By Cyril Nie, founder of Spreeflo · Prices from each tool's own pricing page and dated 2026 buyer guides, checked on 27 October 2026
Published · Updated
Mailchimp gets expensive fast as a list grows. Here are seven tools priced for the same 10,000-contact job.
The cheapest Mailchimp alternative for 10,000 contacts and a welcome journey is Spreeflo Starter at $52 a month ($624 a year). Next come Brevo and MailerLite at $89 a month each, then Kit ($139), Klaviyo ($150), ActiveCampaign ($239) and Constant Contact ($275). Mailchimp Standard, the first plan whose flows can branch, is $135 a month.
Spreeflo Starter
$52/month($624/year paid monthly, $520/year paid up front)
Mailchimp Standard
$135/month($1,620/year paid monthly)
Each tool is priced for 10,000 marketing contacts, a welcome journey that branches on opens or clicks, and a regular newsletter, on the cheapest plan that runs that journey for the whole list, paid monthly for 12 months. Brevo bills by emails sent, so we priced it at 40,000 emails a month (about four per contact).
Brevo $1,068
MailerLite $1,068
Kit $1,668
Klaviyo $1,800
ActiveCampaign $2,868
Constant Contact $3,300
Mailchimp (for comparison)$1,620Email automation, broadcasts, forms and a CRM on one contact record, priced only on the contacts you market to.
Best for: founder-led businesses that want branching journeys and a CRM without a plan upgrade.
$624 a year, Starter at $52 a month x 12 ($520 paid up front), for 10,000 marketing contacts and 100,000 emails a month, with branching journeys and A/B splits, segments built from unlimited AND/OR conditions, broadcasts with automatic follow-ups and a CRM. Starter has one seat and Mailchimp Standard has five, so for a team the fair match is Professional (unlimited seats) at $76 a month: $912 a year ($760 up front).
Source: Spreeflo pricing. Sends beyond the monthly allowance wait until you move up a plan; there's no per-email overage.
Email and SMS with basic sales (CRM) features on every plan, priced by emails sent rather than contacts kept.
Best for: big lists that get a few emails a month, and teams that want SMS in the same tool.
$1,068 a year, Standard at 40,000 emails a month: the $18 plan plus the $71 email tier is $89 a month x 12 ($961 billed yearly). Send 100,000 emails a month and Standard is $139. Starter ($46 a month at 40,000 emails) runs automations for up to 2,000 contacts only, so the whole list needs Standard, the first plan with unlimited multi-step workflows and A/B testing.
Source: brevo.com/pricing and Brevo's machine-readable price list (generated 29 September 2026). Email Tool Tester's August 2026 table shows a lower $75 for Standard at 40,000 emails; we used Brevo's own figures. Full breakdown: Brevo pricing.
A simple email tool with a visual automation builder, billed only on active subscribers: unsubscribed and bounced addresses don't count.
Best for: solo creators and small businesses that want clean newsletters and a few automations, cheaply.
$1,068 a year, Comfort at $89 a month x 12, or about $961 with the 10% discount for paying yearly. Comfort allows 50 active automations and three seats; Power ($129 a month at 10,000) removes the automation limit.
Source: mailerlite.com/pricing for limits and billing; the 10,000-subscriber price from Email Tool Tester (August 2026) and Email Vendor Selection (September 2026), which agree. Full breakdown: MailerLite pricing.
An email platform for creators: free up to 10,000 subscribers, with digital product and subscription sales built in.
Best for: creators selling digital products or paid newsletters from the same tool as their list.
$1,668 a year, Creator at $139 a month x 12. The free plan has no automations, so the journey needs Creator (unlimited visual automations, two seats). Yearly billing takes about two months off: Creator at 1,000 subscribers is $390 a year against $39 a month.
Source: kit.com/pricing for plan features; the 10,000-subscriber price from Email Tool Tester (September 2026) and Email Vendor Selection (August 2026), which agree. Full breakdown: Kit pricing.
Ecommerce email and SMS built on customer data, priced by active profiles, which Klaviyo defines as "contacts who may receive marketing emails."
Best for: online stores that want email and SMS on one bill and will use their purchase data.
$1,800 a year, the Email plan at $150 a month x 12. Email and SMS is $165 a month.
Source: klaviyo.com/pricing for the free plan and profile definition; the 10,000-profile prices from Email Tool Tester (August 2026). Full breakdown: Klaviyo pricing.
Automation-first email marketing with 950+ automation recipes, 1,000+ integrations and site tracking on every plan.
Best for: teams that live in automations and depend on a specific integration.
$2,868 a year, Plus at $239 a month x 12 on monthly billing (the 10,000-contact yearly price isn't published). Starter ($189 a month at 10,000) caps each automation at five actions, and Email Tool Tester notes it can't branch, so the journey needs Plus: one user, unlimited automation actions, Pipelines CRM as an add-on.
Source: activecampaign.com/pricing for plan limits (it shows only yearly 1,000-contact prices: Starter $15, Plus $49 a month). The 10,000-contact prices are from Email Tool Tester (August 2026); its 1,000-contact figures ($19 and $59) sit above those, so we read its grid as monthly billing. Compare: Spreeflo vs ActiveCampaign.
One of the oldest small-business email tools, with live phone support on every plan and a priority team on the top one.
Best for: local businesses and nonprofits that want a guided tool more than automation depth.
$3,300 a year, Premium at $275 a month x 12, or $2,805 with the full 15% discount for prepaying a year. Custom automations and auto-send welcome emails are Premium only; Standard ($160 a month at 10,000) gets three automation templates and an automatic resend to non-openers.
Source: constantcontact.com/pricing for plan features and discounts; tier prices from Email Tool Tester (August 2026). Full breakdown: Constant Contact pricing.
$1,620 a year, Standard at $135 a month x 12. Essentials ($110 a month) caps a flow at four steps with no branching; Standard allows up to 200 branching flows. A current 15% offer on the first 12 months for lists of 10,000 or more brings Standard's first year to $1,377.
Source: mailchimp.com/pricing for plan limits and the offer; tier prices from Email Tool Tester (August 2026) and Email Vendor Selection (September 2026), which agree.
| One year at 10,000 contacts | Paid monthly | Paid up front, or with the discount on offer |
|---|---|---|
| Spreeflo Starter (1 seat) | $624 | $520 |
| Spreeflo Professional (unlimited seats) | $912 | $760 |
| Brevo Standard, 40,000 emails a month (up to 3 seats) | $1,068 | $961 |
| MailerLite Comfort (3 seats) | $1,068 | about $961 |
| Kit Creator (2 seats) | $1,668 | about $1,390 (our estimate) |
| Klaviyo Email | $1,800 | no self-serve annual plan |
| ActiveCampaign Plus (1 seat) | $2,868 | not published |
| Constant Contact Premium (unlimited seats) | $3,300 | $2,805 |
| Mailchimp Standard, for comparison (5 seats) | $1,620 | $1,377 in year one (15% introductory offer) |
Kit, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact all cost more than Mailchimp Standard at this size; people pick them for other reasons. If you want a cheaper alternative to Mailchimp, look at the top three.
See it in Spreeflo: a Starter welcome journey can start on Form Submission, wait with Time Delay, and use Check Email Activity to send non-openers a different second email. Try the journey builder, no login →
Most reasons come back to how the bill grows.
The price climbs steeply with the list. Standard is $20 a month at 500 contacts, $60 at 2,500, $100 at 5,000, $135 at 10,000 and $310 at 25,000 (Email Tool Tester, August 2026).
You can pay for people you can't email. Unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts count toward your total (Mailchimp help), and the limit is the most contacts stored at any point in the billing cycle.
Automation is rationed on Essentials: four flow steps, no branching (Mailchimp plan comparison).
Overages bill themselves. On paid plans, "overages apply if contact or email send limit is exceeded" (same page).
The free plan is small: 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, and sending pauses when you go over.
Support and billing frustration. Mailchimp scores 2.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 1,550 reviews, with 66% at one star, with complaints about account lockouts, slow support and charges after cancelling. On G2 it scores 4.3 from 12,995 reviews (both read 27 October 2026).
Static fallback at 10,000 contacts and one user:
| Tool and plan | A month | A year, paid monthly | Saving against Mailchimp Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spreeflo Starter | $52 | $624 | $996 |
| Brevo Standard (40,000 emails) | $89 | $1,068 | $552 |
| MailerLite Comfort | $89 | $1,068 | $552 |
| Mailchimp Standard | $135 | $1,620 | n/a |
| Kit Creator | $139 | $1,668 | costs $48 more |
| Klaviyo Email | $150 | $1,800 | costs $180 more |
| ActiveCampaign Plus | $239 | $2,868 | costs $1,248 more |
| Constant Contact Premium | $275 | $3,300 | costs $1,680 more |
A founder-led SaaS or service business that wants journeys and a CRM: Spreeflo. Journeys, segments and the CRM are on Starter; web-activity segments and triggers, popups and web push are on Professional.
A large list you email a couple of times a month, or anyone who needs SMS: Brevo, which is cheap when volume is low.
A simple newsletter with a few automations: MailerLite.
A creator selling digital products: Kit, especially under 10,000 subscribers with no automations yet.
An online store that will use purchase data and SMS: Klaviyo.
A local business or nonprofit that wants hand-holding: Constant Contact, with nonprofit discounts of 20% to 30% for prepaying.
A team that needs many integrations and complex automation: ActiveCampaign.
Staying put makes sense if your team uses all five Standard seats and relies on Mailchimp's integrations: Standard is mid-pack for 10,000 contacts. And Spreeflo doesn't do SMS, WhatsApp, social posting or a landing-page builder; if those are central to how you sell, weigh Brevo, Klaviyo or Constant Contact first.
Export. In Mailchimp, go to Account, Settings, Manage my data, pick the audience and click Export Data. The ZIP holds separate subscribed, unsubscribed and cleaned files; you get one account export every 24 hours (Mailchimp help).
Import the subscribed file into Spreeflo with a tag such as from-mailchimp. The import shows which campaigns or journeys it would start, and you can skip them (how to import contacts).
Add the unsubscribed and cleaned files to the Suppression list.
Rebuild the welcome journey, then switch your forms. Or let Spreeflo port contacts, segments, templates and automations at no cost while migration slots last.
Run your welcome journey, newsletter and CRM from one place for 2 to 3x less than Mailchimp. Moving across is free while migration slots last.
Start free, no card → · See Spreeflo vs Mailchimp, feature by feature
For 10,000 contacts and a welcome journey, Spreeflo Starter at $52 a month, against $135 on Mailchimp Standard. Brevo and MailerLite come next at $89 a month each, and Brevo gets cheaper still if you send fewer emails, since it bills by volume.
Several, with limits. Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers but without automations. MailerLite's free plan covers 250 subscribers and three automations, Brevo's sends up to 300 emails a day, and Klaviyo's covers 250 profiles. Spreeflo's free plan has forms with unlimited responses and web analytics, no card, so you can grow a list free and pay once you send.
The one whose entry plan already runs the automations you need at your size. At 10,000 contacts, Spreeflo Starter includes branching journeys and a CRM; MailerLite Comfort suits simpler newsletters, and Brevo covers SMS too.
Spreeflo includes companies, deals, tasks and a pipeline on Starter, with team features on Professional. Every Brevo plan has basic sales features, and its Sales Essentials add-on is $31 a month per seat. ActiveCampaign has contact records on every plan; deals, pipelines and lead scoring need its Enhanced CRM add-on on Plus and up.
Yes. Subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts all count toward your Mailchimp contact total. Archived, cleaned and deleted contacts don't, so archiving people you no longer email keeps them off the bill. Spreeflo only bills marketing contacts and stores everyone else free.
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: which costs less and does more
Mailchimp vs Klaviyo: price, automation and which fits your store
Spreeflo pricing, read 27 October 2026
Mailchimp marketing pricing and plan comparison, read 27 October 2026 (plan limits, seats, flow steps and branching, 15% offer, overages, free plan)
Mailchimp: about pricing plans, read 27 October 2026 (which contacts count, contact limit)
Mailchimp: export and back up account data, read 27 October 2026
Email Tool Tester: Mailchimp pricing, August 2026, read 27 October 2026 (tier grid)
Email Vendor Selection: Mailchimp pricing, September 2026, read 27 October 2026
Brevo pricing and Brevo price list, read 27 October 2026
Brevo help center: About Brevo's pricing plans, read 27 October 2026 (sales features on every plan, Sales Essentials)
MailerLite pricing, read 27 October 2026
Email Tool Tester: MailerLite pricing, August 2026, read 27 October 2026
Email Vendor Selection: MailerLite pricing, September 2026, read 27 October 2026
Kit pricing, read 27 October 2026
Email Tool Tester: Kit pricing, September 2026, read 27 October 2026
Email Vendor Selection: Kit pricing, August 2026, read 27 October 2026
Klaviyo pricing, read 27 October 2026
Email Tool Tester: Klaviyo pricing, August 2026, read 27 October 2026
Constant Contact pricing, read 27 October 2026 (plan features, automation by plan, discounts)
Email Tool Tester: Constant Contact pricing, August 2026, read 28 October 2026
ActiveCampaign pricing, read 27 October 2026 (1,000-contact yearly prices, users, automation actions, add-ons)
Email Tool Tester: ActiveCampaign pricing, August 2026, read 27 October 2026
Mailchimp on Trustpilot, read 27 October 2026
Mailchimp on G2, read 27 October 2026
Discover more insights on similar topics
Brevo pricing, checked 27 October 2026: Starter from $9, Standard from $18, billed by sends. 10,000 contacts cost $46 to $139 a month, against $52 on Spreeflo.
Constant Contact pricing, checked 27 October 2026: Lite from $12, Standard $35, Premium $80. 10,000 contacts cost $120 to $275 a month, against $52 on Spreeflo.
Flodesk pricing, checked 27 October 2026: Lite from $25, Pro from $28, Everything from $54. At 10,000 subscribers that's $72 to $137 a month.