Comparison · Email analytics
Sender vs Mailchimp: low-cost email marketing compared
The short answer
Sender's free plan is far larger than Mailchimp's: up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month with automation included, against Mailchimp's 250 contacts and 500 sends. Sender's paid plans start at $6.30 per month billed annually and add A/B testing and ecommerce reports. Mailchimp costs more but brings a deeper integration marketplace, multivariate testing on Premium and a brand most tools connect to. Small senders on a budget look at Sender; teams that depend on Mailchimp integrations stay put.
On this page 5 sections
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Side by side
| Sender | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails a month, automation included, Sender branding | 250 contacts, 500 sends a month, no automation |
| Entry paid plan | Standard $6.30 per month billed annually (first-year discount), 500 subscribers and 6,000 emails | Essentials, priced by contacts |
| A/B testing | From Standard | Multivariate and A/B testing on Premium |
| Ecommerce reporting | Advanced ecommerce reports from Standard | Ecommerce integrations; custom reports from Standard |
| SMS | From Standard | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Seats | 1 on Free, 3 on Standard, 10 on Professional | Varies by plan |
When Sender fits better
- You have a list of a few thousand and want automation without paying yet.
- You want A/B testing and ecommerce reports at a low entry price.
- You do not need a long tail of niche integrations.
When Mailchimp fits better
- A tool you depend on only integrates with Mailchimp.
- You want multivariate testing and a large template and integration ecosystem.
- Your team already knows it and switching cost outweighs savings.
Before you migrate a list
Export subscribers with their consent status and signup source, and remove hard bounces before import: a new sending domain reputation starts fresh, and importing stale addresses is the quickest way to damage it. Verifying a list first with a tool such as Bouncer reduces bounces on the first sends.
Compare more platforms: Mailchimp alternatives and GetResponse vs Mailchimp.
Based on each vendor’s published features as of October 2026. We have not tested these products in a live account. Product names are trademarks of their owners.
Questions
- Is Sender really free?
- Sender's Free Forever plan allowed up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month with automation, with Sender branding and no A/B testing, according to its pricing page in October 2026.
- Which is better for a small Shopify store, Sender or Mailchimp?
- It depends on list size and integrations. Sender is cheaper for small lists and includes ecommerce reports from its Standard plan; Mailchimp has the broader integration ecosystem. Test both on a segment and compare revenue per email, not open rate.