Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the email tool everyone’s heard of; Klaviyo is the one built specifically for online stores. They overlap on the basics, but diverge sharply on how much they understand your store’s data — which is most of what eCommerce marketing actually is.
For an online store, Klaviyo wins clearly — it’s built around purchase and browsing data in a way Mailchimp’s general-purpose tool isn’t. Mailchimp still makes sense for a small store that wants the cheapest familiar option and doesn’t need deep eCommerce flows yet. But most stores outgrow it, and the migration is the painful part — so if you’re serious about retention, start on Klaviyo.
The short version.
On our benchmark Klaviyo takes the higher Index Score (84 to 82) — but that headline hides where each one really pulls ahead.
Platform coverage is a wash: both integrate with 5 of the 6 platforms we track.
On price, Mailchimp starts lower — from $13/mo against from $20/mo — though the cheaper sticker isn't always the better deal once you factor in what each one includes for the money.
So Klaviyo suits smb/mid-market/startup/agency teams; Mailchimp leans toward smb/startup/mid-market.
- ✓features & depth
- ✓value for money
- ✓ease of use
Side by side.
How the Index Score splits.
Which platforms each one integrates with.
What you'll actually pay.
- ·Priced by active profiles, with a free tier (250 profiles, 500 sends/mo). Cheapest paid Email plan is $20/mo at 251–500 contacts
- ·scales steeply (~$30 at 1,000, ~$100 at 5,000, ~$400 at 25,000). Email+SMS adds a separate SMS credit budget on top.
- ·Priced by contact count, with a free plan (250 contacts, 500 sends/mo). Cheapest paid plan is Essentials at ~$13/mo for 500 contacts
- ·Standard (~$20/mo) adds automations/personalization, Premium (~$350/mo) is the top tier. Bills climb faster than the headline because unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts count toward the limit unless archived.