Comparison
MailerLite vs Mailchimp (2026): Priced in Rands
MailerLite vs Mailchimp at 500 to 5 000 contacts in rands, what each plan includes, support and billing, read at both sites. Which to use, by business.
MailerLite and Mailchimp are selling different things. MailerLite's bet is that you want the most features for the least money, paying more only as your list grows. Mailchimp's bet is certainty and reach: a price in rands, chat support at any hour and more connections to other software than anyone else here.
I priced both this week at the list sizes a small business actually has, MailerLite in the dollars it bills and Mailchimp in the rands it bills, so you can see what that difference costs you each month.
What each one costs a month
The fair comparison is the plan each company sells with real automation: MailerLite's Comfort plan against Mailchimp's Standard plan. Mailchimp's cheaper Essentials plan is in the table too, because on a small list it is the one people actually buy, but its automated flows stop at four steps.
A month, monthly billing. Mailchimp prices its lists in bands, so the 1 000 row is its band up to 1 500 contacts.
MailerLite vs Mailchimp, a month
| MailerLite Comfort | Mailchimp Essentials | Mailchimp Standard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 contacts | $12R200 | R200 | R310 |
| 1 000 contacts | $19R317 | R410 | R690 |
| 2 500 contacts | $33R550 | R600 | R1 010 |
| 5 000 contacts | $49R816 | R1 010 | R1 540 |
From mailerlite.com/pricing and mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing: MailerLite in US dollars, Mailchimp in rands, as each bills a South African. Neither includes VAT.← scroll sideways on a narrow screen →
Against the Mailchimp plan with the same automation, MailerLite is about R373 a month cheaper at 1 000 contacts and R724 at 5 000.
At 500 contacts Mailchimp's Essentials plan costs about the same as Comfort, and its automated flows stop at four steps.
The exchange rate is the obvious worry, so here is the worst case. MailerLite charges in dollars, and a weaker rand raises what you pay. At 1 000 subscribers the rand would have to lose about 20% before MailerLite's Comfort plan cost as much as Mailchimp's Essentials, and it would have to halve before it matched Standard.
What you get on each plan
Price is where MailerLite wins. The rest of the comparison is where Mailchimp earns its higher number, and two of these rows are why some businesses stay.
MailerLite's Comfort plan against Mailchimp's Standard plan, the two that include multi-step automation.
What each plan includes
| MailerLite Comfort | Mailchimp Standard | |
|---|---|---|
| Automation | 50 automations, 100 steps each | Up to 200 flows |
| Emails a month | 10 times your list | 12 times your list |
| Seats | 3 | 5 |
| Support | 24/7 email | 24/7 email and chat |
| Integrations | 100+ | 300+ |
| Billing | USD or EUR | Rand |
| Free plan | 250 subscribers, 2 500 emails | Under 250 contacts |
From each vendor's plan comparison table.
Mailchimp wins four rows and MailerLite wins the price. Whether four rows are worth about R373 a month depends on which of them you would actually use.
Chat support is the difference you will feel. Both answer email at any hour, but only Mailchimp puts a person in a chat window on its cheaper paid plans; on MailerLite, live chat comes with the Power plan at $39R650 a month for 1 000 subscribers. If you would rather type to someone than wait for a reply, Power costs about what Mailchimp's Standard plan does, and the price argument disappears.
Integrations matter only if yours is missing. 100 connections covers WooCommerce, Shopify, WordPress and the common form and payment tools. Check the one piece of software you cannot change, a booking system or an accounting package, against MailerLite's list before you decide; if it is there, the 300 on Mailchimp's list stop mattering.
The case for each, in brief
Put side by side, both platforms keep the promise they make. What each gives up is the other one's strength.
MailerLiteWhat works
- About R373 to R724 a month less than Mailchimp Standard at 1 000 to 5 000 contacts
- 50 automations and ten landing pages on the Comfort plan
- Free plan with 2 500 emails a month
What does not
- Billed in dollars or euros, so the rand amount moves
- Live chat support only on the pricier Power plan
- Sends capped at ten times your list on Comfort
MailchimpWhat works
- Rand prices for South African buyers
- 24/7 chat and email support on every paid plan
- 300+ integrations and five seats on Standard
What does not
- Standard costs about twice MailerLite Comfort at 1 000 contacts
- Essentials limits automated flows to four steps
- The free plan stops under 250 contacts
Moving from Mailchimp to MailerLite
If you are reading this with a Mailchimp bill in front of you, moving is mostly an afternoon's work. You export your audience as a CSV and import it, keeping the consent you already hold, because a contact who agreed to hear from your business still has that agreement on a new platform.
What does not move is anything you built: your automated flows, templates and forms have to be rebuilt by hand in MailerLite. On a list with a welcome series and one or two forms, that is a few hours. On a store with a dozen flows, price the time before the saving.
So which one should you use?
Neither loses on its own terms. MailerLite does give you the most for the least, and Mailchimp does give you a rand price, a chat window and the widest set of connections.
Take MailerLite if you want a newsletter and automated welcome emails for the lowest monthly cost, which is most small businesses. At 1 000 subscribers it saves about R373 a month, R4 482 a year, over the Mailchimp plan with the same automation, and you can start on its free plan today and upgrade when the list passes 250.
1Cheapest with automation
MailerLite
Why it wins on price
MailerLite's Comfort plan includes 50 automations and ten landing pages from $19R317 a month at 1 000 subscribers.
- Free plan250 subscribers, 2 500 emails a month
- At 5 000$49R816 a month
- Support24/7 email; chat on Power
- Best fora newsletter and a welcome series for the least money
- Watch fordollar billing moves with the exchange rate
MailerLite's offer today10% off when you pay for a year upfrontShown on mailerlite.com on 1 Oct 2026.
My recommendations on MailerLite's plans
Starting out? Start on Comfort. It does the same job as Mailchimp's Standard, a newsletter plus automated welcome emails, for $19R317 a month at 1 000 subscribers against R690.
Growing or switching? Move to Power when you email daily or a team shares the account. It's still $39R650 a month at 1 000 subscribers.
Staying with Mailchimp? Stay if you budget in rands and want the bill to stay put, or if an app you rely on connects to Mailchimp and not to MailerLite.
Every plan includes email campaigns, automations, signup forms and 100+ integrations.
View all 3 MailerLite plans under 200 000 subscribersPriced at 1 000 subscribers, billed monthly
Mirrored from mailerlite.com These are MailerLite's own plans, prices and limits, as its pricing page showed them on 1 Oct 2026. The “Pick it if” lines are ours. Choose a plan to see it on MailerLite.
- Up to 250 subscribers
- 2 500 emails a month
- 3 automations
- 2 user seats
- The MailerLite logo stays on your emails
- Up to 1 000 subscribers
- 10 000 emails a month
- 50 automations
- 3 user seats
- MailerLite logo removed
- 24/7 email support
- Up to 1 000 subscribers
- Unlimited emails
- Unlimited automations
- Unlimited user seats
- 24/7 live chat and email support
Enterprise, for 200 000+ subscribers, is quoted. · Checked 1 Oct 2026
Start on MailerLite's Comfort plan
Try every feature free for 14 days, no card needed.
you'll go to www.mailerlite.com
Take Mailchimp if you budget in rands and want the bill to stay put, if you want to chat to someone rather than email, or if a tool you rely on connects to Mailchimp and not to MailerLite. If neither fits, the ranking of all seven platforms is in our email marketing guide.
2Billed in rands
Mailchimp
Why it's worth more to some
Mailchimp's Standard plan has up to 200 flows, 24/7 chat and email support and a rand price.
- EssentialsR410 to 1 500 contacts, 4-step flows
- Standard at 5 000R1 540 a month
- Trial14 days on Standard
- Best fora fixed rand bill, chat support or a Mailchimp-only integration
- Watch forabout R373 a month more than MailerLite at 1 000 contacts
My recommendations on Mailchimp's plans
Starting out? If you choose Mailchimp, start on Standard. Essentials' four-step flows are too short for a proper welcome series, and Standard allows up to 200 flows.
Growing or switching? Move to Premium only when a team needs unlimited seats and phone support.
Moving to MailerLite? MailerLite's Comfort saves about R373 a month at 1 000 subscribers, with the same automation.
Every plan includes pop-up forms, pre-built templates, email scheduling and 300+ integrations.
View all 4 Mailchimp plansPriced in rands at up to 1 500 contacts, billed monthly
Mirrored from mailchimp.com These are Mailchimp's own plans, prices and limits, as its pricing page showed them on 1 Oct 2026. The “Pick it if” lines are ours. Choose a plan to see it on Mailchimp.
- Under 250 contacts
- Core email tools
- Move to a paid plan as your list grows
- 15 000 emails a month
- 3 seats
- Automation flows of up to 4 steps
- 24/7 email and chat support
- Mailchimp branding removed
- 18 000 emails a month
- 5 seats
- Up to 200 automation flows
- Generative AI features
- 24/7 email and chat support
- 1 onboarding session
- 150 000 emails a month
- Unlimited seats
- Up to 200 automation flows
- Phone and priority support
- R4 760 a month for the first 12 months on Mailchimp's current offer
Checked 1 Oct 2026
Start on Mailchimp's Standard plan
Essentials and Standard start with a free 14-day trial.
you'll go to mailchimp.com
Still between the two? The three questions below are the three that split them in every section above: how you want to pay, how you want support, and how much automation you need. They give you one name, with the reason.
Three questions
MailerLite or Mailchimp?
Answer for how your business works today.
1How do you want to pay?
2When you are stuck, what do you reach for?
3What will you send?
Before you answer
MailerLite, for most small businesses
It is cheaper at every list size once automation is included.
The trade-off: dollar billing, and live chat only on its pricier Power plan.
Prices read at both vendors' own pricing pages on 24 September 2026.
Questions people actually ask
Costs
Is MailerLite cheaper than Mailchimp?
Yes, once automation is included.At 1 000 subscribers MailerLite's Comfort plan is $19R317 a month against R690 for Mailchimp's Standard plan; at 5 000 it is $49R816 against R1 540. At 500 contacts Mailchimp's Essentials plan costs about the same but limits automated flows to four steps. Checked 24 September 2026.
Does Mailchimp charge in rands?
Yes. Mailchimp shows South African buyers rand prices: Essentials from R200 and Standard from R310 a month for 500 contacts.MailerLite charges in US dollars or euros.
Switching
Can I move my list from Mailchimp to MailerLite?
Yes. Export your audience from Mailchimp as a CSV and import it into MailerLite; the consent your contacts gave you carries over.Automated flows, templates and forms do not transfer and must be rebuilt.
Support
Which has better support, MailerLite or Mailchimp?
Mailchimp offers 24/7 email and chat support on its Essentials and Standard plans.MailerLite offers 24/7 email support on its Comfort plan and adds live chat on its Power plan.
