The fault line
Brevo uses per-send pricing. Mailchimp uses per-contact pricing. This is the most important variable in the comparison — more important than any feature, template library, or automation capability.
Understanding which pricing model is cheaper for your situation takes 30 seconds: multiply your contact count by how many emails you send per month. If that number is below 20,000, Brevo’s £9/mo Starter is almost certainly cheaper than Mailchimp.
Scorecard
| Criterion | Brevo | Mailchimp | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price for 5K contacts, monthly sends | £9/mo | $75/mo | Brevo |
| Price for 5K contacts, daily sends | £49/mo | $75/mo | Brevo |
| Price for 5K contacts, weekly sends | £25/mo | $75/mo | Brevo |
| Free tier quality | Unlimited contacts, 300/day | 250 contacts, no automation | Brevo |
| Integration depth | Good (Shopify, WooCommerce, CRM) | Excellent (300+ integrations) | Mailchimp |
| Automation depth | Good (Business plan) | Good (Standard plan) | Tie |
| Ecommerce features | Basic | Moderate | Mailchimp |
| Deliverability | 78% primary inbox | 71% primary inbox | Brevo |
| Nonprofit use case | Excellent | Good (15% discount) | Brevo |
| GDPR/EU compliance | Excellent (EU data centres) | Good (US-primary) | Brevo |
3-year TCO comparison
Assuming 5K contacts, monthly newsletter send (5K sends/month):
| Platform | Monthly cost | 3-year cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brevo Starter | £9/mo | £324 |
| Mailchimp Standard | $75/mo (~£59) | £2,124 |
| Difference | £1,800 |
For most small businesses and nonprofits, Brevo saves £1,800 over 3 years at 5K contacts. The automation capabilities at both platforms’ relevant tiers are comparable.
Where Mailchimp’s integration depth matters
Brevo’s native integration catalogue is smaller than Mailchimp’s. If your workflow requires one of these specific connectors, the integration gap may decide it:
- DonorPerfect and Bloomerang donor-CRM integration (no Brevo equivalent)
- Eventbrite event management integration (Brevo has a basic version)
- QuickBooks direct sync (no Brevo equivalent)
- Shopify abandoned-cart for basic ecommerce (both have this; Klaviyo is better for serious ecommerce)
If your workflow doesn’t depend on these specific integrations — and most small businesses don’t — Brevo delivers comparable functionality at 70–80% less cost.
What the Mailchimp alternative market gets wrong
Most “Mailchimp alternatives” roundups recommend Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign, or HubSpot. These are lateral moves on the per-contact billing model — they don’t escape the fundamental pricing problem that caused the refugee behaviour in the first place. The only way to meaningfully reduce your email bill when leaving Mailchimp is to switch billing models. Brevo is the market leader in per-send pricing. That’s why it’s the right first recommendation for most Mailchimp refugees, not because it’s the most prominent in affiliate programmes.
Use-case verdicts
Verdict 1: Nonprofit sending monthly newsletters to 2K donors → Brevo wins. 2K contacts Ã- 1 send/month = 2,000 sends. Brevo free tier. Mailchimp Standard: $45/mo. Annual saving: $540.
Verdict 2: E-commerce store sending weekly promotions to 10K subscribers → Mailchimp is acceptable; Klaviyo is better. Brevo wins on price. But at this scale, Klaviyo’s ecommerce-native flows likely drive enough additional revenue to justify the $175/mo cost. Brevo’s ecommerce features are basic.
Verdict 3: Small business sending bi-weekly newsletters to 3K contacts → Brevo wins decisively. Brevo Starter: £9/mo. Mailchimp Standard: ~$54/mo. Same core features. Brevo’s deliverability is better in our testing.
Verdict 4: Agency managing email for 15 SMB clients → Mailchimp for clients who need specific integrations; Brevo for standard newsletter clients. Agency accounts exist in both; Brevo’s multi-client management is less polished.
Migration cost: Mailchimp → Brevo
Switching 3K contacts from Mailchimp to Brevo:
- List export and re-import: 1–2 hours
- Rebuild automations: 2–4 hours
- Rebuild signup forms: 1–2 hours
- Sender domain warm-up: 1–2 weeks
- Total: 4–8 hours, 2 weeks warm-up
Payback period at £50/mo saving: ~1 month. The economics are clear.
Full migration guide: How to migrate from Mailchimp without losing your list or sender reputation.
Final verdict
Brevo wins for the majority of small businesses, nonprofits, and infrequent senders — on price, deliverability, and EU compliance. Mailchimp wins for teams with specific integration dependencies or who send daily to lists under 1K contacts.
If you’re currently on Mailchimp and your bill is over £30/mo, the migration math likely favours Brevo. Use our decision wizard to confirm.
Related: Brevo review · Mailchimp review · Per-contact vs per-send pricing