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
- 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.