MailerLite vs Mailchimp: Making the Smart Choice 2025

Both MailerLite and Mailchimp handle campaign creation pretty smoothly, but they work differently depending on your email marketing workflow.

MailerLite keeps email marketing campaign management simple and intuitive. I’ve found I can set up one-time broadcasts, recurring newsletters, or automated resends to non-openers without much fuss. The drag-and-drop builder works seamlessly with scheduling and audience segmentation, so even small teams can get polished email campaigns out the door fast. 

What I really like is the “auto-resend” option—it automatically resends campaigns to people who didn’t open them, with adjusted subject lines or timing. It’s one of those features you don’t know you need until you try it.

Mailchimp gives you deeper control and analytics for email marketing campaigns. You get automated send-time optimization based on behavioral data, tagging for cross-campaign insights, and multivariate testing across multiple variables (subject, content, send time).

It’s great if you’re on a larger team that relies on iterative testing and detailed performance tracking for future campaigns, though I’ve noticed the setup can feel heavy if you’re just trying to send something quick.

Winner: MailerLite for ease and time efficiency; Mailchimp for advanced optimization and testing flexibility.

Creating visually compelling emails is where these email marketing tools really show their differences. In the MailerLite vs. Mailchimp debate, design flexibility often becomes the deciding factor.

MailerLite offers a user-friendly email editor with over 70 content blocks—countdowns, surveys, image carousels, signature blocks, you name it. You can build modular, interactive emails without much hassle. There’s also a rich-text editor mode for simpler campaigns, plus dynamic content blocks that only show up for certain segments.

The platform also provides mobile-responsive templates that look good on any device without requiring technical know-how.

If you’re comfortable with code, the custom HTML editor supports snippets, custom variables, and an automatic CSS inliner so that you can use your own HTML code. MailerLite also allows you to save templates to your “My templates” gallery, although free plan users may lose editing access after the trial ends.

Mailchimp’s email editor is more supportive of design experimentation. You get a larger template gallery, multi-variant layout testing (on higher plans), and more freedom to embed advanced HTML/CSS with advanced design tools. Mailchimp also integrates more tightly with design tools and brand asset management, which is useful if you’re running branding-heavy campaigns.

Winner: MailerLite for clean, fast design with good flexibility; Mailchimp when you need advanced layout freedom or experimentation.

Automation is where email marketing software really flexes its muscles—and differences here can make or break your decision in the MailerLite vs. Mailchimp comparison.

MailerLite supports visual workflows with branching logic and conditional splits through its visual workflow builder. I’ve been able to build welcome emails, re-engagement sequences, date-based triggers, and “if / then” paths without pulling my hair out. Custom fields, tags, and dynamic content work together nicely to personalize the flow. 

For transactional messages, MailerLite leans on MailerSend, a companion service you can integrate. One thing I’ve noticed: workflows are generally more linear compared to enterprise tools, and you might hit “depth” limits with really complex branching. The automation features are solid, but not as extensive as those of more advanced tools.

Mailchimp supports sophisticated automation with its customer journey builder (available in mid-tier and above plans). You get multiple trigger entry points, branching, wait conditions, and behavioral splits. Classic automated workflows are still there for basic flows like abandoned carts and date triggers. 

Mailchimp also offers advanced automation options, including predictive triggers (like sending when a contact is “likely to buy”) and triggers based on site activity or purchase tracking data. The catch? These advanced automations usually require intermediate plans or add-ons.

Winner: Mailchimp for richer automation breadth and predictive capabilities; MailerLite for a lighter, more approachable automation workflow experience.

Lead capture is fundamental to email marketing, so a tool that nails forms and landing pages gives you a real advantage.

I’ve been impressed that MailerLite bundles a landing page builder and website builder right in the platform. You can spin up promotion pop-ups, embedded forms, or full landing pages without leaving the tool. Their behavior-based pop-ups (exit intent, scroll, time) are subtle but effective. 

The form editor supports GDPR fields, custom field capture, and double opt-in. Templates are plentiful and customizable, though some features (like password-protected pages) are reserved for paid plans.

Mailchimp also supports signup forms, pop-ups, and landing pages with built-in templates and embedding flexibility, though there’s a bit more friction when managing design consistency across campaigns. 

Where it shines is how forms feed directly into complex automations or audience segments. Their LP editor is less full-featured compared to a dedicated builder—more lightweight than a website builder, but solid for basic capture funnels.

Winner: MailerLite for deeper built-in landing page and site tools; Mailchimp for tighter form-to-automation mapping in bigger workflows.

Good segmentation is how you stop sending generic blasts and start sending relevant messages. Here’s how each tool handles it in the MailerLite vs. Mailchimp matchup:

MailerLite uses tags and segments (dynamic conditions) to control your audience. Custom fields let you store any piece of subscriber data—birthday, preferences, whatever you need. You can also apply suppression lists and exclusion rules (so you don’t mail unsubscribers or people in other segments). 

One thing I discovered: MailerLite deduplicates contacts internally, so if a subscriber is in multiple groups, you won’t get double-counted. Paid plans unlock more segmentation depth and better subscriber engagement tracking.

Mailchimp offers more robust segmentation tools, especially in higher tiers. You can build segments based on behavioral, demographic, and predictive criteria (like “predicted best time to send” or “likely to purchase”), including customer lifetime value calculations. Tags, groups, and segments work together to model complex audiences. 

The downside? If you misuse multiple Audiences (Mailchimp’s “audiences” concept vs. segments), it can get expensive since each audience’s contacts might be billed separately.

Winner: Mailchimp for more predictive segmentation; MailerLite for cleaner, simpler segmentation without billing surprises.

For stores, email marketing tools are only as good as their connection to carts, orders, and conversions.

MailerLite supports ecommerce through integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce) and includes product blocks, coupon insertion, abandoned cart flows (via MailerLite automations), and revenue attribution. They also offer ecommerce email templates for discounts, “you may like” sections, and product promos with built-in conversion tracking. 

The main limitation I’ve noticed: deeper purchase logic or multi-store attribution isn’t as mature as tools built specifically for commerce.

Mailchimp has a long history as an email + ecommerce hybrid. Features include abandoned cart and browse abandonment automations, product recommendation blocks, revenue tracking per campaign, and predictive product suggestions based on purchase history. If your store is already tightly integrated, Mailchimp surfaces product data within campaigns pretty seamlessly. 

Worth noting: SMS in Mailchimp can also work with ecommerce campaigns (like pushing offers).

Winner: Mailchimp for deeper ecommerce integrations and analytics; MailerLite is solid for smaller stores needing core flows without complexity.

Beautiful emails don’t matter if they don’t land in inboxes. Deliverability depends on infrastructure, policies, and sending discipline—a crucial part of any email marketing strategy.

From my research, MailerLite invests in standard deliverability hygiene: domain authentication (SPF, DKIM), IP pool management, and suppression rules. Since their pricing is based on active subscribers only, they encourage clean lists. Their policies help minimize spam complaints. 

Users often report acceptable inbox placement, though there aren’t as many public benchmarks compared to Mailchimp. The platform also provides email client statistics so you can see where your messages are being opened.

Mailchimp is more transparent about its deliverability infrastructure. They use tools like Omnivore to scan campaigns before sending, route engaged contacts through “better” IPs, and offer domain setup guides. 

Mailchimp also encourages gradual warm-up for large new lists to avoid deliverability issues. In independent tests, Mailchimp achieves deliverability scores around 94%. But as always, your content, list hygiene, and sending patterns will heavily impact your results.

Winner: Mailchimp has stronger infrastructure transparency and public benchmarks; MailerLite should work well for most use cases but carries more uncertainty at very large scales.

Knowing what’s working (and what’s not) matters—reporting is where these email marketing tools either help you make decisions or leave you guessing.

MailerLite offers standard campaign and automation reports: opens, clicks, unsubscribes, heat maps, and click maps. You can export reports and compare campaigns. They also support revenue attribution for ecommerce sends and integration with Google Analytics. 

Some advanced metrics (cohort analysis, predictive) are less developed. Their dashboards favor simplicity, which I appreciate when I don’t want to get overwhelmed.

Mailchimp gives you richer, more layered reporting through advanced reporting capabilities—campaign-level, journey-level, time-series comparisons, and revenue breakdowns. Thanks to deeper ecommerce ties, you can see per-campaign ROI, purchase paths, and granular segmentation performance. 

On higher plans, you unlock predictive analytics (like “top-performing send times”), custom reports, and comparative dashboards. The trade-off? The interface can feel busy, and some insights are locked behind premium features tiers.

Winner: Mailchimp for depth, multiple angles, and ROI analytics; MailerLite for straightforward, clean reporting without overcomplexity.

How well your email marketing tool plugs into the rest of your tech stack often determines whether it “fits” your workflow—an important consideration in the MailerLite vs. Mailchimp decision.

MailerLite has a healthy integration ecosystem with over 140 connections (Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, WordPress, etc.). Their API is reasonably full-featured, supporting subscriber operations, automation triggers, and application integration. 

Some power users mention limitations in rate limits and webhook customization. Because of its simplicity, integration tends to “just work,” but if you need extremely custom flows (multi-step, bi-directional sync), you may need custom code. 

For those wondering about Mailchimp-MailerLite integration, both platforms support third-party connectors through Zapier.

Mailchimp has a wider playground. With over 300+ integrations advertised, you’ll find native support for CRMs, analytics tools, ecommerce platforms, and more. Their API is robust, supporting advanced endpoints across audiences, tags, campaigns, and even email templates. 

The caveat? Certain API features or integration depth might require paying for higher tiers or add-ons.

Winner: Mailchimp for sheer breadth and capability; MailerLite for dependable, mid-tier integrations that cover most needs.

When you’re stuck, service quality matters more than features in your email marketing platform.

MailerLite offers email support and live chat support on paid plans, plus a solid help center and community resources. I’ve seen some users mention that response times vary depending on your plan level. 

Since the interface is simpler, many users find they don’t need support as often anyway. New users especially appreciate the straightforward onboarding process.

Mailchimp provides support tiers: email and chat support for mid/upper tiers, with some phone support for higher-end users. On their site, they advertise onboarding services for new subscribers on Standard or Premium plans. 

The downside? Users often report that support is slower or less helpful on the free/cheapest tiers, and there can be friction when trying to escalate complex issues.

Winner: Slight edge to MailerLite for reliable baseline support; Mailchimp wins when you can afford premium support and onboarding.

A mobile presence lets you check stats, manage lists, and handle light campaign oversight on the go—a modern necessity for busy email marketing professionals.

MailerLite doesn’t currently offer a fully featured mobile app (as of the latest documentation). Users rely on the responsive web interface for mobile access, which handles everyday tasks but lacks certain mobile-native conveniences.

Mailchimp provides a well-developed mobile app (iOS and Android) that lets you monitor campaign performance, manage contacts, send campaigns, and view reports from your phone. It’s not a full builder or automation editor, but it supports key actions and alerts. This is handy if you need to act quickly while away from a desktop.

Winner: Mailchimp wins hands-down on mobile support thanks to its app.

From my review of G2 feedback, many MailerLite users praise its customer support responsiveness and ease of use in their email marketing operations. One reviewer notes: “Their customer service is amazing. Minimal to no wait time for chat help … very friendly and helpful.”

Others emphasize how smooth the migration process is from other platforms, highlighting the flexibility of the templates and the overall value. 

In comparative G2 scores, MailerLite often outpaces Mailchimp on quality of support (around 9.3 vs 8.0) and ease of use as perceived by users. These views reinforce that MailerLite tends to delight users who value simplicity, clear support, and cost-efficiency over feature overload.

Meanwhile, Mailchimp fans talk up its feature richness and evolving capabilities. One reviewer reports: “Mailchimp has surpassed our expectations. Way more than what it was years ago… the templates make life easier.”

Another common praise: Mailchimp “streamlines my marketing workflow” and has “so many capabilities” within one tool. That said, some G2 critiques point to pricing and UX friction: Mailchimp gets criticized for charging for unsubscribed/cleaned contacts, and its interface is described as sometimes confusing as features get added.

I’ve found that MailerLite users on Capterra frequently emphasize how approachable and reliable the platform is for email marketing. One reviewer says, “My experience with MailerLite has been incredibly positive. It’s a strong tool that simplifies email marketing…”

Many highlight the clean UI, low learning curve, and solid core features like campaign creation and scheduling. Its ratings are strong in campaign scheduling, branding, and customization—with MailerLite scoring 4.8 in campaign management and 4.7 in customizable branding. 

Downsides mentioned in reviews include fewer advanced integrations compared to bigger platforms, and a somewhat lighter feature set in analytics and automation beyond basics.

Mailchimp reviews on Capterra tend to stress familiarity, rich templates, and broad marketing utility. One user praises: “Mailchimp’s email campaign management is effective and user-friendly,” while many appreciate the segmentation, scheduling, and interface for professionals.

Yet several reviewers warn about ballooning costs as lists grow and the complexity that comes along—some say features are gated to higher tiers or that the value diminishes for smaller users.

On Reddit, I’ve noticed MailerLite often draws praise for its clean UI and strong deliverability—one user in r/Emailmarketing says: “I loved Mailerlite: simple, efficient, great-looking emails and improved significantly our deliverability rates.” But critics caution about their customer support: “they’re useless … no reply for a week on a complaint.” 

Others describe bugs and account-shutdown behavior. The general vibe is that MailerLite delivers when things go right, but its support and consistency can be brittle at higher stakes.

Mailchimp’s Reddit narrative is messier but full of honest critique. Some users complain about creeping complexity: “Logging into Mailchimp … it’s gotten significantly more complicated than I remember.”

Others are more blunt: “Don’t go down the Mailchimp path … they’ll burn you eventually, either through pricing, or through their increasingly terrible UI.”

On the positive side, one user in r/ecommerce comments: “Mailchimp works fine and has a great API.” But even then, comparisons to alternatives like Klaviyo suggest Mailchimp is solid but not top-tier for complex workflows.

MailerLite restricts content related to adult entertainment, gambling, firearms, illegal substances, get-rich-quick schemes, and misleading financial offers (like crypto investments or binary options). They also prohibit sending unsolicited or purchased lists. Violating these rules can result in account suspension or termination.

MailerLite doesn’t offer built-in SMS marketing yet. However, you can connect third-party tools like Twilio, Zapier, or MailerSend (MailerLite’s transactional email platform) to trigger SMS notifications. SMS automation isn’t natively supported—so for omnichannel messaging beyond email marketing, Mailchimp or dedicated SMS tools might be better options.

In the MailerLite vs. Mailchimp debate for ecommerce, Mailchimp generally offers more advanced ecommerce tools—predictive segmentation, product recommendations, and deeper analytics for connected stores. 

MailerLite covers the essentials like product blocks, coupon codes, and cart recovery, but lacks predictive or multichannel capabilities. For small shops, MailerLite is simpler; for larger stores, Mailchimp is more robust.

Export your contacts, segments, and templates from Mailchimp, then import them into MailerLite using CSV files. You’ll need to recreate automations manually (since workflows don’t transfer directly).

You can also use MailerLite’s migration guide or connect via API for faster syncing of audiences and unsubscribed records. This MailerLite vs. Mailchimp migration process is straightforward but requires some manual effort.