Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: active profiles, free limits, and automated messages
Klaviyo Free and the Email plan at 500 active profiles, and Mailchimp Free, Essentials, and Standard at their listed contact tiers. Notes in the table mark the limits that apply only to Shopify-connected Klaviyo accounts.
The advice below is our reading of each vendor's plan terms. We have not tested usability, performance, or deliverability.
By use case
Compare a small free newsletter
Check both the audience limit and the sending allowance on each free plan. The same monthly allowance does not mean the same features.
- Klaviyo Free · Contacts / subscribers: 250 active profiles. Profiles suppressed from email do not count. Evidence record · Klaviyo source
- Mailchimp Free · Contacts / subscribers: 250 contacts. Evidence record · Mailchimp source
- Klaviyo Free · Email sends: 500 / month. Campaigns and flow messages share the allowance. Sending stops when it runs out. Evidence record · Klaviyo source
- Mailchimp Free · Email sends: 500 / month · 250 / day. Evidence record · Mailchimp source
Plan an automated follow-up
Klaviyo's paid Email plan includes flow emails. Mailchimp Essentials allows four steps per flow, and Standard adds branching. Confirm the trigger and sequence you need.
- Klaviyo Email · Automations: Flow emails included. The paid Email plan removes Free's cap on live messages. Flow sends still count against the email allowance. Klaviyo does not promise unlimited steps. Evidence record · Klaviyo source
- Mailchimp Essentials · Automations: Up to 4 steps / flow. This limits steps in a flow, not the number of flows. Branching and multiple starting points require Standard or Premium. Evidence record · Mailchimp source
Count your audience each provider's way
Klaviyo's paid tier is priced by active profiles and includes a set number of monthly sends. Mailchimp's paid price uses its contact tier. Work out your billable audience under each definition before comparing prices.
- Klaviyo Email · Contacts / subscribers: 500 active profiles at listed price. This is the entry tier we priced. Larger tiers are available. Evidence record · Klaviyo source
- Mailchimp Essentials · Contacts / subscribers: 500 at listed price. Evidence record · Mailchimp source
Free plans limit more than sending
Both free plans limit support. Klaviyo offers email support for the first 60 days, and Mailchimp for the first 30. Mailchimp also caps sending at 250 emails a day. Klaviyo blocks links on landing pages for newer free accounts, and Shopify-connected accounts have their own limits on forms and live automated messages. Those Shopify limits apply only to those accounts.
- Klaviyo Free · Support: Email for first 60 days. Community and education resources remain after that period. Evidence record · Klaviyo source
- Mailchimp Free · Support: Email for first 30 days. Guides and tutorials remain available. Evidence record · Mailchimp source
- Mailchimp Free · Email sends: 500 / month · 250 / day. Evidence record · Mailchimp source
- Klaviyo Free · Landing pages: Hosted pages · link restrictions. Free accounts created after March 5, 2026 cannot add links or use redirects. Older free accounts keep those features. Evidence record · Klaviyo source
- Klaviyo Free · Automations: Flow emails · limits vary. Shopify-connected accounts can have three live automated messages, including ones created at klaviyo.com. That is three messages, not three multi-email workflows. Evidence record · Klaviyo source
Common questions
Does one automated message equal a workflow?
No. One workflow can contain several messages. Klaviyo's Shopify cap on live messages is not comparable to Mailchimp's step or flow limits.
Understanding free plan limits and upgrading with Klaviyo in Shopify · Compare Mailchimp Marketing plansSources
- About Mailchimp pricing plans · Checked 2026-11-12
- Compare Mailchimp Marketing plans · Checked 2026-11-12
- Klaviyo pricing and plan comparison · Checked 2026-11-12
- Understanding how free and paid plans differ · Checked 2026-11-12
- Getting started with Klaviyo Landing Pages · Checked 2026-11-12
- Understanding free plan limits and upgrading with Klaviyo in Shopify · Checked 2026-11-12
Prices and limits change. Each value in the table keeps its plan and any conditions we found. Prepare a correction report.
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