Sendinblue vs Mailchimp – Our Honest Comparison Guide 2023

In this article, we’re going to compare Mailchimp and Sendinblue, two very popular email marketing solutions for small businesses.

Atlanta-based Mailchimp is a huge name, serving over 20 million customers worldwide. However, after spending time comparing email marketing tools, I can’t help but wonder if the appeal has more to do with the marketing than the product itself. Maybe notoriety isn’t everything?

Since Mailchimp started charging the user per contact, as opposed to just the (previously) registered contact, I wanted to see how it worked in conjunction with an unlimited email marketing solution.
sendinblue.

This Parisian company is rapidly expanding worldwide, currently offering its services to 300,000 users in 180 countries. In fact, they have a lot to offer to users looking for a Mailchimp alternative.

So let’s take a look at the main differences between Sendinblue and Mailchimp!

Sendinblue vs Mailchimp in a Nutshell

Mailchimp offers an easy-to-use email editor and a pretty generous free plan, however, Sendinblue has a lot more to offer when it comes to automating and managing lists. Pricing is also a big difference, with Sendinblue presenting itself as a much more affordable email marketing service provider.

If you are comparing Sendinblue to Mailchimp, I suspect that it is due to one or more of the following:

You are a paid Mailchimp user who is fed up with big monthly bills

You are new to email marketing and thoroughly researched the many alternatives to Mailchimp

Sendinblue has caught your attention with its affordable, comprehensive solution that pays via email instead of contact… but you’re still not sure you can trust it with such a big name.

In this Sendinblue vs Mailchimp comparison, I’ll cover everything from style to price, so you’ll definitely have a clear idea of ​​which email marketing solution to choose. So let’s dive!

Ease of Use And Email Editor

Many people are attracted to Mailchimp because of its seemingly user-friendly email marketing software. However, since some of the functionality is sometimes hard to find (for example, how to add a registration form for new signups or create a landing page), I think it can still be a bit more intuitive for beginners.

That said, it has a well-designed backend that is easy to navigate, and they do a good job making sure you complete all the necessary steps when setting up a new email campaign.

Mailchimp email campaign set-up

Sendinblue also did a great job in this respect. Their drag-and-drop editor is very fast and offers all the predefined options you need. They also guide you step by step so you don’t forget anything.

They also provide an option to revert to previous versions of emails, which is very helpful.

Sendinblue email editor

Winner: Both Sendinblue and Mailchimp have fairly shallow learning curves because of great design and a clear process. This round is a tie!

Design And Flexibility

The design of your email is important, and many marketers prefer to use the ready-made templates that come with their email marketing service provider. Therefore, it is very important to have a variety of designs that are attractive and mobile-friendly and that they can be personalized easily.

Mailchimp has over 100 templates (or “themes”, as they call it), is mobile-friendly, and not bad at all. They are easy to edit to your liking and can be saved so you can reuse them in campaigns. You can also create your own HTML templates via code, URLs or .ZIP files. You can filter templates by category, making it easy to find what you’re looking for.

The only thing to note is that the free plan only gives you access to some pretty outdated templates.

Mailchimp email templates

Unfortunately, there aren’t many templates to choose from with Sendinblue, and they don’t look as modern as Mailchimp’s premium templates.

However, you can create your own template by copying and pasting the HTML code into their editor, or by importing a template from another account on their platform using a shared URL. It does not allow you to import templates created on third-party or third-party email marketing platforms.

Sendinblue templates

Winner: It’s a tricky one. Though Mailchimp offers a greater number of more attractive email templates, you’ll have to pay for them. Sendinblue includes all templates for free… so we’re giving them both a point this round.

List Management

One thing Mailchimp users really have trouble with is list management, and I totally understand why.

Mailchimp lists are mutually exclusive. In other words, you cannot include contacts on different lists in the same campaign. There is also no way to create automation to move subscribers from one list to another, such as with GetResponse.

Since Mailchimp charges per subscriber, it means that if you have the same contact on different lists, you’ll pay them multiple times. I haven’t seen this with other providers and it’s very annoying.

Also, Mailchimp has made it quite complicated with different naming conventions and options; you have audiences (contacts), segments, tags, and groups. No wonder users are so confused.

Mailchimp list management

List building and contact segmentation is much easier with Sendinblue. Use contact field criteria and behavior (email opens, clicks, etc.) to filter contacts and save lists to use in your campaigns. You can add multiple conditions.

You can also automate it so that when a new subscriber signs up, they will be added to a specific list based on a specific condition.

But the best thing is that you have unlimited contacts on all plans, so you will never have to worry about paying for the same subscribers again and again with Mailchimp. Winner:
Sendinblue’s list management features are involved, making it a great alternative to Mailchimp. One point for Sendinblue! 3-2 for Sendinblue

Email Automations

Mailchimp prides itself on having “All Automation Triggers”. And meanwhile, is the price reasonable next to Sendinblue’s range of affordable and automation options?

The important thing to note with Mailchimp’s marketing automation features is that you’ll need to top up if you want to get the most out of it. If you want to send multi-step automation, you will need to sign up for their more expensive standard plan.

The one-step automation you can create on their classic builder is pretty basic.

Sendinblue workflow automation

Sendinblue allows you to set up fairly advanced triggered campaigns based on contact data, email interactions, web behavior, and e-commerce activity. And you can do it all for free!

Honestly, considering its affordable price tag, I was amazed at how extensive Sendinblue’s marketing automation process is. These include lead scoring and the ability to test your campaigns before triggering them. There’s also a “Best Time” feature, which allows you to submit your campaigns at optimal times based on previous campaigns’ performance.

Winner:
Sendinblue brings another point to email automation! Another reason to check out this Mailchimp alternative. 4-2

Registration Forms

A standard feature, but certainly not something to ignore. See how easy it is to set up forms at both providers.

First of all, it’s not easy to know where to create a subscription form in Mailchimp as it doesn’t appear in the main navigation. It’s actually hidden under the “Objects” tab.

In terms of options, you can create an embedded form, a pop-up form, or a landing page. However, the setup is a bit cumbersome and not all forms seem mobile-friendly.

Mailchimp form builder

When new subscribers sign up, they’ll be included in a list (or audience) of your choice, although they can only be on the list if you want to avoid being charged again.

On the other hand, Sendinblue allows subscribers to choose the list(s) they want to join (e.g. based on their interests or industry), which is pretty cool.

Sendinblue’s form builder is fun to use, making the whole process a breeze.

Sendinblue form builder

Winner: Sendinblue strikes again! So that’s 5-2 to Sendinblue.

Landing Pages

The main difference here is that Mailchimp’s landing page builder is included for free, while Sendinblue requires you to subscribe to the Premium plan ($65/month). And even then, you’ll only be able to create 5 landing pages unless you pay extra.

We compared Mailchimp’s builder with other free landing page builders and found it very easy to use, with plenty of customization options. It also allows for unlimited landing pages and the ability to add tracking for Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics.

Nice design but not much quantity. Sendinblue has more choices when it comes to templates, and it’s very easy to edit them in their quick landing page editor.

Winner:
Each has its pros and cons, but since Mailchimp offers the feature for free, we’ll give them points this round. 5-3

CRM

While Mailchimp claims you can use the software as a CRM, it doesn’t really have enough features to support that claim. We’d love to see additional options like the ability to upload files, create tasks, or assign contacts to specific sales agents.

Mailchimp notably offers a feature called Social Profiles. This allows you to create targeted social media-based campaigns (based on what your contacts have made public). Please note that enabling this feature will incur additional charges.

Mailchimp CRM customer profile

One thing Mailchimp does well is e-commerce data; if your account is connected to your online store, you can see how much revenue each contact has generated.

Sendinblue’s free CRM makes it easy to manage contacts by assigning them to different users and allowing you to set tasks and deadlines in each customer profile. You can also view additional information such as the websites they have visited.

Unfortunately, importing contacts into this section is not the easiest, as you will need to upload a file containing the data. It would be much easier if you could copy them from your existing subscriber list. There’s also no tag to assign a lifecycle stage to a specific contact like you’ll find in advanced CRMs like HubSpot.

Sendinblue CRM customer profile

Sendinblue Deal Pipeline

Winner: Each provider has good and bad points in this area, which is why we’re giving them a point each. However, if you’re looking for an email service with good CRM capabilities, we’d recommend checking out ActiveCampaign. 6-4

Spam And Design Testing

Mailchimp and Sendinblue have equally good design testing features. Besides mobile and desktop testing, both allow you to test how your email looks on different email clients (Outlook, Gmail, etc.).

The difference is that while Mailchimp has more email clients to check out than Sendinblue, it’s not really free.

Mailchimp monthly plans come with 25 Inbox Preview tokens to use each month. Remember that each individual customer you test will use one token, and unused tokens will not carry over to the next month. Of course, you can buy more tokens if you run out.

Sendinblue, on the other hand, does not charge for this feature.

Sendinblue design testing

No spam testing is available on either provider.

Winner: This is a tricky one as both providers offer a nice built-in previewer. What tips it in Sendinblue’s favor is the fact that they don’t charge a cent for email client testing. 7-4

Reporting

Both Mailchimp and Sendinblue offer the following reporting features:

• Email performance (opens, clicks, bounces, unsubscribes, etc.)
• Links clicked
• Geolocation
• Automation reports

Mailchimp reporting features

However, Sendinblue is missing social and e-commerce reports.

You can track conversions through both providers and Google Analytics integration is also available.

Winner: Due to the fact that Mailchimp offers social and e-commerce data, they win this round! Sendinblue 7, Mailchimp 5.

Deliverability

After preparing your email content and design and making sure it shows up well on all email clients, you want to make sure it gets to your subscribers’ inboxes. Take a look at how these vendors have done in this area.

We track the delivery capabilities of the suppliers we reviewed for several years.

Below are their performance averages over our last 3 rounds of semi-annual delivery tests

	MAILCHIMP	SENDINBLUE
Overall Deliverability Rate	86%	90%

Our tests show that Sendinblue has slightly better deliverability rates than Mailchimp. In fact, Sendinblue took the prize for best deliverability in our Feb 2020 test.

Winner: Sendinblue beat Mailchimp this round. 8-5

Transactional Emails

Sendinblue and Mailchimp both offer transactional emails, such as order or delivery confirmation emails.

Sendinblue includes this service in its main offering, while Mailchimp asks you to pay extra. Mailchimp charges $20 for 25,000 emails on top of what you pay for the monthly plan.

Note that Sendinblue’s free plan has a limit of 300 emails/day, which isn’t ideal for time-sensitive communications, so I recommend the premium account ($25.

Winner:
Since this comes at an extra cost with Mailchimp, we think Sendinblue is the best option. They also have better delivery rates, as you have seen above. 9-5 at Sendinblue

SMS Marketing

Sending SMS notifications with Mailchimp is quite limited. You will only be able to do this if you are selling products on the store that you created with Mailchimp. If you want to send a confirmation text message about a service, you must first create an appointment on Mailchimp that your contacts can schedule with you. Additionally, SMS text messaging is only available to users in the United States.

Sendinblue allows you to send SMS campaigns on all plans, but you will need to purchase credits. The price depends on the country you are sending to. For example, sending SMS to the US will cost €5 for 500 SMS, €10 for 1000 SMS, and so on. Note that you will be billed in euros no matter where you operate.

Luckily, Sendinblue doesn’t set any limits like Mailchimp.

Winner:
Sendinblue is a much more flexible and flexible SMS marketing provider than Mailchimp. Another point for them! 10-5

Integrations And Extras

Mailchimp, being as well known as it is, integrates with hundreds of marketing tools. You should be able to connect just about every tool you need.

Sendinblue doesn’t have nearly as many direct integrations available, though, like Mailchimp, they are part of Zapier’s library.

Winner: With over 300 integrations, Mailchimp has to take this one. Sendinblue 10, Mailchimp 6.

Support

Both email marketing tools have similar support channels – knowledge base, email, live chat – although in the case of Mailchimp you need to upgrade to a premium account to get it. Supported.

Sendinblue’s customer support services may vary; Their Help button sometimes shows you different support options (sometimes just their knowledge base). It can be quite frustrating if you need help at the moment and aren’t available.

In terms of responsiveness, Mailchimp’s live chat is a bit slower than expected. When we had to contact Sendinblue support, they were very responsive and helpful. Winner:
Due to the fact that it is nearly impossible to communicate with Mailchimp if you are on their free plan, here we make a point for Sendinblue. 11-6

Prices

So we come to the final round:
pricing.

You may already realize that we are not huge fans of Mailchimp pricing.

While they offer freemium and pay-as-you-go plans, the fact that they currently charge users for unregistered contacts and those who haven’t confirmed their opt-in may cause email service providers to fail. This becomes quite expensive and therefore unappealing to many people. marketers and small business owners.

Compared to other email marketing tools, they are not the most expensive but compared to Sendinblue, Mailchimp is quite steep.

Sendinblue, which doesn’t set a cap on contacts, charges according to the number of emails sent. This makes it one of the most affordable all-in-one email marketing software on the market, and also a great choice for those who have a large number of contacts but only send one or two emails. every month.

Let’s take a look at their lowest-tier plans for comparison:

You will find that there is a big price difference between Sendinblue and Mailchimp.

Recently, Mailchimp’s freemium plan allocation has plummeted, making it much less attractive.

It’s worth noting that all of Sendinblue’s plans come with many key features, such as marketing automation, advanced segmentation, and the inclusion of CRM software.

To unlock Mailchimp’s multi-step automation workflow, you need to sign up for their Standard plan ($90 for 5,000 users). If you need advanced segmentation, comparative reporting, multivariate testing, and premium support, you’ll need to sign up for their Pro plan.

Winner:
Considering all the features that Sendinblue includes (CRM, marketing automation, SMS, advanced segmentation) for such a reasonable price, the point is definitely theirs!

That means we have a winner… Sendinblue! The final score is 12-6.

Detailed Features Comparison (table)

Mailchimp bases its price plans on the number of emails sent and contacts you need. You can choose between four price plans, ranging from Free to Premium which starts at $299/month and can scale far beyond that with large contact databases and email send volumes.

Sendinblue, on the other hand, offers unlimited contacts for all price plans and tends to be a cheaper alternative to Mailchimp. Plans range from Free to Enterprise which depends on a custom quote.

Here’s how the two email marketing tools stack up when it comes to pricing per number of contacts in your database:

	Sendinblue pricing	Mailchimp pricing
Free plans	Unlimited contacts, 9,000 emails/month	2,000 contacts and 10,000 email sends
For 2.5k contacts	Lite – $22.50/mo/paid annually for up to 40k emails/month	Essentials – $29.99/mo
For 10k contacts	Lite – $22.50/mo/paid annually for up to 40k emails/month	Essentials – $74.99/mo
For 50k contacts	Essential – $35.10/mo/ paid annually for up to 60,000 emails/mo	Standard – $299/mo
For 100k contacts	Premium – $59.40/mo/paid annually for up to 120,000 emails/mo	Premium – $699/mo

When to Choose Sendinblue vs Mailchimp

With double the Mailchimp score, Sendinblue is clearly doing great! Let’s recap when you can choose one over the other.

When to choose Sendinblue:

You have many contacts but send few targeted emails

You need a transactional messaging service

you are looking for a free plan with a high sending limit and an unlimited number of contacts

You want to send SMS as part of your marketing strategy

You want to get the most out of your business features (e.g. marketing automation) without the cost

You need a reliable courier service that will deliver your messages safely

When to choose Mailchimp:

You need detailed e-commerce and social media reports

You need a free landing page builder

You want to be able to easily integrate with all your favorite marketing tools

Sendinblue vs Mailchimp: Final Thoughts

Mailchimp is a LOT more well-known than Sendinblue, as we can see in these Google search results::

But as we’ve seen in this Sendinblue vs Mailchimp comparison, notoriety isn’t everything.

Sendinblue is a great choice if you are looking for an email marketing tool that is user-friendly and doesn’t skimp on features. You will find that their prices are much more reasonable than Mailchimp’s and that managing their list is much less of a hassle.

Sendinblue’s improved deliverability rate is a sure sign of top email marketing software and a strong competitor to Mailchimp.

I think this comparison shows that when you break it all down, Mailchimp still has areas for improvement if it wants to be a true champion. Aside from Sendinblue, there are plenty of other email marketing solutions out there that seriously make Mailchimp money.