AWeber vs Mailchimp Comparison 2026
AWeber is a newsletter-first tool, free to 500 subscribers with automations included, then $12.50 a month for Lite. Mailchimp is priced the same way, by contacts stored, but its case is different: whatever store, booking tool or CRM you already run most likely already connects to it. The real choice is whether integrations are the deciding factor, because on send frequency and price alone the two land close together.
Email marketing with a free plan that lasts
Email marketing with the longest integration list
At a glance
- AWeber starts cheaper, at $12.50.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
AWeber | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $12.50 | From $20 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| API |
AWeber
Email marketing with a free plan that lasts
AWeber has been sending newsletters since before most of its competitors existed, and it shows in both directions: the deliverability is dependable and the interface is dated. The free plan runs to 500 subscribers with automations included, which is more than most rivals give away. Its ecommerce feature charges a small percentage of each sale on the cheaper plans.
Our note
AWeber's free plan holds 500 subscribers with the automations switched on, twice what MailerLite gives away, so it suits a list that needs sequences before it needs size. The editor is the part that shows its age.
Mailchimp
Email marketing with the longest integration list
Mailchimp is the default nobody gets fired for picking, and the reason is that whatever else you run already connects to it. The editor and the reporting are fine rather than good. Its pricing counts contacts rather than sends, so a large list you mail once a month costs the same as one you mail daily, which is the wrong shape for most creators.
Our note
Why people weigh these two
- Mailchimp instead of AWeber
- The longest integration list in email marketing, free tier included; paid starts at $20, above AWeber's $12.50.
- AWeber instead of Mailchimp
- AWeber keeps a free plan that does not expire, worth a look for a small list that wants automation without a deadline pushing it toward a paid tier.
Which one should you pick
Pick AWeber if a dependable, newsletter-focused tool is what you need and integrations are not the deciding factor. Free covers 500 subscribers with automations, landing pages and forms already switched on, cheaper to start than Mailchimp's $20 a month Standard plan.
Pick Mailchimp when a store, a booking tool and a CRM chosen before the newsletter existed all need to talk to the same list. Standard starts at $20 a month at 500 contacts after a 14-day trial that needs no card. Both tools charge by contacts stored rather than by sends, so a big list mailed rarely costs the same as one mailed daily on either platform, the wrong shape for a writer sending one letter a week.
Common questions
- Which one has more integrations?
- Mailchimp is the one built around that question. Whatever store, booking tool or CRM already runs a business, a Mailchimp connector for it most likely already exists, which is the specific reason people pick it over a newsletter-first tool like AWeber.
- Which one has a free plan?
- Both. AWeber is free to 500 subscribers with automations included. Mailchimp also has a free plan for a small list, though its paid Standard tier starts higher, at $20 a month for 500 contacts.
- Are AWeber and Mailchimp priced the same way?
- Yes, both charge by how many contacts are stored rather than by how often you mail. A large list mailed once a month costs the same as one mailed every day on either platform, the wrong shape for most creators.
- When does Mailchimp make more sense than AWeber?
- When the email needs to talk to tools chosen for other reasons: a shop, a booking system, a CRM. For a newsletter that stands on its own, AWeber's free automations and lower starting price at $12.50 a month usually fit better.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.