In the realm of email marketing, finding the right platform is crucial for any business looking to build and maintain a successful digital presence.
Brevo vs Mailchimp – Which is better?
Brevo (formerly known as Sendinblue) and Mailchimp are two popular choices, each with its own unique features and strengths. In this comprehensive comparison, we will delve into the key aspects of both platforms to help you make an informed decision about which one best suits your business needs.
Contents
– Pricing
– User Interface and Ease of Use
– Features and Functionality
– Email Deliverability
– Analytics and Reporting
– Customer Support
– Integration Capabilities
– Conclusion
Pricing
For most of us, pricing is the biggest factor here. So which gives the best value for money?
Brevo offers a free plan with boat loads of features (read our full Brevo review here), making it an excellent option for small businesses on a budget. Its paid plans start at $25 per month, providing additional features and higher sending limits. Mailchimp also offers a free plan with basic features, but its pricing can be higher than Brevo’s as you scale up.
Let’s have a look at the free plans and what you get –
Brevo Free Plan
£0 / Month
What you get:
✅ Unlimited contacts
✅ 300 emails/day
✅ Customisable email templates
✅ Transactional emails
✅ SMS & WhatsApp campaigns
✅ Push Notifications (500 impressions)
✅ Shared Inbox
✅ Transactional Email sending
✅ Custom webhooks
✅ Workflow editor
✅ Marketing Automation (Up to 2,000 contacts
Mailchimp Free Plan
£0 / Month
What you get:
✅ Up to 500 contacts
✅ 1,000 Monthly Sends
✅ 1 Audience
✅ 300+ Integrations
✅ Basic Reporting & Analytics
✅ Forms and Landing Pages
Now let’s take a look at their cheapest paid plans, working off a list of say, 501 contacts (just over the free plans of each)
Brevo Starter Plan
£16 / Month ($25)
What you get:
✅ Everything in Free
✅ Unlimited contacts
✅ Email Template Gallery
✅ SMS Marketing
✅ From 20k emails/month
✅ No daily sending limit
✅ Email support
Mailchimp Essentials Plan
£21.37 / Month ($26.50)
What you get:
✅ Everything in Free
✅ Up to 1,500 contacts
✅ 15,000 Monthly Sends
✅ 3 Audiences
✅ Basic Reporting & Analytics
✅ Forms and Landing Pages
In terms of pricing and value for money, Brevo wins here for sure. The biggest factor for us is the unlimited contacts. If you’re like us and you send say 1 or 2 email campaigns per month, the sends aren’t the biggest factor, it’s not having to worry as the list grows. Plus, should your list grow to such an extent that the sends aren’t enough, cull the ones that never open your emails and you’ll see your list number plummet.
User Interface and Ease of Use
When it comes to the user interface, both Brevo and Mailchimp provide intuitive and user-friendly platforms.
Brevo’s interface is clean, modern, and easy to navigate. Its drag-and-drop editor allows users to create visually appealing emails without any coding knowledge.
Similarly, Mailchimp offers a simple and intuitive interface, although it has gotten more glitchy over time.
Both platforms provide templates that can be customised to match your brand, although Brevo offers a slightly wider selection.
Features and Functionality
Brevo and Mailchimp offer a wide range of features to enhance your email marketing campaigns. Brevo provides advanced segmentation options, allowing you to target specific customer groups based on various criteria. It also offers marketing automation, enabling you to set up workflows and trigger personalised emails based on user behaviour.
Mailchimp, on the other hand, offers powerful A/B testing functionality, allowing you to optimise your campaigns and improve engagement rates.
Really, it’s difficult to choose between them here.
Email Deliverability
One crucial aspect of any email marketing platform is its ability to ensure high deliverability rates. Brevo boasts an impressive deliverability rate, ensuring that your emails reach the intended recipients’ inboxes rather than getting lost in spam folders. Its partnerships with leading email service providers help maintain a strong sender reputation.
Mailchimp also has a strong reputation for deliverability, although in our experience it’s about 70/30 in terms of inbox to junk.
Analytics and Reporting
Both Brevo and Mailchimp provide robust analytics and reporting tools to track the performance of your email campaigns.
Brevo’s reporting dashboard offers detailed insights into open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and more. It also provides real-time tracking, allowing you to monitor the success of your campaigns as they happen.
Mailchimp, on the other hand, does offer comprehensive reports but we’ve found Brevo’s platform and data easier to navigate and analyse.
Customer Support
Having reliable customer support is essential for any business using an email marketing platform, especially if you’re just starting out. Brevo offers email and chat support, as well as a comprehensive knowledge base and video tutorials to help users troubleshoot issues.
Mailchimp also provides email and chat support, along with a vast library of resources and guides. Both platforms have active communities where users can seek advice and share experiences.
Integration Capabilities
Integration with other tools and platforms is crucial for streamlining your marketing efforts. Brevo offers seamless integration with popular CMS platforms, including WordPress, Shopify and Magento. It also integrates with CRM systems like Salesforce, making it easier to manage customer data.
Mailchimp also offers a wide range of integrations, including social media platforms, e-commerce tools, and customer relationship management systems. Both platforms provide extensive integration capabilities, allowing you to connect with your preferred marketing tools.
Hard to choose here, they’re both well established within most of the platforms you’ll be using.
Conclusion
In the battle of email marketing platforms, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) and Mailchimp are both strong contenders. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on your specific business needs and preferences. Brevo excels in terms of affordability, advanced segmentation, and automation capabilities. On the other hand, Mailchimp offers powerful A/B testing, extensive integrations, and comprehensive analytics.
Whichever platform you choose, rest assured that both Brevo and Mailchimp provide reliable email marketing solutions to help you connect with your audience and drive business growth.
