The short answer
- Up to 10,000 subscribers and no automations? Kit's free plan covers broadcasts, landing pages and forms. Modeled first-year saving against Essentials: $106. the math
- Need automations: MailerLite includes its automation builder from the free plan (3 active automations), and paid plans start at $12/mo for 500 subscribers. the math
- Mailchimp's list price rises with contacts: $13/mo for 500 contacts, $385/mo for 50,000. mailchimp.com
- Stay on Mailchimp if you rely on its templates, A/B tests, reporting, or signup forms and landing pages. recipe
Four ways to stop paying for Mailchimp
A cheaper vendor
Switch vendor Kit (ConvertKit) (free tier): saves $106 in year one (+2 more below)
Open source
An agent skill
Resend skills (incl. agent-email-inbox): not priced yet
Replace with AI
Nothing in the catalog fits this job yet.
The best option of each kind, modeled, not measured: each figure links its math. Keeping Mailchimp is a valid answer too.
Who should switch, and who shouldn't
Switch if
- You send a newsletter or announcements to one list and don't use automated sequences. the math
- Your list is under 2,500 subscribers: beehiiv's Free plan allows unlimited sends to that many. beehiiv.com
- You have a server and time: listmonk is free, self-hosted and AGPL-licensed, and pairs with Amazon SES for sending. the math
What Mailchimp costs today
List prices from the vendor's pricing page, as stored in the Stackcut catalog. Each price links its source.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp Essentials | $13/mo | not shown | 500-contact tier; sends 10x contacts; 3 seats; up to 50,000 contacts |
| Mailchimp Standard | $20/mo | not shown | 500-contact tier; sends 12x contacts; 5 seats; automation flows; up to 100,000 contacts |
| Mailchimp Premium | $350/mo | not shown | 10,000-contact tier; sends 15x contacts; unlimited seats |
| Mailchimp Essentials (50,000 contacts) | $385/mo | not shown | Top Essentials tier: up to 50,000 contacts, sends 10x contacts |
| Mailchimp Standard (100,000 contacts) | $800/mo | not shown | Top Standard tier: up to 100,000 contacts, sends 12x contacts |
- Mailchimp's Free plan allows Up to 250 contacts, 500 sends/month (250/day), 1 seat, 1 audience. mailchimp.com
The alternatives, ranked
5 ways out, ranked by modeled saving in the first year after setup and upkeep (4 priced). Modeled, not measured: each figure links the math on the recipe page.
- Paths are modeled for 1 user against Mailchimp Essentials at $13/mo; a larger list makes every path save more. recipe
Compare a specific alternative
Considering a specific destination? Read its checked comparison before deciding what to move.
- Mailchimp vs beehiiv Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Mailchimp vs Kit (ConvertKit) Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Mailchimp vs listmonk Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Mailchimp vs MailerLite Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
What a newsletter costs at 500, 2,500 and 10,000 subscribers
Every tool here prices by list size. Free plans are real free plans, but Kit and beehiiv leave out automations on theirs.
| Subscribers | 500 | 2,500 | 10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp Essentials today | $13Essentials | tier not in the catalog | tier not in the catalog |
| Kitfree plan has no automations | $0Free | $0Free | $0Free |
| beehiivfree plan has no automations | $0Free | $0Free | tier not in the catalog |
| MailerLiteautomations from the free plan | $12Comfort | $33Comfort (2,500 subscribers) | $89Comfort (10,000 subscribers) |
| Ghost(Pro) | $18Ghost(Pro) | $55Publisher (2,500 members) | $105Publisher (10,000 members) |
| listmonk (self-hosted)AGPL-3.0; pair with Amazon SES to send | $0+ your server | $0+ your server | $0+ your server |
How people actually left Mailchimp
10 public accounts of leaving Mailchimp: 10 switched. Summaries are ours; each links the original, and each was checked against its page before it appeared here.
After Mailchimp cut its free tier to 250 contacts and dropped free automation, the author moved 3,400 subscribers to Kit in an afternoon, rebuilding automations in about two hours with no data loss. BlogRecode
A blogger switched from Mailchimp to MailerLite after steep per-tier price jumps and deliverability worries, reporting a 20-30% deliverability improvement and free support despite some automation and domain-verification friction. Art of Blogging
Facing a $78/month Mailchimp bill for an unmonetized list, the author self-hosted listmonk on Docker behind Amazon SES's free tier, handling the subscriber migration and setting up templates, tracking and TLS himself. Yasoob Khalid
Author and marketing strategist David Gaughran moved his newsletter from Mailchimp to MailerLite after unpopular Mailchimp changes, citing lower cost at 8,000 subscribers and more capable automations despite EU VAT and link-updating hassle. David Gaughran
A services strategist switched from Mailchimp to Kit (ConvertKit) after deliverability and segmentation problems, and reports noticeably higher open rates plus easier form-building and automation afterward. Quest for 47
A blogger switched from Mailchimp to ConvertKit for tagging, automations and built-in landing pages, and reports friendlier customer support plus simplified list management despite migration effort. Sara Rosett
Show 4 more
A blog owner switched from Mailchimp to ConvertKit after being charged twice for subscribers on multiple lists, and reports better automation and segmentation despite a more basic template designer. Just a Girl and Her Blog
A developer self-hosted listmonk instead of Mailchimp after Intuit's acquisition raised GDPR concerns, building a custom WordPress integration to route new signups to listmonk and automating backups and deployment with Ansible. Brain Baking
An independent blogger switched from Mailchimp to MailerLite for better forms, easier automation and more responsive free-tier support, and reports being satisfied with the move. Marta Raptis
The Texas Tribune migrated 12+ newsletters off Mailchimp onto beehiiv, built 20+ automations, and reports saving up to 60 minutes per send on editorial formatting with a 6.04% recent click-through rate. beehiiv
How to leave Mailchimp
Export first, then cancel. Every step links the vendor's own help page, checked on the date shown.
How to leave Mailchimp
Export first
- Account data: emails, audiences, reports, templates and more: Profile icon → Account → Settings → Manage my data → Export Data (ZIP of CSV and HTML files). Large exports can take up to 24 hours, and you get 1 export per 24-hour period. mailchimp.com
What you lose
- Audiences, campaign archives and reports, if you delete rather than pause
Cancel
- Export your account data first (see export).
- To stop billing but keep your data: profile icon → Account & billing → Settings → Manage my plan → Pause my plan, for 3 or 6 months.
- To leave for good: Manage my plan → Delete my account → type DELETE → confirm.
- After you cancel
- Deleting removes all data tied to audiences, campaign archives and reports. Pausing is limited to 2 pauses in 12 months.
Not covered by the paths above, per the recipe: Signup forms and landing pages, Templates, A/B testing, Reporting. If you rely on one of these, keep the incumbent or check the path closely.
Moving your data, destination by destination
What each destination's importer carries over, what it leaves behind, and any help it offers switchers.
To beehiiv
Official guide beehiiv.com · Tools: beehiiv Subscribers Import, beehiiv Content Import (Mailchimp connector), Entri (custom domain DNS)
Moves: Subscribers/contacts (full); Custom fields and tags (partial); Past newsletter content (New Email Builder campaigns) (partial); Mailchimp contact/member engagement rating (partial). beehiiv.com
Doesn't move: Original subscription/opt-in dates (reset to the import date; needs manual support correction); Campaigns built with Mailchimp's Legacy Email Builder; Existing Mailchimp automations; Custom domain configuration. beehiiv.com
Watch out for:
- Campaigns made with Mailchimp's Legacy Email Builder will not import beehiiv.com
- Subscription dates reset to the import date rather than the original signup date beehiiv.com
- Complete fidelity isn't guaranteed given platform differences beehiiv.com
Switching help: Free self-serve tools import Mailchimp subscribers (CSV) and past newsletter content (OAuth Content Import) into beehiiv; no migration credit or discount found beyond this. beehiiv.com
To Kit (ConvertKit)
Official guide help.kit.com · Tools: Kit Mailchimp Importer, Kit Migrations team
Moves: Subscribers and merge/custom fields (full); List/tag structure (partial). help.kit.com
Doesn't move: Forms and landing pages (must be rebuilt in Kit's builder); Email templates (must be recreated); Campaigns (recreated manually as Email Sequences); Automations (rebuilt manually as Kit Visual Automations). help.kit.com
Watch out for:
- Kit has a single list per account (versus Mailchimp's multiple audiences), organized instead by tags/segments help.kit.com
- Visual design parity with Mailchimp templates isn't guaranteed help.kit.com
Switching help: Migration is included free with every paid Kit plan: a self-serve 'Essentials' move (subscribers, tags, lists, segments) in about 2-5 business days under 10K subscribers, or a free 'Concierge' team that also rebuilds forms, templates, automations and integrations for 10K+. kit.com
To listmonk
Community guide brainbaking.com · Tools: Custom script against listmonk's Subscribers API, Mailchimp-to-listmonk CSV converter (community Perl one-liner)
Moves: New subscriber signups (full). brainbaking.com
Doesn't move: Automated welcome-on-subscribe emails (must be rebuilt); Any Mailchimp automation workflow (listmonk has no built-in marketing automation). brainbaking.com
Watch out for:
- listmonk's import API needs numbered list IDs, not associative arrays brainbaking.com
- The API requires a name field even if you never collected subscriber names brainbaking.com
- You must set up your own SPF/DKIM/DMARC and sending reputation; listmonk doesn't manage deliverability for you brainbaking.com
To MailerLite
Official guide mailerlite.com · Tools: MailerLite Mailchimp importer
Moves: Subscriber emails, custom fields, tags (full); Basic segments (partial). mailerlite.com
Doesn't move: Advanced (behavioral, e-commerce, activity-based) segments; Forms and landing pages; Email templates; Automations/workflows. mailerlite.com
Watch out for:
- Advanced Mailchimp segments (behavioral, e-commerce, activity-based) cannot be imported mailerlite.com
- Forms, templates and automations all require manual recreation; there's no bulk import for them mailerlite.com
- Mailchimp 'tags' become MailerLite 'Groups', a different mental model mailerlite.com
Switching help: MailerLite's migration team imports subscribers, email templates and automations for switchers who select Mailchimp on the migration form, plus free 24/7 live chat and email support for 14 days during the trial. mailerlite.com
To Klaviyo
Official guide help.klaviyo.com · Tools: Klaviyo Mailchimp integration
Moves: Subscriber names, emails, locations, unsubscribes/cleaned status (full); Email engagement (receives, opens, clicks) and Mailchimp contact ratings (partial); Audiences (full). help.klaviyo.com
Doesn't move: Mailchimp tags/custom properties (need a manual CSV export/import); Deletions (deleting a contact in Mailchimp does not delete it in Klaviyo). help.klaviyo.com
Watch out for:
- Cleaned/bounced Mailchimp contacts don't auto-suppress in Klaviyo if already active there help.klaviyo.com
- Only campaigns with 'Sent' status sync help.klaviyo.com
- Syncing only specific audiences means Mailchimp's contact ratings won't sync help.klaviyo.com
From each destination's own migration docs and switching pages, plus community write-ups where no official guide exists, each checked against its page. Confirm terms on the linked page before you rely on an offer.
Open-source and forkable options
- listmonk: Free self-hosted list manager; pair with Amazon SES for sending at cents per 1,000. License: AGPL-3.0 · source code
Open source means no license fee, not free to run: the server, backups and upgrades are yours. Read the license before you fork or resell; several of these are open-core or source-available.
Replace with AI, or hand it to an agent skill
Agent skill Resend skills (incl. agent-email-inbox): Agent inboxes and email-triggered workflows on Resend inbound email, instead of a separate agent-inbox service; broadcasts for small lists. Not priced in the catalog yet.
FAQ
Should I pause or delete my Mailchimp account?
Pause if you might come back: billing stops and your data stays, for 3 or 6 months at a time and up to 2 pauses in 12 months. Delete only after exporting, because it removes audiences, campaign archives and reports. mailchimp.com
How do I export my Mailchimp list?
Profile icon → Account → Settings → Manage my data, tick what you need and Export Data. You get one ZIP, which can take up to 24 hours to prepare. mailchimp.com
Is Kit really free up to 10,000 subscribers?
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find_alternatives({"vendor": "Mailchimp",
"features_used": ["Email campaigns", "Audience/contact management"],
"usage": {"contacts": 2000}})