## Pricing
| | ConvertKit | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Unlimited subscribers, no automation | 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo |
| Entry paid | $25/mo (1,000 subs) | $13/mo (500 contacts) |
| Mid-tier | $41/mo (3,000 subs) | $35/mo (1,500 contacts) |
| Scale | Gets cheaper per-sub above 10k | Gets expensive fast above 5k |
Mailchimp looks cheaper at small list sizes but pricing jumps sharply above 5,000 contacts. ConvertKit's per-subscriber pricing scales more predictably for growing audiences. For e-commerce brands already on Mailchimp's free plan, the jump to paid is steep.
## Features
**ConvertKit excels at:**
- Creator-native subscriber tagging and segmentation
- Built-in paid newsletter subscriptions and digital product sales
- Clean, plain-text-first email builder (better deliverability)
- Visual automation builder designed for nurture sequences
- Tip jar, digital downloads, and course upsells built in
**Mailchimp excels at:**
- Deep e-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce)
- Drag-and-drop visual email builder with 100+ templates
- Multi-channel campaigns: email, SMS, social, postcards
- A/B testing with statistical confidence reporting
- Transactional email (Mandrill) for receipts and notifications
## Deliverability
ConvertKit's plain-text default approach consistently outperforms HTML-heavy Mailchimp templates in open rates. ConvertKit also enforces stricter list hygiene, which benefits long-term sender reputation. Mailchimp has solid deliverability for transactional and branded email but image-heavy templates can trigger spam filters.
## Automation
ConvertKit's visual automation canvas is simpler and faster to build creator workflows: lead magnet → nurture → pitch. Mailchimp's Customer Journey builder is more powerful for branching e-commerce flows (abandoned cart, post-purchase, re-engagement) but takes longer to configure.