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It's a split decision.
Choose Mailgun for transactional delivery: its API and SMTP tools send, receive and track email, with validation and inbound routing. Choose Mailchimp for marketing campaigns, audience automation and email/SMS from one platform. The pricing pages list Mailgun Basic at $15/month and Mailchimp Essentials at $13/month on a 12-month promotional rate. Both have free plans, but Mailgun caps free sending at 100 emails/day; Mailchimp caps its free tier at 250 contacts and 500 emails/month, or 250/day.
01Side by side
| Mailgun | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting paid price | $15/month for Basic | $13/month Essentials promo for 12 months |
| Free plan | 100 emails/day; one custom sending domain | 250 contacts; 500 emails/month or 250/day |
| Best for | Transactional sending through API and SMTP | Email and SMS marketing campaigns |
| Core strength | Delivery, validation, previews and inbound parsing | Campaigns, automation and audience segmentation |
| Ease of use (review score) | 8/10 | 6.5/10 |
| Integrations and data | CRM email-data connection listed | Behavioral data; predictive segmentation on Premium |
| Team and seat costs | Basic includes two API keys; seat pricing not published | 3 seats at $13; 5 at $20; unlimited at $350 promo |
| Support | Support details not published on the vendor's site | 24/7 email/chat on Essentials; phone and priority on Premium |
Mailgun Choose Mailgun if
- Choose Mailgun if transactional email is your main job.
- Choose Mailgun if you need API or SMTP sending.
- Choose Mailgun if validation and inbound routing matter.
Mailchimp Choose Mailchimp if
- Choose Mailchimp if you need email and SMS campaigns.
- Choose Mailchimp if you want marketing automation and audience segmentation.
- Choose Mailchimp if your team needs published seat tiers.
02Pricing compared
Mailgun Basic starts at $15/month for 10,000 emails, with no daily sending limit. Its free plan allows 100 emails a day, one custom sending domain and one day of log retention. The pricing page lists monthly prices and no annual option. Extra Basic emails start at $1.80 per 1,000; extra validations start at $1.20 per 100.
Mailchimp Essentials is listed at $13/month for 12 months under a promotion, with a 14-day trial. That plan includes up to 10 times your contact count in monthly sends. Its free tier is limited to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, or 250 a day. The listed promotional price may rise afterward; standard month-to-month rates are not published here. Compare expected send volume and contact count, not just the starting prices.
03Features and depth
Mailgun is built around email delivery. Its API and SMTP tools send, receive and track email, while validation tools check addresses through a real-time API or bulk uploads. It also offers email previews, incoming-message parsing and CRM data connections. Plans differ on limits: Basic includes five inbound routes, while Foundation adds full access to inbound routing. Scale includes 5,000 validations and dedicated IP pools.
Mailchimp is built for marketing campaigns and audience work. It combines email and SMS marketing, automations, behavioral audience data and AI-assisted marketing tools. A/B and multivariate testing and predictive segmentation are listed as Premium features. Standard includes generative AI features and up to 200 automation flows; Premium adds unlimited users and audiences, enterprise SSO, phone support and a dedicated onboarding specialist. These products overlap in sending email, but their listed strengths are different: Mailgun focuses on delivery infrastructure, while Mailchimp groups campaigns, audiences and automations in one platform.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The better fit depends on what your team already manages. Mailgun’s API and SMTP emphasis suits teams working with sending infrastructure; its validation, preview and routing tools add capabilities to configure. Mailchimp puts campaigns, audiences, automations and SMS in a marketing platform, but its contact and send caps matter when choosing a plan.
Our review ratings score Mailgun higher for ease of use (8/10) than Mailchimp (6.5/10), but those scores do not establish how either product will fit your workflow. Mailchimp’s Standard plan lists up to 200 automation flows, while Essentials allows up to four automation-flow steps. Check whether the needed features and limits are on the plan you can afford before switching.
Questions people ask
Is Mailgun or Mailchimp better for transactional email?
Mailgun is the closer fit for transactional delivery: its listed tools include an email API and SMTP, sending and tracking, validation, and inbound routing. Mailchimp is positioned around marketing campaigns, audience data and automation. Choose based on whether delivery infrastructure or campaign management is the main job.
Is Mailchimp or Mailgun cheaper?
The listed entry prices are close: Mailchimp Essentials is $13/month for 12 months under a promotion, while Mailgun Basic is $15/month. They are not directly equivalent plans. Mailchimp’s listed rate may change after the promo, and Mailgun charges for extra emails beyond included volume.
Which free plan has the higher email limit?
Mailchimp’s free tier allows up to 500 emails a month or 250 a day, but caps the audience at 250 contacts. Mailgun allows 100 emails a day and includes one custom sending domain. The better limit depends on whether you need a larger contact list or delivery tools.
Can Mailchimp replace Mailgun?
Not necessarily. Mailchimp combines marketing campaigns, audience features and automations, while Mailgun lists API and SMTP delivery, validation and inbound routing. The published information does not establish that Mailchimp replaces Mailgun’s delivery and routing features. Compare the specific sending workflow and plan limits before switching.