Mailchimp free plan limits
Mailchimp's free plan allows up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month and 250 a day. That's 2 campaigns a month to a full list of 250. Past 250 contacts, Mailchimp's cheapest paid plan, Essentials, costs $13 a month at 500.
| Limit | Free plan | Mailchimp's own words |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | 250 | “Maximum Contact Count”: Up to 250 contacts Compare plans, 'Admin' section; columns are Premium, Standard, Essentials, Free |
| Emails | 500 a month, 250 a day | “Monthly Email Sends”: Max of 500/mo or 250/day Compare plans, 'Key Plan Features' |
| Automations | None | “Marketing Automation Flows”: Not included Compare plans, 'Key Plan Features' |
| Users | 1 | “Users”: 1 Seat Compare plans, 'Admin' |
| Audiences | 1 | “Audiences”: 1 Audience Compare plans, 'Admin' |
| Branding | Mailchimp branding stays | “Remove Mailchimp Branding”: Not included Compare plans |
| Support | Email, first 30 days | “Customer Support”: Email support for first 30 days Compare plans, 'Services & Support' |
From Mailchimp's own pages, with where each one is; for a comparison-table row, the free plan's column follows the colon.
How many emails can you send on Mailchimp's free plan?
Mailchimp says: The Free plan includes up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month, with a daily send limit of 250.
That's 2 campaigns a month to a full list of 250.
| Contacts | Campaigns a month to all |
|---|---|
| 50 | 10 |
| 100 | 5 |
| 250 | 2 |
Whole-list campaigns that fit the free plan's 500 emails a month and 250 a day in a 30-day month.
What counts toward the limit?
Subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts are included in your contact count.
Archived, cleaned, and deleted contacts don't count toward your contact total or the price of your marketing plan.
Test and transactional emails count toward your monthly sending limit.
What happens when you go over 250 contacts?
If you exceed the 250 contact limit in your Free plan, a hold is placed on sending live emails or test emails until you upgrade to a paid plan or reduce your contact total. You'll still be able to work on your emails and templates and collect and import new contacts.
What Mailchimp costs after the free plan
| Contacts | Mailchimp | Cheapest of all 11 |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13 Essentials | Moosend $9 |
| 1,000 | $26.50 Essentials | ActiveCampaign $15* |
| 2,500 | $45 Essentials | Brevo $25 |
| 5,000 | $75 Essentials | Brevo $32 |
| 10,000 | $110 Essentials | Brevo $46 |
| 25,000 | $270 Essentials | Brevo $82 |
| 50,000 | $385 Essentials | Brevo $249 |
| 100,000 | $800 Standard | Sender $389 |
Cheapest paid plan a month, emailing the list 4 times a month, monthly billing; * only sold with yearly billing. Every plan and list size: Mailchimp pricing.
Free plans that go further
- Brevo: up to 100,000 subscribers (300 emails a day, Brevo branding)
- Kit: up to 10,000 subscribers (no automations or sequences; Kit branding)
- beehiiv: up to 2,500 subscribers (no automations; beehiiv branding)
- Sender: up to 2,500 subscribers (15,000 emails a month, Sender branding)
Quick answers
How many contacts can you have on Mailchimp's free plan?
Up to 250. Mailchimp says: “Subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts are included in your contact count.”
How many emails can you send on Mailchimp's free plan?
500 emails a month and 250 a day. Mailchimp says: “The Free plan includes up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month, with a daily send limit of 250.” That's 2 campaigns a month to a full list of 250.
What happens if you go over 250 contacts on Mailchimp's free plan?
“If you exceed the 250 contact limit in your Free plan, a hold is placed on sending live emails or test emails until you upgrade to a paid plan or reduce your contact total. You'll still be able to work on your emails and templates and collect and import new contacts.”
Does Mailchimp's free plan include automations?
No: “Marketing Automation Flows”: “Not included”.
How much does Mailchimp cost after the free plan?
Past 250 contacts, Mailchimp's cheapest paid plan, Essentials, costs $13 a month at 500.
Sources: mailchimp.com/help/about-mailchimp-pricing-plans, mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/compare-plans.
All free plans side by side: free email marketing plans. Or price your list on every platform.
Prices checked against each platform's own pricing page on .
Plan features checked against each platform's own pages on .