Mailchimp alternatives, and when Linnet fits

The short answer: Mailchimp is a sound all-in-one tool for many small businesses. People leave when the bill follows list size and the work of running campaigns falls on them. Linnet is for businesses that want an agent to draft and run the email, approve it themselves, and not pay for contacts they keep. It is early access, email only, and comes with a free hands-on migration.

Who Mailchimp is best for

Small businesses that want one familiar tool for email plus a broader marketing suite, with a large library of templates and integrations. If that is you and the bill is not hurting, staying is a reasonable choice.

Why some people consider switching

The meter is contacts. Mailchimp prices on the size of your audience, and caps sends as a multiple of it. Its own help pages define which contact states count toward the total, so read them before assuming your number.
You run it. Building audiences, templates and automations is your job.
Growth reads as a price rise. A bigger list moves you up a tier even if you send the same amount.

How the pricing models differ

As read on 2026-11-07. Check the vendor pages; prices change.
	Mailchimp	Linnet
What the bill follows	Contacts, with sends capped as a multiple of contacts	Sending and platform work. No contact-count fee
Published starting prices	Free for 250 contacts and 500 emails a month. Essentials from $13 a month and Standard from $20 a month at the lowest tier, shown as an introductory price for 12 months. Premium $350 a month	None yet. Early access: allowance and price agreed in writing before a workspace sends to the public
Source	mailchimp.com/pricing, pricing definitions	linnet.run/pricing

Want to see what a contact-based bill does as a list grows? The contact bill checker lays out several tools side by side, with each price dated.

A shortlist, honestly

We make Linnet, so we list ourselves first and say plainly where we are the wrong choice. Descriptions of other tools come from each vendor's own site on 2026-11-07; check them before you decide.

A shortlist, not a sales page
Option	Best for	Prices on	Worth knowing
Linnet	Stores, SaaS teams and agencies that want an agent to run email and a bill that ignores list size	Sending and platform work. No contact-count fee. Prices agreed in writing during early access	Early access. Email only: no SMS or WhatsApp yet, no Shopify app. Free hands-on migration.
Brevo	Teams that want email plus other channels in one place	Emails sent per month in tiers (from its pricing page)	We could not read its dollar figures from the page text on 2026-11-07, so we quote none.
Omnisend	Online stores that want email and SMS together	Contacts in bands, plus per-plan email caps. SMS billed separately	Ecommerce-focused. SMS is an add-on.
Klaviyo	Online stores that want deep store data and a large ecosystem	Active profiles, with email caps per tier	See Klaviyo alternatives.
Loops	SaaS teams	Subscribed contacts. Paid plans have no per-send charge	Built for software companies rather than stores.

When Linnet is a good replacement

Your list is large or growing and much of it is dormant but legitimate.
You would rather say what you want sent and approve a draft than build campaigns by hand.
You send email only, or email is the part of Mailchimp you actually use.
You want someone to move you over by hand.

When Linnet is not a suitable replacement

You rely on Mailchimp's websites, landing pages or ad tools. Linnet does not replace them.
You need SMS or WhatsApp now. Linnet does not offer them yet.
You need a Shopify app today. Linnet has none; you bring customers in by file or API.
You need a published self-serve price and a service-level agreement today. Linnet is in early access.
Your list was purchased or scraped. We will not import it.

What moving involves

Export your subscribed, unsubscribed and cleaned audiences from Mailchimp.
We authenticate your sending domain with you.
We import contacts with consent status, and unsubscribes as blocked, then reconcile counts line by line.
We rebuild your main templates and the automations you name. You review each one.
You approve a test send, then the first real send. Keep Mailchimp running until then.

Full scope and the step-by-step procedure are on the free migration page.

Try the move before you commit

We move your Mailchimp audience, consent and unsubscribes, templates and the automations you name. Free for businesses we can help; scope in writing; capacity is limited.

Apply for a free migration Or see your own email first →

Questions

Is Linnet cheaper than Mailchimp?

We do not make that claim. Linnet has no public price list yet; prices are agreed in writing during early access. What is different is the meter: Linnet has no contact-count fee, so a bigger list does not move you to a bigger plan.

Can I import my Mailchimp audience?

Yes. Export your subscribed, unsubscribed and cleaned contacts and we import them as part of the free migration, with consent status and unsubscribes preserved. Contacts with no consent record are not imported.

Will my Mailchimp automations and templates move over?

We rebuild your main templates and the automations you name. They are rebuilt by hand and reviewed by you, not converted automatically. The written scope lists exactly which.

What does Mailchimp do that Linnet does not?

Mailchimp is a broader marketing suite. If you rely on features beyond email, such as websites, landing pages or ads, Linnet will not replace those. Linnet is email first, and has no SMS or WhatsApp yet.

Does Linnet charge for unsubscribed contacts?

Linnet has no contact-count fee, so no. Mailchimp publishes definitions of which contact states count toward its totals; read them at the source below.

Sources, read 2026-11-07: Mailchimp pricing; Mailchimp pricing definitions; Omnisend; Brevo; Klaviyo; Loops. Linnet is not affiliated with any of these companies.