AWeber vs Mailchimp: Which Fits Your Email Marketing?

Updated October 21, 2026. Plan details checked against the providers’ published pricing and help pages. Prices are in U.S. dollars and can change.

Watching people visit your website and disappear forever gets old quickly. An email list gives interested readers a way to hear from you again. Choosing the software to run it can become a project of its own.

AWeber and Mailchimp both cover the basics. The more useful question is which one supports the emails you actually intend to send, at a price that still makes sense as your list grows.

My starting point is the work: a weekly newsletter needs a different setup from an online store with several customer journeys. Paying for features you never use is an expensive way to decorate a dashboard.

AWeber vs Mailchimp at a glance

Here are the main published differences for smaller lists. The paid starting prices below use monthly billing at the entry contact tier, before taxes. Annual discounts and introductory offers can change the comparison.

Sources: AWeber Free, AWeber pricing, Mailchimp pricing and Mailchimp plan details.

The free-plan limits make a real difference. A newsletter sent to 250 people four times in a month uses 1,000 sends. That already exceeds Mailchimp’s published free allowance. Count the messages you plan to send before deciding that either free account will cover your needs.

Compare the workflow before the feature list

For a newsletter, start with the recurring work of building the email and choosing its recipients. Add a signup form to a test page, then check how a new subscriber enters your list. A smooth first send matters more than a long menu of features you might need someday.

AWeber’s Lite plan currently limits email lists and automations, while Plus expands those allowances. Mailchimp’s paid tiers also differ in automation and segmentation capabilities. Segmentation means grouping contacts so you can send relevant messages to particular readers.

For an online store, map one actual customer journey before comparing plans. A welcome email after signup is a different job from a sequence that changes according to purchases. Check that the integration with your store passes the information the sequence needs, and that your chosen plan supports the required steps.

List every paid tool involved in that workflow. A lower email subscription can lose its appeal when the connection you need requires another monthly service.

Work out what the bill becomes as you grow

The cheapest starting price tells you very little about the cost of a successful list. Compare both providers at your current audience size and at a realistic next milestone. Use the same sending frequency in each calculation.

Mailchimp says subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts count toward its contact total. Archived contacts do not. That distinction matters when a list contains people who no longer receive your marketing emails. Review your account’s contact statuses before estimating the bill.

Keep permission records and unsubscribe preferences intact when organizing a list. A smaller invoice is no reason to start mailing people who opted out.

Also check the renewal price behind any introductory offer. Annual billing may lower the monthly equivalent, but it commits more cash upfront. A monthly plan can be a reasonable price to pay while you establish that the service works for you.

Support deserves a proper test

I place a high value on support because a blocked send becomes your problem immediately. Published availability helps you shortlist a provider; a useful answer to your own question tells you more.

AWeber’s contact page lists live chat and email as available 24/7, with phone service from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Mailchimp’s paid plans include 24/7 email and chat support, with phone support on Premium. Check the access included in the exact account you are considering.

The original version of this article used screenshots of comments on social networks to compare support. Those dated examples have been removed. A handful of complaints cannot establish which provider currently gives better service, particularly without knowing how many customers each one serves.

Ask each provider about the same real task, such as moving your signup form or rebuilding a welcome sequence. Notice whether the answer addresses your question and explains the next step clearly.

Try the work you will have to repeat

Before moving an established list, create a test newsletter and preview it on your phone. Follow the signup process through to the welcome message. Check that the links work and that the result looks like something you would willingly send to your readers.

For a migration, confirm which data and automations will transfer. An exported contact file does not, by itself, recreate the system around it. Check the destination provider’s acceptable-use rules too, especially when affiliate promotions form a substantial part of your business.

Include the time required to rebuild forms and learn the new dashboard in your decision. A small saving can disappear quickly during an awkward move.

Which would I shortlist?

AWeber deserves a close look for a small newsletter whose immediate needs fit its free allowance, or for an owner who values its published support access. Mailchimp deserves a close look when its paid automation features and integrations match a specific business workflow.

I would compare the lowest plan that completes that workflow in each service, then test the recurring tasks before committing. The better choice is the one you can run confidently at a cost your publication or business can support.

You still have to write emails people want to open. Fortunately, neither provider charges extra for having something worth saying.