Mailchimp vs Substack
A source-aware comparison of pricing, documented capabilities and workflow fit.
Short answer
- Price: not directly comparable — Mailchimp is from $13/mo, Substack is usage-based pricing.
- How to start: Mailchimp is from $13/mo, Substack is usage-based pricing.
- Where they differ: only Mailchimp has public api and sso (saml); both offer mobile app.
These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. How we score tools.
What Mailchimp is
What Mailchimp isMailchimp has evolved from a simple newsletter tool into a complete 'Marketing Automation' giant. Its drag-and-drop editor allows anyone to create professional campaigns. However, its real power lies in automated email sequences triggered by user behavior and advanced audience segmentation. With AI tools like 'Creative Assistant,' it can even auto-generate visuals that match your brand style, ensuring you send the right message to the right person at the right time.
What Substack is
What Substack isSubstack lets creators build their own publishing empires. It allows writers to earn directly from readers via paid subscriptions, rather than ads. With no technical knowledge, you can start a newsletter, publish podcasts, and interact with your audience via 'Notes.' Substack is at the forefront of 'democratized media,' ensuring writers own their own data and subscriber lists.
Side by side
| Mailchimp | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Marketing | Marketing |
| How to start | $13/moverified | Usage-basednot a monthly price |
| Public API | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Open source / self-hostable | No | No |
| SSO (SAML) | Yes | No |
| Visit | Mailchimp ↗ | Substack ↗ |
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What Mailchimp is built to do
- Customer Journeys
- Intelligent automation maps that change based on your customers' behavior.
- Predictive Analytics
- Use AI to predict which customers are most likely to purchase again.
- Creative Assistant
- Get design suggestions that automatically use your brand's colors and logos.
- Content Optimizer
- Receive text and layout suggestions to improve your email open and click rates.
What Substack is built to do
- Paid Subs
- Turn on a paid membership system for your private content with one click.
- Substack Notes
- Engage with other writers and readers in a Twitter-like social space.
- Podcast Hosting
- Publish audio content and create episodes exclusive to your paid subscribers.
- Cross-Promotion
- Get recommended by other writers to rapidly increase your reach.
Choose Mailchimp if
- Very small lists: up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month on Free with 1 seat
- Small businesses starting on Essentials at $13/month for 500 contacts with 3 seats and 10x sends
- Marketing teams that want templates, automations and reporting in one familiar product
Skip Mailchimp if
- Your list grows fast — prices step up with contact count, and the listed prices are for 0–500 contacts
- You need more than 5 seats without Premium, which starts at $350/month
- You mainly send transactional email; Mailchimp's marketing plans are priced for campaigns
Choose Substack if
- Writers, Journalists, and Thought Leaders.
Evidence and freshness
Where a claim on this page comes from a vendor page, it is linked here.
Substack
Sources have not been attached to this record yet.
Mailchimp: pros & cons
- Ease of Entry: The most user-friendly interface for starting with email marketing.
- Ready Templates: Includes hundreds of professional designs for every industry.
- AI Support: Benefit from an AI assistant for design and copywriting advice.
- Huge Integration: Speaks directly with Shopify, WordPress, and hundreds of other apps.
- Price Hikes: Costs rise quite aggressively as your subscriber list grows.
- Advanced Automation: May not be as deep as ActiveCampaign for very complex funnels.
- Free Tier Shrinkage: Sending limits on the free plan have been reduced in recent years.
Substack: pros & cons
- Zero Upfront Cost: No fixed fees regardless of subscriber count (takes a 10% cut).
- Data Ownership: You own your subscriber list and can move it elsewhere anytime.
- Organic Growth: Its internal recommendation network helps you find new readers.
- Simplicity: Focus strictly on writing without worrying about design or tech details.
- Personalization: Your site's design is nearly identical to thousands of other Substack pages.
- Commission: High-earning writers may find the 10% cut more expensive than Ghost.
- SEO: Using your own custom domain requires a one-time fee to set up.
Our verdict on Mailchimp
The go-to choice for those seeking a reliable, stylish, and popular email marketing solution.
Our verdict on Substack
The world's easiest and most popular way to build an audience and earn from writing.
Published plans, side by side
Every figure below was read from the vendor's own pricing page and is shown with the sentence it came from. Where a vendor publishes no plan prices, we say so rather than guess.
Mailchimp
- Free$0/mo
Free: 250 contacts, 500 sends/month (250/day), 1 seat
- Essentials$13/mo
Essentials from $13/month (0–500 contacts): 10x contacts sends, 3 seats, 14-day trial
- Standard$20/mo
Standard from $20/month: 12x sends, 5 seats, 14-day trial
- Premium$350/mo
Premium from $350/month: 15x sends, unlimited seats
Substack
No published plan prices verified. Substack either quotes on request or renders its prices in a way we could not read from the pricing page.
Mailchimp vs Substack: common questions
- Does Mailchimp or Substack have a free plan?
- Mailchimp publishes a free plan (Free), while Substack has no free plan listed.
- What is the difference between Mailchimp and Substack?
- On the criteria we check, only Mailchimp has public api and sso (saml); both offer mobile app. The table above lists every criterion side by side.