Mailchimp vs Thunk Mail

What changes the decision

Mailchimp Essentials limits flows to four steps. Thunk Mail Base allows several emails in each autoresponder. Choose by the workflow you need, then compare the audience tier and sending window.

Compare Mailchimp Marketing plans · Thunk Mail plans and send limits

Plans covered: Mailchimp Free, Essentials, and Standard, and Thunk Mail Starter, Base, and Pro. Mailchimp's paid prices are for 500 contacts, and each Thunk Mail plan has its own contact tier. Prices are monthly in USD, without introductory offers. Documentation reviewed 2026-11-12. Methodology.

Read the full analysis

Compare plans

Only differencesGroup Find 7 features

From vendor documentation, checked 2026-11-12. Audience sizes, sending periods, and product editions differ by plan, so the prices are not quotes for the same workload. Salesforce figures are for Marketing Cloud Next, and SendGrid figures are for Marketing Campaigns. "Not verified" means we couldn't confirm the value. It does not mean the feature is missing.

Email marketing plan features. Vendor documentation reviewed 2026-11-12. "Not verified" does not mean unavailable.
Feature	Mailchimp Essentials · From $13 USD / mo Regular monthly price for 500 contacts, without introductory discounts. Taxes and overages can apply.	Thunk Mail Starter · $7 USD / mo USD, billed monthly. 500 stored contacts. Sending windows and limits are listed below.
Audience & sending
Contacts / subscribers How many contacts or subscribers the listed tier allows. Vendors count these differently.	500 at listed price Limit applies · Mailchimp source	500 stored contacts Bounced, unsubscribed, and import-blocked addresses do not count toward the contact limit. Limit applies · Thunk Mail source
Email sends The documented sending allowance and its time period, including rolling 30-day, monthly, daily, and hourly restrictions.	5,000 / month Ten times the contact tier. Larger tiers cost more. Limit applies · Mailchimp source	5,000 / rolling 30 days Also limited to 500 different recipients per rolling 30 days, 1,000 sends a day, and 500 sends an hour. Campaigns and autoresponders share these limits. Limit applies · Thunk Mail source
Audience growth
Signup forms Forms for collecting email subscribers.	Included Documented · Mailchimp source	Included Documented · Thunk Mail source
Landing pages Hosted pages for collecting subscribers. Form limits have their own row.	Included Documented · Mailchimp source	Hosted signup page A hosted signup form with a link and QR code. We found no general-purpose landing-page builder. Limit applies · Thunk Mail source
Workflows
Automations Automated workflows, including any stated contact or workflow limit.	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. Limit applies · Mailchimp source	1 email / autoresponder This counts emails in each autoresponder, not workflows. Autoresponder emails use the normal sending allowance. Limit applies · Thunk Mail source
Remove provider branding Whether you can remove the provider logo without buying an add-on.	Removal included Documented · Mailchimp source	Footer badge retained Not included · Thunk Mail source
Support
Support The support channels the vendor lists for the selected plan.	24/7 email & chat Documented · Mailchimp source	Support level unclear The feature table lists docs and community help for Starter, but another section of the page promises priority chat and email on every paid plan. Ask Thunk Mail which applies. Not verified

Mailchimp vs Thunk Mail: flows, send windows, and paid tiers

By Feature Ledger · Reviewed 2026-11-12 · Based on vendor documentation

Mailchimp Free, Essentials, and Standard, and Thunk Mail Starter, Base, and Pro. Mailchimp's paid prices are for 500 contacts, and each Thunk Mail plan has its own contact tier. Prices are monthly in USD, without introductory offers.

The advice below is our reading of each vendor's plan terms. We have not tested usability, performance, or deliverability.

By use case

Compare automation on the cheaper plans

A limit on steps and a limit on emails in one autoresponder count different things. Map out your sequence before comparing plan names.

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
Thunk Mail Base · Automations: Unlimited emails / autoresponder. This counts emails in each autoresponder, not workflows. Autoresponder emails use the normal sending allowance. Evidence record · Thunk Mail source

Check what is free to send

Mailchimp Free includes a small sending allowance. New Thunk Mail accounts need a paid plan to send campaigns to a list.

Mailchimp Free · Email sends: 500 / month · 250 / day. Evidence record · Mailchimp source
Thunk Mail Starter · Email sends: 5,000 / rolling 30 days. Also limited to 500 different recipients per rolling 30 days, 1,000 sends a day, and 500 sends an hour. Campaigns and autoresponders share these limits. Evidence record · Thunk Mail source

Keep the time window attached

Thunk Mail uses rolling 30-day limits. Mailchimp Free has both monthly and daily limits. A campaign within the monthly total can still hit the daily cap.

Thunk Mail plans and send limits

Mailchimp Free · Email sends: 500 / month · 250 / day. Evidence record · Mailchimp source
Thunk Mail Starter · Email sends: 5,000 / rolling 30 days. Also limited to 500 different recipients per rolling 30 days, 1,000 sends a day, and 500 sends an hour. Campaigns and autoresponders share these limits. Evidence record · Thunk Mail source

Sequences are not branching

Mailchimp Standard supports branching and multiple starting points. Thunk Mail's limit counts emails per autoresponder, and we found no matching conditional workflow tools. Confirm any trigger or integration you need before moving.

Mailchimp Standard · Automations: Up to 200 flows. Includes branching and multiple starting points. This limits the number of flows, not steps per flow. Evidence record · Mailchimp source
Thunk Mail Base · Automations: Unlimited emails / autoresponder. This counts emails in each autoresponder, not workflows. Autoresponder emails use the normal sending allowance. Evidence record · Thunk Mail source

Common questions

Does removing the footer logo let me send from my own domain?

No. Removing footer branding and sending from your own domain are separate. Thunk Mail asks customers who want their own sending domain to contact sales.

Compare Mailchimp Marketing plans · Thunk Mail plans and send limits

Sources

Thunk Mail plans and send limits · Checked 2026-11-12
Thunk Mail auto responder limits · Checked 2026-11-12
About Mailchimp pricing plans · Checked 2026-11-12
Compare Mailchimp Marketing plans · 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.

Read this analysis as Markdown

All email marketing · Report an error