Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
Two Shopify email marketing & sms apps compared.
Verdict
Klaviyo is the market leader; Mailchimp is the budget pick. They are not really competing: Mailchimp is where you start, Klaviyo is where you end up if the category becomes central to your revenue.
Klaviyo (Best Overall)
The industry standard for email + SMS automation
Free plan · from ~$20/mo
Klaviyo is the app most Shopify email advice assumes you have. The segmentation engine is the real product: you can build audiences from browsing behaviour, predicted lifetime value and product affinity, then send email and SMS from one place. The price climbs with your list, and it climbs fast.
Pros
- Deepest segmentation of any Shopify email tool
- Email and SMS share one contact profile
- Predictive analytics on expected next order and churn risk
- Every major app integrates with it first
Cons
- Pricing scales steeply past a few thousand contacts
- Most stores use a fraction of the feature set
- Support on lower tiers is slow
Skip it if: You have under five thousand subscribers and four or fewer flows. You are paying for an analytics team you don't have.
Mailchimp (Cheapest)
The budget-friendly classic for newsletters and basic flows
Free plan · from ~$13/mo
Mailchimp returned to Shopify with a direct integration after years away. It is the cheapest way to send a decent newsletter and a couple of automations, and the editor is the friendliest of the three. Shopify data sync is shallower than the specialists.
Pros
- Cheapest paid tier of the three
- Familiar editor and huge template library
- Landing pages and forms included
Cons
- Shopify product and event data is thinner
- Automations are basic compared with the two above
- Deliverability tools are aimed at general marketers, not stores
Skip it if: You want abandoned-cart flows that react to the exact products in the cart.
Spec sheet
| Klaviyo | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Our pick | Best Overall | Cheapest |
| Price | Free plan · from ~$20/mo | Free plan · from ~$13/mo |
| Rating | 4.6 | 4.0 |
| Best for | Scaling brands that need the deepest data and automation. | New stores sending simple campaigns on a tight budget. |
Frequently asked
Is Mailchimp cheaper than Klaviyo?
Klaviyo: Free plan · from ~$20/mo. Mailchimp: Free plan · from ~$13/mo.
Klaviyo or Mailchimp: which should most stores choose?
Klaviyo is the market leader; Mailchimp is the budget pick. They are not really competing: Mailchimp is where you start, Klaviyo is where you end up if the category becomes central to your revenue.
Does Mailchimp have a free plan?
Yes. Free plan · from ~$13/mo.