I’d Use These 10 Mailchimp Alternatives Again (2025)
written by
Victoria Kurichenko
posted on
April 3, 2025
Mailchimp has been around since 2001. It’s not a surprise that it’s one of the top choices for email marketing and automation. For over 20 years, it’s been helping businesses handle all their email marketing needs.
When I first started writing on Medium in 2020, Mailchimp was the first email platform I tried.
It offered a 30-day free trial and a free plan for up to 500 subscribers—way more than what most other platforms offered for free.
Additionally, Mailchimp provided a welcome series automation for their free plans, which ultimately convinced me to stick with it. Welcome series automation basically means I could send “Welcome” emails to every new subscriber on autopilot. Unlike Mailchimp, other platforms offered newsletter automation under paid plans.
Without paying a dime, I’ve created a simple landing page on Mailchimp, set up an automated welcome newsletter, and started collecting email addresses.
You can see my dashboard below. I sent my last newsletter on Mailchimp on October 31st, 2021, before looking for Mailchimp alternatives and switching to Kit (Convertkit).
Mailchimp just wasn’t the right fit for me for a bunch of reasons.
First off, it wasn’t easy to use. I had to spend way too much time just figuring out how to make a decent-looking newsletter template. Additionally, I experienced challenges setting up email automation for different segments. In the end, I wasted more time than I should have.
Maybe it was because I was new to email marketing back then. But still, good software should be beginner-friendly. Nobody wants to spend hours digging through tutorials just to get started, right?
So, I started exploring other options.
I tested different platforms and paid close attention to what other creators were saying on Twitter about Mailchimp and other email tools.
One thing was clear: I didn’t want to spend money on expensive courses just to learn how to use Mailchimp. I’d already fallen for that trap with Medium courses before, and it wasn’t worth it.
It’s honestly frustrating how much time and effort it takes to research and test tools just to figure out what actually works. But that’s exactly what I had to do.
I ended up trying three different newsletter platforms before finally landing on beehiiv. But I’ll get into that later.
For now, let’s go over paid and free Mailchimp alternatives that I’ve personally tested, plus a few recommended by other content creators.
10 best Mailchimp alternatives
1. behiiv
- Best for: An all-in-one platform to run, publish, grow and monetize your newsletter
- Pricing: Starting at $39/month
- Free trial: 14-day trial for beehiiv Scale; you can register here
beehiiv is a fairly new newsletter platform. It was launched in 2021 and it’s one of the best Mailchimp alternatives I’ve used.
I switched from Mailchimp to Kit and then from Kit to beehiiv in January 2024. Since then, I’ve been growing and monetizing my newsletter on beehiiv.
Here’s what I achieved with beehiiv in 2024:
- Email list: 1,100 subscribers
- Earnings from boosts & sponsored ads: $940.32
- beehiiv Partner Program earnings: $1583.75
- Monthly cost: $79
Not too bad, right?
Especially considering that my newsletter is just a side project. I spend most of my time running my website and my client business.
With beehiiv, you can organize your audience into segments, track and improve newsletter performance, set up paid subscriptions, monetize your newsletter with sponsored ads, build websites with their powerful drag-and-drop toolkit, and more!
One feature that stood out to me is Boosts. It allows creators to pay for new email subscribers. But it’s not just about spending money. You can also earn money by promoting other newsletters!
beehiiv estimates that the average cost per subscriber (CPA) is about $2.25.
I’ve had boosts running on my newsletter, and I’ve been earning anywhere from $1 to $3 for each new subscriber I refer.
I’m sharing more details in my detailed beehiiv review.
There’s also a video that explains well how Boosts work.
If you wonder whether beehiiv will work for you, give it a test run free for 30 days! If you like it, you can then use my code TRYBEEHIIV to get 20% off your first 3 months! 🚀
2. Kit (former Convertkit)
- Best for: Email automation
- Pricing: Starting at $15/ month for up to 300 subscribers
- Free trial: A 14-free trial for the Convertkit Creator plan; you can start a free trial here
A few years back, I made the switch from Mailchimp to Kit (formerly ConvertKit), and honestly, I’ve never regretted it. The platform is super user-friendly, which meant I spent less time figuring things out and more time actually getting work done.
As an SEO specialist, I used Kit to build and monetize my email list. I was on the Kit Creator plan, which cost me about $30 a month. One of the Kit’s best features is the visual automation. It made it easy to engage with my audience and sell my products on autopilot.
With Kit, you can create email campaigns, decide who gets them and when, and let the system handle everything for you in the background. That way, you can focus on more important things instead of constantly managing emails.
Here’s an example of how I set up automation in Kit:
Another thing I love about Kit is how fair they are when it comes to pricing—especially for creators selling products through Kit Commerce.
Their transaction fee is just 3.5% + $0.30 per sale, which is way better than Gumroad (10%) and even PayPal (4.75%+).
They also offer a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers, plus one automation—something I would’ve loved when I was just starting out.
If you’re curious and want a deeper dive into Kit, here’s my full review.
3. MailerLite
- Best for: Creators and businesses of all sizes looking for an affordable email marketing software
- Pricing: Starting at $10 for up to 500 subscribers
- Free trial: The tool is free for up to 1,000 subscribers. 30-day free trial for Mailer Lite Advanced
If you need a simple way to manage email subscriptions and stay in touch with your audience, check out MailerLite.
Unlike Mailchimp, MailerLite offers an easy-to-use, all-in-one email marketing platform. You can customize templates, use automation, and segment subscribers to send the right emails to the right people. It’s a great option for businesses and creators who want to connect with their audience.
I’d say MailerLite is one of the best alternatives to Mailchimp, offering strong email marketing tools and even a website builder.
4. Medium
- Best for: Publishing your updates and stories on the web and growing an audience
- Pricing: It’s free to use. You can get access to all Medium stories for $5/m
- Free trial: Not available
Medium can actually work as a great alternative to Mailchimp.
I’ve been writing on Medium for five years, publishing over 350 articles and growing my audience to more than 20,000 followers. Over time, I’ve made over $25,000 from the platform.
If you’re curious about my full journey and how much I earn each month, I break it all down in my Medium writing post.
Here’s how Medium works: Readers pay $5 a month for unlimited access to articles, and writers get paid based on how much time people spend reading their content.
The big difference between Medium and Mailchimp? With Mailchimp, you have to hustle to build an audience from scratch. But Medium has a built-in system that helps distribute your content. As long as your articles meet their guidelines, they have a good chance of being recommended to readers who are already interested in your topics.
Medium has changed a lot over the years. They’ve introduced new features to help creators, including tools for growing an email list. These updates make it easier to make money and connect with an audience outside of Medium.
For example, Medium allows you to collect email subscribers right from your profile. I can see how many people have signed up to get my stories and even export the list to use elsewhere.
Every time I publish a new article, my subscribers automatically get an email without me having to lift a finger.
5. Campaign Monitor
- Best for: This is a great pick for agencies, retail shops, nonprofits, and publishing businesses that need powerful email tools to manage their audience effectively
- Pricing: Plans start at just $11 a month for up to 500 subscribers
- Free trial: You get a 30-day free trial, no credit card needed. Just keep in mind there’s a cap of 500 emails and 500 contacts during the trial period
If you’re looking for an alternative to Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor is a solid option for email marketing.
Campaign Monitor is packed with tools to help you organize your audience, automate your emails, and run targeted campaigns.
Additionally, it’s super easy to use. You can design beautiful newsletters, track how they perform, and tweak things as you go. No guesswork, just clear insights into what’s working and what needs improvement.
Oh, and I came across a tweet from a content creator who runs three newsletters. They shared why they prefer Campaign Monitor over other platforms, which makes me even more curious about its benefits!
6. Mighty Networks
- Best for: Businesses and content creators who want to build a community
- Pricing: From $49 per month
- Free trial: 14 days free trial for a Business Plan; no credit card required
Mighty Networks is an easy-to-use platform that helps you build and grow an online community without the hassle.
You can start discussions, connect with members, and even set up paid memberships without dealing with complicated tech stuff. It’s budget-friendly, handles your domain setup for you, and makes launching your community a breeze.
With Mighty’s customizable Spaces, you can combine your paid content with cool features like live streams, events, interactive courses, forums, and direct messaging—all in one place.
It’s similar to Mailchimp but with way more tools to engage your audience!
I shared all the details about the platform in my in-depth review of Mighty Networks.
7. Gumroad
- Best for: Content creators and ecommerce businesses who want to sell digital and physical products online
- Pricing: Free to use, but charges a 10% fee for every sale you make
- Free trial: Not available
Gumroad isn’t exactly an email marketing tool, but with the features it offers, it works really well as a free alternative to Mailchimp.
I’ve been using Gumroad since April 2021 to sell my SEO writing ebook and other services, and I love how simple it is. It’s designed for creators to help them build an audience and sell products—all without needing a bunch of different tools.
So far, I’ve made over $14,000 just from selling ebooks on Gumroad! If you’re wondering whether it’s the right fit for you, check out my detailed Gumroad review.
Here’s a peek at my sales page on Gumroad.
The customization options are pretty basic, but that’s actually a good thing. Most pages follow a clean, straightforward layout, which keeps buyers focused on the offer instead of getting distracted by unnecessary design elements.
Beyond selling products and services, you can also give away freebies (like lead magnets) to grow your email list.
That’s what makes Gumroad a strong alternative to Mailchimp. It lets you build an audience and sell at the same time!
8. Substack
- Best for: Startups, businesses, and individual creators who need a solution that integrates blogging and email marketing
- Pricing: It’s free to use Substack. There’s a 10% platform fee on paid subscription revenue, plus credit card processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) from Stripe, with an additional billing fee for recurring subscriptions
- Free trial: Not applicable. The platform is free to use
I’ve noticed people sometimes debate what’s better: Substack vs. Mailchimp.
Personally, I think there’s a pretty big difference between the two.
Substack isn’t just an email marketing tool like Mailchimp. It’s been around since 2017 as a full media platform for things like videos, podcasts, blogs, paid memberships, and newsletters.
The free version has some limitations, but if you’re just getting started and don’t want to spend on email marketing, Substack is a solid and free alternative to Mailchimp to test out your ideas before diving into something paid.
What sets Substack apart is that it’s not just about email. It’s a complete content marketing tool. You can create a website, gather emails with sign-up forms, and even sell paid subscriptions. Plus, Substack has an app for iOS and Android, so you can manage everything on the go. Not many platforms offer that kind of flexibility.
But if you’ve tried Substack and are looking for other options, I’ve published a post on my favorite Substack alternatives.
9. Ghost
- Best for: A content management system for businesses and creators
- Pricing: From $11 per month for up to 500 subscribers
- Free trial: 14 days
Ghost is a blogging platform similar to Medium but with way more features.
It’s a solid choice if you want your own space to publish and control everything about your content.
Unlike Mailchimp, which is mostly for newsletters, Ghost is a full blogging platform. It’s built for writing, publishing, and growing your online audience. You’ll benefit from using customizable themes, SEO tools, and their easy-to-use editor. So, it’s way more than an email marketing software.
With Ghost, you can send out free and paid newsletters and offer memberships. And if you want full control, you can host your site on your own servers.
The best part? Ghost doesn’t take a cut of your earnings and starts from just $9 per month.
10. Memberful
- Best for: A platform to create, manage, grow and monetize your membership
- Pricing: From $49 per month for an unlimited number of members
- Free trial: There’s no charge for Memberful Pro until you link your Stripe account and start accepting payments
If you’re a content creator wanting to make money with memberships, Memberful is a solid choice.
While Mailchimp is suitable for setting up complex email marketing campaigns, Memberful puts you in charge of how you set up and sell subscriptions. You can offer different membership levels, share exclusive content, and throw in extra perks—all from one platform.
It also integrates well with platforms like WordPress. So, adding membership options to your site is quite easy.
Bottom line? Memberful is built to manage memberships, whereas Mailchimp provides an extensive toolkit for email marketing needs.
Hello there!
My name is Victoria.
I am an SEO expert, Medium top writer, solopreneur, and the founder of Self Made Millennials. I help companies create optimized content and attract potential customers through organic search results. In addition, I share how content creators can monetize their writing skills.
Everything about running an online business & more
Latest posts
Grab my SEO ebook
Related blog posts
Creator Tools Best Creator Tools: Insights from a Content Writer, Website Owner & SEO written by Victoria Kurichenkoupdated on January 16, 2025Looking for the best tools to grow your online content business? You’re in the right place! Since the moment I quit my full-time job in 2022 and switched to …
Make Money Writing 4 Proven Ways to Make Money Writing Online in 2025 written by Victoria Kurichenko posted on March 27, 2025 Let me guess—you’re here because you’re curious about making money writing online. I get it. I started looking for writing gigs for the same reason: I wanted to …