Email Marketing Tools 2026: The Real Cost of Mailchimp vs. Brevo, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign & GetResponse

TL;DR

Mailchimp’s still the industry standard, but you’re paying 2-3x more than competitors for comparable features. Brevo’s revolutionizing pricing with unlimited contacts and send-based billing—saving agencies 60%+ annually. ConvertKit remains the creator favorite with 22.3% average open rates and dead-simple automation. ActiveCampaign justifies its premium pricing through predictive sending that boosts opens by 7%+ and integrated CRM. GetResponse is criminally underrated for e-commerce with built-in webinar hosting that’d cost $50-100/month elsewhere.

What the Sources Say

The Consensus: Price vs. Performance

All five platforms are DSGVO-compliant with EU servers, but they couldn’t be more different in how they charge you. The community’s unanimous: Mailchimp’s pricing has gotten ridiculous. One small business owner reported paying €75/month for 5,000 contacts in 2026—double what they paid in 2022. After switching to Brevo, they’re paying just €19/month for the same list, saving over €600 annually.

But here’s where it gets interesting: deliverability justifies the SaaS premium. A developer who tried self-hosting with Listmonk discovered that getting emails to the inbox isn’t trivial—his first campaign hit 40% spam rates. After weeks of IP warmup and DMARC configuration, he reached 92% inbox placement. Meanwhile, Brevo maintains 97.1% deliverability, ActiveCampaign 97%+, and Mailchimp 96.2% out of the box.

The February 2026 Gmail and Yahoo authentication requirements have made this even more critical. DMARC policy is now mandatory for senders exceeding 5,000 emails daily. Brevo and ActiveCampaign lead in implementation, while ConvertKit offers automatic SPF/DKIM setup.

The Disagreements: When Does Premium Make Sense?

The Mailchimp debate is fierce. Critics call it overpriced feature bloat. Defenders argue the UX polish, 300+ integrations, and brand reliability justify the premium. One Reddit user summed it up: “Mailchimp is good, but overpriced for small businesses. Brevo, ConvertKit or even GetResponse’s free tiers offer 80% of the functionality for 30% of the price.”

Creator tools spark controversy too. Some recommend ConvertKit for simplicity (€15/month starting price, visual automation builder, tag-based segmentation). Others push ActiveCampaign despite the €49/month entry point—one course creator reported: “The extra €50/month pays for itself through better upsell conversions via advanced automation.”

AI features divide users. ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp have gone all-in on predictive send times, AI subject line optimization, and dynamic content. A SaaS company saw open rates jump from 24% to 31% using ActiveCampaign’s predictive sending. But critics dismiss AI as “unnecessary feature bloat for higher prices.” ConvertKit deliberately stays simple. GetResponse focuses on visual AI design assistants for templates.

Pricing & Alternatives: The Real Numbers

PlatformStarting Price (1,000 contacts)Unique StrengthBest ForDeliverability
Mailchimp€13/mo (Essentials)300+ integrations, polished UX, AI content optimizationEstablished brands prioritizing reliability over cost96.2%
Brevo€25/mo (20,000 sends)Unlimited contacts in all tiers, multi-channel (SMS/WhatsApp), versandbasiert pricingAgencies and businesses with large inactive lists97.1%
ConvertKit€15/mo (Creator)Tag-based segmentation, landing pages with high conversion, creator-focusedNewsletter publishers, bloggers, solopreneurs~95% (22.3% avg. open rate)
ActiveCampaign€49/mo (Plus)Predictive sending, integrated CRM, lead scoring, 900+ integrationsB2B companies with complex sales funnels97%+
GetResponse€15.58/mo (Email Marketing)Webinar hosting (Marketing Automation tier), e-commerce features, conversion funnel builderE-commerce stores, course creators needing webinars96.8%

Free tiers worth noting:

  • Mailchimp: 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/month
  • Brevo: 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts
  • ConvertKit: 1,000 subscribers (limited features)
  • ActiveCampaign: No free tier
  • GetResponse: Various trial options

The pricing models matter more than the numbers. Brevo’s versandbasiert approach means you pay for emails sent, not contacts stored—game-changing if you have 15,000 contacts but only email 8,000 monthly. One agency reported saving over 60% compared to Mailchimp’s contact-based pricing.

Feature Breakdown: Who Actually Delivers?

Automation & Workflows

Winner: ActiveCampaign (if you need complexity) or ConvertKit (if you want simplicity).

ActiveCampaign’s visual automation builder handles If/Then logic, site tracking triggers, and multi-step nurturing campaigns. The learning curve’s steep—expect 2-4 weeks for proper onboarding—but one entrepreneur noted: “I can build detailed automations with lead scoring based on course progress. ConvertKit couldn’t handle that.”

ConvertKit intentionally stays focused: “The workflow builder is intuitive, the segmentation works beautifully, but you hit limits with complex scenarios,” reported one user. That’s a feature, not a bug—for creators who don’t need CRM integration.

Brevo’s automation (Business tier, €65/mo) rivals pricier tools. GetResponse offers “Autofunnels” for complete sales sequences. Mailchimp’s automation is solid but gated behind the Standard tier (€20+/month).

E-Commerce Integration

Winner: GetResponse (surprisingly).

The E-Commerce Marketing tier (€97.58/mo) includes product recommendations based on purchase history, abandoned cart recovery with dynamic product images, and quick transactional emails. One Shopify store owner converted 15-20% of webinar attendees to buyers: “At Mailchimp or ConvertKit I’d need separate tools like Demio for €50-100/month. GetResponse bundles it.”

ActiveCampaign’s CRM integration tracks deals and attributes revenue. Mailchimp has basic e-commerce features. ConvertKit doesn’t focus here—“no native product recommendations or abandoned cart,” one reviewer noted.

Templates & Design

Winner: Mailchimp (300+ modern templates, drag-and-drop polish).

But the gap’s closing. Brevo’s templates are “modern, responsive, easily customizable,” though “less polished than Mailchimp.” ConvertKit’s templates are “basic by design—creator-focused, not agency-quality.” GetResponse’s templates “look dated compared to Mailchimp” but include e-commerce-optimized layouts with promo codes and social proof elements.

CRM & Lead Management

Winner: ActiveCampaign (integrated CRM, lead scoring, deal tracking).

This is where ActiveCampaign justifies its premium. You’re not buying an email tool—you’re buying a marketing automation platform with sales pipeline integration. “The CRM feature transformed our lead qualification process,” reported one SaaS team.

Mailchimp offers basic contact management. Brevo, ConvertKit, and GetResponse don’t position as CRM alternatives.

The Bottom Line: Who Should Care?

Choose Mailchimp if: You prioritize brand reliability, need extensive integrations (300+), and budget isn’t your primary concern. The UX is genuinely the smoothest, and for enterprises where email marketing isn’t the core cost driver, it’s still solid.

Choose Brevo if: You manage large contact lists but moderate send volumes—agencies, consultants, or businesses with seasonal campaigns. The unlimited contacts model and multi-channel features (SMS, WhatsApp) at €65/mo (Business tier) offer unmatched value. EU-based company with French/German servers means DSGVO compliance is native, not bolted on.

Choose ConvertKit if: You’re a creator, blogger, or newsletter publisher. The tag-based segmentation “just makes sense,” the landing pages convert, and you don’t need enterprise complexity. The 22.3% average open rate among users speaks volumes. At €15/mo starting price, it’s the sweet spot between affordability and capability.

Choose ActiveCampaign if: You run a serious B2B operation with complex sales funnels and can justify €49-169/mo through measurable ROI. The predictive sending alone boosted one company’s opens from 24% to 31%—that’s real revenue impact. CRM integration, lead scoring, and 900+ native integrations make it the most powerful platform reviewed, but expect weeks of onboarding.

Choose GetResponse if: You’re in e-commerce or run online courses and need webinar hosting. The €48.38/mo Marketing Automation tier bundles features that’d cost €100+ monthly across separate tools. The UI feels dated, but functionally everything works. “Criminally underrated” according to one store owner who saves €50/month versus Zoom + Mailchimp.

Don’t choose any of them if: You’re technical, have >50,000 contacts, and can invest weeks in IP warmup and deliverability engineering. Self-hosted solutions like Listmonk cost €60/year but require significant expertise. One developer warned: “You’re not buying software, you’re buying deliverability expertise. For most businesses, managed tools are worth it.”

The 2026 reality: email marketing has become a pay-to-win game. Gmail and Yahoo’s authentication requirements mean you either pay SaaS providers who’ve already solved deliverability, or you invest serious engineering time. There’s no free lunch, but there are smarter prices—and Brevo’s unlimited contacts model proves the industry’s contact-based pricing is ripe for disruption.

Sources