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GetResponse vs Mailchimp 2026: Features & Pricing

Mailchimp excels as a free email marketing starter tool with 12,500 free contacts, while GetResponse offers more advanced automation and e-commerce features at a lower paid tier starting at $15/month. GetResponse is purpose-built for marketing automation; Mailchimp is designed for email simplicity with optional paid upgrades.

GetResponse

GetResponse

All-in-one marketing automation platform with email, automation, webinars, and e-commerce tools.

E-commerce businesses, agencies, and marketers who need integrated automation, webinars, and sales funnel tools; companies planning rapid growth.

Score71%
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VS
Mailchimp

Mailchimp

Beginner-friendly email marketing platform with extensive free plan and simple automation.

Small businesses, nonprofits, and solopreneurs just starting email marketing; organizations that want free email capabilities without complex automation needs.

Score63%
Check Price

Quick Answer

AI Summary

Mailchimp excels as a free email marketing starter tool with 12,500 free contacts, while GetResponse offers more advanced automation and e-commerce features at a lower paid tier starting at $15/month. GetResponse is purpose-built for marketing automation; Mailchimp is designed for email simplicity with optional paid upgrades.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose Mailchimp if you're starting out with a small email list (under 500 contacts), want a free plan with generous contact limits, and prefer simplicity over advanced automation. Choose GetResponse if you need marketing automation, e-commerce capabilities, webinar hosting, or plan to scale quickly—its lower paid entry price ($15/month vs $20/month) makes it better value for growth-focused businesses.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

GetResponse
6.7/10
Mailchimp
8.3/10
GetResponse

Choose GetResponse if

E-commerce businesses, agencies, and marketers who need integrated automation, webinars, and sales funnel tools; companies planning rapid growth.

Mailchimp

Choose Mailchimp if

Best pick

Small businesses, nonprofits, and solopreneurs just starting email marketing; organizations that want free email capabilities without complex automation needs.

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Free Plan Contact Limit:✓ Mailchimp wins(12,500 contacts vs 500 contacts)
  • Starting Paid Price (Monthly):✓ GetResponse wins($15/month vs $20/month)
  • Native E-Commerce Features:✓ GetResponse wins(Yes (product recommendations, cart abandonment) vs Limited (basic integrations only))
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

91 numeric metrics compared

MetricGetResponseMailchimpRatio
Email Templates(count)500+200+
Free Plan Contact Limit(contacts)500 contacts12,500 contacts
Lowest Paid Monthly Price(USD)$15/month$20/month
Email Templates Included(templates)800+ templates1,000+ templates
Built-in Webinar Capacity(attendees)500 attendees per sessionNot included—
Third-Party Integrations(integrations)250+ integrations750+ integrations
Typical Setup Time for New Users(minutes)45-60 minutes15-20 minutes
Core Marketing Channels(channels)5 channels5 channels
Learning Curve Rating(1-10 scale)7 (moderate to high)7 (moderate to high)
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$0-$20$0-$20
Free Plan Subscriber Limit(contacts)500500
Free Plan Monthly Email Sends(emails/month)500500
G2 Aggregate Rating(out of 5)4.3/54.3/5
Entry-Level Paid Plan Price(USD/month)$20$20
Third-Party Integrations Available(count)1,200+1,200+
Starting Price (Entry Tier)(USD/month)$13/month$13/month
Cost at 5,000 Contacts/Profiles(USD/month)$50-70/month$50-70/month
Cost at 50,000 Contacts/Profiles(USD/month)$100/month$100/month
Monthly Email Send Limit (Entry Plan)(emails/month)1,000-5,0001,000-5,000
Monthly Cost (10,000 contacts)(USD)$145$145
Setup Time for First Campaign(hours)1-2 hours1-2 hours
Free Plan Subscriber Capacity(contacts/subscribers)250 contacts250 contacts
Free Plan Monthly Email Limit(emails)1,000 emails/month1,000 emails/month
Global User Base(organizations)13 million users13 million users
G2 Review Rating(stars out of 5)4.3/5 stars4.3/5 stars
Price Scaling Factor at 5,000 Subscribers(relative cost index)Steep 3-4x multiplierSteep 3-4x multiplier
Free Plan Contact Capacity(contacts)500 contacts500 contacts
Marketing Channels Supported(channels)Email, basic socialEmail, basic social
Setup Time for Non-Developers(minutes)10-20 minutes10-20 minutes
Maximum Monthly Email Limit(emails)300,000 (based on plan)300,000 (based on plan)
Starting Price (Paid Plan)(USD/month)$13/month (Essentials)$13/month (Essentials)
Maximum Contact Plan(USD/month)$800/month (100,000 contacts)$800/month (100,000 contacts)
G2 Award Count(awards)Transactional email and small businessTransactional email and small business
API Integration Support(integrations)1000+1000+
User-Friendliness Rating(score)3.8/53.8/5
Max Contacts (Starter Plan)(contacts)500 (free) / 5,000 (paid)500 (free) / 5,000 (paid)
Average Implementation Time(days)0.08 months (1 hour)0.08 months (1 hour)
Native CRM Integrations(integrations)3 (Salesforce, HubSpot, custom)3 (Salesforce, HubSpot, custom)
Customer Support Response Time(hours)12-24 hours (business hours)12-24 hours (business hours)
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)$20$20
Learning Curve (1=Easy, 5=Difficult)(scale)1 (beginner-friendly)1 (beginner-friendly)
Starting Monthly Price(USD)$0 (free tier)$0 (free tier)
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (10k subscribers)(USD)$50$50
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)7.8/107.8/10
Pre-Built Automation Templates(templates)300+300+
Free Tier Subscriber Limit(subscribers)500 free contacts500 free contacts
Free Monthly Email Volume(emails)Unlimited (with 10k contacts max)Unlimited (with 10k contacts max)
Starter Tier Monthly Cost (50k contacts)(USD/month)$350/month$350/month
Campaign Template Library(templates)500+500+
API Response Time (p95)(milliseconds)250ms250ms
Automation Workflow Steps (Free/Starter Tier)(workflows)Unlimited (standard feature)Unlimited (standard feature)
Maximum Contacts/Recipients(contacts)Unlimited (with pricing increase)Unlimited (with pricing increase)
Entry-Level Monthly Cost(USD)$0$0
Ecommerce Integrations(integrations)13+13+
API Rate Limit(calls/minute)10 calls/second10 calls/second
Cost at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)$50-100$50-100
Monetization Revenue Share(percent)0% (you handle payments)0% (you handle payments)
Setup Time for Monetization(minutes)30+ (payment processor + Mailchimp config)30+ (payment processor + Mailchimp config)
Starting Price(USD/month)$0 (free tier) or $20 (Pro)$0 (free tier) or $20 (Pro)
Max Free Tier Contacts(contacts)500500
Email Deliverability Rate(percent)96–98%96–98%
Supported Communication Channels(count)3 (email, SMS via paid add-on, social)3 (email, SMS via paid add-on, social)
Average Setup Time(days)0.5-2 hours (no code required)0.5-2 hours (no code required)
Monthly Cost for 5,000 Subscribers(USD)$70/month$70/month
Automation Workflows on Standard Plan(count)Limited (up to 5-10 per plan tier)Limited (up to 5-10 per plan tier)
SMS Cost Per Message(USD)$0.01-0.05 per SMS$0.01-0.05 per SMS
Pre-built Email Templates(count)100+ templates100+ templates
User Onboarding Time (Average)(hours)4-6 weeks4-6 weeks
Cost Per 1,000 Emails(USD)$2–$7 (plan-dependent)$2–$7 (plan-dependent)
Free Tier Monthly Email Limit(emails)1,000/month1,000/month
API Setup Time (Developer Hours)(hours)0.5–1 hour (UI-based)0.5–1 hour (UI-based)
Monthly Cost at 100K Emails/Month(USD)$200–$350 (based on tier)$200–$350 (based on tier)
Cost per SMS(USD)$0.01 (SMS add-on)$0.01 (SMS add-on)
Free Tier Contact Limit(contacts)500 contacts500 contacts
SMS Country Coverage(countries)45+ countries45+ countries
Email Template Library(templates)1,000+ templates1,000+ templates
Setup Time (Days)(days)1 day (no-code signup)1 day (no-code signup)
Uptime SLA(%)99.99%99.99%
Monthly Cost (50,000 contacts)(USD)$350$350
Free Plan Email Contact Limit(contacts)500 contacts500 contacts
Email Templates Available(templates)1,000+ templates1,000+ templates
Creator Revenue Share(%)0% (SaaS model)0% (SaaS model)
Pre-built Automation Workflows(workflows)300+300+
Segmentation Data Points(data fields)50+50+
E-commerce Integrations(platforms)50+50+
Time to First Email Campaign(minutes)30-60 minutes30-60 minutes
Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/month)20 (1K-contact plan)20 (1K-contact plan)
Active Publications/Users(millions)20M+ users20M+ users
Minimum Paid Plan Price(USD/month)$13$13
Email Templates Library(templates)500+ templates including AI-generated500+ templates including AI-generated
SMS Marketing Cost(USD/month add-on)$20 additional per month$20 additional per month

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

GetResponse
4GetResponse
GetResponse leads
Mailchimp
3Mailchimp
  • Free Plan Contact Limit

    GetResponse

    500 contacts

    Mailchimp

    12,500 contacts(winner)

  • Starting Paid Price (Monthly)

    GetResponse

    $15/month(winner)

    Mailchimp

    $20/month

  • Native E-Commerce Features

    GetResponse

    Yes (product recommendations, cart abandonment)(winner)

    Mailchimp

    Limited (basic integrations only)

  • Marketing Automation Workflows

    GetResponse

    Unlimited automation workflows(winner)

    Mailchimp

    Limited to paid plans only

  • Webinar/Live Event Tools

    GetResponse

    Built-in webinar hosting (500 attendees)(winner)

    Mailchimp

    None (requires integration)

  • Free Template Library

    GetResponse

    800+ templates

    Mailchimp

    1,000+ templates(winner)

  • User Learning Curve

    GetResponse

    Steeper (more features to master)

    Mailchimp

    Gentler (intuitive interface)(winner)

Full Comparison

GetResponse
Mailchimp
Email Templates(count)
500+
200+
Email Templates Included(templates)
800+ templates
1,000+ templates
Built-in Webinar Capacity(attendees)
500 attendees per session
Not included
Third-Party Integrations(integrations)
250+ integrations
750+ integrations
Native E-Commerce Features
Yes - product recommendations, cart abandonment, purchase automation
Limited - basic integration support only
Show 47 more attributes
Marketing Automation Workflows
Unlimited on all plans
Limited (only on paid plans)
Core Marketing Channels(channels)
5 channels
—
SMS Marketing Capability(native/addon)
Yes, with international expansion
—
Landing Page Builder Access
Free on all plans
—
AI Email Generation
Not available
—
SMS Marketing Capabilities
Full SMS suite with 2026 international expansion
—
Free Plan Email Features
Limited core features only
—
Email Template Design Options(variety level)
Extensive design variety and customization
—
Segmentation Capabilities(trigger types)
Standard audience segmentation
—
Customer Data Integration(depth level)
Basic contact data syncing
—
Native CRM Included
No (API integration only)
—
SMS Marketing Support
Yes (added 2026, supports international markets)
—
Built-In CRM
Yes, full CRM suite
—
Multi-Channel Marketing
Email, SMS, landing pages, ads
—
Automation Features
Advanced automation included
—
Landing Page Builder
Yes (drag-and-drop, AI-assisted)
—
CRM Functionality
Full CRM with customer profiles
—
Lead Scoring Models Available(types)
Behavioral segmentation only
—
Lead Scoring Sophistication(capability level)
Basic (list segmentation only)
—
Automation Workflow Complexity(triggers/conditions)
~5 basic automations
—
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Support
No
—
Pre-Built Automation Templates(templates)
300+
—
Campaign Template Library(templates)
500+
—
Automation Workflow Steps (Free/Starter Tier)(workflows)
Unlimited (standard feature)
—
Max Contacts (Paid Plan)(contacts)
Unlimited
—
Automation Workflows(workflows)
Unlimited (all plans)
—
Email Automation Workflows
Advanced (conditional, behavioral triggers)
—
Built-in Payment Processing
No (third-party required)
—
A/B Testing Capability
Yes (subject lines, send time)
—
SMS Marketing
Included in paid plans
—
Max Free Tier Contacts(contacts)
500
—
Supported Communication Channels(count)
3 (email, SMS via paid add-on, social)
—
Pre-built Email Templates(count)
100+ templates
—
A/B Testing Capabilities
Advanced (subject, send time, content)
—
Bounce Handling & List Cleaning
Manual review required
—
Subscriber Management Features
Full CRM with segmentation, tagging, custom fields
—
SMS Country Coverage(countries)
45+ countries
—
Email Template Library(templates)
1,000+ templates
—
Email Templates Available(templates)
1,000+ templates
—
CRM Included in Base Plan
No (paid add-on)
—
SMS Marketing Included
No (add-on only)
—
Pre-built Automation Workflows(workflows)
300+
—
Segmentation Data Points(data fields)
50+
—
Email Templates Library(templates)
500+ templates including AI-generated
—
E-commerce Integration Quality
Advanced abandoned cart, product recommendations, dynamic pricing
—
Automation Workflows (Free Plan)(workflows)
Basic automation on free plan
—
AI Writing Assistant
Advanced AI copywriter with subject line optimization
—
Free Plan Contact Limit(contacts)
500 contacts
12,500 contacts
Lowest Paid Monthly Price(USD)
$15/month
$20/month
Free Plan Available
Yes (500 contacts)
—
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$0-$20
—
Starting Price (Entry Tier)(USD/month)
$13/month
—
Show 24 more attributes
Cost at 5,000 Contacts/Profiles(USD/month)
$50-70/month
—
Cost at 50,000 Contacts/Profiles(USD/month)
$100/month
—
Monthly Cost (10,000 contacts)(USD)
$145
—
Free Plan Monthly Email Limit(emails)
1,000 emails/month
—
Starting Price (Paid Plan)(USD/month)
$13/month (Essentials)
—
Maximum Contact Plan(USD/month)
$800/month (100,000 contacts)
—
Free Plan Availability
Full-featured free plan
—
Free Tier Available(null)
Yes (up to 500 contacts)
—
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)
$20
—
Starting Monthly Price(USD)
$0 (free tier)
—
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (10k subscribers)(USD)
$50
—
Free Tier Subscriber Limit(subscribers)
500 free contacts
—
Entry-Level Monthly Cost(USD)
$0
—
Starting Price(USD/month)
$0 (free tier) or $20 (Pro)
—
SMS Delivery Cost(USD per message)
Not offered (email-focused)
—
Voice Call Cost(USD per minute)
Not offered
—
Cost Per 1,000 Emails(USD)
$2–$7 (plan-dependent)
—
Free Tier Monthly Email Limit(emails)
1,000/month
—
Monthly Cost at 100K Emails/Month(USD)
$200–$350 (based on tier)
—
Cost per SMS(USD)
$0.01 (SMS add-on)
—
Free Tier Contact Limit(contacts)
500 contacts
—
Monthly Cost (50,000 contacts)(USD)
$350
—
Free Plan Email Contact Limit(contacts)
500 contacts
—
Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/month)
20 (1K-contact plan)
—
Typical Setup Time for New Users(minutes)
45-60 minutes
15-20 minutes
User Skill Level Required
Beginner-friendly
—
Setup Time for First Campaign(hours)
1-2 hours
—
User Learning Curve(hours)
Minimal (intuitive interface)
—
User-Friendliness Rating(score)
3.8/5
—
Show 4 more attributes
Average Implementation Time(days)
0.08 months (1 hour)
—
Learning Curve (1=Easy, 5=Difficult)(scale)
1 (beginner-friendly)
—
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)
7.8/10
—
User Onboarding Time (Average)(hours)
4-6 weeks
—
Learning Curve Rating(1-10 scale)
7 (moderate to high)
—
Learning Curve Difficulty(1-10 scale)
2/10 (simple)
—
Segmentation Depth
Sophisticated data-driven rules
—
24/7 Support Availability
Yes, varies by plan
—
Customer Support Response Time(hours)
12-24 hours (business hours)
—
Phone Support Availability
Phone support on paid plans only
—
Automation Complexity Level
Basic (Customer Journey Builder)
—
Email Deliverability Testing
A/B testing and design testing (free)
—
eCommerce Platform Support(platforms)
More extensive platform coverage
—
CRM Integration Capabilities
Basic contact management
—
Third-Party Integrations Available(count)
1,200+
—
API Integration Support(integrations)
1000+
—
Native CRM Integrations(integrations)
3 (Salesforce, HubSpot, custom)
—
Show 2 more attributes
Ecommerce Integrations(integrations)
13+
—
E-commerce Integrations(platforms)
50+
—
Free Plan Subscriber Limit(contacts)
500
—
Monthly Cost for 5,000 Subscribers(USD)
$70/month
—
SMS Cost Per Message(USD)
$0.01-0.05 per SMS
—
Free Plan Monthly Email Sends(emails/month)
500
—
G2 Aggregate Rating(out of 5)
4.3/5
—
Built-in E-commerce Features
Limited (abandoned cart via integrations)
—
Paid Plan Email Sending(sends per month)
Capped by contact tier multipliers
—
Integrated CRM & Contact Management
Full CRM suite with advanced segmentation
—
Built-in E-commerce & Monetization
Limited e-commerce via integrations
—
CRM Type
Basic add-on CRM
—
Overage Fees on Paid Plans
Yes - charges per contact/send overages
—
Analytics & Reporting Depth
Comprehensive campaign performance and subscriber insights
—
Entry-Level Paid Plan Price(USD/month)
$20
—
Cost at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)
$50-100
—
AI Personalization Engine
Basic personalization features
—
Trigger-Based Automation Workflows
Available but less intuitive setup
—
Automation Workflows on Standard Plan(count)
Limited (up to 5-10 per plan tier)
—
User Interface Modernity(rating)
Legacy interface, steep learning curve
—
CRM Integration
Full native CRM platform integrated
—
Monthly Email Send Limit (Entry Plan)(emails/month)
1,000-5,000
—
Contact List Size Limit (Standard Pricing)(contacts)
Unlimited growth with pro-rated pricing
—
Maximum Monthly Email Limit(emails)
300,000 (based on plan)
—
Maximum Contacts/Recipients(contacts)
Unlimited (with pricing increase)
—
Free Plan Subscriber Capacity(contacts/subscribers)
250 contacts
—
Price Scaling Factor at 5,000 Subscribers(relative cost index)
Steep 3-4x multiplier
—
Minimum Paid Plan Price(USD/month)
$13
—
SMS Marketing Cost(USD/month add-on)
$20 additional per month
—
Global User Base(organizations)
13 million users
—
G2 Review Rating(stars out of 5)
4.3/5 stars
—
Free Plan Contact Capacity(contacts)
500 contacts
—
Lead Scoring Capability
Manual segmentation only
—
Marketing Channels Supported(channels)
Email, basic social
—
2026 Feature Updates(updates)
Standard quarterly updates
—
API Complexity Level
Moderate, marketing-focused
—
Setup Time for Non-Developers(minutes)
10-20 minutes
—
Setup Time for Monetization(minutes)
30+ (payment processor + Mailchimp config)
—
Time to First Email Campaign(minutes)
30-60 minutes
—
Email Template Quality
Modern and professional
—
Integration Capabilities(/10)
Third-party integrations
—
Native Salesforce CRM Integration
No (Zapier third-party only)
—
G2 Award Count(awards)
Transactional email and small business
—
A/B Testing
All paid plans
—
Max Contacts (Starter Plan)(contacts)
500 (free) / 5,000 (paid)
—
Built-in Monetization Tools(features)
None (requires third-party solutions)
—
Creator Revenue Share(%)
0% (SaaS model)
—
Free Monthly Email Volume(emails)
Unlimited (with 10k contacts max)
—
Cost per 1,000 Emails (Pay-as-You-Go)(USD)
Not applicable (subscriber-based)
—
Starter Tier Monthly Cost (50k contacts)(USD/month)
$350/month
—
API Response Time (p95)(milliseconds)
250ms
—
API Rate Limit(calls/minute)
10 calls/second
—
Monetization Revenue Share(percent)
0% (you handle payments)
—
Email Deliverability Rate(percent)
96–98%
—
Average Setup Time(days)
0.5-2 hours (no code required)
—
API Setup Time (Developer Hours)(hours)
0.5–1 hour (UI-based)
—
Setup Time (Days)(days)
1 day (no-code signup)
—
Uptime SLA(%)
99.99%
—
Monthly Active Users(millions)
12M+ users (2025)
—
Automation Workflow Step Limit(steps)
Unlimited steps
—
Active Publications/Users(millions)
20M+ users
—

Pros & Cons

10 pros·5 cons across both

GetResponse
Mailchimp
GetResponse

GetResponse

+5-2

Pros

  • Native e-commerce features including product recommendations and cart abandonment automation
  • Built-in webinar hosting supporting up to 500 live attendees per session
  • Unlimited marketing automation workflows on all paid plans
  • Lower paid entry point at $15/month for 1,000 contacts
  • Advanced segmentation with behavioral triggers and dynamic content

Cons

  • Free plan limited to only 500 contacts (vs Mailchimp's 12,500)
  • Steeper learning curve due to extensive feature set requiring onboarding
Mailchimp

Mailchimp

+5-3

Pros

  • Industry-leading free plan supporting 12,500 contacts with core email features
  • 1,000+ professionally designed templates with drag-and-drop editor
  • Intuitive interface requiring minimal training or onboarding
  • Strong integrations with 750+ apps and platforms
  • Responsive customer support available 24/7

Cons

  • Paid plans start at $20/month (higher than GetResponse's $15 entry)
  • Limited native e-commerce capabilities; requires third-party integrations
  • No built-in webinar or live event hosting functionality

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. Mailchimp offers a genuinely free plan indefinitely for up to 12,500 contacts with unlimited sends, email campaigns, and basic automation. GetResponse's free plan supports only 500 contacts but includes unlimited automation workflows. For pure free email marketing longevity, Mailchimp is superior; for free automation, GetResponse wins.

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