The short verdict
Best free alternative: Systeme.io, with up to 2,000 contacts and unlimited email sends on its free plan, plus funnels and checkout. Best like-for-like email tool: MailerLite, clean and simple with EU data storage. Best for big newsletter lists: Kit, free up to 10,000 subscribers. Best for transactional plus marketing email: Brevo, which counts emails per day rather than contacts on its free plan.
Mailchimp alternatives compared
| Free plan contacts | Free plan sending | Automations on free plan | First paid tier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp (for reference) | Up to 250 | 500/month (max 250/day) | Not included | Essentials / Standard: see Mailchimp pricing |
| Systeme.io | Up to 2,000 | Unlimited | 1 automation rule | Startup: $17/month (5,000 contacts) |
| MailerLite | Up to 250 | 2,500/month | 3 active automations | Comfort: from $12/month |
| Kit | Up to 10,000 | Unlimited broadcasts | Not included (paid) | Creator: $33/month billed yearly (1,000 subscribers) |
| Brevo | Not checked (see pricing page) | Up to 300 emails/day | See pricing page | Starter: see Brevo pricing |
Checked on official pricing pages, 22 October 2026: Mailchimp, Systeme.io, MailerLite, Kit, Brevo. Mailchimp's and Brevo's paid prices load dynamically and vary by contact count and currency, so we haven't quoted them. Other prices are in US dollars.
Why UK businesses are leaving Mailchimp
Mailchimp is still the best-known email platform, but its free plan is now small. According to its pricing page (checked 22 October 2026), the Free plan covers fewer than 250 contacts, a maximum of 500 emails a month or 250 a day, 1 seat and 1 audience, email support only for the first 30 days, and no marketing automation flows or email scheduling. Mailchimp branding stays on your emails until you pay.
Paid plans (Essentials, Standard and Premium) unlock automation flows, more seats and higher sending limits, priced by contact count. If you've hit the free limits or just want more for your money, the four tools below are the alternatives we'd look at first.
1. Systeme.io: best free alternative
Systeme.io isn't just email: it's an all-in-one platform with sales funnels, checkout, courses and an affiliate programme. For a business moving off Mailchimp, the headline is the free plan: up to 2,000 contacts and unlimited email sends, no card required. The main limit is automation: just 1 automation rule and 1 email campaign on Free. The Startup plan ($17 a month) lifts that to 10 automation rules and 5,000 contacts, and Systeme.io advertises free migration.
Best for: coaches, consultants, course creators and service businesses that sell online. Read our Systeme.io free plan review.
2. MailerLite: best like-for-like email tool
MailerLite is the closest thing to "Mailchimp, but simpler". It has drag-and-drop, rich-text and HTML editors, a visual automation builder, forms, pop-ups, landing pages and Shopify and WooCommerce integrations. Its free plan is also 250 subscribers, but includes 2,500 emails a month, 2 user seats and 3 active automations. Comfort starts at $12 a month and Power at $25, both scaling with subscribers. MailerLite says its data is stored in the European Union.
Best for: shops and small businesses that want a focused, easy email tool. See our MailerLite review.
3. Kit: best for large newsletter lists
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) offers the biggest free list of the group: up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, tagging and segmentation, and digital product sales. Visual automations and sequences start on the Creator plan, listed at $33 a month billed yearly for 1,000 subscribers. It's built for creators, so its language and features lean that way.
Best for: newsletter-first creators, writers and podcasters.
4. Brevo: best for transactional and marketing email together
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) combines marketing email with transactional email (order confirmations, password resets) via API and SMTP on all plans. Its free plan lets you upload contacts and, once your account is approved for sending, send up to 300 emails a day, per Brevo's pricing FAQ. Paid plans (Starter, Standard, Professional) are priced by sending volume; Standard adds marketing automation and A/B testing. Brevo paid prices weren't readable in our currency when we checked, so check the live page.
Best for: businesses that send by daily volume rather than list size, or need transactional email too.
Switching from Mailchimp: a quick checklist
- Export your audience from Mailchimp as a CSV, including consent fields and tags.
- Only import people who opted in. Under UK GDPR and PECR you need a lawful basis to email them; moving tools doesn't change that.
- Rebuild your sign-up forms and swap them on your website.
- Authenticate your sending domain (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) in the new tool before your first send.
- Recreate your welcome email or automation, then send a small test campaign.
Want to connect your email tool to your shop, forms or CRM? Our Zapier alternatives guide covers the automation options.
Bottom line
If Mailchimp's 250-contact, 500-email free plan is too tight, Systeme.io's free plan gives you eight times the contacts and unlimited sends, plus funnels and checkout. If you just want a better pure email tool, MailerLite is the easy switch. Kit and Brevo are strong picks for creators and high-volume senders respectively.
Frequently asked questions
What are Mailchimp's free plan limits in 2026?
As of October 2026, Mailchimp's Free plan is for fewer than 250 contacts, with a maximum of 500 emails a month (250 a day), 1 seat, 1 audience and no marketing automation flows, according to its pricing page.
What is the best free Mailchimp alternative?
For most small businesses selling services or digital products, Systeme.io: its free plan supports up to 2,000 contacts with unlimited email sends (checked Oct 2026). For newsletters only, Kit's free plan goes up to 10,000 subscribers.
Is MailerLite cheaper than Mailchimp?
MailerLite's Comfort plan starts at $12 a month. Mailchimp's paid prices vary by contact count and currency; compare both at your list size on their pricing pages.
Can I move my Mailchimp list to another tool?
Yes. Export your audience as a CSV and import it into the new tool, keeping consent records. Only import contacts who opted in.
Which Mailchimp alternative stores data in the EU?
MailerLite says its data is stored in the European Union. Check each vendor's privacy and data-processing terms for the others.
Related guides
- Best free email marketing software for UK small businesses
- Systeme.io vs MailerLite vs Kit for small business email
- Systeme.io free plan: what you really get in 2026
- Systeme.io vs Kajabi for UK coaches and course creators
- See our full ranking of AI tools for small business
Prices and plan limits change frequently. We note the date we checked each fact; always confirm on the vendor's official pricing page before buying. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.