answer for specific operators, not because they pay.
Quick recommendation by vertical
| Vertical / use case | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance writer, creator, newsletter | ConvertKit or Beehiiv | Creator-native primitives |
| Pure newsletter with paid subs | Beehiiv or Buttondown | Built-in monetization |
| E-commerce (Shopify/Woo) | Mailchimp or Brevo | Best integrations |
| Small team, mixed broadcast + transactional | Brevo | Both under one bill |
| Price-sensitive solo operator | Mailerlite | Generous free tier |
| Writer who wants “just the email” | Buttondown | Minimal, plain-text-first |
| Publisher running a blog + newsletter together | Ghost | All-in-one with member billing |
The six alternatives
Our pick ConvertKit (Kit) — the creator default
Who it’s for: freelance writers, newsletter operators, course creators, AI coaches, fitness coaches, anyone whose email list is the business.
Why pick it over Mailchimp: Better primitives for creators (tags > lists, sequences > journeys, subscriber scoring). Generous free tier (up to 10k subs for newsletter sends). Deliverability is excellent. Migration tooling is first-class.
Why you’d still pick Mailchimp: Ecommerce integrations, richer email templates, transactional email bundled.
See our full ConvertKit review and the Mailchimp → ConvertKit migration guide.
Runner-up Beehiiv — the newsletter-native winner
Who it’s for: pure newsletter operators. If you write one thing, it’s an email newsletter, and you may or may not monetize it.
Why pick it over Mailchimp: Built-in paid subscriptions with no transaction fees. Better analytics than both Mailchimp and ConvertKit. Built-in recommendation network (other Beehiiv publishers recommend you back in exchange). Free up to 2,500 subscribers with all features.
Why you’d still pick Mailchimp: If you’re not a pure newsletter — if you’re a business that also does email marketing — Beehiiv isn’t designed for you.
Best for transactional Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — the European all-rounder
Who it’s for: small teams that send both broadcast marketing email AND transactional email (receipts, password resets) and don’t want two vendors.
Why pick it over Mailchimp: Pricing is by sends, not by contacts — so an unused contact doesn’t cost you. Transactional email is first-class, not an add-on. GDPR posture is better out-of-box (they’re a French company).
Why you’d still pick Mailchimp: Interface polish and integrations ecosystem are both stronger on Mailchimp’s side.
Budget pick Mailerlite — the budget pick
Who it’s for: solo operators or very small businesses with lists under 5,000 contacts who want email marketing at the lowest price.
Why pick it over Mailchimp: The free tier is 1,000 contacts with 12k sends/mo (vs Mailchimp’s 500 contacts and 1k sends). Paid plans cost roughly half what Mailchimp’s do at equivalent contact counts. The editor is modern and pleasant.
Why you’d still pick Mailchimp: Integration depth; Mailerlite’s ecosystem is smaller. Advanced automation features are less mature.
Best for minimalists Buttondown — for writers who want email out of the way
Who it’s for: writers who want to send email and nothing else. Plain text, markdown, simple list, no automations.
Why pick it over Mailchimp: The product is 10% the surface area of Mailchimp by design. Markdown-native. Strong IndieWeb ethic. Costs $9/mo at 1k subs. Run by a single developer who responds personally.
Why you’d still pick Mailchimp: Buttondown is not trying to do automations, landing pages, or ecommerce. If you need any of those, this isn’t your tool.
Best for publishers Ghost — the publisher platform
Who it’s for: publishers running a blog + newsletter + paid-member program under one umbrella.
Why pick it over Mailchimp: Everything under one tool — website, newsletter, paid subs, members area. Open source, self-hostable (or use Ghost Pro). Publisher-native pricing ($9/mo at Starter).
Why you’d still pick Mailchimp: Ghost is not an email marketing tool in the traditional sense. If you have an existing website and just need email, Ghost is too much. If you’re building an online publication, Ghost is hard to beat.
How to choose — the honest decision tree
- Are you a pure newsletter operator? → Beehiiv or Buttondown.
- Does your list live on Shopify / WooCommerce with active cart and purchase automations? → Mailchimp (integrations win) or Brevo (value wins).
- Are you a creator who thinks in “subscribers” and writes to them as people? → ConvertKit is your tool.
- Are you running a publication (blog + email + paid members)? → Ghost.
- Are you price-sensitive and under 5k contacts with no complex needs? → Mailerlite.
- Do you need both broadcast AND transactional email? → Brevo.
- Do you just want to write and send? → Buttondown.
What none of these can do
The honest part of the honest take: there is no email marketing tool that handles all of: creator primitives, ecommerce automation, transactional email, paid subscriptions, publisher-quality content, and a low price. Pick the 2–3 that matter most for your vertical; accept the gaps elsewhere.
Related reading
- Mailchimp review — when Mailchimp is still the right pick.
- ConvertKit review — our full review.
- Mailchimp real cost calculator — pricing at scale vs ConvertKit and Beehiiv.
- Mailchimp → ConvertKit migration guide.