- Charges per email sent, not per contact
- Free plan — 300 emails/day, 100k contacts
- No credit card required to start
- Email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one platform
- Built-in CRM included
- Marketing automation on all plans
- 10% discount on annual billing
- Integrates with WPForms, WordPress
- Starter plan includes Brevo branding ($10.80/mo to remove)
- Landing pages not available on Starter
- Free plan has 300 emails/day limit
- Advanced reporting only on Standard+
- Some automation limits on lower tiers
The Core Difference: Contact-Based vs Send-Based Pricing
This is the fundamental reason most people switch from Mailchimp to Brevo. Mailchimp charges based on how many contacts are in your account — even if most of them haven’t engaged in months and you almost never email them. A list of 10,000 contacts costs you the same whether you send one email per month or thirty.
Brevo charges based on how many emails you actually send. If you have 50,000 contacts but only email your most engaged segment of 5,000 people twice a month, you’re sending 10,000 emails per month — and that’s all you pay for. For freelancers and remote business owners who have accumulated a large list over time but email selectively, this is a genuinely better deal.
Brevo vs Mailchimp — Direct Comparison
| Feature | Brevo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Per email sent | Per contact stored |
| Free Plan | 300 emails/day, 100k contacts | 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/mo |
| Free Plan Automation | Yes (limited) | Very limited |
| Built-in CRM | Yes | No (separate add-on) |
| SMS Marketing | Yes | Limited (US only) |
| Yes (Professional+) | No | |
| Landing Pages | Standard+ only | All paid plans |
| Starting Price (paid) | $9/mo | $13/mo |
| Annual Discount | 10% | Varies |
Free Plan — What You Actually Get
Brevo’s free plan is one of the most generous in email marketing. It includes 300 emails per day (no monthly cap — just the daily limit), storage for up to 100,000 contacts, drag-and-drop email editor, 40+ templates, basic marketing automation, segmentation, CRM features for up to 50 open deals, and campaign analytics. The main missing features are A/B testing, advanced reporting, and landing pages — all of which unlock on paid plans.
The one catch: emails sent from the free plan include a “Sent with Brevo” footer. Removing it costs an extra $10.80/month as an add-on to the Starter plan, or it’s automatically removed on Standard and above.
Pricing Plans
Pricing based on monthly email volume, not contacts. 10% discount on annual billing. Prices current as of March 2026 — verify on the Brevo website.
Features Worth Knowing
Marketing Automation
Brevo’s automation builder lets you create multi-step workflows triggered by user actions — welcome sequences, re-engagement campaigns, birthday emails, and purchase follow-ups. Basic automation is available on the free plan with a 2,000-contact entry limit. Full automation without monthly limits unlocks on Standard.
Built-in CRM
Every Brevo plan includes a CRM for managing contacts, deals, and sales pipelines. For freelancers who don’t want to pay for a separate CRM tool, this is a genuine bonus. More advanced CRM features (unlimited pipelines, calendar integration) require the Sales add-on.
Transactional Email
Brevo handles both marketing emails and transactional emails (receipts, password resets, notifications) from the same platform via SMTP or REST API. This is particularly useful if you run a WordPress site — WPForms integrates directly with Brevo for form-to-list automation.
SMS and WhatsApp
Send SMS campaigns from the same dashboard as your email campaigns using pay-as-you-go credits that never expire. WhatsApp campaigns are available on Professional and Enterprise plans. Useful for remote businesses with an international audience.
Who Should Switch to Brevo?
Brevo makes the most sense if you have a large contact list but email it infrequently or selectively. The send-based pricing model saves money immediately for anyone in this situation. It is also a strong choice for freelancers and remote teams who want email, SMS, and basic CRM in one platform rather than paying for multiple separate tools.
If you send daily emails to your full list and have a small contact count, Mailchimp’s pricing may actually work out similarly. The key question is: how does your sending frequency compare to your list size? If you send to a small fraction of a large list, Brevo wins on price every time.
Try Brevo Free — No Credit Card Required
Free plan includes 300 emails/day and 100,000 contacts. Upgrade when you’re ready to scale.
Get Started with Brevo →Frequently Asked Questions
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