PLATFORM PLANS
Mailchimp Essentials, Standard and Premium: pick by sending multiple, not by feature list
Mailchimp prices by contacts, then allows a multiple of that tier in monthly emails: ten times on Essentials, twelve on Standard, fifteen on Premium. For most senders the plan choice is really a sending choice, because going over the allowance is billed as an overage rather than blocked.
The contact ladder, plan by plan
| Mailchimp | 500 contacts | 1,500 contacts | 2,500 contacts | 5,000 contacts | 10,000 contacts | 25,000 contacts | 50,000 contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free up to 250 contacts, 500 emails/mo | ||||||
| Essentials | $13/mo | $26.50/mo | $45/mo | $75/mo | $110/mo | $270/mo | $385/mo |
| Standard | $20/mo | $45/mo | $60/mo | $100/mo | $135/mo | $310/mo | $450/mo |
| Premium | · | · | · | · | $350/mo | $620/mo | $815/mo |
Monthly billing only; sending allowances are 10x, 12x or 15x the contact tier depending on plan, and overages are charged. There is no 1,000-contact tier: between 501 and 1,500 contacts you pay the 1,500 tier. Current amounts: the official Mailchimp pricing page.
Amounts are the USD list prices from the official pricing data; prices shown in other currencies on the page are exchange-rate estimates.
Three details in that ladder catch people out. There is no thousand contact step: anything between the first paid tier and fifteen hundred contacts is billed at the fifteen hundred tier. Premium does not exist below ten thousand contacts. And Essentials stops at fifty thousand contacts, so a list that keeps growing eventually has to move up a plan even if the feature set was fine. To place the same list against the other eight platforms, use the cost calculator.
The sending multiple is the real difference
Each paid tier carries a monthly send allowance tied to your contact count. Essentials allows ten times the tier, Standard twelve times, Premium fifteen times. A weekly campaign to the whole list uses a little over four times the tier in a month, so Essentials leaves room for a welcome sequence and the occasional resend but not much more. Two campaigns a week plus automations already push against it.
The practical test is not which plan has the features you like. It is how many sends per contact your calendar produces, and whether the allowance covers it with headroom.
What happens when you go over
On the free plan, Mailchimp stops sending once the limit is reached. On paid plans it keeps sending and charges overage fees, on contacts and on sends. That is the difference that shows up on an invoice you did not expect: a seasonal spike does not fail loudly, it bills quietly. If your volume swings month to month, either size the plan for the peak or watch the send counter rather than the contact counter.
The amounts charged per extra contact or send are not published as a fixed rate we could verify, so treat overages as a reason to size up rather than as a number you can plan with.
Monthly only, and what that means for the comparison
Mailchimp publishes monthly prices with no annual discount ladder of the kind MailerLite, Kit or GetResponse offer. When you compare it to a platform whose annual billing takes ten to twenty percent off, compare the annual totals rather than the headline monthly figures, or you will flatter Mailchimp by a full year of discount that is not there. The calculator keeps monthly and annual separate for exactly this reason.
How to choose in one pass
- Under the ten times allowance, one sender: Essentials, the cheapest rung that fits the list.
- Two or more campaigns a week, or heavy automations: Standard, for the twelve times allowance rather than the feature list.
- Ten thousand contacts or more with daily sending: Premium, which is where the fifteen times allowance starts.
- Growing past fifty thousand contacts: Essentials is no longer an option, so plan the move before the list gets there.
Current amounts are always on the official Mailchimp pricing page, and the figures in the table above are read from Mailchimp's own pricing feed.
Questions people also ask
Why is there no thousand contact plan?
Mailchimp's ladder jumps from the first paid tier straight to fifteen hundred contacts. Between the two you pay the fifteen hundred price, which makes the first upgrade step steeper than it looks.
Does Standard send more emails than Essentials at the same list size?
Yes. Standard allows twelve times your contact tier per month against ten times on Essentials, so at the same list size you get a fifth more sending headroom before overages start.
Is Premium worth it below ten thousand contacts?
The question does not arise: Mailchimp does not offer Premium below ten thousand contacts. Under that size the real choice is Essentials against Standard.
What does Mailchimp charge for going over?
Paid plans keep sending and bill overages on contacts and sends; the free plan stops sending instead. Mailchimp does not publish a fixed per unit rate that we were able to verify, so size the plan for your peak month rather than counting on a known overage price.