3 Best Mailchimp Alternatives & Competitors 2026
The best Mailchimp alternatives in 2026 are Beehiiv (4.6/5), ActiveCampaign (4.5/5) and ConvertKit (4.4/5), as ranked on SAASAF.AI. We compare all 3 with Mailchimp on pricing, free tiers, features and platforms. 2 of 3 have a free tier.
Why Look for Mailchimp Alternatives?
While Mailchimp is a popular choice in the Marketing space, users regularly evaluate other options to ensure they are getting the best fit for their workflows. The Marketing market is highly competitive, and several strong alternatives offer different approaches to the same problems Mailchimp solves. Although Mailchimp offers a free tier, some alternatives provide more generous free plans or different feature sets that may better align with specific team requirements.
What Are the Best Mailchimp Alternatives?
Beehiiv
Newsletter platform built for growth
- Boosts marketplace pays creators for cross-recommendations
- Ad Network monetizes newsletters without separate effort
- Generous free tier up to 2,500 subscribers
ActiveCampaign
Marketing automation and CRM for growing businesses
- Best-in-class visual automation builder
- 850+ pre-built automation recipes accelerate setup
- Predictive sending optimizes per-contact send times
ConvertKit
Email marketing platform built for creators
- Tag-based model avoids list duplication billing
- Plain-text default emails drive high deliverability
- Creator Network grows your list via cross-recommendations
How Does Mailchimp Compare to Its Alternatives?
| Criteria | Mailchimp | Beehiiv | ActiveCampaign | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $[object Object] | $[object Object] | $[object Object] | $[object Object] |
| Free Tier | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| AI Powered | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web | web, ios, android | web |
Feature Comparison: Mailchimp vs Alternatives
| Feature | Mailchimp | Beehiiv | ActiveCampaign | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email Campaigns | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Automations | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audience Segmentation | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Ai Content | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Newsletter Editor | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Referral Program | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Monetization | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Custom Domains | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Api | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Email Automation | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Crm | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Site Tracking | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lead Scoring | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sms Marketing | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Sequences | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Subscriber Tagging | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Commerce | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Newsletter | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
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Mailchimp Alternatives: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best alternative to Mailchimp?
Beehiiv is the #1 ranked Mailchimp alternative on SAASAF.AI, with a 4.6/5 rating. Beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform designed for creators and publishers. Beehiiv starts at $39/month and has a free tier. Other strong options include ActiveCampaign (4.5/5) and ConvertKit (4.4/5).
How many alternatives to Mailchimp are there?
SAASAF.AI lists 3 alternatives to Mailchimp: Beehiiv, ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit. 2 of them include a free tier. 2 are AI-powered. Their ratings range from 4.4/5 to 4.6/5. Each one is compared with Mailchimp below on rating, pricing model, starting price, free tier, AI capability and supported platforms.
Is there a free alternative to Mailchimp?
Yes. Beehiiv and ConvertKit offer a free tier among the 3 Mailchimp alternatives on SAASAF.AI. Beehiiv starts at $39/month and has a free tier. ConvertKit starts at $25/month and has a free tier. Mailchimp also has a free tier.
What is the cheapest Mailchimp alternative?
ConvertKit has the lowest listed starting price of the Mailchimp alternatives on SAASAF.AI, at $25/month. Mailchimp starts at $13/month. For comparison, Beehiiv starts at $39/month and ActiveCampaign starts at $29/month. ConvertKit also has a free tier.
Which Mailchimp alternatives use AI?
Beehiiv and ActiveCampaign are the AI-powered Mailchimp alternatives listed on SAASAF.AI. Mailchimp is AI-powered too and uses a proprietary AI model. Beehiiv starts at $39/month and has a free tier. ActiveCampaign starts at $29/month with no free tier.
Still not sure?
Compare Mailchimp head-to-head with any alternative above, or browse all tools in Marketing to find the perfect fit for your workflow.