Mailchimp vs Beehiiv
Mailchimp is email marketing platform with campaigns, automation, landing pages, and audience management, while Beehiiv is newsletter platform built for growth — with built-in referral programs, monetization, and analytics. The biggest difference up front: Beehiiv is free, while Mailchimp starts at $13/mo. Mailchimp is built for small businesses getting started with email marketing, whereas Beehiiv targets newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization.
At a glance
|
Mailchimp
|
Beehiiv
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small businesses getting started with email marketing | Newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization |
| Starting price | $13/mo | Free |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Ad Network | — | ✓ |
| Analytics | — | ✓ |
| Automations | ✓ | — |
| Campaigns | ✓ | — |
| Custom Domains | — | ✓ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | — |
| Monetization | — | ✓ |
| Referral Program | — | ✓ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | — |
| Templates | ✓ | — |
Mailchimp
Strengths
- Easy to use for beginners
- Good template library and drag-and-drop editor
- Built-in landing pages and basic CRM
- Brand recognition — customers trust Mailchimp emails
Weaknesses
- Pricing has increased significantly
- Free tier now limited to 500 contacts
- Automation is basic compared to dedicated tools
- Charges for unsubscribed contacts on some plans
Beehiiv
Strengths
- Built-in referral program for growth
- Ad network for monetization
- Clean writing experience
- Generous free tier (up to 2,500 subscribers)
Weaknesses
- Focused on newsletters — not general email marketing
- Limited automation compared to ConvertKit
- Fewer integrations
- Still a young platform
The bottom line
Pricing: Beehiiv is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Mailchimp starts at $13/mo, but Free for up to 500 contacts. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.
Feature gaps: Mailchimp offers Automations, Campaigns and Landing Pages that Beehiiv lacks. Beehiiv brings Ad Network, Analytics and Custom Domains that Mailchimp does not have.
Team fit: Mailchimp is geared toward any size teams, while Beehiiv is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.
Where each tool shines: Mailchimp's biggest strengths are: easy to use for beginners. good template library and drag-and-drop editor. Beehiiv's biggest strengths are: built-in referral program for growth. ad network for monetization.
Watch out for: With Mailchimp, users commonly note that pricing has increased significantly. With Beehiiv, the main complaint is that focused on newsletters — not general email marketing.
Choose Mailchimp if...
- You need a tool built for small businesses getting started with email marketing
- You specifically need Automations and Campaigns
- You care about good template library and drag-and-drop editor
- Your team size fits the any size profile Mailchimp is designed for
- The free tier works for you: free for up to 500 contacts
Choose Beehiiv if...
- You need a tool built for newsletter creators focused on growth and monetization
- Budget is a hard constraint — Beehiiv is free, Mailchimp is not
- You specifically need Ad Network and Analytics
- You care about ad network for monetization
- Your team size fits the individuals profile Beehiiv is designed for
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