Klaviyo vs Mailchimp

Klaviyo and Mailchimp are both freemium email marketing platforms with AI content and send-time optimization, but Klaviyo is built specifically around e-commerce customer data and SMS, while Mailchimp is an approachable all-in-one hub for small businesses and creators.

Quick answer: Klaviyo is the better choice for klaviyo fits e-commerce brands, especially Shopify stores, whose marketing teams want email and SMS driven by detailed shopper data, predictive analytics, and fine-grained segmentation.; Mailchimp is the better choice for mailchimp fits small businesses, creators, and e-commerce stores that want approachable all-in-one email marketing with AI assistance and a lightweight CRM..

Last updated July 2, 2026

The verdict

Pick Klaviyo if you run an online store and want messaging driven by shopper data. It ties email and SMS to what each customer has browsed, bought, and spent, with deep Shopify integration and automated flows like welcome series, abandoned cart, and post-purchase. Its AI predicts lifetime value and churn risk, builds segments from plain-language descriptions, and can draft whole campaigns through a Marketing Agent, while a Customer Agent handles shopper support and sales conversations. The tradeoff is cost: paid email starts at $20/month, SMS is billed on top, and spend climbs steeply as your list grows.

Pick Mailchimp if you want approachable, all-in-one email marketing at a lower entry price. Paid plans start at $13/month, and the platform bundles automation journeys, segmentation, and a lightweight CRM, so a small team can run its whole program in one place. Its AI drafts subject lines and copy, generates on-brand creative, recommends send times, and personalizes content based on audience behavior. Expect to edit AI output for brand voice, and note that advanced automation is gated to higher tiers.

Both have free tiers, so small lists can start on either before committing.

Klaviyo

Freemium

Klaviyo is an email and SMS platform made for online stores, pairing customer data with automation, segmentation, and flows. Its AI drafts content, builds segments, predicts behavior, and picks send times, all tied to deep Shopify integration.

Best for: Klaviyo fits e-commerce brands, especially Shopify stores, whose marketing teams want email and SMS driven by detailed shopper data, predictive analytics, and fine-grained segmentation.

Try Klaviyo →

Mailchimp

Freemium

Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform with AI features that help write campaigns, generate content, optimize send times and personalize messages. It's a popular all-in-one choice for small businesses.

Best for: Mailchimp fits small businesses, creators, and e-commerce stores that want approachable all-in-one email marketing with AI assistance and a lightweight CRM.

Try Mailchimp →

Side-by-side comparison

	Klaviyo	Mailchimp
Pricing	Freemium	Freemium
Starts at	USD 20.00	USD 13.00
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Rating	4.4	4.1

Pricing compared

Klaviyo has a free plan for up to 250 profiles with a monthly email cap. Paid Email plans start at $20/month and scale with active profiles, Email + SMS starts around $35/month with SMS volume billed separately, and very large senders move to the enterprise Klaviyo One tier. Mailchimp also starts free for small lists, with paid plans from $13/month that scale by contacts, sends, and features; advanced automation is gated to higher tiers. Both get pricier as contacts grow, but Klaviyo's costs climb steeply at scale and add SMS billing, so Mailchimp is the cheaper entry point while Klaviyo buyers should project spend before committing.

Features compared

Klaviyo centers on unified customer profiles that hold each shopper's full history, powering precise segments and automated flows like welcome series, abandoned cart, and post-purchase. Its AI generates content, builds segments from plain-language descriptions, predicts lifetime value and churn risk, and optimizes send times per recipient, with a Marketing Agent that drafts campaigns, a Customer Agent for shopper conversations, hundreds of integrations, and deep Shopify ties. Mailchimp covers list building, campaign design, automation journeys, and performance tracking, with AI that drafts subject lines and copy, generates on-brand creative, recommends send times, and personalizes content. Its lightweight CRM makes it an all-in-one hub that is approachable for beginners.