Best for
Best for teams that want an email marketing platform with designed templates, automation and AI writing tools, and a Marketing API to connect their own data.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Email Marketing Comparison
Mailchimp vs. Sender
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for small businesses that want email and SMS together on a budget, with a generous free plan and pricing that scales with the list.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Mailchimp | Sender |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $13 / month Essentials plan; the price scales with the number of contacts. | lower value From $7 / month Standard plan for up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month; the price scales with the subscriber count. A Free Forever plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month. |
| Free trial | Free plan available for up to 500 contacts | Free Forever plan for up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month, with Sender branding |
| API | Yes, a Marketing API for audiences, automations and data sync, plus more than 300 integrations | Not stated |
| Hosting | Cloud (SaaS) | Cloud (SaaS) |
| Campaign types | Yes, email newsletters and campaigns, with A/B testing and scheduling on paid plans | Yes, email newsletters and campaigns, plus SMS on paid plans and transactional email, with A/B testing |
| Automation and journeys | Yes, automation flows, up to 3 steps on Essentials and up to 200 flows on Standard and Premium | Yes, unlimited marketing automation |
| Segmentation and personalisation | Yes, segmentation and dynamic content, with predictive segmentation on Premium | Yes, unlimited segmentation for targeted messaging |
| Templates and editor | Yes, professionally designed templates and an editor, with custom-coded templates on Premium | Yes, a drag-and-drop builder with 1,600+ mobile-responsive templates and a custom HTML editor |
| Deliverability and testing | Yes, A/B testing and scheduling on paid plans | Yes, with 24/7 IP monitoring and sender-reputation tracking, plus A/B testing for subject lines, content and send times |
| Ecommerce and CRM data | Yes, audience data with tags and more than 300 integrations | Yes, integrations for Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop and WordPress |
| Integrations and API | Yes, a Marketing API for audiences, automations and data sync | Yes, integrations including WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop and Zapier |
| AI features | stated Yes | No |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based |
| Support | more entries Email helpdesk, Chat, Phone | Chat, 24/7 |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials, Guided onboarding | Not stated |
| Company size | Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | more entries Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, Zapier, Square, Wix, Squarespace, Stripe, Salesforce, LinkedIn, WordPress, Facebook | WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop, Zapier |
Add a tool
Adds a column to the table, from the tools in this category.
Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Starting price Mailchimp From $13 / month Sender From $7 / month
- Free trial Mailchimp Free plan available for up to 500 contacts Sender Free Forever plan for up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month, with Sender branding
- Support Mailchimp Email helpdesk, Chat, Phone Sender Chat, 24/7
- AI features Mailchimp Yes Sender No
- Campaign types Mailchimp Yes, email newsletters and campaigns, with A/B testing and scheduling on paid plans Sender Yes, email newsletters and campaigns, plus SMS on paid plans and transactional email, with A/B testing
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Mailchimp
Strengths
- Generative AI writing and design tools on the Standard and Premium plans
- Marketing API with webhooks and OAuth 2 for audiences and automations
- More than 300 integrations
- Free plan for up to 500 contacts
Limitations
- Prices scale with the number of contacts
- Predictive segmentation and custom-coded templates are reserved for the top plans
Sender
Strengths
- Free plan for up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month
- Email plus SMS from paid plans, with unlimited automation and segmentation
- 1,600+ responsive templates and a drag-and-drop builder
- Ecommerce integrations for Shopify, WooCommerce and PrestaShop
Limitations
- The free plan carries Sender branding
- SMS is only available on paid plans
Plans
Pricing
Mailchimp
- Free $0 / month Up to 500 monthly sends and 250 contacts, with a limited set of templates.
- Essentials From $13 / month Designed templates, A/B testing, scheduling and up to 3 automation flow steps. Scales with contacts.
- Standard From $20 / month Adds AI writing and design tools and up to 200 automation flows. Scales with contacts.
- Premium From $350 / month Adds unlimited contacts and seats, predictive segmentation, phone and priority support and custom-coded templates.
Sender
- Free $0 / month Up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month, with Sender branding.
- Standard From $7 / month Up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month; removes branding and adds SMS and A/B testing. Scales with subscriber count.
- Professional From $14 / month Up to 1,000 subscribers and 24,000 emails per month; adds advanced automation, more seats and priority support. Scales with subscriber count.
- Enterprise Not stated Unlimited emails, a dedicated success manager, SSO and phone support, quoted by sales.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Mailchimp
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
Sender
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
How we check reviews
Before sending, the author has to confirm three things: that they have used the product themselves, that they work neither for the vendor nor for a competitor, and that nobody is paying them for the review. We also ask whether the vendor invited them to write it. That answer is required, either answer is accepted, and it stays with the review.
Every review is read by a person before it appears. An email address is required and is confirmed: we send a link to it, and a review does not reach us until the author opens that link, so a review has a sender who was reachable at least once rather than being anonymous. Where what somebody writes needs backing, we ask them for evidence that they used the product, and a review that does not get it is not published. We publish positive and negative reviews alike, we pay nothing and offer nothing for a review, and we accept none that was bought or incentivised.
What we cannot do is verify a purchase. There is no shop here and no account, so whether the author really used the tool rests on their own declaration, on whatever we ask them for, and on the plausibility of what they write. We say so rather than implying a check that does not exist.
A vendor cannot buy a review, and cannot have one removed or changed because they dislike it. We remove or edit a review only if it breaks our rules or the law, for example a false statement of fact. Paid placement has no effect on which reviews appear or on any score.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Mailchimp https://mailchimp.com · checked against the official source on 2026-08-19
Sender https://www.sender.net · checked against the official source on 2026-08-22
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.