Mailchimp vs beehiiv pricing: which is cheaper for your team?
Mailchimp's cheapest paid tier (Essentials) lists at $13/month, which beats the other on entry pricing. Mid-tier and enterprise math can flip the answer — use the per-tier table below to see the real cost for your team size at each tier.
Calculate the cost for your team
Mailchimp pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | month | Limited contacts and sends. |
| Essentials | $13 | $13 | month | Starting price; increases by contact count. |
| Standard | $20 | $20 | month | Automation and optimization features. |
| Premium | $350 | $350 | month | Advanced segmentation and larger-team features. |
beehiiv pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch (Free) | $0 | $0 | month | Up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, no per-send charges. |
| Scale | $43 | $43 | month | Up to 100,000 subscribers, $517 annual saves $71 per year, 0% take of paid subscription revenue. |
| Max | $96 | $96 | month | Up to 100,000 subscribers, $1,151 annual saves $157 per year, advanced features. |
Feature by feature
The non-pricing differences that drive the real decision.
| Capability | Mailchimp | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | month | month |
| Pricing model | Contact-tier marketing plan pricing | Subscriber-tiered with free starter |
| Cheapest paid tier | Essentials at $13/month | Scale at $43/month |
| Mid-tier benchmark | Standard at $20/month | Max at $96/month |
| Total paid tiers published | 3 | 2 |
| Last verified | 2026-05-16 | 2026-05-17 |
Best for…
Hand-picked use cases mapped to the winner.
| Use case | Winner |
|---|---|
| Lowest entry price (10-person team) | Mailchimp Essentials |
| Most pricing tiers (room to grow) | Mailchimp (3 tiers) |
| Predictable per-seat billing | Neither (both flat/usage) |
| Most recently verified pricing | beehiiv |
Choose Mailchimp when
- Mailchimp prices by plan and contact count, so teams should compare against their actual audience size rather than the lowest advertised starting price.
- Entry tier (Essentials) at $13/month is your budget ceiling.
- Build comparisons at 5k, 25k, and 100k contacts before choosing Mailchimp vs Klaviyo.
Choose beehiiv when
- beehiiv is a newsletter platform with a free Launch tier up to 2,500 subscribers and paid Scale at $43 per month for up to 100,000 subscribers.
- Entry tier (Scale) at $43/month is your budget ceiling.
- Enterprise plan is custom-priced for 100,000-plus subscribers with no hidden monetization fees disclosed.
Switching considerations
Watch the hidden fees on both sides. Mailchimp: Contact count, SMS, transactional email, and overages can change the bill. beehiiv: Standard Stripe fees of 2.9% plus $0.30 apply to paid subscriptions Always confirm with the vendor before purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for a 10-person team, Mailchimp or beehiiv?
At entry tier and 10 seats on annual billing: Mailchimp Essentials comes to $13/mo; beehiiv Scale comes to $43/mo. Mailchimp is the cheaper entry-tier choice at this team size.
Does Mailchimp have more pricing tiers than beehiiv?
Mailchimp publishes more paid tiers (3 vs 2). More tiers usually means more granular ways to grow without re-platforming.
Which pricing was verified more recently?
Mailchimp's pricing was last verified 2026-05-16; beehiiv's on 2026-05-17. Both pages link to the vendor's official pricing source so you can re-check before committing.