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ReviewsIs Mailchimp actually free?
How these scores work
Barely, anymore. The famous free plan was cut again in early 2026 to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month with a 250-a-day cap — down from 2,000 contacts a few years ago — with no scheduling, no multi-step automation, and Mailchimp branding on every email.
Use this instead — actually free
Paid email tools start around $10–15/month — and several rivals' free tiers now beat this one outright.
What you get free
- A drag-and-drop email builder and basic templates
- Up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month (250/day)
- Basic signup forms and reporting
In practice: enough to test the editor and email a tiny list — a club, not a business. Anything growing outgrows this in weeks.
Drawbacks
- Limits shrank roughly 96% from the plan's heyday
- Unsubscribed contacts still count toward your 250
- Can't send twice a month to even a modest full list
Also paywalled
- Email scheduling
- Multi-step automation
- Removing Mailchimp branding
- Support beyond the first 30 days
Free facts
| Verdict | Free-ish |
| Card required | No |
| Auto-bills | — |
| Account | Required |
| Limits | 250 contacts, 500 sends/month, 250/day; no scheduling |
| The real cost | A free tier cut so thin it's now a demo: 250 contacts, 500 sends a month. |
The catch
This is the textbook shrinking free tier: repeated cuts since the Intuit acquisition, and even unsubscribed contacts count against your 250. What was once the default free newsletter tool is now an evaluation sandbox with a famous name.
The smart play
- Archive unsubscribed and stale contacts — they count against your 250
- Compare free tiers before committing: several competitors offer multiples of these limits
- If you stay, watch the annual limit changes; this plan has been cut four times
More info — tap to expand
How the free plan shrank, year by year
The unsubscribed-contacts rule
Last checked: August 2026 · Verdict: Free-ish — a free tier exists, but it's shaped to squeeze you toward paying.
What users actually say
Trustpilot 1.3/5 · G2 4.3/5
The negative reviews aren't about the software failing — they're about the free plan shrinking underneath people who built on it. That's a different kind of failure.
Our reading of the public review record — patterns, not quotes. Scores link to their sources above.