Sendinblue vs MailChimp : The Best Comparison (2021)

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Did you know that the average expected Return on Investment for email marketing is $42 for every $1 that is spent? (Oberlo) That means that if you spend $100 on your email marketing campaign it’s projected that you will make at least $4200! 

This statistic shows how beneficial email marketing can be to the future of your business. In fact, having a solid email marketing plan in place can sky-rocket your entire business. 

However, choosing the right email marketing platform can be a real pain since there are dozens of email marketing tools to choose from. 

In this article, we will be taking a look at two of these email marketing platforms, Mailchimp and Sendinblue. I will be taking an in-depth look at both of these tools in order to see exactly what makes them tick and if they are worth your dollar! 

So without further ado, let’s dive straight into this comparison review of Sendinblue vs Mailchimp. 

Related: 9 Best Email Marketing Tools of 2020!

 

Sendinblue vs MailChimp 

Before we take a look at the various features and prices each of these platforms have to offer let’s take a deeper look at what these tools do best. 

What is Sendinblue? 

Sendinblue is a software company that specializes in helping small and medium-sized businesses grow through marketing automation. They accomplish this through tools such as email marketing automation, SMS automation, transactional emails and even landing pages.

The company was only recently founded in 2012 by Armand Thiberge and Kapil Sharma and today they have grown to help over 80,000 customers in over 160 countries! 

Sendinblue aims to provide you with all the tools that you will need in order to build solid digital marketing campaigns thus making it a one-stop-shop for all your business growth needs. 

With over 10 years of experience and over 100 million emails sent out every single day it’s no secret that they are truly a master at their craft. 

Here’s what Bénédicte Sanson, general manager at Moovjee had to say about Sendinblue:

“We recommend Sendinblue to all the startups we advise. It adapts perfectly to their needs, even at rapid growth!”

Related: The Full In-depth Review of Sendinblue

 

What is Mailchimp? 

Mailchimp has been the underdog in email marketing for years! In fact, whenever someone talks about email marketing they automatically think of the name Mailchimp. 

Over the years Mailchimp has exceeded its expectations and has proven that it is a force to be reckoned with. 

Founded over 20 years ago, way back in 2001 by Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius Mailchimp quickly grew to become a voice for the small business owner who wanted to take their business to the next level. 

Mailchimp has helped millions of customers achieve their goals including some huge brands such as Fader, Sweat, Chronicle Books, and East Fork. 

The company first started up as a prominent email marketing tool but quickly diversified into other channels after realizing that they could use their skills and expertise to help small businesses regardless of the channels they may use. 

Some of these additional services offered by Mailchimp include Marketing CRM, website builders, landing pages, digital ads, and much much more! 

Related: The Full In-depth Review of Mailchimp 

 

Pricing: Is Sendinblue cheaper than Mailchimp? 

Pricing is a HUGE factor that comes into play when deciding on the best email marketing platform for your business. 

Let’s take a look at the pricing options Sendinblue and Mailchimp have to offer! 

 

Sendinblue Pricing 

Sendinblue has an interesting pricing structure, unlike other email marketing tools I have reviewed in the past Sendinblue does not charge you as your email list grows. You are only charged based on the number of emails that you send every month. 

Sendinblue offers 5 different plans, they are the Free plan, the Lite plan, the Essential plan, the Premium plan, and the Enterprise plan.

The Free plan is, of course, FREE and you can send up to 300 emails per month and you are given unlimited contacts 

The best part about this Free plan is that you don’t need to enter your credit card information in order to take full advantage of it. 

The Lite plan costs $25 per month and you can send up to 40,000 emails per month. You are also given unlimited contacts and no daily sending limit!

The Essential plan costs $39 per month and you can send up to 60,000 emails per month. You are given access to everything in the Lite plan including the removal of all Sendinblue logos from emails, A/B Testing and advanced statistics. 

The Premium plan costs $66 per month and you can send up to 120,000 emails per month. You are given access to everything in the Essential plan including Facebook ads, landing pages, marketing automation, chat and multi-user access. 

If you know that you will be sending out more than 350,000 emails per month then you will be eligible for the Enterprise plan. In order to get a quote for this price, you have to submit a form with all of your contact information and a Sendinblue representative will get in touch with you as soon as possible. 

The Enterprise plan gives you access to everything in the Premium plan as well as 10+ seats, managed setup and priority support, dedicated account manager, dedicated infrastructure, priority sending and SSO(SAML)

 

Mailchimp Pricing 

Mailchimp has a different pricing structure than Sendinblue. They charge based on the number of contacts you have and the number of emails that you send out monthly. 

Mailchimp has 4 different plans, they are the Free plan, the Essentials plan, the Standard plan and the Premium plan. 

The Free plan comes equipped with 7 marketing channels, 1-click automation, basic templates, marketing CRM, Surveys, websites, and free custom domains. You can also send up to 10,000 emails per month to up to 2000 contacts! 

The Essentials plan starts at $9.99 per month and you are given everything in the Free plan as well as email templates, A/B testing, custom branding, and 24/7 award-winning support! 

The Standard plan starts at $14.99 per month and you are given everything in the Essentials plan as well as advanced audience insights, retargeting ads, custom templates, and behavioral targeting automation series. 

The Premium plan starts at $299 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 and phone support. 

You should keep in mind that the price is determined based on the number of contacts you have and the number of emails that you send. For example, if you have 2,500 contacts you will be charged $29.99 per month for the Essentials plan.

 

Who has the better price? 

Given the fact that Sendinblue charges you based only on the number of emails that you send as compared to Mailchimp which bills you based on the number of contacts that you have and the number of emails that you send I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Sendinblue has the better overall price!

This is due to the fact that you are given unlimited contacts regardless of the plan that you choose which makes it perfect for small and medium-sized business owners who are constantly growing their email list daily. 

Now compared to other email marketing platforms on the market Mailchimp actually averages out to be fairly cheap, however, when compared directly to Sendinblue it is actually very steep! 

Moreover, you should also take into consideration that with Sendinblue you get access to a WIDE range of different features like marketing automation, landing pages, and more all for a great price. On the other hand, Mailchimp doesn’t give you access to certain features unless you purchase the Standard plan.

 

Ease of Use 

What good is a platform if it isn’t easy to use? 

Having software that is easy to navigate can really make the difference and is definitely a factor that needs to be considered. 

Let’s take a look at the ease of use of both Mailchimp and Sendinblue and determine which platform is easier to use. 

 

Mailchimp Ease of Use

Mailchimp has gained popularity due to the fact that it’s super easy to use and navigate. The entire Mailchimp dashboard is incredibly user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Moreover, the step by step guide makes setting up a new campaign a total breeze. 

 

Sendinblue Ease of Use 

Sendinblue also has an amazing and easy to use interface. Thanks to the drag-and-drop editor it’s super easy to create campaigns in no time. 

Moreover, when it comes to automation Sendinblue displays the set-up as a tree, thus making it easy for anyone to set up marketing automation in no time at all! 

 

Which email marketing tool is easier to use? 

Honestly, there’s no winner in my opinion! Both email marketing tools do an amazing job at making the overall website incredibly user-friendly. Regardless of if you’re a seasoned veteran or a newbie I can guarantee that you will be able to find your way around these email marketing tools easily. 

 

Marketing Automation 

Automation is literally the backbone of all email marketing tools nowadays. I mean what good is it having a marketing tool if you still have to do all the heavy-lifting yourself? 

 

Mailchimp Marketing Automation 

I must say Mailchimp has a decent marketing automation feature that takes the majority of work off of your hands so you can focus on the stuff that you actually like to do. 

With Mailchimp, it is incredibly easy to set up and send automation emails such as birthday emails, abandoned cart emails, transactional emails, and a few more. 

My favorite part about the marketing automation at Mailchimp is the fact that it’s tailored for e-commerce. This is great for building a system that captures potential customers who abandoned your website! 

They also offer RSS-to-email automation so if you own a blog your audience will be notified the second that you publish a new blog. 

From a visual standpoint, Mailchimp doesn’t do too well and they also don’t have SMS marketing automation.

 

Sendinblue Marketing Automation

When it comes to marketing automation Sendinblue does very well. Setting up automation can be a headache and being able to see the entire layout of your automation process is definitely a major advantage. 

Sendinblue boasts to be masters in transactional emails and they even equip you with a wide range of templates dedicated specifically to transactional emails. 

Fun Fact: A transactional email is a type of automated, non-promotional email that is triggered by events, for example, order confirmation emails

You also get access to SMS marketing automation which gives you an additional channel in order to reach your target audience!

I also like that unlike Mailchimp, Sendinblue supports lead scoring, this is a feature that updates your contacts based on their behavior. 

The best part is that you are given access to all of these features regardless of the plan that you are on!! 

 

Who has the best marketing automation? 

In my opinion, Sendinblue has better marketing automation given the fact that the entire setup is overall more visually appealing as it has a family tree format. 

Also, the fact that Sendinblue also has SMS marketing automation is definitely a bonus. 

That being said, both of these email marketing tools offer send-time optimization. 

 

Email Design and Creation 

The overall design of your emails determines whether or not your contacts take that extra step and follow-through with the call-to-actions. 

Therefore, it is EXTREMELY important that you have beautifully designed emails. 

Mailchimp has over 100 different layouts and pre-built templates to choose from! This means that no two emails have to look the same. These templates are easy to customize to match your brand’s image and they are of course responsive across any device. 

Sendinblue on the other hand has just over 70 different templates that you will be given access to. These templates are also responsive across any device so regardless of if your contact is using their phone or laptop they will still get an exceptional customer experience. 

They both have drag and drop editors that make it easy to edit the templates and make it your own. 

 

Which platform has a better email design?

In my opinion, there is no winner here. Despite the fact that Mailchimp has more templates to choose from, Sendinblue still provides an amazing selection of templates that are beautiful and responsive across every device! 

This comes down to personal preference but you can check out both of these platforms out for free so you can make an informed decision. 

 

List Management & Growth

Your list is where the money is at so it would make sense that it could be easily organized, wouldn’t it? Yes, yes it would! 

Let’s take a look at how Sendinblue and Mailchimp utilize the list management feature. 

Sendinblue List Management

When it comes to setting up lists and segmenting contacts this can be done easily through Sendinblue’s dashboard. All you have to do is select a few criteria and then you can save the personalized lists to your campaigns.

When it comes to organization and personalization Sendinblue definitely wins. Moreover, you are also provided with a way to collect new subscribers and grow your lists, all done through subscription forms that are integrated with your website. 

 

Mailchimp List Management 

As compared to Sendinblue, setting up a list in Mailchimp can be fairly complex especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. 

However, Mailchimp offers an entire CRM that gives you access to tools that are designed to help you reach and market more efficiently and effectively to your target audience. 

Unfortunately, since Mailchimp charges based on the number of contacts that you have, if you have a contact on more than one list you will be charged twice for that contact. 

 

Who has the better list management? 

Well, that depends, do you prefer having an organized and personalized list? Well, then Sendinblue would be perfect, however, if you want an entire CRM which gives you access to more advanced features then Mailchimp is definitely your best bet. 

 

Integrations 

Being able to integrate with different platforms is super important when running an online business. This ensures that you have seamless connectivity throughout your business. 

Mailchimp has by far more integrations with 3rd party apps than Sendinblue, however, the most popular tools can be integrated with both platforms. 

However, Mailchimp wins when it comes to integrations given the fact you are given access to over 200 to choose from! 

 

Reporting & Analytics

This is where all of your campaign decisions are going to be made. When it comes to reports both Mailchimp and Sendinblue offer features that will help you make data-driven decisions, These features include: 

• Email open rates 
• Click-through-rates
• Automation reports 
• Delivery reports 
• Geolocation (Tells you the top locations for your email campaigns) 

A really cool reporting feature offered by Mailchimp is the campaign benchmarking feature which allows you to compare your campaigns to industry benchmarks. 

Sendinblue also equips you with email heatmaps that show you exactly how your contacts are interacting with your emails so you can design future campaigns for them. 

 

Who has better reporting & analytics?

In my opinion, when it comes to reporting and analytics both Mailchimp and Sendinblue are on a level playing field. They both offer amazing reporting features that make it easy for you to make the best decision for the future of your email marketing campaigns! 

 

Sendinblue vs Mailchimp: Who Has The Better Customer Support?

Good customer support is definitely a deal-breaker when it comes to buying a new email marketing tool. It is literally the determining factor when I do a review on an email marketing tool. 

In fact, did you know that 7 out of 10 U.S. consumers say they’ve spent more money to do business with a company that delivers great service? (American Express)

So it would make sense that a company would have a solid customer support system in place wouldn’t it? 

Let’s take a look at the customer support offered at Sendinblue and MailChimp!

 

Sendinblue Customer Support 

Sendinblue has a solid help center that is equipped with all of the resources that were designed in order to help you solve any problems that you may have. 

These resources include tutorials on how to set up your account, how to build email campaigns, how to manage the overall automation, and much more. 

However, the downside comes from the fact that in order to get the exclusive customer support you would have to purchase one of the paid plans. In order to get customer support on the free plan, you would have to submit a ticket and wait patiently for a response.

That means if you want to get phone support then you would have to upgrade to one of the higher plans. 

I also found it disappointing that there was an unlimited live chat, anyone that knows me knows that a live chat is a dealbreaker when it comes to any software. I like to know that I can get in touch with an actual person anytime that I would like to. 

That being said it would be great if Sendinblue gave unlimited customer support regardless of the plan that you’re on. 

 

Mailchimp Customer Support  

When it comes to customer support Mailchimp and Sendinblue live under the same roof. 

Mailchimp has a fantastic knowledge base that gives you access to in-depth tutorials you would need in order to solve any problems you may have with the email marketing software. Moreover, they also have marketing guides. 

If you want to get in touch with someone at Mailchimp you have to submit a ticket and wait.

Unfortunately, at Mailchimp, you can’t take full advantage of the customer support if you just have the free plan. That means you won’t be able to directly call customer support or access the live chat.

This sucks especially if you have an urgent problem that you would like addressed asap. 

That being said once you do get access to the customer support it’s exceptional. In fact, Mailchimp won 4 Gold Stevie awards for exceptional customer service and 92% of their customers love the customer support provided! 

 

Who has better customer support?

In my opinion, neither Mailchimp nor Sendinblue lives up to the expectations that I have when it comes to providing customer support. They both don’t give you full access to their customer support teams unless you decide to hop on one of the paid-plans. 

However, if you judge them based on the reviews and awards they have received due to their customer support then Mailchimp is the winner. 

All in all, customer support plays a HUGE role in whether it would make sense to purchase an email marketing platform and it’s disappointing that both of these platforms don’t give you the opportunity to experience the full extent of the support unless you pay. 

Related: Ths Email Marketing Tool Has The Best Customer Support of 2020! 

 

Sendinblue vs Mailchimp: Pros & Cons 

Like every other email marketing tool on the market, Sendinblue has its fair share of pros and cons. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Sendinblue and Mailchimp. 

Sendinblue Pros & Cons

Here we have the pros and cons of Sendinblue 

Pros

• No credit card needed in order to sign up for the free plan 
• When it comes to pricing Sendinblue is a winner
• No cap on the number of contacts that you need to have
• Offers advanced marketing automation features 

Cons

• It would be nice to have a live chat that’s accessible to everyone 

 

Mailchimp Pros & Cons

Here we have the pros and cons of Mailchimp 

Pros

• Has a wider range of email marketing templates to choose from than Sendinblue 
• Has a wider range of integrations

Cons 

• The price is very steep when compared to Sendinblue 

 

Verdict: Is Sendinblue better than Mailchimp? 

Despite the fact that Mailchimp is by far more popular and has had more years of expertise than Sendinblue, the latter still comes out on top in my opinion. 

If you are looking for a marketing tool that delivers amazing features at a reasonable price then I would look no further than Sendinblue.

It is also key to note that both of these email marketing tools fall down when it comes to their customer support, in order to take full advantage of the customer support you would have to purchase one of the paid plans. This can be seen as a huge disadvantage especially if you have an urgent issue that you would like addressed asap. 

However, once you have one of the paid plans the customer support at both of these platforms is exceptional! 

That being said Mailchimp does have some amazing tools, in fact, it goes far beyond just email marketing which makes it an amazing overall marketing automation platform. In fact, if you have an e-commerce store then Mailchimp would be a good email marketing tool to consider. 

Related: The Best Email Marketing Tool for E-commerce Websites in 2020!

All in all, Sendinblue provides an exceptional service, amazing marketing automation features, and other marketing tools that are engineered to help your business grow but the question of the day still arises and that’s “Which email marketing tool is better?”

In my opinion, the winner and undefeated champion would definitely have to be Sendinblue!

Still, looking for the perfect email marketing tool for your business? Check out our review on the 9 Best Email Marketing Tools of 2020!