Moosend vs Mailchimp: Better Value, Better Deliverability?

Moosend is one of the most underrated tools in email marketing. It is rated higher than Mailchimp, costs significantly less at comparable subscriber counts, and delivers better inbox placement rates. The reason Mailchimp still wins on name recognition is simple: it got there first and spent heavily on marketing. If you’re evaluating both today on merit, Moosend wins in nearly every category that matters to a small or mid-sized business.

That said, Mailchimp has a larger ecosystem, a website builder, and a free plan. Whether those advantages matter to you determines which is the right call.

Moosend at a Glance

Moosend is a full-featured email marketing platform that targets small and mid-sized businesses with aggressive pricing. Its deliverability rate of 98% is among the highest of any platform tested — a meaningful edge in a world where even a 2–3% deliverability gap can measurably affect revenue. Automation is included at every paid tier with no artificial limits, and the landing page builder, sign-up forms, and reporting are all included without add-ons.

Moosend does not have a free plan. The Pro plan starts at $9/month for up to 500 subscribers, and pricing scales with subscriber count. This is Moosend’s main structural disadvantage for users who want to start for free.

Mailchimp at a Glance

Mailchimp’s most valuable asset is its free plan — 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. For a business that is genuinely just starting and sending infrequently, this provides a real foothold at no cost. Mailchimp also integrates with 300+ third-party tools and offers a website and domain builder for users who want a single platform.

The friction with Mailchimp shows up when you grow or need more automation depth. The free plan restricts you to single-step automations. Paid plans start at $13/month for 500 contacts, which already puts Mailchimp above Moosend’s $9/month at the same subscriber count — and Mailchimp’s deliverability rate of 96% trails Moosend’s 98%.

Pricing

Moosend Pro starts at $9/month for up to 500 subscribers, with pricing scaling based on subscriber count. Enterprise pricing is available for large lists. There is no free plan.

Mailchimp’s free tier allows 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. Paid tiers start at $13/month for 500 contacts (Essentials), $20/month (Standard), and $350/month (Premium). Pricing scales with list size and can become expensive quickly — many Mailchimp users report bill shock as their list grows.

At 500 subscribers, Moosend is cheaper than Mailchimp’s paid plans. At 2,500 subscribers, the gap widens. At 10,000 subscribers, the difference is material enough that switching costs are usually worth calculating. If you are already on Mailchimp at scale, Moosend migration is worth a cost analysis.

Automation

Moosend includes advanced automation at all paid tiers: multi-step workflows, conditional splits, behavioral triggers, and cart abandonment sequences. You can build onboarding sequences, lead nurture workflows, and win-back campaigns without a feature upgrade.

Mailchimp’s free plan limits you to single-step automations. The Essentials plan ($13/month) adds multi-step automations, and the Standard plan ($20/month) is where the automation builder becomes genuinely flexible. If automation is central to your strategy, you’ll likely end up on Mailchimp Standard — at which point Moosend Pro becomes the clearly cheaper option with stronger deliverability.

Deliverability

Moosend’s 98% deliverability rate is a real advantage. Mailchimp comes in at 96%. At high sending volumes, that 2% gap translates directly into revenue: if you’re sending 100,000 emails per month and 2% more reach the inbox, that’s 2,000 additional delivered messages per send.

The practical implication: if you’re in e-commerce, run a content business with a large list, or monetize your email in any way, Moosend’s deliverability advantage compounds over time.

Templates and Editor

Both tools offer drag-and-drop editors with a reasonable template library. Mailchimp’s editor has improved in recent years and is well-regarded for ease of use. Moosend’s editor is capable but not quite as polished. If the editing experience is a major factor in your decision, Mailchimp edges ahead. If you’re working from custom designs anyway, it matters less.

Integrations

Mailchimp has 300+ native integrations. Moosend has around 100. For most small businesses, the overlap is sufficient — both connect to Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Salesforce, and Zapier. Where Mailchimp’s broader library helps is with less common tools: niche CRMs, obscure e-commerce platforms, or enterprise software. If your stack is standard, Moosend will cover you.

Who Should Choose Moosend

Moosend is the better choice if deliverability matters to you, you want automation without paying for an upgraded plan, or you’re migrating from Mailchimp and looking to reduce costs. It’s also worth evaluating if you’re starting with a list above 250 contacts — at that point Moosend’s pricing is competitive and you skip Mailchimp’s restrictive free tier entirely.

Who Should Choose Mailchimp

Mailchimp makes sense if you need a free plan with no expiry to get started, want the broadest possible integration ecosystem, or value Mailchimp’s additional features (website builder, domain, direct Google Ads integration). It is also the lower-friction option if your team is already familiar with Mailchimp and migration costs exceed the savings.

Bottom Line

Moosend is the stronger tool on the metrics that matter most for a sending-focused use case: deliverability (98% vs 96%), pricing ($9/month vs $13+/month), and automation depth at the starter tier. The only scenario where Mailchimp clearly wins is “I need a free plan with no time limit.” If you’re evaluating both from scratch, Moosend is the rational default unless you have a specific integration dependency on Mailchimp’s extended library.

Sources

1. Moosend Pricing — accessed 2026-03-27
2. Mailchimp Pricing — accessed 2026-04-03