Mailchimp Review 2025: Is It Still the Leader in Email Marketing?

Mailchimp handles the basics well—drag-and-drop editor, email scheduling, all that. But there are some nice touches too. Send Time Optimization suggests when to send one-off campaigns (don’t use it for automated email flows, though). RSS feed campaigns are still there if you need them, and you can use RSS merge tags for more control.

If you’re doing ecommerce, heads up: those Product and product recommendations blocks only work if you’ve connected a supported store. Without a store connection, they won’t show up or pull any data. 

Quick tip: always check how your email campaign looks on mobile AND desktop separately in the new email builder. You can set different padding and margins for each device on certain content blocks, which has saved me from some embarrassing formatting issues. The drag‑and‑drop functionality really shines when you’re working with complex layouts.

Split Testing

I’ve run tons of A/B tests—subject lines, from names, content, send times. You define test size, variants, and a measurement window; Mailchimp A/B testing reports variant performance so you can manually pick a winner. Don’t assume it auto-sends unless you specifically configure it that way on creation. I learned that one the hard way.

Here’s something important: Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection messes with open-based tests. I stick to clicks or revenue metrics now. You can do multivariate testing with the new builder, but I keep it simple—too many variants and you’ll wait forever for meaningful results.

Personalization

There are two main ways to personalize in Mailchimp: merge tags (including conditional ones) and dynamic content, which shows or hides blocks based on rules. Conditional merge tags work everywhere, while dynamic content in the new builder (Mailchimp has two builders)  looks cleaner but needs a Standard plan or higher.

Always test your tags—Mailchimp has decent troubleshooting help for this. And since Apple’s privacy changes, I use click-based logic instead of opens for any behavior-driven personalization. Makes a real difference in accuracy.

Templates work with layouts (your column structure), themes, and custom code if you need it. The platform offers both modern templates and classic templates. One annoying thing: templates from the new builder won’t work in the legacy email builder, and vice versa. This bit me when I was maintaining some older automations—Mailchimp has two editors that don’t play nice together.

When I need consistent branding, I create a coded base template with sections I can swap out using Mailchimp’s template language. Then I can throw newsletter templates together pretty quickly. You can save and share templates, which helps keep everything consistent.

The Customer Journey tool is where you build automations with pre-built journeys as starting points. You combine triggers (someone signs up, makes a purchase, gets tagged), rules (branches, delays), and actions (send email or SMS, add tags).

Two things that tripped me up: Send Time Optimization doesn’t work in automations, and some ecommerce-specific email blocks need a connected store even in automation flows.

The flow templates are decent starting points, but always check the trigger logic and goal tracking. Apple’s privacy stuff can cause weird issues if you’re not careful. I test everything and watch the per-node reporting to spot problems early. You can also set up transactional emails through the same system.

The landing pages in the new builder work as a basic website builder for quick promotional pages—forms, countdowns, product displays. They’re best for agile campaigns or gated content tied to your Mailchimp audience. For on-site capture, the pop-up forms are simpler—they’re hosted by Mailchimp and automatically tag contacts and add them to your lists (found in the audience tab).

The best part? You get to use the landing page builder, including unlimited pages already in the free plan. Plus, you get SEO tools and site visit analytics no matter your plan.

Pop-ups changed how I capture emails—they’re hosted by Mailchimp and connect directly to your audience, tags, and groups. No extra scripts needed, and attribution stays clean.

Surveys are worth highlighting. You can create multiple questions with different answer types, automatically tag people based on their responses, and link to them using the survey email block. For quick feedback, I sometimes embed a one-question poll using merge tags—responses show up right in the campaign reports.

Surveys have been surprisingly useful. I create them in Mailchimp, link them from emails with the survey block, then check responses in the reports or pull them via API. When responses come from known contacts, they link right to their profiles. It’s a complete loop from capture to segmentation without needing other tools.

My system revolves around tags (labels I create), groups (interests subscribers choose), and segments (filters based on any audience data). I let forms and surveys add tags automatically, then build saved segments for targeting and automation triggers. The platform helps manage duplicate contacts and inactive contacts effectively.

You can combine behaviors (last purchase, campaign activity) with fields and location data in segments. I try to keep things simple—fewer tags, clearer names, and a consistent set of saved segments. It cuts down on confusion and keeps targeting straightforward. The segmentation options are pretty extensive feature-wise.

Segmentation

I’ve built some complex segments using engagement data, ecommerce activity, location, signup source, language, tags, groups—you name it. They update automatically too. Pro tip: create “evergreen” segments like “hasn’t purchased in 90 days BUT clicked the last two emails” and use them everywhere. When you edit them, the changes apply to all your campaigns and automations.

Language segments are handy—Mailchimp detects language preference at signup. Save the segments you use repeatedly, name them consistently, and avoid open-based logic since Apple’s changes.

The reporting tools cover campaigns, automations, and surveys. You get click tracking (reliable) and open tracking (less reliable thanks to Apple). The email tracking features give you the data you need, though I’ve learned to focus more on clicks than opens these days.

I’ve set up Custom Reports for metrics I care about—click-to-open rate, revenue per recipient, device breakdown. And Comparative Reports help me spot patterns across campaigns.

Click Maps are great for diagnosing problems. Mailchimp can handle image maps (multiple links on one image) and shows clicks for each link. Really helpful for finding dead spots in your design.

I’ve played around with the SMS integration add-on. The Mailchimp SMS messaging feature plugs into your flows with “Send SMS actions.” Different countries have different rules and sender types, so check the documentation first. When you send SMS with Mailchimp, you’re working within their ecosystem, which keeps things organized.

I use the Mailchimp texting feature as a backup channel—abandoned cart reminders, time-sensitive announcements. Reports for SMS campaigns show up alongside email metrics in Mailchimp. Make sure opt-ins are crystal clear and handle STOP requests properly—carriers don’t mess around with compliance.

Mailchimp deliverability has been solid for me. The setup uses standard authentication tools: add two CNAMEs for DKIM authentication. For DMARC alignment, Mailchimp explicitly relies on DKIM alignment with your From domain.

Shared IPs work fine for most people. Dedicated IPs are available if you need them, but they require proper warming. For B2B emails, you might need to get on some allowlists. Keep your list clean, authenticate properly, and focus on good content and sending patterns rather than obsessing over IP addresses. Most email clients will receive your messages just fine with proper setup.

I’ve connected Mailchimp to various tools through their Integrations Directory and Marketing API v3. Here’s my experience with the main integrations:

• CRM integration – Syncs your contacts and sales data between platforms, keeping customer information consistent across your marketing and sales tools. The Mailchimp CRM functionality works well for basic needs.
• Mailchimp Pipedrive integration – Automatically adds Pipedrive contacts to your Mailchimp lists and tracks email engagement right in your deals. Pretty smooth for sales teams who want to see marketing activity.
• WooCommerce – Pulls in purchase data, creates abandoned cart emails, and lets you send product recommendations based on what customers bought. The sync is reliable once you get it set up.
• Integration with WordPress – Adds signup forms to your site with plugins and widgets. You can embed forms in posts, sidebars, or as pop-ups without touching code.
• Wix integration – Connects your Wix site visitors to Mailchimp lists through embedded forms. The setup is straightforward through Wix’s app market.
• Squarespace Mailchimp integration – Links form blocks and newsletter signups directly to your Mailchimp audience. Works seamlessly with Squarespace’s built-in form tools.
• Facebook integration – Creates Facebook and Instagram ads using your Mailchimp lists for targeting. Also lets you post to social media directly from campaigns.
• Eventbrite Mailchimp integration – Automatically adds event attendees to your lists (with their permission). Great for following up after events, though remember it only works for people who opt in.
• Integration with HubSpot – Bi-directional sync between HubSpot CRM and Mailchimp lists. Useful when you need HubSpot’s advanced CRM features but prefer Mailchimp for email campaigns.
• Gravity Forms integration – Connects complex WordPress forms to Mailchimp with field mapping and conditional logic. Much more flexible than basic form plugins when you need advanced features.
• Mailchimp developer API – Lets you build custom integrations and automate pretty much anything. I use it for complex workflows that go beyond what the standard integrations offer.

You can schedule emails right in Mailchimp, but I use the API for more complex workflows.

Support depends on your plan, which caught me off guard at first. The support options include help articles and tutorials on all plans, but chat support, email, and phone support come with paid tiers. Look for the Help icon in the app—if you don’t see chat or email options, your plan doesn’t include them. The support team is helpful when you can reach them.

API troubleshooting is limited. They’ll point you to third-party experts for complex development work. If you’re building something complicated, budget time (and maybe money) for outside help. Even with good documentation, weird edge cases pop up when you scale.

G2 Mailchimp reviews praise the same things I like: it’s easy to use, has a clean interface, and you can schedule campaigns way in advance. People appreciate the targeting, segmentation, and reporting. But they also mention the same pain points—limited support on lower tiers and weird formatting quirks in the email builder.

Reddit Mailchimp reviews like the clean UI and intuitive campaign editor. The free plan gets mentioned a lot as a good starting point. But once you need advanced features, people complain it feels too basic. Some Mailchimp reviews mention issues with automation complexity. The consensus on the Mailchimp reviews seems to be: great for beginners, but you might outgrow it.

Capterra Mailchimp reviews mention Time Warp scheduling, segmentation, and tagging as standouts. They like the interface and say delivery is reliable. Common complaints match mine: prices climb quickly, the HTML editor is inflexible, and the platform has gotten more complex over the years.

Mailchimp’s free plan is pretty limited. You get 500 contacts, 1,000 sends per month, and can only send 500 emails daily. One audience, one user, basic templates, minimal reporting. For automation, you basically get a welcome email and abandoned cart (if you’ve connected a store). Everything I rely on now—multi-step automations, real segmentation, A/B testing—those are all paid features.

Pricing depends on your contacts and how much you send. Essentials plan starts around $13/month for 500 contacts. Standard plan is about $20/month or more. Premium plan costs way more.

Is it worth it? Depends what you need. Once I needed A/B testing, better marketing automations, and support, the paid plans made sense. But the costs really do climb with list size. Clean your lists regularly and only pay for features you’ll use.

Yeah, I picked it up quickly. The interface is clean, drag-and-drop builders work well, templates get you started fast. But there’s definitely a learning curve for complex automations, dynamic content, SMS campaigns.

The new builder vs legacy builder thing confused me initially. And hitting feature limits on lower tiers meant some unexpected upgrade decisions. It’s easy to start with, but getting good at it takes time and sometimes learning a bit of code.