The short answer
- Moving from Mailchimp Essentials to MailerLite costs $38 more in the first year, after setup and upkeep time (Stackcut's model: modeled, not measured).
- MailerLite's official migration guide moves 1 kind of data in full and 1 partly; 4 things stay behind. What moves
- 3 public accounts of making this switch: 3 switched. Read them
- 2 comparison pages checked, each labeled with who wrote it. What they claim
- 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
What Mailchimp and MailerLite cost
List prices from each 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 |
| MailerLite Comfort | $12/mo | $10.80/mo | 500-subscriber tier: 5,000 emails/mo, 3 user seats, 50 automations |
| MailerLite Power | $25/mo | $22.50/mo | 500-subscriber tier: unlimited emails and user seats, unlimited automations |
| MailerLite Comfort (1,000 subscribers) | $19/mo | $17.10/mo | 10,000 emails/mo, 3 user seats |
| MailerLite Comfort (2,500 subscribers) | $33/mo | $29.70/mo | 25,000 emails/mo, 3 user seats |
- Mailchimp free plan: Up to 250 contacts, 500 sends/month (250/day), 1 seat, 1 audience mailchimp.com
- MailerLite free plan: Up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 2 user seats, 3 automations, 1 website + 1 landing page mailerlite.com
What comparison pages say
Each claim as the page makes it, and who it favors. Vendor pages are labeled; weigh them accordingly.
2 pages compared, 1 of them written by one of the two vendors. Claims are the pages' own, paraphrased; prices in them may be older than the catalog prices above.
| About | The page says | Favors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | MailerLite's paid plans start at $10/month with a 500-subscriber free tier including 12,000 sends; Mailchimp starts at $14/month with a smaller 250-contact free tier. | MailerLite | Zapier affiliate page |
| Other | MailerLite is instantly intuitive even for beginners, while Mailchimp is a more comprehensive all-in-one tool with a steeper learning curve. | Even | Zapier affiliate page |
| Features | Mailchimp offers 115+ automation templates versus MailerLite's 15, though MailerLite includes automation on its free plan. | Mailchimp | Zapier affiliate page |
| Features | Mailchimp's AI tools for content generation and predictive analytics are more developed than MailerLite's basic subject-line assistant. | Mailchimp | Zapier affiliate page |
| Price | MailerLite only charges once per active, unique subscriber; Mailchimp counts inactive contacts toward the bill. | MailerLite | MailerLite vendor page |
| Free plan | MailerLite's free plan includes 2,500 monthly emails with automation and landing pages at 250 subscribers, versus Mailchimp's 500 emails with very limited features at that size. | MailerLite | MailerLite vendor page |
| Features | All MailerLite Power plans include unlimited sending and up to 100-step automations, while Mailchimp restricts sending and automation by plan. | MailerLite | MailerLite vendor page |
| Other | MailerLite says it was voted 'Easiest to Use' email platform of 2025 by G2. | MailerLite | MailerLite vendor page |
Moving from Mailchimp to MailerLite
What MailerLite's importer carries over, what it leaves behind, and any help it offers switchers.
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
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.
People who moved from Mailchimp to MailerLite
3 public accounts of leaving Mailchimp: 3 switched. Summaries are ours; each links the original, and each was checked against its page before it appeared here.
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
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
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
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.
FAQ
Is MailerLite cheaper than Mailchimp?
Modeled, not measured: moving from Mailchimp Essentials to MailerLite costs $38 more in the first year, after setup and upkeep time at $50/hour. It depends on your plan, seats and usage. the math
Can I move my Mailchimp data to MailerLite?
MailerLite's official guide moves: Subscriber emails, custom fields, tags; Basic segments. It doesn't move: Advanced (behavioral, e-commerce, activity-based) segments; Forms and landing pages; Email templates; Automations/workflows. mailerlite.com
What do I lose when I leave Mailchimp?
Per Mailchimp's own pages, leaving or downgrading loses: Audiences, campaign archives and reports, if you delete rather than pause. mailchimp.com
Does MailerLite help people switch from Mailchimp?
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
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