The short version
If you’re a creator — blogger, podcaster, YouTuber, newsletter writer, course seller — get ConvertKit. It was literally built for you. The visual automation builder is the best I’ve used, the free plan covers 10,000 subscribers, and the plain-text email philosophy means your messages actually land in inboxes instead of promotions tabs.
If you run a small business and need an all-in-one marketing platform — email plus social posting, basic CRM, landing pages, and a template library you don’t need a designer for — Mailchimp is the safer bet. It does more things adequately. Just know you’ll outgrow it.
Where ConvertKit wins
- Visual automation builder. This is the feature that made me switch. You draw your automation flows on a canvas — triggers, conditions, actions, all connected visually. Mailchimp’s automation builder works fine for simple sequences, but the moment you want “if they clicked link A, tag them and wait 3 days, then send sequence B,” Mailchimp gets fiddly. ConvertKit handles it gracefully.
- Built for creators. ConvertKit doesn’t try to be everything. It focuses on what creators actually need: landing pages, email sequences, subscriber tagging, and a simple commerce layer for selling digital products. No bloat, no feature creep, no menus you’ll never click.
- Plain-text emails that deliver. ConvertKit defaults to plain-text or minimal formatting. This isn’t lazy design — it’s intentional. Plain-text emails have higher deliverability, feel more personal, and take five minutes to write. If you’re spending an hour designing a newsletter template, you’re probably not writing enough newsletters.
- Generous free tier. ConvertKit’s free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited landing pages. Mailchimp’s free tier caps at 500 contacts. For a creator building an audience, that 20x difference matters.
Where Mailchimp wins
- All-in-one marketing. Mailchimp isn’t just email. It does social media scheduling, basic CRM, website building, and even Google Ads integration. If you want one platform to handle most of your marketing, Mailchimp covers more ground than ConvertKit.
- Email template designer. Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop email builder is genuinely good. If you need branded, image-heavy newsletters that look like they came from a design team, Mailchimp delivers. ConvertKit’s templates are intentionally basic — fine for words, limiting for visuals.
- Third-party integrations. Mailchimp integrates with more apps and services than ConvertKit — particularly e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. If your business runs on integrations, Mailchimp has the edge.
- Brand recognition. This shouldn’t matter, but it does. Clients and team members have heard of Mailchimp. They know the logo. When you suggest ConvertKit, you sometimes have to explain what it is. That friction is real if you’re onboarding a team.
The pricing trap nobody talks about
Both platforms charge based on subscriber count. Here’s where it bites: Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts towards your limit unless you manually archive them. ConvertKit only counts active subscribers.
At 5,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard costs roughly $75/mo. ConvertKit Creator costs about $66/mo. The gap widens as you grow. At 25,000 contacts: Mailchimp ~$350/mo, ConvertKit ~$179/mo. At 100,000: Mailchimp crosses $1,100/mo. ConvertKit sits around $579/mo.
Also worth noting: Mailchimp’s free tier is essentially a trial. ConvertKit’s free tier is a usable product. You can run a real email operation on ConvertKit’s free plan for months before needing to pay. On Mailchimp, you hit the 500-contact wall fast.
Who should buy ConvertKit
- Bloggers, podcasters, and YouTubers building an email list from zero
- Newsletter writers who send frequently and value deliverability
- Course creators and digital product sellers who need commerce features
- Anyone who hates designing email templates and just wants to write
- Creators planning to grow past 10,000 subscribers — pricing scales better
Who should buy Mailchimp
- Small businesses needing an all-in-one marketing platform (email + social + CRM)
- E-commerce stores on Shopify or WooCommerce — Mailchimp integrates better
- Teams that need polished, branded email templates without a designer
- Anyone already embedded in the Mailchimp ecosystem — switching costs are real
The verdict
Most people reading this should buy ConvertKit. The free tier is genuinely generous, the automation builder is best-in-class, and the platform doesn’t punish you with pricing as your list grows. Unless you specifically need Mailchimp’s all-in-one marketing features or its template designer, ConvertKit is the better email platform.
Mailchimp isn’t a bad product. It’s a safe product — which is why 14 million people use it. But safe doesn’t mean optimal. If you’re reading a comparison article on a review site, you’re probably not the “default to Mailchimp” type. You’re the type who wants the right tool for the job. That’s ConvertKit.
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