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Email & SMS marketingComparison2026

Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: which fits your store?

Last verified 2026-08-29 some data medium/low confidence

Klaviyo and Mailchimp are both email & sms marketing tools compared here on pricing verified 2026-08-29, published plans, App Store standing, and themes from recent merchant reviews. Both are priced in the same range — the decision comes down to features and fit. On the Shopify App Store, Klaviyo holds 4.7 ★ across 2,949 reviews and Mailchimp holds 4.8 ★ across 1,331. Klaviyo: These reviews suggest the app fits Shopify merchants looking for a robust email marketing tool with strong Shopify syncing and room to grow into segmentation features. Mailchimp: These reviews suggest the app fits Shopify merchants who want Mailchimp marketing capabilities and value hands-on support during setup, integration, and troubleshooting. — from tracked pricing and recent App Store review analysis.

How do Klaviyo and Mailchimp compare?

KlaviyoMailchimp
App Store rating4.7 ★ (2,949 reviews)4.8 ★ (1,331 reviews)
Price fromfreefree
Free tier ✓ yes ✓ yes
Published plans16
Data confidencemediumhigh
App Store rating
Klaviyo 4.7 ★
Mailchimp 4.8 ★
→ Mailchimp rates higher
Review volume
Klaviyo 2,949
Mailchimp 1,331
→ Klaviyo has the larger base
Detected on 3,797 tracked DTC storefronts
Klaviyo 2474 brands
Mailchimp 196 brands
→ Klaviyo leads among brands we track

What would you actually pay?

Klaviyo plans

PlanMonthlyLimits / notes
Free $0 Up to 250 active profiles; 500 email sends per month; $5 of mobile messages per month; 10,000 Composer credits.

Prices shown in USD. The page displays a $45 total in a plan builder, but the extracted text does not identify the selected paid products, billing period, or associated tier, so it is not assigned to a plan.

Verified 2026-08-29 from vendor pricing page.

Mailchimp plans

PlanMonthlyLimits / notes
Premium $350 Displayed configuration sends up to 150,000 emails/month; monthly sends generally 15× contacts; unlimited contacts, users, and audiences; overages apply; custom pricing available for larger contact lists.
Standard $20 Displayed configuration supports 0–500 contacts and up to 6,000 emails/month; monthly sends generally 12× contacts; 5 users, 5 audiences, and up to 200 automation flows; overages apply.
Essentials $13 Monthly sends up to 10× contacts; 3 users, 3 audiences, and up to 4 automation-flow steps; overages apply.
Free $0 Up to 250 contacts; maximum 500 email sends/month or 250/day; 1 user and 1 audience. Sending is paused when contact or email limits are exceeded.
Pay As You Go Purchase email credits as needed instead of paying a recurring monthly or annual charge; intended for infrequent senders.
High-volume plan Available for more than 200,000 contacts; custom Premium options are also available above 250,000 contacts.

Displayed prices are in USD. The page also offers selectors for AUD, BRL, CAD, CHF, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, INR, JPY, MXN, NZD, SEK, SGD, and ZAR, but no prices in those currencies are shown.

Verified 2026-08-29 from vendor pricing page.

Which features does each include?

FeatureKlaviyoMailchimp
Email campaigns
SMS marketing ✓ paid
Automation flows ✓ paid
Segmentation
A/B testing
Forms & popups
Push notifications
Transactional email
Template library ✓ paid
Analytics & reporting
AI features
Personalization
Deliverability tools ✓ paid
Review app integration
API access
Free plan

Extracted from each vendor's App Store listing (2026-07-15); "—" = not stated there. Verify tier availability on vendor pricing pages.

What do merchants say about them?

Klaviyo

Recent merchant sentiment is strongly positive, but much of the sample consists of ratings with minimal written explanation. Written comments most often highlight email marketing performance, Shopify integration, ease of use, and early revenue impact, while the clearest caveat is pricing for businesses in a growth phase.

  • Strong overall satisfaction — Most identifiable recent reviews are positive, with many merchants leaving high ratings even when they provide little written detail.
  • Email marketing effectiveness — Several merchants say the app works well for email marketing and helps support sales or revenue-generating campaigns.
  • Shopify integration — Merchants note that the app connects smoothly with Shopify and keeps store data in sync effectively.
  • Ease of use — Some newer users describe the interface as approachable and intuitive despite being early in setup.
  • Pricing pressure — One merchant says costs rise sharply for growing businesses and recommends carefully modeling pricing before committing.
  • Segmentation learning curve — One review notes that segmentation requires some learning before it becomes effective.

Watch out: Merchants should review pricing carefully as their contact list or business scale grows.

Synthesized from the 20 most recent App Store reviews (2026-07-15); themes paraphrased.

Mailchimp

Recent merchant sentiment is strongly positive, with reviews dominated by praise for support rather than detailed feature feedback. The clearest pattern is that merchants rely on support to resolve setup, syncing, integration, and workflow issues quickly and clearly.

  • Helpful support — Merchants most often praise support agents for being useful, friendly, patient, and easy to work with.
  • Issue resolution — Many reviews say support successfully fixed troubleshooting problems, including Shopify-Mailchimp syncing and integration issues.
  • Clear guidance — Several merchants appreciated being walked through steps clearly across setup, templates, flows, and platform navigation.
  • Fast responses — A smaller group highlights quick replies, immediate help, or prompt follow-up during support interactions.
  • Product pain points — One review separates praise for support from frustration with recurring issues in the Mailchimp-Shopify integration or app experience.

Watch out: The main caveat is that at least one merchant reports recurring app or integration pain points despite positive support experiences.

Synthesized from the 17 most recent App Store reviews (2026-07-15); themes paraphrased.

FAQ

Which is cheaper, Klaviyo or Mailchimp?

Both start at free (verified 2026-08-29).

Does Klaviyo or Mailchimp have a free plan?

Both offer free tiers.

Which is rated higher on the Shopify App Store?

Mailchimp rates higher at 4.8 ★, vs 4.7 ★ — though both counts matter: Klaviyo has 2,949 reviews and Mailchimp has 1,331.

How we compare: pricing and plans are collected automatically from vendor pages on a schedule and shown with verification dates; ratings come from the Shopify App Store; merchant sentiment is synthesized from the most recent App Store reviews (paraphrased, never quoted). We currently have no affiliate relationship with either vendor. Found an error? The data snapshot behind this page is dated — check the vendor's page for same-day changes.

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