These two get compared constantly, and the comparison is usually framed wrongly. They are not competing versions of the same product. Mailchimp is a general-purpose marketing platform that does ecommerce; Klaviyo is an ecommerce data platform that sends email.
That difference decides almost everything below — including which one is cheaper, which is not the question most people think it is.
At a glance
| Mailchimp | Klaviyo | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing basis | Contacts stored | Profiles stored — anyone with a record, including non-subscribers |
| Send allowance | 10× contacts (Essentials), 12× (Standard), 15× (Premium) | Send limits tied to plan tier |
| Cost at ~10,000 contacts | $135/mo | $175/mo |
| Free tier | 250 contacts, 500 emails/mo | Yes, limited |
| Automation depth | 4 flow steps on Essentials; up to 200 flows on Standard+ | Deep, ecommerce-native from the start |
| Ecommerce data model | Basic order data | Full product, order and browse data |
| Transactional email | Separate product, separate bill | Not a transactional provider |
| SMS | Add-on, credits expire monthly | Native, integrated with flows |
| Integrations | 300+ | 350+, ecommerce-weighted |
| Best fit | Small business, mixed use, non-technical teams | Ecommerce with real product data |
The billing difference nobody explains properly
Both charge by the size of your audience. But they count it differently, and the distinction costs real money.
Mailchimp bills on contacts stored, in tiers — 0–500, 501–1,500, 1,501–2,500 and upward. Your monthly send allowance is a multiple of that count: 10× on Essentials, 12× on Standard, 15× on Premium.
Klaviyo bills on profiles, and a profile is not the same as a subscriber. Anyone with a record in the system can count — including people who bought once and never opted into marketing, and browsers captured by on-site tracking. For a store with heavy traffic and a modest email list, the profile count can run well ahead of the subscriber count.
This is the single most common billing surprise on Klaviyo, and it is a direct consequence of what makes the product good: it collects far more data about far more people.
Where the automation genuinely differs
Mailchimp Essentials caps automations at four flow steps. Not four automations — four steps inside each one. A welcome sequence with a wait, a condition and two emails is already at the ceiling. Real lifecycle email needs Standard, which allows up to 200 flows.
Klaviyo has no equivalent gate. Flows are deep from the entry plan, and they are built around product data rather than bolted onto it — browse abandonment, back-in-stock, predicted next order date, replenishment timing. Those are not features Mailchimp offers in comparable depth at any tier.
If your flows amount to a welcome series and cart recovery, that depth is capability you are paying for and not using. If they involve product-level personalisation, Mailchimp will frustrate you regardless of tier. Templates for the common flows are in our template library.
Transactional email: neither is the answer
Worth stating because it catches people out. Mailchimp sells transactional as a separate product with its own pricing — it is not part of a marketing plan. Klaviyo is not a transactional provider at all.
So if you need order confirmations, password resets and OTPs alongside campaigns, neither platform covers it within the plan you are comparing. That is a second vendor and a second bill either way. Background in transactional vs marketing email.
What it actually costs
At roughly 10,000 contacts, from our tested comparison in June 2026: Mailchimp $135/month, Klaviyo $175/month.
But the headline gap understates the difference in two directions. Klaviyo counts profiles rather than subscribers, so your billable number may be higher than your list size. And Mailchimp bills overages automatically if you exceed contacts or sends, with no cap you set in advance — which is where surprise invoices come from.
For the full ladder and the gotchas on each, see Mailchimp pricing explained. Klaviyo publishes its pricing through a JavaScript slider that does not expose a public ladder, so check it directly at your profile count.
Choose Klaviyo if
- You run a real ecommerce store on Shopify, BigCommerce or similar, and product data drives your email
- Your flows depend on behaviour — browse abandonment, replenishment timing, predicted next purchase
- You want SMS integrated into the same flows rather than bolted on as an add-on
- Revenue attribution matters and you need to see which flow earned what
- Your margins support it. Klaviyo is expensive because it does more; that is a fair trade when you use it
Choose Mailchimp if
- Email is one of several things you do and you are not running deep ecommerce automation
- Non-specialists will use the tool. The editor is the most familiar in the category, and that matters when you hand it over
- Your stack depends on its integration directory — 300+, the broadest available
- You want real onboarding — a human session on Standard, a dedicated specialist on Premium
- You send frequently to a modest list, where the 12× or 15× send multiple is generous
Consider neither if
Both bill on audience size rather than sending. If your list grows faster than your send volume — seasonal retail, events, membership organisations, anyone collecting addresses faster than they mail them — you are paying monthly for records you rarely touch, on either platform.
Send-based platforms invert that. And if you also need transactional email, putting it on the same bill removes a vendor rather than adding one. See the full field compared.
Frequently asked questions
Is Klaviyo better than Mailchimp?
For ecommerce with real product data, yes — meaningfully. For everything else, it is more expensive capability you will not use. The honest answer depends entirely on whether you have a product catalogue driving your email.
Why is Klaviyo more expensive?
It does more, and it counts more. Deeper ecommerce data modelling and automation, plus billing on profiles rather than subscribers — so the billable number can exceed your email list.
Can I switch from Mailchimp to Klaviyo, or the other way?
Yes. Contacts and suppressions export from both; automations must be rebuilt because no platform imports another’s workflow logic. See how to migrate from Klaviyo and how to migrate from Mailchimp.
Which is better for a small business?
Mailchimp, in most cases — unless that small business is an ecommerce store where product data drives the email programme, in which case Klaviyo earns its price early.
Do either include transactional email?
No. Mailchimp sells it as a separate product; Klaviyo does not offer it. Both mean a second vendor if you need receipts and password resets.
What about SMS?
Klaviyo’s is native and integrated into flows. Mailchimp’s is a paid add-on, US-focused, and credits expire monthly without rolling over.
A third option worth knowing about. If what pushed you into this comparison was the bill rather than the features, Bluey Email charges on emails sent rather than contacts or profiles stored, and includes transactional email on every plan — so a growing list does not raise the invoice, and receipts do not need a second subscription.
Start free — 500 emails a month, no card required. Or read Bluey Email vs Mailchimp and Bluey Email vs Klaviyo.
Mailchimp plan structure, send multiples and overage policy verified from mailchimp.com, September 2026. Comparative price points dated June 2026. Klaviyo does not publish a static pricing ladder — check current figures at your profile count.