MailerLite vs MailChimp: Which Is the Better Email Service Provider in 2023?

Welcome to my in-depth comparison of MailerLite and MailChimp – two of the most widely used email marketing platforms. Choosing the right email service provider (ESP) for your business is essential to connect with your audience.

In this extensive review, I’ll assess the key features, ease of use, customization, automation capabilities, integrations, deliverability, and pricing so you can determine which platform will best meet your unique needs.

A Brief Background on MailerLite and MailChimp

Let’s start with a quick overview of both platforms.

MailerLite

MailerLite was founded in 2010 as an affordable and easy-to-use alternative to other complex and costly solutions. Since its inception, MailerLite has expanded its capabilities while remaining cost effective.

Some key features include:

Drag-and-drop email builder
Automated email workflows
Custom landing pages and forms
Subscriber management tools
Detailed analytics and reports

An optimal choice for first-time email marketers or those with smaller budgets due to its:

Free plan up to 1,000 subscribers
Plans starting at $10 per month

MailChimp

Launched in 2001, MailChimp is one of the first ESPs as well as the most recognizable brands in email marketing.

Well-known for its:

Intuitive drag-and-drop builder
Automations and tailored journeys
Custom landing pages and forms
Contact management features
Powerful reports and predictive analytics

MailChimp appeals to marketers familiar with email and those desiring advanced features with these characteristics:

Most pricing plans have a minimum of 2,000 subscribers
Cheapest paid plan starts at $13 per month

Now, let’s dig deeper into the comparison across these key categories.

Comparing Email Creation & Customization

The email builder and available templates impact design flexibility and customization capabilities.

MailerLite and MailChimp both utilize drag-and-drop email builders and include templates so you don’t have to design emails completely from scratch unless desired.

MailerLite Editor

Mailerlite’s flexible builder makes creating emails incredibly simple with:

850+ professionally designed templates
Easy drag-and-drop modules
Global styling capabilities
Collaborative editing
Built-in image editor

However, HTML and CSS knowledge is required for deep customization.

MailChimp Email Builder

Designing beautiful, personalized emails is fast and intuitive with MailChimp’s builder featuring:

Over 700 mobile responsive templates
Personalization tags for mass emails
Collaborative design functionality
Basic image editing

While MailChimp offers code-free customization, you can write custom CSS for advanced personalization.

When considering ease of building and sending emails for non-technical users, MailerLite has a slight edge for its simpler editor. But for those familiar with HTML/CSS, MailChimp enables deeper design flexibility.

Automating Your Emails with Workflows

Creating automated workflows saves time and nurtures leads. Let’s explore how automation capabilities compare.

MailerLite Automations

MailerLite makes it easy to set up multi-step email automations with its visual automation builder. You can:

Trigger workflows based on specific subscriber actions or dates
Create sequences with unlimited steps and conditional branching
Set up post-send automation based on open & click tracking

While some find MailerLite automations simpler for beginners, they cover less advanced use cases compared to MailChimp.

MailChimp Journeys

Mailchimp’s multi-channel automations, called Journeys, offer significantly more advanced options:

Automate emails, push notifications, SMS, and ads
Create unlimited variants for A/B testing
Use filters and segmentation
Integrate with e-commerce platforms

Marketers desiring complex, omnichannel customer journeys get greater capabilities with MailChimp. But those wanting basic email sequences may find MailerLite simpler to start.

Crafting Landing Pages and Collecting Subscribers

Quality landing pages and sign-up forms ensure you grow your subscriber list.

Both ESPs provide opt-in form building with integration directly into emails and the ability to host forms on landing pages.

MailerLite Landing Pages

Quickly build landing pages using:

Hundreds of flexible, mobile-responsive templates
Drag-and-drop form and content modules
Custom domains
Real-time behavior analytics

Forms and landing pages load quickly and convert visitors well. However, you’ll need CSS knowledge for advanced-level page design compared to MailChimp’s wider selection of customizable templates.

MailChimp Landing Pages

Design eye-catching landing pages through:

Numerous mobile-friendly templates
Drag-and-drop modules
Custom domains
Built-in analytics

While page load speeds are strong, some users report slower form response times compared to MailerLite.

For beginners, MailerLite provides an easier starting point, while MailChimp offers greater design flexibility for customized landing pages.

Comparing Analytics & Reporting

Understanding your email performance through robust analytics and reporting is vital for optimization.

MailerLite Analytics & Reports

MailerLite packs strong analytics into its lowest priced plans, including:

Open, click, and unsubscribe rates
Location-based metrics
Email activity tracking
Campaign performance monitoring

Advanced statistics and multi-channel analysis require upgraded paid plans which can be restrictive for some users.

MailChimp Reports & Analytics

MailChimp is renowned for its comprehensive analytics and actionable reports such as:

Open, clickthrough, and unsubscribe rates
Demographic and location details
Campaign response tracking
E-commerce purchase monitoring
Predictive recommendations for optimization

The level of granular insight into subscriber engagement goes significantly deeper compared to MailerLite. Marketers get immense value from the advanced analytics MailChimp provides.

Deliverability & Spam Testing

For emails to reach the inbox, effective deliverability processes must be in place.

Both MailerLite and MailChimp focus efforts in this area and have above-average inbox placement rates, though MailChimp edges out with superior deliverability through:

Close relationships with major ISPs
Sending infrastructure monitoring
Advanced spam testing options
High sender reputation

For anyone prioritizing email deliverability, MailChimp provides greater confidence although both services perform well compared to industry averages.

Integrations to Enhance Functionality

Expanding capabilities through third-party integrations gives you flexibility as your needs grow.

MailerLite offers over 1,200 native integrations with apps like:

WordPress
Google Analytics
Zapier
Salesforce

Meanwhile, MailChimp partners with over 700 industry-leading solutions including:

Shopify
Facebook
Zendesk
Zoho CRM

Both provide integration APIs allowing you to connect with other marketing, sales, and ecommerce programs. MailChimp just tends to have more direct out-of-the-box integrations available.

Pricing Comparison

Budget is often the biggest differentiator when selecting an email service provider. Let’s break down the pricing of both solutions.

MailerLite Pricing

One major advantage is the generous free plan permitting 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month.

Paid plans unlocking added functionality start at $10 per month.

Key Paid Plan Pricing

Grow (up to 2,500 subscribers) – $10/month
Scale (up to 10,000 subscribers) – $50/month
Thrive (up to 50,000 subscribers) – $290/month

This transparent, cost-effective pricing appeals to solopreneurs and early stage startups.

MailChimp Pricing

The free plan allows only 2,000 emails sent to 500 subscribers per month which is restrictive.

Paid plans start at $13 per month but scalability comes from volume-based enterprise pricing.

Here are the starting paid plan rates:

Essentials (up to 500 contacts) – $13/month
Standard (up to 2,500 contacts) – $20/month
Premium (up to 100,000 contacts) – $299/month

Once beyond 100,000 contacts, transparent pricing ends as enterprise plans based on sending volume take effect which can cost thousands per month.

Those needing to scale beyond 100,000 subscribers have truly reached enterprise-level where highly customized pricing makes sense from MailChimp.

But for most small and medium sized businesses, MailerLite delivers exceptional functionality at available prices while scaling.

Final Recommendations on Selecting Between MailerLite vs MailChimp

Deciding whether MailerLite or MailChimp fits your specific use case depends greatly on several key factors:

MailerLite tends to work best for:

Cost-conscious users
Beginner email marketers
Smaller subscriber lists

MailChimp excels for:

Advanced automation needs
Large subscriber volumes
Premium deliverability & analytics

Both solutions enable creating, sending, and optimizing email campaigns even if their approaches differ.

I’d recommend MailerLite if you value simplicity and affordability while needing core email functionality.

But for advanced capabilities and maximum deliverability, MailChimp justifies the added cost as one of the premium solutions once scale increases.

No matter your budget or business size, this comparison should equip you to select the best ESP aligned with your email marketing requirements.