Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: Which Fits an Ecommerce Store in 2026
Klaviyo and Mailchimp both sell email, SMS and automation to online stores, and both start under $25 a month. At 10,000 or 50,000 contacts the bills and the feature lists look very different. This Klaviyo vs Mailchimp comparison for 2026 is for an ecommerce brand choosing between them. The short verdict: pick Klaviyo if your store runs on Shopify, WooCommerce or Magento and flows, segmentation and SMS drive your revenue. Pick Mailchimp if you want 200 flows, a free Magento extension and 24/7 chat support at a lower bill. It asks you to live without real-time Shopify events, push and WhatsApp.
Every price and feature below comes from the two vendors' own pricing pages, help centers, integration pages and Shopify App Store listings. We read them on 6 November 2026, in US dollars on monthly billing. Klaviyo prices by active profiles and includes ten emails per profile each month. Mailchimp prices by contacts, counts unsubscribed contacts too, and allows 10 to 15 sends per contact. We put both on the same list sizes so you can compare a real bill.
Enflow Digital wrote this guide. We are a partner agency of Brevo, Klaviyo, Omnisend and Shopify, and some of these programs pay us a commission when a business we refer signs up. The rankings and verdicts on this page follow the evidence and sources shown here.
Key Takeaways
- Pricing model: Klaviyo charges by active profiles, from $20 a month for 500 profiles with 5,000 emails, and does not bill unsubscribed or suppressed profiles. Mailchimp charges by contacts, from $13 for 500 on Essentials, and counts subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts.
- At 10,000 contacts: Klaviyo Email costs $150 a month at 10,000 profiles. Mailchimp costs $135 on Standard or $110 on Essentials for 10,000 contacts.
- At 50,000 contacts: Klaviyo Email costs $720 a month at 50,000 profiles. Mailchimp Standard costs $450 and Essentials $385, its plan maximum.
- Ecommerce depth: Klaviyo's Shopify app syncs store events in real time and ships 60 plus pre-built flows, with predictive analytics on the Email plan. Mailchimp Standard carries up to 200 flows with predictive segmentation, and Mailchimp for Magento is a free extension on every plan.
- Support and SMS: Mailchimp gives 24/7 email and chat support on every paid plan and phone support on Premium. Klaviyo gives 24/7 email support and weekday live chat on paid plans, with a dedicated CSM only on Custom. Both sell SMS as an add-on. Klaviyo's pricing page shows $0.011 per US toll-free text; Mailchimp publishes no credit price.
- Get help: A Klaviyo agency can scope the flows and the switch before you pay for a tier. Our email marketing migration service moves lists, consent, flows and templates between the two platforms.
The verdict
Pick Klaviyo if you run a Shopify, WooCommerce or Magento store and flows are your revenue engine. The Shopify app syncs store events in real time. The Email plan includes predictive analytics, product recommendations, send time optimization and 60 plus pre-built flows. Email, SMS, WhatsApp, mobile push and RCS run on one customer profile. You pay for that depth: $150 a month at 10,000 active profiles and $720 at 50,000, with SMS billed on top.
Pick Mailchimp if you want the lower bill and the wider support, and your automation needs fit its Standard plan. Standard costs $135 at 10,000 contacts and $450 at 50,000, with up to 200 flows, predictive segmentation and send time optimization. Every paid plan has 24/7 email and chat support. Mailchimp for Magento is free on every plan. The trade is depth: no real-time Shopify event sync, no push or WhatsApp, and SMS credits priced only after an application.
Test before you move. Klaviyo's free plan gives 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month. Mailchimp's free plan has no automation flows, so use its 14-day Standard trial instead. Connect the store to both, run the same abandoned cart flow for two weeks, and compare attributed revenue. If Omnisend is also in the running, read our Omnisend vs Klaviyo comparison and Omnisend vs Mailchimp. Brevo buyers can read Brevo vs Klaviyo and Brevo vs Mailchimp.
Klaviyo vs Mailchimp side by side
| Feature | Klaviyo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing unit | Active profiles. Unsubscribed and suppressed profiles do not count. Ten email sends per profile a month included | Contacts. Subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts all count; archived and cleaned contacts do not. Sends capped at 10x, 12x or 15x contacts by plan |
| Free plan | 250 active profiles, 500 emails a month, $5 of mobile messages and $5 of Composer usage a month, email support for the first 60 days | 250 contacts, 500 sends a month (250 a day), 1 seat, no automation flows, email support for the first 30 days |
| Entry price | Email $20 a month for 251 to 500 profiles with 5,000 emails; Marketing $25 adds social marketing, reviews and Customer Hub | Essentials $13 a month for 500 contacts; Standard $20; Premium $350 for up to 10,000 contacts |
| Price at 10,000 and 50,000 contacts | $150 and $720 a month on Email; $195 and $885 on Marketing | $135 and $450 on Standard; $110 and $385 on Essentials; $350 and $815 on Premium |
| Marketing automation | Campaigns and flows on every plan, including Free; 60 plus pre-built flows and 150 plus email templates for Shopify stores | Essentials: flows up to 4 steps. Standard and Premium: up to 200 flows with branching and multiple starting points. Free: none |
| Ecommerce features | Real-time Shopify event sync, predictive analytics, product recommendations and send time optimization on paid plans; reviews and Customer Hub bundled on Marketing | Welcome, abandoned cart and back in stock automations and product recommendations on paid plans; predictive segmentation and send time optimization on Standard and Premium |
| Channels | Email, SMS and MMS, WhatsApp, mobile push and RCS on one profile | Email and SMS; MMS on Standard and Premium in the US and Canada; no push or RCS listed |
| SMS | Add-on on Email and Marketing, a monthly spend commitment. US toll-free SMS $0.011 and MMS $0.04 a send; the page says carrier fees are included where applicable | Add-on on Essentials and above after an application and approval; monthly credit subscription that does not roll over; credit prices not published |
| Shopify | App rated 4.7 from 3,431 reviews; syncs Shopify events in real time; guided setup with a sign-up form, welcome email and abandoned checkout flow | App rated 4.8 from 1,570 reviews; syncs Shopify segments; attributed revenue shown in the Shopify dashboard; several stores can connect to one account |
| Magento | Adobe Commerce integration with abandoned cart and welcome templates and no SKU limit | Mailchimp for Magento, free on every plan; syncs customers, orders, all product types and carts in near real time |
| Support | 24/7 email support and weekday live chat on paid plans; a dedicated CSM and SLA only on Custom | 24/7 email and chat on Essentials and Standard; phone and priority support on Premium; onboarding sessions on Standard and Premium |
| Migration help | Mailchimp integration syncs audiences, subscription status and 90 days of campaign activity into Klaviyo; tags, templates and automations are rebuilt | Klaviyo integration inside Mailchimp syncs contacts with an API key; templates, segments and automations are rebuilt; Premium Migration Services through Sales |
Klaviyo vs Mailchimp pricing
Prices are the monthly price on monthly billing in US dollars, read on 6 November 2026. Klaviyo's columns are the Email and Marketing plans at that number of active profiles; the Marketing plan adds social marketing, reviews with no order limit and Customer Hub. Klaviyo showed a first month for $1 on Marketing plans up to 5,000 profiles, which we ignore. Mailchimp's columns are its standard monthly prices; the 15 percent discount for 12 months on 10,000 plus contacts is ignored too. Mailchimp's send allowance of 10x, 12x or 15x contacts covers four campaigns a month at every size.
| Contacts | Klaviyo Email | Klaviyo Marketing | Mailchimp Essentials | Mailchimp Standard | Mailchimp Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $20 (5,000 emails) | $25 | $13 | $20 | $350 (includes 10,000 contacts) |
| 2,500 | $60 (25,000 emails) | $80 | $45 | $60 | $350 |
| 5,000 | $100 (50,000 emails) | $130 | $75 | $100 | $350 |
| 10,000 | $150 (100,000 emails) | $195 | $110 | $135 | $350 |
| 25,000 | $400 (250,000 emails) | $505 | $270 | $310 | $620 |
| 50,000 | $720 (500,000 emails) | $885 | $385 (plan maximum) | $450 | $815 |
| 100,000 | $1,380 (1,000,000 emails) | $1,610 | Not offered above 50,000 contacts | $800 (plan maximum) | $1,025 |
Prices checked on .
Sources: Klaviyo pricing page, active profile calculator, checked 2026-11-06, How Klaviyo pricing works, checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp marketing pricing page in USD, contact selector, checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp help: about pricing plans, checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp compare plans page, checked 2026-11-06.
Klaviyo · Best for Flow-driven Shopify and Magento stores
Klaviyo
Best for Flow-driven Shopify and Magento stores
- Facts
- Shopify App Store 4.7 (3,431) · from $20 per month for 500 profiles · free plan yes
Klaviyo is a B2C marketing platform built around store data. It prices by active profiles, with ten email sends per profile included each month. The Email plan costs $20 a month for up to 500 profiles, $60 at 2,500, $100 at 5,000 and $150 at 10,000. It costs $400 at 25,000 profiles and $720 at 50,000. Unsubscribed and suppressed profiles do not count. The Marketing plan adds social marketing, reviews with no order limit and Customer Hub, for $25 at 500 profiles and $195 at 10,000. The Shopify app, rated 4.7 from 3,431 reviews, syncs Shopify events in real time and lists 60 plus pre-built flows and 150 plus email templates. Predictive analytics, product recommendations and send time optimization come with the Email plan. Against Mailchimp, the difference is the data layer: real-time store events feed every flow and segment, and email, SMS, WhatsApp, mobile push and RCS share one profile.
SMS and MMS are an add-on billed separately as a monthly spend commitment. Since July 2026 Klaviyo prices mobile messages per message in dollars, by channel, region and number type, with volume discounts on larger plans. On 7 November 2026 the pricing page showed $0.011 per US toll-free SMS and $0.04 per MMS, with a footnote saying the price includes carrier fees where applicable. The Free plan gives 250 active profiles, 500 emails a month, $5 of mobile messages and email support for 60 days. Paid plans include 24/7 email support and live chat on weekdays. Weekend chat comes with the Professional support package, from $300 a month. A dedicated CSM with an SLA comes only on the Custom plan above 150,000 profiles. Composer, Customer Agent and Helpdesk are paid add-ons. Klaviyo fits a store that treats flows as a revenue channel and will use predictive data every week. In the AI answers we ran on 6 November 2026, ChatGPT picked Klaviyo for most ecommerce stores.
Is Klaviyo right for you?
Choose it if you run a Shopify, WooCommerce or Magento store, flows and segmentation drive your revenue, and you want predictive analytics and real-time store events on a mid-tier plan.
Skip it if your list is large and your sending is light, or you want weekend live chat without buying a support package.
Klaviyo evidence
- Store integration: Shopify app rated 4.7 from 3,431 reviews; the listing says Klaviyo syncs Shopify events in real time (Shopify App Store, 6 November 2026).
- Flows and templates: 60 plus pre-built flows and 150 plus email templates for Shopify stores, with predictive analytics and recommendations on the Email plan (Klaviyo Shopify integration page and Shopify listing).
- Price ladder: $150 a month at 10,000 active profiles and $720 at 50,000, ten emails per profile included (Klaviyo pricing calculator, 6 November 2026).
- Channels: Email, SMS, RCS, mobile push and WhatsApp on one customer record (Klaviyo's own comparison page).
Klaviyo: watch out for
Think twice if your sending is light or your list is big and quiet. At 50,000 active profiles Klaviyo costs $720 a month whether you send once or ten times, against $450 on Mailchimp Standard.
Live chat on Email and Marketing runs on weekdays only; weekend chat starts with the Professional package, from $300 a month.
Check before you buy Klaviyo
What will my monthly bill be at my active profile count after any first-month offer, and what is the per-message SMS rate for my sending number?
Sources: Klaviyo pricing page, active profile calculator, checked 2026-11-06, How Klaviyo pricing works, checked 2026-11-06, Klaviyo Shopify integration page, checked 2026-11-06, Klaviyo Adobe Commerce (Magento) integration page, checked 2026-11-06, Shopify App Store listing for Klaviyo, checked 2026-11-06, Klaviyo vs Mailchimp, Klaviyo's own comparison page (channels, migration sync), checked 2026-11-06, Klaviyo pricing page, All products tab (SMS and MMS rates, support packages), checked 2026-11-07, Klaviyo help: FAQ on the July 2026 mobile messaging update (per-message rates, carrier fees, rates table), updated 2026-10-20, checked 2026-11-06, Klaviyo help: how to migrate from Mailchimp, updated 2026-03-30, checked 2026-11-06.
Mailchimp · Best for Lower bill with 200 flows and 24/7 chat
Mailchimp
Best for Lower bill with 200 flows and 24/7 chat
- Facts
- Shopify App Store 4.8 (1,570) · from $13 per month for 500 contacts · free plan yes
Mailchimp is an email and SMS marketing platform owned by Intuit, priced by contacts. Essentials starts at $13 a month for 500 contacts and stops at 50,000 contacts for $385. Standard starts at $20, costs $135 at 10,000 contacts and $450 at 50,000, and stops at 100,000 contacts for $800. Premium starts at $350 for up to 10,000 contacts. Each plan multiplies contacts into a monthly send allowance: 10x on Essentials, 12x on Standard and 15x on Premium. Subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts all count toward the limit. For a store, Standard is the plan to compare. It carries up to 200 automation flows with branching and multiple starting points, predictive segmentation, send time optimization, multivariate testing and custom-coded templates. The Shopify app, rated 4.8 from 1,570 reviews, syncs Shopify segments, runs welcome, abandoned cart and back in stock emails, and shows attributed revenue inside the Shopify dashboard.
Mailchimp for Magento is free on every plan, including Free. It syncs customers, orders across the full order lifecycle, every product type and cart contents in near real time. Abandoned cart emails carry a one-click link back to the cart. SMS is an add-on on Essentials and above. You apply, get approved, then buy a monthly credit subscription that does not roll over; the credit prices are not on the pricing or help pages. Every paid plan includes 24/7 email and chat support, Standard adds an onboarding session, and Premium adds phone support and migration services run by a vetted partner. Against Klaviyo, Mailchimp Standard costs the same up to 5,000 contacts and less from 10,000 up; Essentials costs less at every size. Mailchimp also gives more support for the money. It lacks real-time Shopify event sync, push and WhatsApp, and transactional email is a separate product. It fits a store that wants 200 flows and a listed Magento extension on a bill it can budget.
Is Mailchimp right for you?
Choose it if you want up to 200 flows, predictive segmentation and 24/7 chat support at a lower bill, and your store runs on Shopify or Magento.
Skip it if your flows depend on real-time store events, you want push or WhatsApp on the same profile, or you need SMS prices before you apply.
Mailchimp evidence
- Price at scale: $135 a month at 10,000 contacts and $450 at 50,000 on Standard, against $150 and $720 on Klaviyo Email (both pricing pages, 6 November 2026).
- Automation depth: Standard and Premium include up to 200 flows with branching, predictive segmentation and send time optimization (compare plans page).
- Store apps: Shopify app rated 4.8 from 1,570 reviews; Mailchimp for Magento is free on every plan and syncs orders, products and carts in near real time.
- Support: 24/7 email and chat on every paid plan, phone and priority support on Premium (pricing page).
Mailchimp: watch out for
Think twice if your list carries many unsubscribed or lapsed contacts. Mailchimp counts them toward your tier, and overage charges apply when you pass the contact or send limit.
SMS needs an application and approval, and Mailchimp does not publish the credit prices.
Check before you buy Mailchimp
What will SMS credits cost at my volume and country, and what does the overage charge come to when my contact count passes the tier?
Sources: Mailchimp marketing pricing page in USD, contact selector, checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp help: about pricing plans, checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp compare plans page, checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp help: about SMS marketing, checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp Shopify integration page, checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp for Magento integration page, checked 2026-11-06, Shopify App Store listing for Mailchimp, checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp vs Klaviyo, Mailchimp's own comparison page (support claims), checked 2026-11-06, Mailchimp help: migrate your Klaviyo account to Mailchimp, checked 2026-11-06.
Who should pick which
| You are | Pick | Budget to plan |
|---|---|---|
| A Shopify brand under $1M a year with 2,500 contacts and its first flows | Klaviyo Email, or Mailchimp Standard if the bill matters more than real-time sync | $60 a month on either plan at 2,500 contacts |
| A Shopify or Magento store with 10,000 contacts that lives off abandoned cart and post-purchase flows | Klaviyo Email, set up by a Klaviyo agency if you want the flows built for you | $150 a month for Klaviyo plus the agency's project price; $135 on Mailchimp Standard |
| A 50,000 contact list that sends two to four campaigns a month | Mailchimp Standard | $450 on Mailchimp Standard; $720 on Klaviyo Email |
| A Magento store that wants a free extension the team installs itself | Mailchimp for Magento | Free extension; Standard from $20 a month plus your contact tier |
| A brand that wants email, SMS, WhatsApp and push on one customer profile | Klaviyo, or a managed program through SMS marketing services on either platform | The Email plan at your profile count plus the SMS spend commitment |
| A team that needs 24/7 chat support and onboarding calls | Mailchimp Standard or Premium | Standard at your tier with one onboarding session; Premium from $350 with phone support and four sessions |
| A store weighing both against the other store-first platform | Read our Omnisend vs Klaviyo comparison and Omnisend vs Mailchimp first | Omnisend Standard $132 at 10,000 contacts against Klaviyo's $150 and Mailchimp's $135 |
| A team that wants the move planned and run for them | Our email marketing migration service, on either platform | The platform fee above plus the migration project |
Switching between Klaviyo and Mailchimp
Mailchimp to Klaviyo is the better documented direction. Klaviyo's Mailchimp migration guide describes an integration that syncs audiences into Klaviyo lists with subscription status, unsubscribes, cleaned contacts and 90 days of campaign activity, every 30 minutes for existing audiences. Tags and custom fields move by CSV, templates are rebuilt or imported as HTML, and automations are recreated as flows before the Mailchimp ones are paused. Disconnect Mailchimp from Shopify before you connect it to Klaviyo, or your subscribers may receive double opt-in emails. Klaviyo's general ESP migration guide adds the order of work: clean the list, swap the forms, import suppressions, then send the first two or three campaigns to an engaged segment.
Klaviyo to Mailchimp runs through Mailchimp's Klaviyo migration guide: a Klaviyo integration inside Mailchimp syncs contacts with an API key, or you import each list as a CSV. SMS contacts and custom fields move by hand, templates are copied as HTML, and segments, automations and integrations are rebuilt and tested. New Premium accounts can ask Sales for partner-led migration services in their first 30 days. In both directions, keep the old account live for 30 days, compare attributed revenue flow by flow, and only then cancel. Most of the migrations we have run lately moved brands from Klaviyo to Omnisend, for the price, or from Mailchimp to Klaviyo or Omnisend, for features Mailchimp lacks. If you want the move planned and run for you, our email marketing migration service moves subscribers with their consent, suppressions, segments, flows, templates and SMS. It warms the new sending domain and cuts over on a date you approve.
FAQ
Is Klaviyo better than Mailchimp for ecommerce?
For stores that live off flows, yes. Klaviyo syncs Shopify events in real time, ships 60 plus pre-built flows and includes predictive analytics on the Email plan. Mailchimp costs less, gives 24/7 chat support on every paid plan and runs up to 200 flows on Standard. Pick by how much your revenue depends on automation.
How much more does Klaviyo cost than Mailchimp?
At 10,000 contacts Klaviyo Email costs $150 a month against $135 on Mailchimp Standard or $110 on Essentials. At 50,000 contacts the gap widens: $720 on Klaviyo against $450 on Standard or $385 on Essentials. Klaviyo does not bill unsubscribed profiles, so a list with many lapsed contacts narrows the difference.
Why are people leaving Mailchimp?
Three limits show up in Mailchimp's own pricing. The contact count includes unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts. Essentials caps automation flows at 4 steps; only Standard and Premium carry 200 flows. SMS credits are sold after an application, with no published price. Klaviyo's comparison page says contacts, lists and engagement history sync over while templates, forms and flows are rebuilt.
What are the weaknesses of Klaviyo?
Price at scale and support. The Email plan costs $720 a month at 50,000 active profiles, $270 more than Mailchimp Standard. Paid plans get 24/7 email support but live chat on weekdays only; weekend chat needs the Professional package, from $300 a month. SMS is a separate spend commitment, at $0.011 per US toll-free text.
Does Mailchimp have abandoned cart flows?
Yes, on paid plans. The Shopify integration triggers welcome, abandoned cart and back in stock emails, and Mailchimp for Magento syncs cart contents in near real time and sends recovery emails. Essentials caps flows at 4 steps; Standard and Premium allow up to 200 flows with branching. The Free plan has no automation flows.
Can I move from Mailchimp to Klaviyo without losing my list?
Yes. Klaviyo's Mailchimp integration syncs audiences, subscription status, unsubscribes and cleaned contacts into Klaviyo lists, plus 90 days of campaign activity. Tags and custom fields come over by CSV. Templates, forms and automations are rebuilt, and Klaviyo advises sending the first two or three campaigns to an engaged segment. Disconnect Mailchimp from Shopify first to avoid double opt-in emails.
Which has better SMS, Klaviyo or Mailchimp?
Klaviyo, for reach and a published price. SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, RCS and mobile push share one profile, and the Free plan includes $5 of mobile messages a month. Klaviyo's pricing page shows $0.011 per US toll-free SMS and $0.04 per MMS. Mailchimp sells SMS credits after an application and publishes no price. Budget SMS at your volume before you choose.