Mailchimp vs Klaviyo
Mailchimp and Klaviyo are the two most-compared email marketing platforms. Mailchimp is the generalist that serves all types of small businesses. Klaviyo is purpose-built for ecommerce with deep Shopify integration and revenue attribution. For any ecommerce brand, Klaviyo is almost always the better tool once you are past the initial stage.
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Email marketing for small businesses vs Email and SMS marketing for ecommerce.
| Feature | Mailchimp | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing from | Free / $13/month | Free / $20/month |
| Ecommerce data model | Basic | Native - order history, revenue tracking |
| Shopify integration | Good | Best-in-class |
| Revenue attribution | Basic | Advanced - per campaign and flow revenue |
| SMS marketing | Yes (Mailchimp SMS) | Yes - tightly integrated with email |
| Automation | Good | Excellent - flows, conditional splits |
| Free tier | 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/month | 250 contacts, 500 sends/month |
The third option most teams miss
Picking between Mailchimp and Klaviyo isn't the only choice.
For marketing teams that want custom campaign performance dashboards combining email revenue, ad spend, and site conversion, Appaca builds the marketing ops view.
- No code, no deployment, no devops
- Built-in database, dashboards, team access
- Refine with chat as your needs change
- Free to start, no per-seat pricing surprises
Common questions
For any ecommerce brand with Shopify, Klaviyo is almost always the better choice. Its native ecommerce data model, revenue attribution, and flows (abandoned cart, post-purchase) are built specifically for this use case. Mailchimp works but requires more custom setup.
Both have free tiers. At scale, Klaviyo can be more expensive per contact, but many brands find it pays for itself through better email revenue. Mailchimp's paid plans include features like multivariate testing that cost more in Klaviyo.
Appaca is a third option for teams that don't want to choose between two existing tools. Instead of forcing your workflow into someone else's product, Appaca builds a custom app from a description - with built-in database, hosting, and team access. Try it free at appaca.ai.