Sendinblue vs MailChimp: Which email tool is best for you?

In a world of social media, SMS, and chatbot marketing, one might have thought that email would have gone out of fashion.

However, with a return on investment of approximately 4,400%, email marketing is still very much in vogue.

This is just about the best way to reach and nurture your target audience, no matter what type of business you run or what type of product/service you sell.

The only issue?

Trying to manage email marketing yourself is a nightmare.

With hundreds of contacts to manage, regular email campaigns to monitor, and of course, the constant need for reports and analysis to measure your performance, you are going to need help.

Fortunately, tools like MailChimp and Sendinblue exist to provide you with this essential support.

Email autoresponders like MailChimp and Sendinblue transform your marketing campaigns with reports, analysis, automated messages, email templates, and much more.

However, all of these tools are not identical. Each of them is aimed at a specific audience, with a particular range of features.

So, how to choose between Sendinblue and MailChimp?

This is what we came to discover.

Presentation of Sendinblue & MailChimp

MailChimp, the email marketing platform launched in 2001, is one of the most popular in the email marketing sector.

With a free level that even allows the smallest business to dive into professional email marketing, MailChimp has made it possible for everyone to update their content strategy.

However, MailChimp is far from perfect.

The limited features (especially in the cheaper packages) have pushed people to look for alternatives like Sendinblue.

This newer tool, launched in 2012, may not have the history and popularity of MailChimp, but it offers other advantages, such as access to specialized transactional emails and an excellent pricing structure.

Continue reading to discover the service that best suits you.

Sendinblue vs MailChimp: Prices

Ah, the budget..

This is not the most exciting part of investing in a new marketing tool - but let's be realistic, most of us don't have unlimited cash. If you have money to spare, feel free to contact me, I am always looking for new investors for my pizza funding fund.

For many businesses, especially smaller ones, it is crucial to pinch pennies.

You need to determine what you can actually afford to spend based on the type of value you will be getting in return.

Fortunately, Sendinblue and MailChimp are ready to help you with their free plans.

Free offers are great for start-ups and small budget companies who want to start experimenting with email marketing.

However, you do get what you pay for in a way. In other words, do not expect to access all the most advanced features with the free package of Sendinblue or MailChimp.

However, Sendinblue gives you access to an unlimited number of contacts, transactional emails, and even a basic customer relationship management system, but you can only send 300 emails per day. Too bad.

On the other hand, MailChimp allows you to work with 7 marketing channels and a basic CRM, but only a handful of templates and no access to the autoresponder feature.

If you are willing to spend money on the tools you need, then there are many pricing plans available at Sendinblue, including Lite, Essential, and Premium packages. You will notice that the "Premium" package is surprisingly well-priced, especially compared to the top-tier option from MailChimp.

You also have the option to upgrade in order to send more messages per month.

The more you spend on Sendinblue, the more emails you can send per month.

Furthermore, large packages come with more features, such as machine learning tools, advanced reports, and even chat functions.

A major drawback? To remove the Sendinblue logo from your emails, you must pay at least $39 per month. I expected this to be included in their "Lite" offer, but that's not the case.

There is also an "Enterprise" plan if you are looking for guided support, GDPR compliance, and on-demand support for clients. For those who want more flexibility, you can also upgrade any plan with add-ons such as SMS marketing and a dedicated IP address.

Sendinblue even offers the possibility to replace monthly pricing with a pay-as-you-go strategy, where you pay for credits that renew monthly. At $1,995 for one million credits, the costs are quite reasonable.

So, let's see how MailChimp is doing, okay?

Recently, MailChimp made some changes to its pricing structure - which upset some of its customers. The current rates are no longer as advantageous as before, but you still have the option to access the free level and the "Essential" and "Standard" plans are also very affordable.

Unfortunately, a large part of the features that users will want to get from MailChimp are only available in the most expensive premium package, at $299. This is the first package that offers phone customer service!

You will also need to choose the "Premium" option if you want to send personalized emails to your segments, as it is the only option with advanced segmentation.

Furthermore, the free option is not as generous as it could be.

You do not have access to A/B testing or 24/7 support, and you will end up with the MailChimp brand on all your emails. However, it's still better than nothing.

MailChimp also offers some discount options in its pricing. For example, if you add two-factor authentication to your account, you can get a 10% discount for the first three months of using the tool. Additionally, non-profit organizations and charities also receive a 15% discount.

Winner

Sendinblue certainly offers the best pricing option here. It is cheaper overall, even for its high-end feature set. Plus, the free service is much more feature-rich than what you would get from MailChimp.

Of course, none of these options are as cost-effective as tools like MailerLite (check out our MailerLite review and our MailerLite vs Mailchimp comparison) - so it's worth shopping around if you are limited in terms of funds.

Sendinblue vs MailChimp: Segmentation

Once your budget is established, you can start testing your email automation tools. For most businesses, this will begin with a review of your segmentation options.

After all, personalized emails actually improve click-through rates by about 14%.

One thing that sets Sendinblue apart is that it not only makes segmentation simple, but also makes it more compliant.

You will need to confirm that you are in compliance with the CAN-SPAM law regulations before you can even create your account.

This means a little extra work, but it's worth knowing that you're using a tool that won't cause you any trouble.

Once you are ready to upload contacts, you can update your list by copying and pasting information, adding CSV files or text files, or entering everything manually.

I would choose the CSV option if you can save time.

Unfortunately, when it comes to matching data to your contacts, things start to get complicated.

There is no bulk action to do, which means you have to add attributes one by one. I am not patient enough for this kind of thing, especially when it comes to thousands of contacts.

On the other hand, you can rest assured knowing that you can manage and segment your contacts on any plan offered by Sendinblue - not just on the higher level options, as is the case with MailChimp.

Additionally, once your lists are updated, you can refresh them in bulk with new information. This means that you only need to spend time entering your details manually if necessary.

Once everyone is on your list, you can segment it according to criteria such as job, place of residence, location, and other crucial information. Sendinblue offers a fundamental CRM feature that even allows you to separate your contacts based on how they have interacted with your business in the past.

Thanks to the prospect scoring available in your marketing automation software, you will also be able to update each segment with "VIP" contacts and people who have the best chances of conversion.

On the other hand, we have MailChimp.

When it comes to managing and segmenting contacts, MailChimp also offers a very simple and direct process.

You can upload details like Sendinblue, with CSV files.

Furthermore, once you have entered all your contacts into the system, you can define and separate your clients using "segments" - which include your lists of new clients and recent purchases, and "groups". Groups define clients based on their previous behavior and other demographic data.

It is a fairly easy strategy to follow.

MailChimp also gives businesses the ability to build their segments with "conditional" relationships. For example, you can create campaigns that target people in a specific way, based on the email clients they use or how they have responded to your previous campaigns.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to be too positive about MailChimp's segmentation options when you know that you can only access them at the Premium level.

Advanced segmentation is limited to individuals who pay $299 per month.

Furthermore, at any level, if you want to target people from different groups at once, then MailChimp will not allow it.

The lists are all segmented, which means you must continually create new ones based on your campaign strategies.

Compared to Sendinblue, MailChimp's segmentation is simply clumsy.

Winner

Sendinblue offers a simpler and more direct solution for email marketing segmentation and contact management. Sendinblue has some issues, but MailChimp does not even provide advanced segmentation until you have paid the premium level.

For a more advanced segmentation experience, try Activecampaign for combined CRM and email marketing

Sendinblue vs MailChimp: Automation and Autoresponders

Once your contacts are organized, you will be ready to start building valuable relationships.

In other words, you will want to create amazing autoresponders.

Sendinblue seems to prioritize simplicity above all. You won't get the same advanced experience as you would with something like ActiveCampaign.

However, you can still create some simple sequences to improve your marketing strategy.

To make things as simple as possible, Sendinblue offers you 8 automatic response templates based on objectives.

I think this is a good way to do things, as it gives beginners what they need to start exploring the functionality of autoresponders for the first time.

In addition, when you choose the type of scenario you want to work on, Sendinblue offers you a very simple drag-and-drop builder, similar to what is offered for things like ActiveCampaign (although slightly less feature-rich).

I really liked the style of the campaign creator.

You can determine the contacts you want to connect with, how you want to set up triggers, and more. Everything works according to a "if, if, if" type of strategy, which seems super easy to follow.

Furthermore, unlike MailChimp, your automation features are included in every package provided by Sendinblue - including the free level. The only difference is that you will only be able to use automation with a maximum of 2,000 contacts if you are on the Essential level or below.

When you start moving up to more expensive plans, that's when Sendinblue's automation options start to shine. You can decide when you want to send your messages based on the needs of your target audience.

In addition, a machine learning algorithm allows to determine individually the best time to send for each member of your audience. It's very impressive.

Sendinblue also stands out for its ability to add transactional email features to your automated campaigns - with dedicated templates, delivery features, and statistics that will help you track the return on investment of your campaigns.

MailChimp also offers a variety of ways to create subscriber journeys and automated response campaigns - however, I found the experience quite disappointing.

Like with Sendinblue, the process is often based on a template. You will be able to choose the type of goal you want to achieve and create a funnel based on that goal.

It's all well and good. However, the funnels you create are not very immersive. There are not many options to choose from in terms of triggers and features, and once again, there is nothing that comes close to what you get with GetResponse or ActiveCampaign.

The worst thing?

You can't even play with the autoresponders unless you're willing to pay for the most expensive packages. MailChimp takes one of the most fundamental parts of an email marketing tool and reserves it for those who have the most money.

The "Standard" and "Free" plans do not offer anything to help you manage your automated messages, which means that until a price of $14.99, you are limited by unique emails.

One bonus point that I will give to MailChimp is that when you upgrade to more expensive plans, you can integrate your email marketing tool with your website and CRM. This means that it is easier to set up automation based on your unique experiences with customers.

However, you will only be able to use what you learn about your audience for advanced segmentation if you pay for a Premium subscription, so once again, it's a paid experience.

Winner

Sendinblue and MailChimp both offer fairly basic options when it comes to autoresponders. If you want something more advanced, I recommend ActiveCampaign instead.

However, if you are determined to choose one of these tools, at least Sendinblue will provide you with features at all levels, transactional emails, and the possibility to learn about machine later on.

Sendinblue vs MailChimp: Email Templates

It is essential to automate your emails, but it is also important to make them attractive.

In the end, without an email template, you end up sending fairly basic content to your clients, unless you are lucky enough to have a developer and a designer on site.

The good news is that Sendinblue comes with at least 200 responsive templates to choose from.

You know how you can segment your audience and which tools you will use to send automated emails to your customers.

Some are a bit outdated, but the same could be said of many email marketing tools these days.

Fortunately, you can at least customize your emails using the drag-and-drop generator if you want to do something more personalized.

While Sendinblue has a lot to offer in other aspects of email marketing, its template builder is not one of its best features. Adding social media buttons seems impossible, and the features are limited when it comes to editing the background, aesthetics, and fonts.

The positive side is that you can add your own logo, and Sendinblue takes mobile marketing seriously. Everything will look fantastic, no matter where your customer opens their email.

However, with only 8 font options and numerous repetitive templates, you will not get the type of creative tool you need to make your emails stand out.

MailChimp has a lot to offer in terms of email marketing templates.

There seems to be a countless number of styles - although it is fair to say that some of them are also quite outdated.

In my opinion, MailChimp is more suitable for people who like to build and customize their email content from scratch. The email generator is much more robust than that of Sendinblue, with options allowing you to add anything you want, from social media buttons to unique images and CTAs.

I could easily spend hours browsing through MailChimp options until I create great templates to use in the future. Plus, you can always save your templates if you want to maintain a more consistent look with your messages in the future.

Another great advantage of MailChimp's email templates is that everything seems to fit together automatically perfectly.

You don't have to worry about your formatting suddenly collapsing because you tried to drag a new image into the middle of your text.

Winner

MailChimp is the apparent champion when it comes to email marketing templates, offering a greater range of customization options.

The editing interface is also much simpler and immersive, with a very clear and easy to understand user interface.

Sendinblue vs MailChimp: Ease of use and user experience

Friendliness is a crucial element to consider when choosing an email marketing tool.

I don't know about you, but I much prefer spending my days using simple software rather than playing with tools that I don't understand.

The Sendinblue user interface is very clean and simple (and blue).

It is quite easy to find what you want - even though some people may find the interface a bit cluttered at first. It all depends on what you are used to doing on the dashboard.

The experience is very minimalist - which is useful for beginners who do not want to be overwhelmed.

In addition, you can see the number of contacts registered on the blacklist in your campaigns - although frankly, I don't know why it's important to have this on a homepage.

If you want to compare your current performance to previous campaigns, you can do so quickly. Sendinblue offers a convenient selection of options to review, and the process of setting up new campaigns is very simple.

As for user-friendliness, I have nothing to complain about.

MailChimp also offers one of the most impressive email marketing tools in terms of simplicity. Everything you need to do is laid out in front of you, with easy navigation to make it easy to track things like reports and contact management.

The only thing I didn't like about MailChimp was that there was no easy way to find the homepage setup. You have to click on the "Audience" page and then scroll down to see the landing pages, instead of having a dedicated "Forms" tab.

Winner

In terms of user-friendliness, MailChimp and Sendinblue are very similar. I would probably choose MailChimp over Sendinblue just because I prefer the layout and appearance a bit more – but that is just a personal preference.

If you want something that is very easy to use, I would choose GetResponse (check out our GetResponse review and our GetResponse vs Mailchimp comparison) as one of the best email marketing user interfaces.

Sendinblue vs MailChimp: A/B Testing and Analysis

Once you have segmented your audience, organized your autoresponders, and developed your templates, you have not necessarily finished your marketing campaign.

As any great marketing expert knows, you will need to continue working on your campaigns if you want to achieve the best possible return on investment.

Fortunately, tools like Sendinblue can help you by giving you easy access to things like A/B tests and analysis.

You can test your A/B emails based on their subject, content, and the time you send them. Additionally, Sendinblue's higher tiers also offer the machine learning feature that allows you to find the best time for each member of the audience.

To further optimize your marketing campaigns, Sendinblue also provides a host of email reporting tools, including tracking basic metrics on your homepage, where you can see open rates, clicks, subscriptions, and more.

Everything is super clear and easy to follow - which means even beginners can start managing their analyses with ease.

The free and "lite" packages of Sendinblue only give you basic real-time reports with clicks, subscriptions, and openings.

However, if you upgrade to a more expensive product, you can also access features such as heat maps that show you where your buttons will attract the most attention, and advanced click reports.

You can also deepen your analysis in the Sendinblue CRM tab, which is part of some of the upper levels.

This will help you track and manage leads so you can determine where to focus your marketing efforts.

The Sendinblue CRM also allows you to better understand your transactional emails so that you can establish specific purchasing relationships with your customers.

MailChimp is very similar to Sendinblue in terms of the type of analysis and reports it offers.

Regarding A/B testing, MailChimp also offers the ability to test 3 versions of your campaigns on the downstream packages.

However, if you upgrade to the Premium plan, you can then compare the 8 test variants against each other - in exchange for a hefty $299 per month.

There are no machine learning functions that I could find on MailChimp, but you get a more advanced A/B testing experience overall if you are willing to pay for it.

In addition, in terms of reports and analysis, MailChimp also provides you with everything you need to check basic elements such as click rates, unsubscribes, open rates, bounces, etc.

However, you do not get the same sophisticated graphics and displays as those you can get with Sendinblue.

A particularly impressive feature of MailChimp's A/B testing and analysis offering is that you can measure your results against industry benchmarks.

It is a good thing for businesses that are just starting out. We all like to know that we are on the right track.

Winner

MailChimp has more features to offer at higher levels for A/B testing, while Sendinblue offers benefits in the form of transactional email reports and more visual information.

It depends on what you are looking for in your stories when it comes to choosing a winner here. For in-depth reporting and analysis, I recommend checking out something like Klaviyo (see our comparative article Klaviyo vs Mailchimp).

Sendinblue vs MailChimp: Integrations

Today, most businesses use various tools to conduct their email campaigns.

I don't know about you, but I usually play with at least a few digital marketing tools, CRM, and other software at the same time.

Sendinblue does not have the widest range of integrations available on the market - but the ones it offers are of good quality.

For example, you will get things like Drupal, Optin Monster, Salesforce, and WooCommerce from Sendinblue's integration page.

On the other hand, MailChimp provides numerous integrations - such as hundreds..

MailChimp recently lost its relationship with Salesforce, but it still offers a range of other native integrations, including those with BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and many more.

The MailChimp team will also guide you in using Zapier and other tools for your integrations if you can't find the native solution you need.

Winner

When it comes to integrations, MailChimp leads in terms of quantity, but it can be safely said that Sendinblue offers some impressive choices.

Sendinblue vs. MailChimp: Customer Support

Finally, before committing to an email marketing tool, you will want to know that you are receiving significant support in exchange for your hard-earned money.

Most of the time, you will be able to use Sendinblue and MailChimp without any assistance.

However, when you need additional advice, Sendinblue provides you with a comprehensive help center to guide you through the basics of marketing.

You will also have access to customer support, live chat, and other forms of connectivity if you upgrade to a business-level package. If you don't have a lot of money to spend, your options are very limited.

MailChimp also falls short when it comes to customer support for lower price tiers.

Like with Sendinblue, if you are not willing to spend $299 to speak to someone on the phone, you will be limited to things like postal mail or using the Guides and Tutorials section of the MailChimp website.

Winner

Honestly, I would not give a trophy to Sendinblue or MailChimp when it comes to customer support. It seems like you are pretty much on your own, unless you are willing to pay a fortune.

If you want real help with your email marketing software, try Aweber instead (check out our Aweber review and our Aweber vs Mailchimp comparison).

Sendinblue vs MailChimp: Which one to choose?

Sendinblue and Mailchimp both have strengths and weaknesses to consider.

MailChimp is a much more comprehensive tool, with an excellent user interface and a range of options for things like A/B testing - but most of the features you will want will only come if you are willing to pay for it.

Sendinblue, on the other hand, is a very simple tool that allows easier access to features at lower price levels. However, it lacks some of the advanced automation solutions you may need to create compelling autoresponders.

Choose Sendinblue if you wish to

• Excellent pricing for all levels

• Un plan gratuit et généreux

• Des rapports fiables

• Facilité d’utilisation

• Accès au CRM et à l’apprentissage machine

Try MailChimp if:

• You want a super simple unemployment insurance

• Vous avez besoin d’un excellent générateur de courrier électronique

• Vous voulez une gamme d’options d’automatisation

• Vous avez besoin de tests A/B avancés (et vous êtes prêt à payer pour cela)

• Vous voulez beaucoup d’intégrations.

You can also conduct more in-depth research on your email marketing options through our guide here.