Looking for the best Mailchimp alternatives in 2026?
Mailchimp is still a popular email marketing platform, but it may not be the best fit for every business. As your email list grows, you may want better automation, more flexible pricing, SMS marketing, CRM features, or a platform that combines more marketing tools in one place.
The good news is that you have several strong alternatives.
After comparing the available options, Brevo is our top recommendation, followed by GetResponse and ActiveCampaign.
The 3 Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2026
| Rank | Platform | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 #1 | Brevo | Small businesses, startups & growing brands |
| 🥈 #2 | GetResponse | Marketing funnels & automation |
| 🥉 #3 | ActiveCampaign | Advanced marketing automation |
1. Brevo — Our #1 Mailchimp Alternative
Formerly known as Sendinblue, Brevo has grown beyond traditional email marketing to offer a broader customer communication platform.
With Brevo, you can manage:
- Email marketing
- Marketing automation
- CRM
- SMS marketing
- Transactional email
- WhatsApp marketing
- Contact management
- Segmentation
- Forms and landing pages
- Sales tools
- Analytics
This makes Brevo particularly interesting for small businesses and growing brands that don’t want to manage several separate marketing tools.
Why Choose Brevo Over Mailchimp?
The biggest reason to consider Brevo is the combination of features, flexibility and pricing.
While Mailchimp is primarily known as an email marketing platform, Brevo gives businesses tools for email, automation, CRM and other customer communication channels.
That means you can use one platform for more of your marketing workflow.
Brevo Pricing
Brevo offers a free plan as well as several paid plans.
Its pricing model is also worth paying attention to because email plans are structured around sending volume as well as contacts, rather than relying exclusively on the number of contacts in your database.
This can be particularly attractive for businesses that have a large contact list but don’t send emails to every subscriber frequently.
For example, if you have thousands of contacts but only send a few campaigns each month, Brevo’s approach may provide better flexibility than a platform where your contact count is the primary pricing factor.
Always check Brevo’s current pricing and plan limits before choosing a plan, as features and pricing can change.
Brevo Email Marketing
Brevo includes all the essential tools you’d expect from a modern email marketing platform.
You can create:
- Newsletters
- Promotional campaigns
- Welcome emails
- Product announcements
- Lead nurturing campaigns
- Re-engagement campaigns
- Customer updates
- Transactional emails
The drag-and-drop editor makes it possible to create professional emails without needing coding experience.
You can also use templates, segmentation and personalization to create more targeted campaigns.
Brevo Marketing Automation
One of Brevo’s biggest advantages over a basic email marketing platform is automation.
Instead of manually sending every follow-up email, you can create automated customer journeys.
For example:
New subscriber
↓
Welcome email
↓
Wait 2 days
↓
Send helpful content
↓
Wait 3 days
↓
Send product recommendation
↓
Follow up automatically
You can create workflows based on different triggers and customer actions.
This can be especially useful for:
- Lead nurturing
- Welcome sequences
- Abandoned carts
- Customer onboarding
- Product follow-ups
- Re-engagement campaigns
- Event reminders
For a small marketing team, automation can save a significant amount of repetitive work.
Brevo Email + SMS Marketing
Another major advantage is that Brevo isn’t limited to email.
Businesses can use Brevo for email and SMS marketing, while other communication capabilities are also available depending on the plan and requirements.
This gives businesses the ability to combine different channels.
For example:
Customer places an order → Confirmation email → SMS update
Or:
New subscriber → Welcome email → Follow-up message
If you want email and SMS marketing without managing completely separate platforms, Brevo is worth considering.
Brevo CRM
Brevo also includes CRM functionality.
You can organize contacts, manage customer information, create segments and manage deals.
This can be useful for businesses that want their marketing and customer information connected rather than spread across several different systems.
For a small company, having email marketing and CRM functionality together can make the overall marketing setup much easier to manage.
Is Brevo Easy to Use?
For most small businesses, Brevo is relatively easy to get started with.
The visual email editor and automation tools make it possible to build campaigns without technical knowledge.
Basic workflows are particularly straightforward.
For example:
Subscriber joins → Send email → Wait → Send follow-up
More advanced automation involving multiple conditions and branches will naturally require some learning.
Our Rating
| Area | Rating |
|---|---|
| Email campaigns | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Basic automation | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Advanced automation | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| CRM | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Overall | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Brevo Limitations
Brevo isn’t perfect, and it’s important to consider the limitations before switching from Mailchimp.
Advanced features may require higher plans
Some advanced marketing, analytics and automation capabilities aren’t included in every plan.
SMS has additional costs
SMS messaging isn’t simply included as unlimited free usage. Costs and availability depend on the destination and messaging requirements.
Advanced automation takes time to learn
Basic workflows are easy, but complicated customer journeys can take some time to configure correctly.
Not every business needs an all-in-one platform
If you only need to send a simple newsletter once or twice a month, a simpler email platform may be enough.
Who Should Choose Brevo?
We recommend Brevo if you are:
A Small Business
You want email marketing, automation and CRM without building a complicated marketing stack.
A Startup
You need a platform that can start small and support your marketing as the business grows.
A Blogger or Content Creator
You want to build an email list, send newsletters and eventually introduce automated campaigns.
An Ecommerce Business
You need marketing emails, customer communication and transactional messaging.
An Agency
You want a broader set of communication and marketing tools for managing campaigns.
Who Shouldn’t Choose Brevo?
Brevo may not be the right option if you:
- Only need extremely basic newsletters
- Need highly specialized ecommerce marketing
- Require very advanced enterprise automation
- Already have a CRM that handles everything you need
- Depend on a specific feature offered by another platform
In those situations, one of the alternatives below may be a better fit.
2. GetResponse — Best for Marketing Funnels
GetResponse is a strong alternative to Mailchimp for businesses that want more than traditional email campaigns.
The platform combines email marketing with automation, landing pages, funnels and other marketing tools.
Key Features
- Email marketing
- Marketing automation
- Landing pages
- Marketing funnels
- Segmentation
- Autoresponders
- Analytics
Pros
- Strong marketing automation
- Funnel-building capabilities
- Landing pages
- Multiple marketing tools
- Good option for businesses focused on lead generation
Cons
- Can take time to learn
- Some advanced features require higher plans
- May offer more tools than a simple newsletter user needs
GetResponse vs Brevo
If your main priority is marketing funnels, GetResponse is worth considering.
But if you want a broader combination of email marketing, CRM, automation, transactional email and SMS, we’d recommend looking at Brevo first.
3. ActiveCampaign — Best for Advanced Automation
ActiveCampaign is another powerful Mailchimp alternative, particularly for businesses that need sophisticated automation.
You can create detailed customer journeys based on customer behavior, engagement and other conditions.
Key Features
- Advanced marketing automation
- Email marketing
- CRM
- Customer journeys
- Segmentation
- Personalization
- Integrations
- Sales automation
Pros
- Excellent automation capabilities
- Powerful segmentation
- Detailed customer journeys
- Strong CRM functionality
- Extensive integrations
Cons
- Steeper learning curve
- Can be more complicated for beginners
- May be more than a small business needs
ActiveCampaign vs Brevo
If advanced automation is your number-one priority, ActiveCampaign deserves a close look.
However, if you want something that combines email marketing, automation, CRM, transactional messaging and multiple communication channels, Brevo is our preferred option.
Brevo vs GetResponse vs ActiveCampaign
Here’s a quick comparison:
| Feature | Brevo | GetResponse | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email marketing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Marketing automation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| CRM | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| SMS marketing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Transactional email | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Landing pages | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Segmentation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Beginner friendly | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Best for | Small businesses & growing brands | Funnels | Advanced automation |
Which Mailchimp Alternative Should You Choose?
The answer depends on what you’re looking for.
Choose Brevo if:
You want an all-around email marketing and customer communication platform with email, automation, CRM, transactional messaging and SMS capabilities.
Choose GetResponse if:
Your marketing strategy depends heavily on funnels and lead generation.
Choose ActiveCampaign if:
You need advanced automation and highly detailed customer journeys.
Why We Recommend Brevo
Out of the three alternatives, Brevo is our top pick for most small businesses and growing brands.
The reason is simple: you get a combination of features without necessarily needing a complicated marketing stack.
You can start with email marketing and gradually add:
- Automation
- CRM
- SMS
- Transactional messaging
- Segmentation
- Customer journeys
That makes Brevo a practical choice for businesses that want room to grow.
Final Verdict: Is Brevo a Good Mailchimp Alternative?
Yes.
Mailchimp is still a capable email marketing platform, but businesses have more choices than ever.
If you’re looking for a platform that goes beyond basic newsletters, Brevo stands out as our #1 Mailchimp alternative in 2026.
It’s particularly worth considering if you want:
✔ Email marketing
✔ Marketing automation
✔ CRM
✔ SMS marketing
✔ Transactional email
✔ Contact segmentation
✔ Multiple customer communication channels
✔ A platform suitable for growing businesses
🏆 Our #1 Pick: Brevo
If you’re considering moving away from Mailchimp, Brevo is the first platform we’d recommend trying.
Start with what you need today and scale your marketing setup as your business grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Mailchimp alternative in 2026?
Brevo is our #1 overall recommendation, particularly for small businesses, startups and growing brands looking for email marketing, automation, CRM and multi-channel communication.
Is Brevo better than Mailchimp?
It depends on your requirements. Brevo can be a better fit if you want CRM, automation, SMS, transactional messaging and a broader customer communication platform.
Is Brevo free?
Brevo offers a free plan, although features, sending limits and other restrictions apply.
Can I migrate from Mailchimp to Brevo?
Yes. You can export your contacts from Mailchimp and import them into Brevo. You’ll also need to recreate your important campaigns and automation workflows.
Is Brevo good for small businesses?
Yes. Its combination of email marketing, automation, CRM and additional communication tools makes it particularly suitable for small and growing businesses.
Is Brevo good for email automation?
Yes. Brevo supports automated workflows based on triggers and customer actions, making it possible to build welcome sequences, lead nurturing campaigns, abandoned-cart workflows and other automated customer journeys.
Affiliate Disclosure
This article may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Our recommendations are based on our evaluation of the platforms and their suitability for different types of users.
Last updated: September 2026
