Mailchimp Is Raising Legacy Plan Prices on April 13: What to Do Now

If you signed up for Mailchimp before May 2019 and never migrated to a current plan, your monthly bill is about to go up. Mailchimp is rolling out an 11–13% price increase on legacy plans starting April 13, 2026 — that’s two days from today. Most affected users got an email notification already, but if you missed it, this article will tell you exactly what is changing, whether you are affected, and what your realistic options are.

Who Is Affected by This Increase

The April 2026 increase applies exclusively to accounts on Mailchimp’s legacy pricing structure — plans created before May 2019 that were grandfathered into the original pricing when Mailchimp overhauled its plan structure. If your account is newer than that, or if you already migrated to Essentials, Standard, or Premium, nothing changes for you.

Signs you may be on a legacy plan:

• Your Mailchimp plan name does not match “Essentials,” “Standard,” or “Premium”
• Your billing page shows pricing that does not match what is listed on Mailchimp’s current pricing page
• You received a notice from Mailchimp in the last few weeks about “pricing updates to your account”

The fastest way to check: log into Mailchimp, go to Account → Billing, and look at your plan name. If it says anything other than Essentials, Standard, or Premium — or if the per-month price looks unfamiliar — you are likely on a legacy structure.

What the Increase Actually Costs

An 11–13% increase sounds modest on paper. On a $30/month legacy plan it adds $3.30–$3.90 per month — about $40–$47 per year. On a $100/month plan it becomes $11–$13 more monthly, or $132–$156 annually.

That number is meaningful on its own. But the increase is also arriving on top of Mailchimp’s January 2026 free plan cuts and the deprecation of the Classic Automation Builder in June 2025, which pushed multi-step automations onto the Standard tier for anyone still on Essentials. For some users, this price increase is the third or fourth change in 12 months. The context matters when you are deciding whether to stay.

See our earlier article on Mailchimp’s free plan changes for the full history of recent cuts.

Your Three Options

Option 1: Migrate to a Current Mailchimp Plan

Mailchimp’s current plans are Essentials (starting around $13/month for 500 contacts), Standard (starting around $20/month for 500 contacts), and Premium (starting around $350/month). Prices scale with your contact count.

Migrating to a current plan may cost more or less than staying on your legacy plan — it depends on your contact count and which features you use. Before accepting the legacy price increase, log in and compare what you would pay on Essentials or Standard at your actual contact count. Mailchimp shows this estimate during the plan migration flow.

The case for migrating to a current plan is strongest if you are below 1,000 contacts and your current bill is already above what Essentials would charge. The case weakens quickly at larger list sizes, where Mailchimp’s per-contact pricing compounds aggressively.

Check Mailchimp’s pricing page for current tier prices before committing.

Option 2: Stay on Your Legacy Plan and Accept the Increase

If your workflow is deeply tied to Mailchimp — custom templates, complex automations, Shopify revenue reporting, or a team that knows the platform inside-out — paying the increase may still be the right call. Switching email platforms takes real time and carries real risk of disruption.

Staying makes the most sense when your list is below 2,000 contacts, your automations are complex, and the increase comes to less than a few hours of your time. Do the math: if migration would take four hours and your time is worth $50/hour, you need to save more than $200/year to break even on the switch.

The honest downside of staying: Mailchimp has now raised prices or cut plan features five times since Intuit acquired it in 2021. There is no reason to expect this to be the last change.

Option 3: Switch to a Better-Value Alternative

For many users — particularly those on larger lists, those frustrated by automation restrictions, or those who are already reconsidering the platform — this increase is a natural prompt to evaluate alternatives. Here are three that tend to work well for users leaving Mailchimp.

MailerLite

MailerLite is the most common Mailchimp replacement, and for good reason. The free plan covers 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month with automation included — already more generous than Mailchimp’s current free tier. Paid plans start around $10/month for 500 contacts, and MailerLite offers a direct Mailchimp import tool that handles contacts, tags, and basic automation logic in one step.

The downside: MailerLite’s reporting is shallower than Mailchimp’s, and e-commerce analytics lag well behind what Mailchimp offers for Shopify and WooCommerce stores. If detailed revenue attribution matters, MailerLite may feel like a step back.

GetResponse

GetResponse is a more feature-complete alternative that often comes in cheaper than Mailchimp at mid-size list counts. The Email Marketing plan starts around $19/month for 1,000 subscribers and includes autoresponders, landing pages, and list segmentation. The automation builder is more capable than MailerLite’s at handling conditional logic and multi-branch sequences.

The trade-off: GetResponse’s interface has more depth, which means a steeper initial learning curve. Pricing also adds up faster than it first appears once you cross 2,500 contacts. Check GetResponse’s current pricing page before committing.

Brevo

Brevo charges by emails sent, not by contacts stored — which makes it the cheapest option for anyone with a large list they email infrequently. The free plan allows unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day. Paid plans start around $9/month for 5,000 emails per month.

If you are sending one campaign per month to 3,000 contacts, Brevo’s per-send model will almost certainly cost less than Mailchimp at the same scale. The limitation: Brevo’s automation is functional but less polished than Mailchimp’s, and the interface takes longer to navigate. The Brevo vs Mailchimp comparison covers the feature differences in detail. You can also review Brevo’s live pricing page to confirm current send-volume tiers.

How to Decide

You are below 1,000 contacts and just need simple email: MailerLite’s free plan covers you completely. No payment needed until your list grows past 500.

You have 1,000–5,000 contacts and send regular campaigns: Compare GetResponse’s Email Marketing plan against Mailchimp Essentials at your exact list size. GetResponse typically comes out cheaper at this range, with more automation for the price.

You have a large list (5,000+) but email infrequently: Brevo’s email-volume pricing model will likely undercut any contact-based tool. Calculate your monthly send volume and compare against Brevo’s starter tiers.

You use Mailchimp’s Shopify integration heavily: None of the above alternatives match Mailchimp’s native e-commerce revenue attribution. If abandoned cart sequences and purchase-based segments drive real revenue for you, the migration cost may outweigh the savings. The best email marketing tools for e-commerce guide covers tools with comparable Shopify depth.

You need to move fast: The how to switch email platforms guide walks through the migration process step by step — contact export, automation documentation, and form replacement.

The Bottom Line

The April 13 price increase is modest in isolation but arrives in a pattern of Mailchimp changes that make the platform more expensive and less generous at every level. For users who have been passively staying on legacy pricing, it is a useful forcing function.

Spend 20 minutes comparing your current Mailchimp bill against MailerLite, GetResponse, or Brevo at your current contact count and sending volume. The pricing comparison often surprises people — not always in Mailchimp’s favor.

If you decide to move, do it before your next billing date. And if you decide to stay, at least do it knowingly rather than because the increase arrived during a busy week and you forgot to act.

For a broader look at how Mailchimp’s paid plan prices stack up, see the email marketing pricing comparison.

Sources

1. Mailchimp — Marketing Pricing — accessed 2026-04-11
2. GetResponse — Pricing — accessed 2026-04-11
3. Brevo — Pricing — accessed 2026-04-11
4. MailerLite — Official Website — accessed 2026-04-11