Email Marketing Pricing: 5 Platforms Compared (2026)

Every email marketing platform looks affordable on the pricing page. Mailchimp starts at $13/mo. Constant Contact at $12/mo. Klaviyo has a free plan. But pricing pages usually show the cheapest starting tier, not the plan many teams end up on once the list grows.

This pricing comparison covers Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, HubSpot, and Constant Contact at three list sizes: 500, 2,500, and 10,000 contacts. If you're choosing a platform or evaluating whether to switch, this is the bill to model.

If the pricing question is specifically whether unsubscribed, inactive, or CRM-only contacts count, read our separate guide to email marketing contact billing.

If you are comparing agency retainers, campaign-management labor, automation setup, or migration help, use our separate guide to email marketing services pricing.

Email marketing pricing comparison at 500, 2,500, and 10,000 contacts

Here's what each platform charges on their most popular mid-tier plan (billed monthly):

A few things jump out. Mailchimp can be inexpensive if you only need email, while ActiveCampaign's cost depends on contact count, plan tier, and add-ons. Pipeline management requires ActiveCampaign's Enhanced CRM add-on on an eligible plan. HubSpot can combine seat-based, hub, and marketing-contact charges, so none of these platforms should be compared from one headline entry price alone.

For a complete ranking, see our best email marketing platforms for 2026.

Mailchimp: cheap to start, expensive to scale

Mailchimp's free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. It's enough to test the platform but not enough to run a real campaign schedule.

The paid tiers tell the real story:

The gap between Essentials and Standard is small at lower contact counts. Standard adds send time optimization, behavioral targeting, and dynamic content. Premium is a different tier entirely, aimed at teams that need advanced segmentation and multivariate testing.

The catch: Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts unless they are archived, cleaned, or deleted. A database can therefore create a larger billable total than its campaign-ready audience.

If Mailchimp's scaling costs are a problem, see Mailchimp alternatives for cheaper options at higher contact counts. Our Mailchimp review covers the non-pricing trade-offs behind those upgrade decisions, and the dedicated Mailchimp pricing breakdown goes deeper on contact-based billing and plan gates.

ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp pricing

If the real shortlist is ActiveCampaign versus Mailchimp, the pricing trade-off is straightforward. Mailchimp stays cheaper if you only need newsletters and basic automation. ActiveCampaign becomes easier to justify once automation depth and CRM features matter.

• At lower contact counts, Mailchimp Standard is cheaper on paper.
• ActiveCampaign Plus adds deeper automation and can support separately priced Enhanced CRM packages when pipeline management matters.
• As your list grows, Mailchimp's billing model can become less attractive if unsubscribed or inactive records still sit in the database.

For the broader feature trade-offs, see our ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp comparison. For the full fit analysis, read our ActiveCampaign review, Mailchimp review, ActiveCampaign pricing guide, and Mailchimp pricing guide.

ActiveCampaign: you pay for the automation

ActiveCampaign doesn't have a free plan. The 14-day trial isn't long enough to properly evaluate the automation builder, which is the main reason to choose it.

The Plus plan is the sweet spot for most users. It includes A/B testing, landing pages, a basic CRM, and lead scoring. Starter is limited to basic automation and inline forms.

Pro's jump to $339/mo at 10K contacts is steep, but it unlocks predictive content, split automation testing, and attribution reporting. If you're not using those features, stick with Plus.

For a direct comparison, see ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp. If you're considering switching, check ActiveCampaign alternatives, the full ActiveCampaign review, or go straight to the dedicated ActiveCampaign pricing breakdown.

Klaviyo: the e-commerce premium

Klaviyo charges based on "active profiles" rather than contacts. An active profile is anyone who's received an email or SMS in the past 365 days. This means your bill drops automatically if you stop emailing inactive subscribers.

Klaviyo is often more expensive than Mailchimp for the same profile count, but it includes commerce-focused capabilities such as predictive metrics, product recommendations, and 60+ customizable flow templates. SMS can run in the same cross-channel flows, but mobile credits and profile tiers still affect the bill.

If you're running a Shopify store and spending $150/mo on Klaviyo, the revenue from automated flows (abandoned carts, post-purchase, win-back) typically covers the cost within the first month.

For a public-page data check on how often Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend, SMS tools, and ad pixels appeared in one DTC sample, read our ecommerce email marketing stack analysis.

See our Klaviyo vs Mailchimp comparison for a feature breakdown. If pricing is a concern, check Klaviyo alternatives, the full Klaviyo review, or go straight to the dedicated Klaviyo pricing breakdown.

HubSpot: a different pricing model

HubSpot doesn't charge per contact for CRM. It charges per seat. This makes direct comparison tricky because a 3-person team sending to 50,000 contacts pays $60/mo on Starter, while a solo user pays $20/mo regardless of list size.

HubSpot's free tools support up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with limited versions of deal tracking, live chat, forms, and email marketing. That can cover a tiny team, but the contact cap is now much lower than HubSpot's former free allowance.

The cost escalates when you add Marketing Hub on top of the CRM. Marketing Hub has its own contact-based pricing for "marketing contacts" (contacts you actively email), which stacks on top of your seat costs. A 5-person team on Professional can easily spend $500+/mo before factoring in marketing contacts.

If you need CRM and email together, HubSpot's free tier is hard to beat. If you only need email marketing, you're paying for features you won't use. See our HubSpot vs Mailchimp comparison, browse HubSpot alternatives, read the full HubSpot review, or go straight to the dedicated HubSpot pricing breakdown.

For CRM-focused options, see our guide on the best CRMs with built-in email marketing.

Constant Contact: reliable but overpriced

Constant Contact has been around since 1995, and the pricing reflects a legacy business model rather than current market rates.

At 500 contacts, Constant Contact Standard costs $35/mo. Mailchimp Standard costs $20/mo with more automation features. At 10,000 contacts, the gap narrows ($120 vs $100), but Mailchimp still offers more: dynamic content, behavioral targeting, and send time optimization that Constant Contact reserves for Premium.

Where Constant Contact justifies its pricing: deliverability (88% in independent tests, among the highest in the industry), a 30-day free trial, and niche features like event ticketing and registration forms. If you run events, that's a real differentiator no other platform on this list matches.

For a direct comparison, see Mailchimp vs Constant Contact. For more options, check Constant Contact alternatives, the full Constant Contact review, or the dedicated Constant Contact pricing breakdown.

Hidden costs that don't appear on pricing pages

The monthly subscription is only part of the total cost. Watch for these:

Onboarding fees. HubSpot charges $1,500 for Professional onboarding and $3,500 for Enterprise. This is mandatory, not optional. No other platform on this list has required onboarding fees.

SMS add-ons and credits. Mailchimp offers SMS on paid plans in selected markets after application approval, with a monthly credit subscription that starts at a low-volume entry configuration. Klaviyo also prices SMS through mobile credits. ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact treat SMS as an additional paid capability, so model recipients, frequency, message length, and country rather than relying on one headline add-on price.

Different billing definitions. Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts unless they are archived, cleaned, or deleted. Klaviyo prices around active profiles, ActiveCampaign prices by its contact tiers, and HubSpot distinguishes billed marketing contacts from other CRM records.

Feature gating. ActiveCampaign locks A/B testing behind Plus ($49/mo) and predictive content behind Pro ($79/mo). Mailchimp locks advanced segmentation behind Premium ($350/mo). Constant Contact limits A/B testing to subject lines only. Check what's included on the plan you can afford, not just the plan they highlight.

Cancellation friction. Constant Contact requires a phone call during business hours to cancel. Every other platform on this list lets you cancel online.

Which platforms charge for inactive or unsubscribed contacts?

This is one of the biggest reasons pricing pages feel misleading. The headline monthly number often assumes a clean list, but real teams usually carry old subscribers, unsubscribes, and inactive records longer than they expect.

• Mailchimp: counts subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts unless they are archived, cleaned, or deleted.
• ActiveCampaign: charges by contact count, so stored records can still push you into a higher tier.
• Klaviyo: charges by active profiles, which makes it more forgiving if you regularly suppress inactive subscribers.
• HubSpot: separates marketing contacts from regular CRM contacts, so not every stored record is billable in the same way.

If that billing detail is the deciding factor, our Mailchimp alternatives, ActiveCampaign alternatives, and Klaviyo alternatives pages are the best next read.

How to choose based on your budget

Under $20/mo: Start with Mailchimp's free or Essentials plan, or HubSpot's free CRM if you need contact management alongside email. Both cover small lists without spending anything.

$20-50/mo: Mailchimp Standard ($20/mo at 500 contacts) gives you the best feature set. ActiveCampaign Starter ($15/mo annual) is worth it if automation matters more than templates. Klaviyo ($20/mo) makes sense only for e-commerce.

$50-150/mo: This is where the real decisions happen. ActiveCampaign Plus adds deeper automation, but Enhanced CRM costs extra. Klaviyo can make sense for online stores when commerce data and flows justify the profile-based cost. HubSpot's value depends on the exact hub, seat, and marketing-contact bundle.

$150+/mo: Evaluate whether you need ActiveCampaign Pro's advanced features or if Plus covers you. Consider HubSpot Professional if you need full marketing attribution. At this budget, the tool should be generating measurable revenue.

For a more detailed breakdown of what to look for beyond price, read our guide on how to choose an email marketing platform. If any of these pricing patterns are frustrating you, see our guide on signs you've outgrown your email marketing tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which email marketing platform is cheapest at 10,000 contacts?

Mailchimp, at approximately $100/mo on both Essentials and Standard plans. Constant Contact Standard is $120/mo, ActiveCampaign Plus is $145/mo, and Klaviyo Email is $150/mo. HubSpot's per-seat pricing makes it potentially cheaper for solo users ($20/mo) but more expensive for teams.

Does Mailchimp charge for unsubscribed contacts?

Yes. Mailchimp includes subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts in the contact total unless they are archived, cleaned, or deleted. Review the consequences of archiving or deletion before using either solely to reduce the bill.

Is ActiveCampaign worth the higher price over Mailchimp?

If you use automation beyond basic welcome sequences, potentially. ActiveCampaign Starter is limited to five actions per automation, while Plus and higher tiers unlock longer workflows and broader trigger and action sets. Mailchimp Essentials allows four-step automation flows. Compare the plan each workflow requires; if you only send newsletters, the added automation cost may not pay off.

What's the cheapest way to get email and CRM together?

HubSpot's free tools are a practical starting point for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with limited CRM and email features. For ActiveCampaign buyers, pipeline management is now packaged through an Enhanced CRM add-on on eligible plans rather than included by default with Plus.

How much does email marketing cost per month for a small business?

Most small businesses with 500-2,500 contacts spend $20-75/mo. The exact amount depends on the platform and plan tier. Mailchimp Standard runs $20-45/mo in that range. ActiveCampaign Plus is $49/mo. Constant Contact Standard is $35-75/mo.

Which platform has the best free plan?

HubSpot for CRM + email combined (2 users and 1,000 contacts on the free tools). Mailchimp for email marketing only (250 contacts and 500 monthly sends). Klaviyo for e-commerce (250 active profiles, 500 emails, and 150 mobile credits). Constant Contact and ActiveCampaign don't have permanent free plans.

Next steps

Pricing is one factor. Features, automation depth, and integrations matter too. Here's where to go from here:

• Compare two platforms directly: HubSpot vs Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp, Klaviyo vs Mailchimp, Mailchimp vs Constant Contact
• See our full ranking: Best email marketing platforms for 2026
• Thinking about switching? Browse alternatives for Mailchimp, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, or Constant Contact