Side-by-side comparison · Marketing & Ads
Mailchimp vs Manychat
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.
At a glance
Pick it if: Small businesses that want a well-known, all-round email tool with lots of templates and app connections, and are happy to pay more as the list grows.
Pick it if: Creators, coaches and small businesses who get leads on Instagram and want every comment and DM answered instantly, without living in the inbox.
Overview
| Attribute | Mailchimp | Manychat |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Email newsletters, automations and sign-up forms for small businesses, with AI help. | Auto-DMs anyone who comments a keyword on your Instagram posts, and answers your DMs. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Mailchimp | Manychat |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Mailchimp | Manychat |
|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No |
| Browser extension | – | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | ||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No |
| AI abilities | ||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | – |
| Makes images | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 9/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Mailchimp | Manychat |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free $0 Testing Mailchimp with a tiny list. | Free $0 Trying one or two automations. |
Essentials From $13/mo A small list that just needs newsletters and basic automations. | Essential $17/mo, or $14/mo billed yearly A creator or small business running comment-to-DM. | |
StandardOur pick From $20/mo Small businesses that want AI help and proper automations. | ProOur pick $39/mo, or $29/mo billed yearly Accounts with steady leads that want AI replies. | |
Premium From $350/mo Larger lists that want phone support and advanced testing. | Business $99/mo, or $69/mo billed yearly Growing businesses with a team in the inbox. | |
Advanced $199/mo, or $139/mo billed yearly Big accounts and agencies with high volume. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Standard is the plan most small businesses should pick, because it has the AI and the automations. Essentials is fine if you only send a newsletter. Use the price calculator on Mailchimp's site with your real contact count, since prices rise with list size and vary by country. | Set up your first comment-to-DM on Free to see it work, then take the 14-day trial. Essential is enough if you just want links sent from comments. Pick Pro if you want AI answering DMs or use WhatsApp, and Business once a team shares the inbox. Prices exclude tax and vary by billing country. |
Key features
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Mailchimp | Manychat |
|---|---|---|
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Mailchimp | Manychat |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Mailchimp or Manychat?
Manychat scores highest overall in our ratings (Mailchimp 4.0/5 and Manychat 4.3/5). Mailchimp is best for regular email newsletters for a small business and welcome and abandoned cart automations. Manychat is best for sending a link by DM to everyone who comments a keyword and Answering Instagram DMs and FAQs automatically.
Which is cheaper, Mailchimp or Manychat?
Mailchimp: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Manychat: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0.
Which is easier to use, Mailchimp or Manychat?
Mailchimp rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small businesses that want a well-known, all-round email tool with lots of templates and app connections, and are happy to pay more as the list grows.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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