Is Mailchimp cheaper than Substack?

At 5,000 contacts in this example snapshot, Substack is $0/mo (Mailchimp $100/mo, Substack $0/mo). At 10,000 contacts: Mailchimp $135/mo vs Substack $0/mo.

Which is better for ecommerce, Mailchimp or Substack?

Mailchimp is marked ecommerce-native in the dataset. Substack is not.

Does Mailchimp have SMS compared with Substack?

Mailchimp has SMS in the dataset; the other does not.

Which has deeper automation?

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

Head-to-head · 3–3–1 (A–B–tie)

Mailchimp vs Substack

Mailchimp and Substack overlap as email platforms but diverge on price, automation, and store data. At 5,000 contacts this example snapshot has Substack at $0/mo. Mailchimp scores higher on automation depth (4/10). Mailchimp is marked ecommerce-native; the other is not. On the scored dimensions below, Mailchimp leads 3, Substack leads 3, with 1 ties. This is a dataset tally, not an award.

Visit Mailchimp Visit Substack

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Brevo: Free up to 100,000 contacts · 5k $9/mo · SMS · WhatsApp
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Compare Email Tools may earn a commission when you click a vendor link and purchase. That does not change table values, which come from data/esp-tools.json. Full policy: affiliate disclosure.

Dimension winners

Price at 5k contactsMailchimp: $100/moSubstack: $0/moSubstack
Price at 10k contactsMailchimp: $135/moSubstack: $0/moSubstack
Automation depth (1–10)Mailchimp: 4Substack: 1Mailchimp
SMSMailchimp: YesSubstack: NoMailchimp
CRMMailchimp: NoSubstack: NoTie
Ecommerce-nativeMailchimp: YesSubstack: NoMailchimp
G2 scoreMailchimp: 4.3Substack: 4.4Substack

Split decision on the scored rows. Prefer Mailchimp if beginners is the priority; prefer Substack if writers matters more.

Full field dump for Mailchimp and Substack from the JSON dataset.
Tool	Free plan	Price @ 1k	Price @ 5k	Price @ 10k	Model	Automation	SMS	CRM	Ecommerce	Landing pages	Forms	G2	Trial
Mailchimp	Free up to 250 contacts	$45/mo	$100/mo	$135/mo	contacts	4/10	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	4.3 (12,987)	14-day trial
Substack	Free plan (contacts uncapped in dataset)	$0/mo	$0/mo	$0/mo	revenue_share	No	No	No	No	No	No	4.4 (n/a)	No listed trial

Choose Mailchimp if

Choose Mailchimp over Substack when beginners is the job to be done.
Choose Mailchimp over Substack when small businesses is the job to be done.
Choose Mailchimp over Substack when brand awareness is the job to be done.
Choose Mailchimp over Substack 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 Substack if you specifically need advanced automation power users.
Do not pick Mailchimp vs Substack if you specifically need cost sensitive lists over 5k.
Do not pick Mailchimp vs Substack if you specifically need deep ecommerce CRM needs.

Choose Substack if

Choose Substack over Mailchimp when writers is the job to be done.
Choose Substack over Mailchimp when newsletters is the job to be done.
Choose Substack over Mailchimp when paid subscriptions is the job to be done.
Choose Substack over Mailchimp when discovery is the job to be done.
Choose Substack over Mailchimp when creators is the job to be done.
Free plan (contacts uncapped in dataset). No listed trial.

Skip Substack if

Do not pick Substack vs Mailchimp if you specifically need native Shopify catalog sync.
Do not pick Substack vs Mailchimp if you specifically need landing page funnels.
Do not pick Substack vs Mailchimp if you specifically need native SMS.
Do not pick Substack vs Mailchimp if you specifically need advanced automation.
Do not pick Substack vs Mailchimp if you specifically need 0% take rate paid subs.

Dated pricing snapshot

Figures below are monthly USD list-size prices from data/esp-tools.json, last marked verified September 14, 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
Substack1k $0/mo · 5k $0/mo · 10k $0/moModel: revenue_share · row date September 14, 2026

FAQ

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Brevo: Free up to 100,000 contacts · 5k $9/mo · SMS · WhatsApp
Moosend: No free plan · 5k $48/mo

Related comparisons

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Brevo: Free up to 100,000 contacts · 5k $9/mo · SMS · WhatsApp · Moosend: No free plan · 5k $48/mo

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