Yes, Mailchimp has a free plan. Mailchimp's help centre says the Free plan includes up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month, with a daily send limit of 250. If you go over 250 contacts, Mailchimp puts a hold on sending until you upgrade or reduce your contact total.
That's a much smaller free plan than many people remember, and the way Mailchimp counts contacts makes the limit tighter still. The free tier is fine for a very small list or for learning the tool, but it isn't built for a growing newsletter. Here's exactly how the limits work.
What the free plan includes
- Up to 250 contacts across your account.
- Up to 500 sends a month, and no more than 250 in a day.
- A limited selection of basic, featured and themed email templates.
- A chance to try marketing tools such as landing pages and forms.
Mailchimp describes the Free plan as ideal for beginners who want to grow their audience and create emails while testing some of its tools and features.
The counting rule that catches people out
Here's the detail most people miss. Mailchimp's help page defines a contact as an individual member of your audience and says subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts are all included in your contact count. So the 250 limit isn't 250 people who want your emails. People who've unsubscribed still use up space until you archive or delete them.
The same page says archived, cleaned and deleted contacts don't count toward your contact total. If you're near the limit on Free, tidying out unsubscribed contacts is the first thing to try before paying.
How sends are counted
Mailchimp counts each email sent to one contact as one send, so one email to 500 contacts is 500 sends. Test emails and transactional emails also count toward your monthly sending limit. On a list close to 250 people, two campaigns a month uses the whole 500.
| What you do | Sends used |
|---|---|
| 1 email to 250 contacts | 250, the daily maximum on Free |
| 2 emails to 250 contacts in a month | 500, the monthly maximum on Free |
| Test emails before a send | Count toward the monthly limit too |
Test email limits on Free
Free plan users can send up to 12 tests per email, and no more than 24 tests in any 24-hour period, with up to six addresses per test. Each recipient counts as a test, so sending one test to four colleagues uses four. If you hit the limit on one email, Mailchimp suggests replicating the email to keep testing.
What happens when you go over
If you exceed the 250 contact limit on Free, Mailchimp places a hold on sending live and test emails until you upgrade or reduce your total. You can still work on emails and templates and keep collecting and importing contacts during the hold, so nothing is lost; you just can't send.
Free versus the paid plans
Mailchimp offers four marketing plans: Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium. Paid plans are priced by the number of contacts you choose, and the help page says your contact limit and sending limit come from that tier.
| Plan | Contacts you can store | Monthly send limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Up to 250 | 500, with 250 a day |
| Essentials | Up to 50,000 | 10 times your contact limit |
| Standard | Up to 100,000 | 12 times your contact limit |
| Premium | Up to 200,000 | 15 times your contact limit |
Essentials adds 3 seats, automation flows with up to 4 steps and 24/7 email and chat support. Mailchimp's pricing page also offers a 14-day trial of its Standard plan, after which you can cancel or downgrade to Essentials or the Free plan.
Should you start on Mailchimp Free?
| If you... | Mailchimp Free works? |
|---|---|
| Have a small list and email monthly | Yes |
| Expect your list to pass 250 soon | Only briefly, plan for a paid tier |
| Email every week to 250 people | No, that's over 500 sends a month |
| Want automation beyond the basics | No, look at the paid plans |
If you're new to the tool, my guide to using Mailchimp for your first newsletter walks through set up. If the free cap is too small, Brevo versus Mailchimp compares a platform whose free plan is built around a different limit.
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Template tests and other small limits
Mailchimp sets a separate cap for testing templates. Free users can send up to 24 template tests in a 24-hour period, with up to 5 addresses per test, while paid users get up to 100. Mailchimp's Inbox Preview, which shows how an email looks in different mobile and desktop email apps, doesn't affect your sending limit at all.
One more thing: if you've had a paid Mailchimp account since before 15 May 2019, Mailchimp says you may be on a legacy pricing plan with different rules, so check your billing page before relying on the numbers here.
At the top end, Mailchimp's Premium plan adds unlimited seats, personalised onboarding and cobrowse support via screen share, and the help page says it can build a custom plan above 200,000 contacts. None of that matters on a small list, but it shows how far the free plan sits from the paid range.
My advice
Use Mailchimp Free to learn the tool or to email a small, settled list once or twice a month. Clean out unsubscribed contacts regularly, because they count toward your 250. If your list is growing or you want to email weekly, don't build your whole process on the free plan; you'll hit the send cap first and the contact cap soon after. Test the Standard trial only when you're ready to pay, so the 14 days aren't wasted.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailchimp free to use?
Yes. Mailchimp's Free plan includes up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month, with a daily send limit of 250.
Do unsubscribed contacts count on Mailchimp Free?
Yes. Mailchimp says subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts are all included in your contact count. Archived, cleaned and deleted contacts don't count.
What happens if I go over 250 contacts on Mailchimp?
Mailchimp places a hold on sending live and test emails until you upgrade or reduce your contact total. You can still edit emails and import contacts.
Do test emails count on Mailchimp?
Yes. Test and transactional emails count toward your monthly sending limit, and Free users can send up to 12 tests per email and 24 in 24 hours.
Does Mailchimp have a free trial?
Mailchimp's pricing page offers a 14-day trial of its Standard plan, after which you can cancel or downgrade to Essentials or Free.
