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Mailchimp vs beehiiv: email marketing or newsletter publishing?

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

Mailchimp logoMailchimp7.0/10Freemium · $13.00/mo (business plan)beehiiv logobeehiiv7.4/10Freemium · $59.00/mo (business plan)

Quick verdict

Mailchimp vs beehiiv: email marketing or newsletter publishing.

Mailchimp: Small shops and businesses starting out with email marketing.

beehiiv: Newsletter writers who plan to earn from ads and paid subscriptions.

Choose for your main task, existing devices and plan limits; the overall score cannot replace your requirements.

Head-to-head

Mailchimp leads on 5, beehiiv on 2, 2 even

FeatureMailchimpbeehiiv
What the Free plan allows[2],[7]Up to 250 contacts, 500 sends/month, 250/day; exceeding 250 contacts pauses sending.Up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, 1 publication, 1 team seat.
→ Anyone hoping to stay free will get much further on beehiiv before needing to pay.
Cheapest paid plan[1],[7]Essentials from $13/month, rising with contact count.Lite from $59/month for up to 1,000 subscribers ($49/month billed yearly).
→ Small businesses needing paid features on a tight budget pay less to start with Mailchimp.
Newsletter monetization[7]AppDuo found no public information on an ad network or paid subscriptions.From Lite: ad network and paid subscriptions at a 0% take rate (Stripe fees apply).
→ Writers aiming to earn from readers should look closely at beehiiv, since AppDuo found no comparable Mailchimp feature published.
Trial and mobile app[1],[4],[13]14-day trial (card required); iOS and Android apps.No trial stated; no App Store or Google Play app, only a PWA for publications.
→ Those who manage campaigns from a phone will find Mailchimp more convenient.
User ratings[4],[5],[17]4.9/5 on App Store (51,757 ratings), 4.7/5 on Google Play (24,300).3.8/5 on Trustpilot (419 reviews); some report unexplained account locks.
→ Mailchimp scores higher across far more ratings, though the sources measure different things.
Integrations[1],[9]QuickBooks within the Intuit ecosystem.Stripe, Zapier, Make, Shopify, WordPress, Webflow, WooCommerce, Slack, Discord, Salesforce, Patreon, Typeform.
→ QuickBooks users fit Mailchimp, while creators on Stripe or WordPress fit beehiiv.
Customer support[1],[7]24/7 email and chat on Essentials and Standard; Premium adds phone and priority.Free gets only the beehiiv Agent; human support from Lite; priority on Pro.
→ Those wanting live chat or phone help get more channels with Mailchimp.
Privacy and security[3],[6],[10]Data may train Intuit AI and is shared with ad networks; breaches in 2022 and 2024.Acknowledges "selling/sharing" data with ad partners; honors Global Privacy Control; no fixed retention.
→ Privacy-minded users should note Mailchimp's breach history and AI training use.
Interface languages[1],[7]English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish.English only.
→ Multilingual teams have more options with Mailchimp.

Choose Mailchimp if…

  • Small shops and businesses starting out with email marketing
  • Users of Intuit's QuickBooks who want a marketing tool in the same ecosystem

Choose beehiiv if…

  • Newsletter writers who plan to earn from ads and paid subscriptions
  • Publishers who want a website, podcast and newsletter on one platform
  • Content teams that need an API, webhooks and several team seats

How the products differ

Mailchimp: Mailchimp suits small businesses that need email sending, basic automation and list management at a low entry cost (Free for 250 contacts, Essentials from $13/month). Downsides: a tightly limited Free plan, prices that scale with contacts and a jump to $350/month at Premium, plus two social-engineering breaches in 2022 and 2024 per Wikipedia.

beehiiv: beehiiv suits creators and publishers who want to own their audience and earn from ads, paid subscriptions and digital products without a revenue cut. The trade-off is a monthly fee that rises with list size, with several key features reserved for Lite or Pro.

Choose around your use case

Mailchimp: Fits Small shops and businesses starting out with email marketing; Users of Intuit's QuickBooks who want a marketing tool in the same ecosystem. Strengths: A Free plan, Essentials from $13/month, and a 14-day trial on Essentials and Standard; Mobile app rated 4.9/5 on the App Store (over 51K ratings) and 4.7/5 on Google Play.

beehiiv: Fits Newsletter writers who plan to earn from ads and paid subscriptions; Publishers who want a website, podcast and newsletter on one platform. Strengths: Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends; From Lite, paid subscriptions carry a 0% platform take rate (Stripe fees still apply).

Costs and limits to check

Mailchimp: Essentials: 13 USD/month, as recorded in the review. Trade-off: Free is limited to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month; exceeding contacts pauses sending.

beehiiv: Lite: 59 USD/month, as recorded in the review. Trade-off: Price climbs steeply with list size: Lite reaches $469/month at 100,000 subscribers. Prices retain the currency and billing units recorded in the source profiles; no currency conversion or plan equivalence is assumed. Check official prices, limits and terms before payment.

When to consider another option

Mailchimp is not aimed at: Teams with large lists and tight budgets, since price scales with contacts; Those who need a full sales CRM rather than mainly email sending.

Consider alternatives to beehiiv if you are: New writers with no audience who want a platform with a built-in discovery network; Anyone who needs a non-English interface or a native app-store app for writing. Read these limitations alongside the feature table before deciding; a single strength cannot compensate for a missing requirement.

Frequently asked questions

Should I choose Mailchimp or beehiiv?

Mailchimp vs beehiiv: email marketing or newsletter publishing. Mailchimp: Small shops and businesses starting out with email marketing. beehiiv: Newsletter writers who plan to earn from ads and paid subscriptions. Choose for your main task, existing devices and plan limits; the overall score cannot replace your requirements.

Does a higher score always mean a better fit?

No. Overall scores are editorial judgements across several criteria. Your task, allowance and existing ecosystem may matter more; the table separates those differences so you can decide.

Where do prices and limits come from?

From each product’s researched profile, with source links and check dates in the review. This comparison reuses that evidence; its compilation date does not mean every price was rechecked that day.

Sources

Numbers in the table refer to these sources, read on the dates shown.

  1. 1.Official Mailchimp pricing page · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  2. 2.Mailchimp help: pricing plans (Free plan limits) · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  3. 3.Intuit Global Privacy Statement (covers Mailchimp) · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  4. 4.App Store listing (US) · store · Nov 10, 2026
  5. 5.Google Play listing · store · Nov 10, 2026
  6. 6.Wikipedia: Mailchimp · Community-reported · Nov 10, 2026
  7. 7.Official pricing page · Vendor-provided · Nov 11, 2026
  8. 8.Official homepage · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  9. 9.Official integrations page · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  10. 10.Official privacy policy · Vendor-provided · Nov 11, 2026
  11. 11.Official about page · Vendor-provided · Nov 11, 2026
  12. 12.The beehiiv story, chapter 1 (official blog) · Vendor-provided · Nov 11, 2026
  13. 13.Help center: mobile app for your publication · Vendor-provided · Nov 11, 2026
  14. 14.Official blog · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  15. 15.TechCrunch (2024-04-30) · press · Nov 11, 2026
  16. 16.Press Gazette interview with CEO Tyler Denk (2026-02-25) · press · Nov 11, 2026
  17. 17.Trustpilot reviews · review-site · Nov 11, 2026

Prepared by the AppDuo Editorial Team from the sources cited in this article. AI assists with organising and cross-checking data; editorial responsibility remains with AppDuo.

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