Beehiiv vs Mailchimp
Choose Beehiiv if you are building a newsletter-led publication and want audience growth and monetization tools; choose Mailchimp if you are marketing a business with email campaigns, customer automations and integrations. Both offer free plans, website tools and paid automation features, but their free-plan limits and email-send allowances differ substantially.
Last updated October 31, 2026.
At a glance
| Dimension | Beehiiv | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Newsletters and audience publishing | Email marketing and customer automation |
| Free-plan audience limit | Up to 2,500 subscribers | Up to 250 contacts |
| Email sends | Unlimited on every plan | Free: 500/month, 250/day; paid: tier-based limits |
| Paid-plan entry price | Lite: $49/month, billed yearly at 1,000 subscribers | Essentials: starts at $13/month for 500 contacts |
| Paid subscriptions and ads | Subscriptions with 0% take rate and ad monetization on Lite | Not published |
| Automation | Email automations on Lite and above | Flows on Essentials and above |
| Website tools | Website builder on every plan | Website builder available to all users |
| Integrations | Integrations, API and Zapier connections | 300+ integrations on every plan |
| Team seats | Free: 1; Lite: 2; Pro: 10 | Free: 1; Essentials: 3; Standard: 5 |
| Support | 24/7 priority support on Pro | Free: email for 30 days; paid: email and chat |
| Additional channels | Podcast and community tools on every plan | SMS add-on for eligible paid plans |
Scroll the table sideways to compare each row.
Which should you choose?
Choose Beehiiv if
- Creators building a newsletter-led publication
- Publishers who send frequently
- Teams seeking paid subscriptions and ad monetization
- Creators combining a newsletter, website and podcast
Choose Mailchimp if
- Businesses running customer email campaigns
- Teams needing multi-step marketing automation flows
- Marketers seeking an SMS add-on
- Businesses connecting email to a larger app stack
The verdict
Beehiiv is the better fit when the newsletter itself is the product: its free plan supports more subscribers and unlimited sends, while paid plans add subscriptions and ad monetization. Mailchimp is the better fit when email is part of a broader business marketing workflow, particularly if you need customer automation flows, an SMS add-on or its larger integration catalog. The deciding factor is whether you are growing a publication or marketing to customers.
Beehiiv vs Mailchimp: common questions
- Should I use Beehiiv or Mailchimp for a newsletter?
- Choose Beehiiv if the newsletter is the center of your publishing business and you want built-in audience growth and monetization tools. Choose Mailchimp if your newsletter is one part of a broader customer marketing program.
- Which free plan supports a larger audience?
- Beehiiv's Free plan supports up to 2,500 subscribers. Mailchimp's Free marketing plan supports up to 250 contacts.
- Does either product limit how many emails I can send?
- Beehiiv publishes unlimited email sends on every plan. Mailchimp's Free plan allows up to 500 sends per month and 250 per day; its paid plans have monthly limits tied to the contact tier.
- How much do Beehiiv and Mailchimp paid plans start at?
- Beehiiv Lite starts at $49 per month with yearly billing for 1,000 subscribers. Mailchimp Essentials starts at $13 per month for 500 contacts. Prices change with audience size, and the two starting tiers are not equivalent.
- Can I build a website with either product?
- Yes. Beehiiv includes website tools on every plan, and Mailchimp says its website builder is available to all users.
- Which is better suited to paid newsletter subscriptions?
- Beehiiv publishes paid-subscription tools on its Lite plan and above, with a 0% platform take rate. Mailchimp does not publish an equivalent paid-newsletter subscription feature in its marketing-plan comparison.
- Which has more published integrations?
- Mailchimp publishes a catalog of more than 300 integrations. Beehiiv publishes integrations, API access and connections through Zapier, but these figures do not establish a like-for-like count.
- Can I automate emails with Beehiiv and Mailchimp?
- Yes. Beehiiv includes email automations starting with Lite. Mailchimp includes marketing automation flows starting with Essentials, with more extensive flows on Standard and Premium.