When I built my first e-commerce website I quickly came to realize the importance of having a solid email marketing system in place.
It was CRITICAL that I had an email marketing tool that sent out emails to my customers on auto-pilot.
So I began doing my research.
It was at this point that I came across the two email marketing legends, Klaviyo and Mailchimp. Both of these tools were mind-blowing and I must say I had a challenge deciding which one I wanted to use.
After coming to a solid conclusion on which one I know is better I knew immediately I had to share it with you guys.
In this Klaviyo vs Mailchimp comparison, I will be taking an in-depth look at both of these email marketing tools to see exactly what makes them tick.
By the end of this comparison, you will know exactly which email marketing tool is the right one for your e-commerce business!
So without further ado, let’s dive straight into the goodies.
Table of Contents
- Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
- Pricing
- Mailchimp Pricing
- Ease of Use (User Interface)
- Email Design & Templates
- Automation
- Segmentation
- Reporting & Analytics
- Integrations
- Customer Support
- What I like and don’t like about Klaviyo and Mailchimp
- The Verdict: Which is better for e-commerce?
- The Best Klaviyo and Mailchimp Alternatives
Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
Before we dive straight into what makes Klaviyo and Mailchimp different and which one is the overall winner let’s take a look at what the platforms really are.
What is Klaviyo?
In a nutshell, Klaviyo is an email marketing tool that helps online businesses scale rapidly through the power of email marketing and automation.
Klaviyo was founded in 2012 by Andrew Bialecki, Ed Hallen. These two brilliant minds designed the platform with the e-commerce business owner in mind.
Every feature and tool Klaviyo offers is engineered to fit seamlessly into your online sales process.
Klaviyo also makes it super easy to set up email marketing on your store regardless of if you are using Shopify, BigCommerce, or even Magento to see your products.
Today they have over 32,000 customers in over 80 countries and the numbers are rising. They have even helped some of your favorite brands like Nomad, Custom Ink, and Huckberry.
What is Mailchimp?
If you have done any research on email marketing there is the possibility that you have heard of Mailchimp.
This email marketing legend is one of the fastest-growing email marketing tools on the market and it continues to get bigger every single day.
Founded in 2008 by Ben Chestnut and Mark Armstrong, Mailchimp quickly grew with the expert help of Dan Kurzius to become an incredible market leader with millions of customers worldwide.
Mailchimp is perfect for the small business owner who wants to improve their marketing through not only email marketing but also various automation channels.
Pricing
This is one of the major factors that you have to take into consideration when choosing which e-commerce tool is perfect for your e-commerce store.
Let’s take a deeper look at the pricing of Klaviyo and Mailchimp.
Klaviyo Pricing
Klaviyo’s Pricing is actually super straightforward and it depends on the number of contacts that you have and the number of emails that you want to send out.
However, they do have a FREE plan. This plan however limits you as you can only send 500 emails to 250 contacts. You can also send up to 50 SMS messages
The Free plan also gives you email support. Keep reading to find out exactly what I think about the customer support at Klaviyo.
As mentioned before you are charged based on the number of contacts that you have. Here are some examples of how you would be charged based on your contact list.
1000 contacts – $30 per month
2500 contacts – $60 per month
5000 contacts – $100 per month
10,000 contacts – $150 per month
35,000 contacts – $550 per month
Click here to calculate how much you will be charged based on the number of contacts you have.
The best thing about the paid plans is that you also get access to phone support.
Mailchimp Pricing
When it comes to Mailchimp’s pricing it’s pretty straightforward.
There are four different pricing plans that you can choose from. They are the Free plan, the Essentials plan, the Standard plan, and the Premium plan.
The Free plan is, of course, FREE and you can send emails to up to 2000 contacts, you also gain access to:
- 7 marketing channels
- 1-click automation
- Basic templates
- Marketing CRM
- Surveys
- Websites
- Custom domains
The Essentials plan starts at $9.99 per month and you are given access to everything in the Free plan as well as:
- All the email templates
- A/B Testing
- Custom Branding
- 24/7 award-winning customer support
The Standard plan starts at $14.99 per month and you are given access to everything in the Essentials plan as well as:
- Advanced audience insights
- Retargeting ads
- Custom templates
- Behavioral targeting automation series
The Premium plan starts at $299.00 per month and you are given access to everything in the Standard plan as well as:
- Advanced Segmentation
- Multivariate testing
- Unlimited seats and role-based access
- Priority Phone support
Mailchimp also offers a 15% discount to all nonprofits and charities.
You will even get a 10% discount for 3 months when you add two-factor authentication to your Mailchimp account!
Who has better pricing?
If you are looking for a price on the cheaper side then Mailchimp would be the better option.
Moreover, even if you choose one of the more advanced options at Mailchimp like the Essential plan or the Standard plan.
Check our article on the cheapest email marketing tool if you are looking for a tool that’s even cheaper than Mailchimp and Klaviyo.
Ease of Use (User Interface)
Who likes using a tool that isn’t easy to use?
The short answer is NO ONE!
Let’s take a look at how easy Klaviyo and Mailchimp are to use.
Klaviyo Ease of Use
Klaviyo offers a very intuitive interface that gets the job done.
That being said, if this is your first time building an email marketing campaign then it may be quite difficult for you to get used to Klaviyo.
When I first tried Klaviyo I got the hang of it pretty quickly despite the fact that it was the first email marketing tool I ever used.
However, I am a SUPER nerd when it comes to doing anything online so I think that had a small part to play in why I was able to grasp the techniques so quickly.
Klaviyo was built with the e-commerce business in mind so everything about the platform was tailored to improve your whole experience selling online.
Setting up your email marketing campaign with Klaviyo is also fairly straightforward thanks to the drag-and-drop editor.
You don’t need to know ANY code in order to begin creating responsive emails that look amazing.
That being said, there is also a wide range of templates (more on that later) that you can choose from.
The best part?
Well, given the fact that Klaviyo integrates easily with your Shopify store, the email marketing tool will take the colors and logo from your online store and place them directly in your emails. Cool right?
Mailchimp Ease of Use
Mailchimp was no doubt made with the beginner in mind.
Mailchimp’s email drag and drop editor is extremely easy to grasp and I believe anyone can get the hang of it.
Thanks to the step by step process you can get your first email up and running in no time at all with Mailchimp.
Moreover, Mailchimp has some phenomenal templates as well as a wide range of design options that allow you to fully showcase your creativity through emails.
Mailchimp also makes building workflows and automation a complete walk in the park.
(We will be digging deeper into workflows and automation later down in this article)
If you can drag a button from one side of the screen to the next then you can use Mailchimp.
Which one is easier to use?
Mailchimp is no doubt the winner in this round.
If you are a complete beginner then navigating Mailchimp would be extremely easy for you.
On the other hand, if you have had some experience with email marketing and automation in the past then there’s the chance that you would get the hang of Klaviyo quickly.
Email Design & Templates
The entire design of your email determines if your website visitor decides to take action and follow through with your call-to-actions.
Having an email that is well-designed is extremely important but I wouldn’t judge an email marketing tool only on its ability to have well-designed emails.
Let’s take a look at the email design of Klaviyo and Mailchimp.
Klaviyo Email Design
Klaviyo equips you with 30 amazing templates that you can choose from in order to begin building out high-quality emails.
If you aren’t happy with any of the templates that Klaviyo provides then you can easily import your own custom-coded templates if the ones available aren’t to your liking.
Once you choose a template creating an email is super easy.
Mailchimp Email Design
On the other hand, Mailchimp has a library of over 100 different templates that you can use to begin customizing your emails.
You are also given the option to code your own templates if you want which is great if you love to have full control over the design and feel of your emails.
Mailchimp goes a step further by offering a mobile app that allows you to design and publish your emails by the simple click of a button.
Which one has better email designs & templates?
I would have to say it’s a tie given the fact that both platforms have great templates and email design.
If we were going based on the number of templates that you have access to then Mailchimp would win immediately but Klaviyo still equips you with adequate templates that get the job done!
Automation
Automation is the backbone of any email marketing campaign.
Having great automation can allow you to build a system where your email marketing tool does all the heavy lifting so you can focus on the parts of your business that you actually like to do.
Let’s take a look at the automation features offered at Mailchimp and Klaviyo.
Klaviyo Automation
Klaviyo offers one of the best and most comprehensive automation workflows I have ever seen in my entire life.
Creating automation in Klaviyo is super simple, all you have to do is go “Flows” and you will be presented with tons of automation flows that you can experiment with.
These flows include happy birthday emails, Shipping confirmation, first purchase anniversary, and even a back in stock workflow!
Klaviyo takes this a step further by providing you with a wide range of pre-built templates designed to make your email marketing campaign journey smoother.
These templates include abandoned cart reminders, browse abandonment, customer win-back and order-in-transit.
These are just a few of the templates that you can choose from and trust me it gets better!
Since Klaviyo integrates seamlessly with your e-commerce platform you can get a birds-eye view of your entire customer journey.
This allows you to combine what your customers are doing with what you know about them so you can take your marketing to the next level through personalization.
Klaviyo also takes full advantage of real-time data by automatically sending out the right email to the right person at the right time depending on the actions that they take.
Mailchimp Automation
Despite the fact that Mailchimp doesn’t give you as many options as Klaviyo to work with when it comes to automation you are still provided with the necessary tools needed in order to begin building out amazing automation workflows.
If you are just looking for the basic automation or you want to get the hang of automation workflow then Mailchimp would be the perfect place to start.
As mentioned before Mailchimp is probably the most beginner-friendly email marketing tool on the market. That being said it’s no surprise that building workflows is super simple and can be done easily.
Furthermore, just like Klaviyo, Mailchimp allows you to see real-time data such as what links were clicked and what people purchased from your website so you can create even more targeted emails.
The only downside when it comes to Mailchimp’s automation is the fact that in order to take full advantage of the automation you need to be on the Premium plan.
Who has the better automation?
It’s no secret that Klaviyo outperforms Mailchimp when it comes to automation.
Thanks to the tons of automation templates that you can choose from and the super intuitive workflows Klaviyo comes out on top.
Needless to say, you can take advantage of all the advanced automation features even if you don’t have a large number of subscribers.
Segmentation
Now it would be an understatement if I said segmentation was important.
In fact, did you know that when an email is not personalized, 52% of customers say they’ll find somewhere else to go? Crazy right?
That just goes to show how important it is to have segmentation integrated into your marketing strategy!
Let’s take a look at the segmentation options offered by Klaviyo and Mailchimp.
Klaviyo Segmentation
Klaviyo clearly believes in the power and effectiveness of segmentation.
You are equipped with everything necessary in order to implement effective segmentation.
This includes the ability to be able to segment based on behavioral or transactional data.
One cool segmentation feature is the ability to segment your audience when they make their first purchase. This is perfect if you want to upsell other products to them later down the line.
With Klaviyo you can segment your audience based on anything from people who buy particular products to people who only buy with coupons. Cool right?
When it comes to segmentation in Klaviyo the possibilities are truly endless. You can even segment based on first name! That honestly blew my mind.
That means I can target all the Harry’s in my email list with a custom “Harry is a legend” t-shirt (Just kidding …or am I).
This advanced segmentation is all thanks to Klaviyo’s custom web tracking.
You can also automatically export these segments into Facebook to build a custom audience. As a Facebook ads expert myself this was music to my ears!
All in all, Klaviyo offers a wide range of options when it comes to segmentation which makes it worth the extra buck.
Mailchimp Segmentation
Now, this is where I must say I was a little disappointed in Mailchimp.
As mentioned earlier I am a Facebook ad expert so I immediately checked for the Facebook integration and unfortunately there’s none.
Despite the fact that Mailchimp doesn’t have the vast number of segmentation options as Klaviyo you’re still equipped with the basics to begin creating segmenting your audiences based on their actions such as:
- Who opened your emails
- Who clicked certain links in your campaigns
- Who made a purchase
Sadly if you want to take your segmentation to the next level on Mailchimp then you would have to take into consideration the Premium plan.
After looking over all of the segmentation features offered by Mailchimp I was completely convinced that Mailchimp was made for beginners.
All of the options are super basic but they are enough to make a blogger who just wants to send out broadcasts smile.
However, if you are a digital marketer or if you run an e-commerce store that extra segmentation definitely would go a long way.
Who has better segmentation features?
Klaviyo wins this round without a shadow of a doubt. The vast number of segmentation options far outshines that of Mailchimp.
Not only does Klaviyo offer more features when it comes to segmentation it’s also way easier to use than Mailchimp.
Klaviyo also designed its segmentation features with e-commerce business owners in mind which is a HUGE benefit!
Reporting & Analytics
Knowing your analytics will let you know exactly how you can improve your email marketing campaigns and increase your overall R.O.I.
So it would make sense to use an email marketing tool that presents these reports well, wouldn’t it?
Let’s take a look at the reporting and analytic functions at Klaviyo and Mailchimp.
Klaviyo Reporting & Analytics
Klaviyo provides all of the basic metrics that you would need in order to make the right decisions when it comes to structuring your email marketing campaigns and improving the next ones.
These metrics include bounced emails, the number of clicks and the unsubscribe rates.
Moreover, Klaviyo has an extremely interactive and intuitive dashboard that gives you a birds-eye view of all of your metrics.
What I like about this dashboard is the fact that it’s fully customizable. That means you can choose exactly how you want to view your metrics, the options that you have are a bar or line graphs, tables, charts, or just simply numbers.
Anyone that knows me knows that I am super simplistic so the number feature works perfectly for me.
This allows you to create reports with a personal touch that show you exactly what you want to see in order to improve your online campaigns.
I also like the fact that Klaviyo’s reports were designed in order to not only help you improve your emails but also generate more purchases.
That being said, thanks to the integrations with your e-commerce platform you can see in real-time what your customers are doing so you will know when people are clicking and which emails are generating the most purchases.
Klaviyo even allows you to conduct predictive analysis that shows you how many purchases you should expect from your customers. Now that alone is worth the extra dollar.
Klaviyo also allows you to conduct A/B testing which allows you to see which email is performing the best and which ones need to be turned off.
You can A/B test different emails based on metrics such as the bounce rate, open rate and the unsubscribe rate.
Whew, that was a lot!
For a beginner, you may not need this much data and I have to admit it can be a bit overwhelming at first.
If you love to get your hands dirty in data then Klaviyo would be a dream come through for you.
Mailchimp Reporting & Analytics
Mailchimp is honestly on the simpler side when it comes to its reports and analytics.
It’s not as comprehensive and advanced as Klaviyo but it no doubt gets the job done!
Mailchimp provides all of the basic metrics that you need in order to make the right decisions that will improve your campaigns.
Aside from the fact that Mailchimp allows you to track the open rate and click-through rate of your emails you can also compare these to the industry standard!
All in all, Mailchimp provides everything that you need especially if you are a beginner and this is your first time building out email marketing campaigns.
You can also run A/B tests on Mailchimp and test your subject line and your content even if you are just on the free plan. This is great for beginners but if you want more advanced testing features you need to upgrade to the premium plan.
Who has better reports and analytics?
Klaviyo rises on top when it comes to reports thanks to the advanced and comprehensive features.
Moreover, Klaviyo goes the extra mile to provide you with the necessary details and direction that you would need in order to make smart decisions about your email campaigns.
Plus the fact that gives you a predictive analysis on the performance of your emails I must say that was a winner for me!
That being said, for a beginner, all of the data and features that Klaviyo offers can be a bit overwhelming as you may just want the basic metrics.
If you don’t own an e-commerce store then the metrics and data provided by Mailchimp will be sufficient!
Integrations
Integrations are extremely essential when it comes to building your online business. It allows you to have a seamless connection with all of the apps you use to help grow your business.
Both Klaviyo and Mailchimp take full advantage of having a solid set of integrations.
However, Klaviyo specializes in Shopify so if you own a Shopify store then Klaviyo may be the best bet for you as it offers perfect integration with the e-commerce platform.
That being said Klaviyo has a total of 45 integrations including BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento and Constant Contact.
When it comes to integrations Mailchimp goes above and beyond.
Mailchimp has a library of over 800 different integrations that you can choose from! If you use any other established software I can guarantee that Mailchimp is probably integrated with it.
Mailchimp allows you to connect with everything from CRMs to e-commerce to landing page builders.
My favorite part about Mailchimp’s integrations is the fact that you can integrate with Zapier which gives you access to thousands of other services so you can provide an even better customer experience.
Who has better Integrations?
If we are looking at diversity then Mailchimp wins this round without a shadow of a doubt as it has way more integrations than Klaviyo.
However, Klaviyo comes equipped with all the integration options that are needed in order to run successful email marketing campaigns.
So if your main objective is sending emails then Klaviyo is your best bet, but if you want that added functionality then Mailchimp is definitely worth the look.
Customer Support
Personally, this is one of the determining factors of whether or not I decide to purchase an email marketing tool.
I always have tons of questions that need to be answered so having an email marketing tool that has a solid support team is key!
Let’s take a deeper look at the customer support at Klaviyo and Mailchimp.
Klaviyo’s Customer Support
Klaviyo has an amazing help center that was designed in order to help you solve any problem that you might face with the email marketing tool.
I’m not joking when I say that Klaviyo goes above and beyond when it comes to their customer support.
You will be equipped with everything from webinars to live training to guides to benchmark reports and even virtual events!
All of these resources were designed to make your journey at Klaviyo a smooth ride.
Unfortunately, if you want to live chat or phone support you have to be on one of the paid plans.
Thankfully even if you have a free plan you will still be able to take full advantage of the email support!
Personally, I have never used the email customer at Klaviyo but I have heard nothing but great reviews on it.
Mailchimp’s Customer Support
It’s no secret that Mailchimp has amazing customer support. Needless to say, they have a 92% customer satisfaction rate!
This amazing customer service has won them 4 gold Stevie awards!! Pretty cool right?
The downside comes from the fact that in order to take full advantage of this customer support you have to pay.
In fact in order to get access to priority phone support you need to have the Premium plan which will set you back $299!
They also don’t even give you access to live chat support if you are on the free plan. This was a bumper for me as I am a HUGE fan of live chats.
That being said if you are on the free plan you will only get access to email support for 30 days!
This is a huge disadvantage especially if you have an urgent problem that you want to be addressed ASAP.
On the other hand, they have a comprehensive help center that includes tutorials and how-to articles in 4 different languages.
You are also given access to a library of marketing guides that give you access to the latest marketing tips and tricks that you can use to improve your marketing campaigns.
Which one has better customer support?
Klaviyo definitely has better customer support options. On the free plan, you get access to email support and even video tutorials. Two things that Mailchimp doesn’t provide you with!
If you are looking for an email marketing tool that has expert customer support then I would suggest that you check out Ontraport or Aweber.
What I like and don’t like about Klaviyo and Mailchimp
Like every email marketing tool out there Klaviyo and Mailchimp have their fair share of pros and cons.
Here’s what I like and don’t like about Klaviyo and Mailchimp
What I like about Klaviyo
- You can set up SMS campaigns so you can send targeted messages to the device your target audience is always using
- They have advanced reporting features
- Klaviyo was designed with the e-commerce business owner in mind
- Klaviyo offers amazing automation features
- Klaviyo offers a wide range of segmentation options and features
What I don’t like about Klaviyo
- There’s no live support
What I like about Mailchimp
- It’s one of the best email marketing tools for beginners
- It has a WIDE range of integrations
- They have some amazing delivery rates
- The pricing is significantly cheaper
What I don’t like about Mailchimp
- In order to get phone support you have to purchase the Premium plan
- The price tag goes up if you want to take advantage of some of the advanced features
The Verdict: Which is better for e-commerce?
If you are looking for an email marketing tool that gives you the necessary tools and infrastructure to send quality emails then I would suggest looking no further than Klaviyo.
However, if ease of use and price are huge determining factors then Mailchimp would definitely be the best option for you.
If you have some experience with email marketing and you run an online store then Klaviyo will work out perfectly for you!
Moreover, if you’re looking for an email marketing tool that takes segmentation and personalization seriously then Klaviyo is definitely worth checking you.
Still, having trouble finding an email marketing tool that’s best suited for your business? Well, keep reading to see our best Klaviyo and Mailchimp alternatives.
The Best Klaviyo and Mailchimp Alternatives
If you are looking for another email marketing platform that was designed for e-commerce then I would recommend checking out our review on Omnisend.
If you are looking for a cheap email marketing tool then check out our review on MailerLite.
If you are looking for an email marketing platform with award-winning customer support then check out our review on Ontraport
Do you run a small business? If so then you may want to give our review on GetResponse a read.
If you run a marketing agency then two of the best email marketing tools for your business would have to be AWeber and ActiveCampaign.
