Mailchimp pricing and plans guide in the UK

Mailchimp remains a go-to choice for UK businesses managing email marketing, automations, and CRM tasks in one platform. From solopreneurs to enterprise teams, selecting the right Mailchimp pricing plan can help cut costs and avoid paying for unused features.

For UK-based businesses, Wise Business offers a smarter way to manage these expenses with a multi-currency card that lets you pay in over 40+ currencies at the mid-market rate*, without hidden markups.

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Mailchimp pricing overview

Mailchimp follows a tiered pricing structure with monthly and annual billing options. The platform offers four main plans: Free, Essentials, Standard, and Premium.¹ Pricing is based on the number of contacts in your audience and the features included in your tier.² Additional usage-based charges apply for email sends and contact upgrades.

Plan	Monthly price (GBP)	Annual price (GBP)
Free Email	£0	£0
Essentials Email	£9.71	£4.93 per month for 12 months
Standard Email	£14.93	£7.59 per month for 12 months
Premium Email	£261.36	£132.74 per month for 12 months
Free Website	£0	N/A
Core Website	£7.59	N/A

Free Email Marketing plan pricing

Like the name says, the Free plan costs £0 per month and supports up to 500 contacts and 1,000 email sends monthly.¹ The plan includes basic design tools and single-step automations for simple campaigns. It's a low-risk starting point for individuals or new businesses.

Free Email Marketing plan features

This plan includes up to 500 contacts, 1,000 monthly email sends, one user seat, basic templates and email builder, forms and landing pages, and limited analytics.

Is the Free Email Marketing plan right for my business?
If you're just exploring Mailchimp or running a micro-business, the Free plan provides essential tools. However, growing teams or those needing automations, advanced analytics, or more volume will need to upgrade fairly quickly.

Essentials Email Marketing plan pricing

Essentials starts at £9.71 per month for 500 contacts and increases as your contact list grows.¹ This tier unlocks email and chat support, removes Mailchimp branding, and supports multi-step automations and A/B testing.

Essentials Email Marketing plan features

It includes up to 5,000 monthly sends with 500 contacts, email scheduling, 24/7 email and chat support, A/B testing, more template options, and access for up to three users.

Is the Essentials Email Marketing plan right for my business?
The Essentials plan is ideal for small teams looking to start email marketing at scale. You'll get more design flexibility and testing options, but not the full automation suite.

Standard Email Marketing plan pricing

Standard pricing begins at £14.93 per month for 500 contacts.¹ It adds features like predictive segmentation, dynamic content, and advanced email journeys with branching logic. As your contact count grows, so does the price.²

Standard Email Marketing plan features

This plan provides up to 6,000 sends per month for 500 contacts, customer journey builder with branching logic, behavioural targeting, predictive segmentation, dynamic content blocks, and access for five users.

Is the Standard Email Marketing right for my business?
If your campaigns rely on segmentation and personalised automations, the Standard plan gives you the right toolkit. It's best for growing SMEs and marketing teams needing more sophistication than Essentials allows.

Premium Email Marketing plan pricing

Mailchimp Premium starts at £261.36 per month for 10,000 contacts.¹ It provides enterprise-grade features such as unlimited users, phone support, multivariate testing, and advanced access controls. This plan is built for enterprise-level email marketers.

Premium Email Marketing plan features

Premium includes advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, predictive analytics, comparative reporting, unlimited users with role-based access, priority phone and email support, and dedicated onboarding support.

Is the Premium Email Marketing plan right for my business?
If your business handles complex automations, detailed reporting, or has multiple stakeholders managing campaigns, Premium is likely the best choice. It's ideal for large ecommerce stores, publishers, or enterprise-level marketing teams.

Free Website plan pricing

Mailchimp's website builder is free to use, with basic e-commerce functionality and a Mailchimp-branded domain.³

Free Website plan features

You can build a single website with basic themes and host one product for sale. It includes payment processing via Stripe (transaction fees apply), basic SEO settings, and simple page building.

Is the Free Website plan right for my business?
This plan suits individuals testing a business idea or creating an informational site. For serious ecommerce or service-based operations, you'll need to upgrade.

Core Website plan pricing

The Core plan costs £7.59/month and unlocks full site customisation.³

Core Website plan features

This plan includes unlimited pages, custom domains, e-commerce for multiple products, appointment scheduling, and abandoned cart recovery emails. It's integrated with Mailchimp's email tools for remarketing and automation.

Is the Core Website plan right for my business?
If you want to launch a small online store or book appointments online, Core provides the necessary tools at a low cost. It's a step up for anyone selling more than one product or needing custom branding.

Mailchimp Pay‑As‑You‑Go pricing

Pay‑As‑You‑Go is a flexible credit‑based option that removes the need for a monthly subscription.⁴ You purchase credit blocks (starting at 5,000 credits), and each email sent costs one credit, so sending one campaign to 100 contacts uses 100 credits. Credits expire after 12 months.⁵

It includes the same feature set as the Essentials plan. This means full access to the drag‑and‑drop email builder, pre-designed templates, A/B testing, multi-step automation capabilities, and basic audience segmentation. Customer support via email and chat is available, just like Essentials users receive. There's no ongoing billing, only pay for the sends you actually use.

If your business sends marketing emails infrequently, such as seasonal newsletters or occasional promotions, this plan offers excellent flexibility. You'll avoid paying monthly fees when you don't send, and it still gives you the same features as Essentials without commitment. It becomes less cost-effective if you send frequently to a growing audience, where a fixed-tier plan may offer better value.

How much do Mailchimp add-ons cost?

Apart from standard email and newsletter services, Mailchimp offers a separate option for transactional emails.⁶ Transactional emails are those sent to an individual recipient after a commercial transaction or a very specific action that requires a trigger. Unlike the rest of the plans on Mailchimp, transactional emails can only be paid in USD, and they have a specific type of pricing:

• 1 to 20 blocks for 1 to 500k emails is $20/block
• 21 to 40 blocks for 500k to 1M emails is $18/block
• 41 to 80 blocks for 1M to 2M emails is $16/block
• 81 to 120 blocks for 2M to 3M emails is $14/block
• 121 to 160 blocks for 3M to 4M emails is $12/block
• 161+ blocks for 4M+ emails is $10/block

How does this work in practice? For example, if you have 120k to send per month, the cost will be $100 at the rate of 5 blocks at the price of $20. But if you have 12M per month, the price will be $4,800 at the rate of 480 blocks for $10/block.

Mailchimp also offers SMS marketing, although it's currently available only in select countries² and is not included in core pricing plans, but rather as an add-on to paid plans.⁷ Businesses can use SMS to complement their email workflows by sending appointment reminders, product updates, time-sensitive promotions, or order confirmations directly to a customer's phone. Businesses can use this add-on only to send messages to contacts in the selected country², with charges being based on message volume and country destination.

What is the pricing currency?

The original pricing currency for Mailchimp is in USD, but users can choose several other currencies, including EUR, GBP, AUD, NZD, CHF, BRL, INR, SGD, DKK, SEK, ZAR, MXN, CAD, HKD, and JPY. UK businesses can choose to pay directly in GBP based on Mailchimp's currency conversion rate, with the exception of the add-ons mentioned above.

Wise Business offers a multi-currency card that lets you pay directly in USD, avoiding poor exchange rates and foreign transaction fees.

How to save on your Mailchimp bill next month

Mailchimp costs can escalate quickly if not reviewed regularly. To start off, businesses are encouraged to research the plans and choose the right plan for them instead of overpaying for features that won't be used. Audit your usage by asking your team which features they actively use. If you don't run complex automations or A/B tests, the Essentials plan may be enough. Advanced options like multivariate testing or predictive insights often go untouched. Lastly, remember to clean your contact list to remove unengaged subscribers and lower your total cost.

Mailchimp vs. Klaviyo - price comparison

Mailchimp and Klaviyo both offer email marketing on their platforms, but they cater to different needs. Mailchimp is a versatile platform suitable for companies of all sizes, offering services beyond email marketing. In contrast, Klaviyo's pricing is made especially for e-commerce companies, emphasising sophisticated segmentation, customisation, and automation for online retailers.

When comparing Klaviyo pricing vs. Mailchimp, both platforms have their pros and cons in each of their plans. For businesses seeking sophisticated revenue tracking, predictive analytics, and built-in SMS capabilities for e-commerce, Klaviyo may offer an edge. However, for multichannel businesses seeking a more diverse toolkit across email, websites, and non-promotional messages, Mailchimp remains more versatile.

Get Wise Business for smart savings

Mailchimp pricing plans cater to businesses at different stages, whether you're just starting out or managing multi-layered marketing campaigns. With smart cost control and the right pricing tier, Mailchimp can become a powerful asset in your marketing stack.

For UK businesses, paying in USD can complicate budgeting, but Wise Business offers a smarter way to handle it/ Wise Business helps you handle SaaS and marketing subscription costs with minimal friction. Avoid hidden foreign exchange charges by paying Mailchimp directly in USD when paying for add-ons or when paying in different currencies if require international plans, earn 0.5% cashback on eligible transactions, and manage your spending across 40+ currencies.

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FAQ

Does Mailchimp offer a free trial or free plan?

Mailchimp offers a free plan that includes 500 contacts and 1,000 email sends per month with access to basic tools. New users get a 14-day free trial when signing up for Standard or Essentials plans without having to enter a valid credit card.

Can I change Mailchimp plans anytime?

Yes, you can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your Mailchimp plan at any time. Changes take effect immediately or on your next billing cycle, depending on the direction of the switch.

What happens if I exceed my Mailchimp contact or email send limits?

Mailchimp automatically adjusts your billing if you exceed your contact or monthly send limit. This means you may be moved to a higher tier or incur overage fees, depending on your plan. It's important to monitor your list size and campaign activity to avoid unexpected charges.

Sources used:

1. Mailchimp Marketing Plan Comparisons – Mailchimp
2. Mailchimp Pricing Plans – Mailchimp
3. Pricing: Mailchimp Website Plans – Mailchimp
4. Pay As You Go Plan – Mailchimp
5. About the Pay As You Go Plan – Mailchimp
6. Pricing: Mailchimp Transactional Email – Mailchimp
7. About SMS Marketing with Mailchimp – Mailchimp

Sources last checked: 07-Aug-2025