Is Mailchimp cheaper than ActiveCampaign?

At 5,000 contacts in this example snapshot, ActiveCampaign is $99/mo (Mailchimp $100/mo, ActiveCampaign $99/mo). At 10,000 contacts: Mailchimp $135/mo vs ActiveCampaign $189/mo.

Which is better for ecommerce, Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign?

Neither or both are ecommerce-native in this file (Mailchimp: yes; ActiveCampaign: yes). Use store-sync needs, not this flag alone.

Does Mailchimp have SMS compared with ActiveCampaign?

SMS is present on both in this snapshot. Carrier fees are not modeled.

Which has deeper automation?

Mailchimp is 4/10; ActiveCampaign is 5/10. The score is an editorial 1–10 in the JSON, not a vendor claim.

Head-to-head · 1–4–2 (A–B–tie)

Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign

Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign overlap as email platforms but diverge on price, automation, and store data. At 5,000 contacts this example snapshot has ActiveCampaign at $99/mo. ActiveCampaign scores higher on automation depth (5/10). On the scored dimensions below, Mailchimp leads 1, ActiveCampaign leads 4, with 2 ties. This is a dataset tally, not an award.

Visit Mailchimp Visit ActiveCampaign

Affiliate disclosure

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Dimension winners

Price at 5k contactsMailchimp: $100/moActiveCampaign: $99/moActiveCampaign
Price at 10k contactsMailchimp: $135/moActiveCampaign: $189/moMailchimp
Automation depth (1–10)Mailchimp: 4ActiveCampaign: 5ActiveCampaign
SMSMailchimp: YesActiveCampaign: YesTie
CRMMailchimp: NoActiveCampaign: YesActiveCampaign
Ecommerce-nativeMailchimp: YesActiveCampaign: YesTie
G2 scoreMailchimp: 4.3ActiveCampaign: 4.5ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign wins more of the scored dimensions (4–1). Mailchimp can still be the right buy when beginners outweighs those rows.

Full field dump for Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign from the JSON dataset.
Tool	Free plan	Price @ 1k	Price @ 5k	Price @ 10k	Automation	SMS	CRM	Ecommerce	Landing pages	G2	Trial
Mailchimp	Free up to 250 contacts	$45/mo	$100/mo	$135/mo	4/10	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	4.3 (12,987)	14-day trial
ActiveCampaign	No free plan	$19/mo	$99/mo	$189/mo	5/10	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	4.5 (14,000)	14-day trial

Choose Mailchimp if

Choose Mailchimp over ActiveCampaign when beginners is the job to be done.
Choose Mailchimp over ActiveCampaign when small businesses is the job to be done.
Choose Mailchimp over ActiveCampaign when brand awareness is the job to be done.
Choose Mailchimp over ActiveCampaign when all in one marketing starters is the job to be done.
Free up to 250 contacts. 14-day trial.

Skip Mailchimp if

Do not pick Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign if you specifically need advanced automation power users.
Do not pick Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign if you specifically need cost sensitive lists over 5k.
Do not pick Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign if you specifically need deep ecommerce CRM needs.

Choose ActiveCampaign if

Choose ActiveCampaign over Mailchimp when marketing automation is the job to be done.
Choose ActiveCampaign over Mailchimp when CRM + email combo is the job to be done.
Choose ActiveCampaign over Mailchimp when SMBs scaling journeys is the job to be done.
Choose ActiveCampaign over Mailchimp when agencies is the job to be done.
No free plan. 14-day trial.

Skip ActiveCampaign if

Do not pick ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp if you specifically need absolute beginners wanting free forever.
Do not pick ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp if you specifically need simple newsletter only users.

Dated pricing snapshot

Figures below are monthly USD list-size prices from data/esp-tools.json, last marked verified September 11, 2026. They are example placeholders until you swap in live quotes. Always confirm on the vendor pricing page.

Mailchimp1k $45/mo · 5k $100/mo · 10k $135/moModel: contacts · row date September 11, 2026
ActiveCampaign1k $19/mo · 5k $99/mo · 10k $189/moModel: contacts · row date September 11, 2026

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