MailChimp Review - Pros & Cons, Pricing, and Integrations
Updated March 10, 2023.
Our team tests eCommerce apps and publishes reviews that are unbiased and not influenced by payments we receive from some of the app developers.
Mailchimp is a cloud-based email marketing service that allows businesses to create, send, and analyze email campaigns. The platform offers a range of features, including email templates, marketing automation, audience segmentation, and analytics.
According to a 2020 annual report, Mailchimp reported over 14-million current users that collectively send a mind-boggling 92 million emails a day, all of which are facilitated by their platform. But does this level of popularity mean that Mailchimp is the best option for you?
Well, that’s what we are going to explore here:
Pros
- Thorough reporting and analytics
- Easy-use-to use email and form templates
- Generous free plan
- User-friendly interface with drag-and-drop email builder
- Advanced automation features
- Advanced analytics and reporting
Cons
- Set up isn't always intuitive
- Mailchimp can suspend your account if they deem you've broken their Terms of Use
What Is MailChimp?
Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform that enables businesses and individuals to create and send professional email campaigns to their subscribers. The platform provides a range of features to help users create effective email campaigns, including a drag-and-drop email editor, customizable templates, and automation tools.
Users can also manage their subscriber lists, track email performance, and integrate with other marketing tools and platforms. Mailchimp offers a variety of plans to accommodate businesses of different sizes and needs, and provides extensive support and resources to help users make the most of their email marketing efforts.
What is MailChimp Best for?
Mailchimp is recommended for users that:
- Are on the hunt for a newsletter service that integrates with a wide range of different tools.
- Run an e-commerce business and sell products through their email marketing campaigns. Mailchimp facilitates automated email marketing with integratable e-commerce abilities, making marketing and selling products super easy.
Mailchimp is not recommended for users that:
- Run affiliate sites or are affiliate marketers as Mailchimp prohibits affiliate marketing under its Terms of Use.
- Aren’t technically minded as the app can be painful to set up and their customer service can be rather limited.
Pricing
All of MailChimp's pricing plans are charged monthly, and they offer:
- Free plan - limited features, including 10,000 emails to 2,000 contacts/month.
- Essentials plan - costs $9.99 USD including 500-50,000 contacts/month.
- Standard plan - costs $14.99 USD including 500-100,0000 contacts/month.
- Premium plan - costs $299 USD including 10,000-200,000 contacts/month.
Integrations
Mailchimp’s integrations work with the most popular CMS platforms, plus a whole heap of other third-party applications, including:
- WordPress
- Squarespace
- Stripe
- Shopware
- Mixpanel
- Firebase
- Vimeo
- SurveyMonkey
- And a whole heap more
Features
Those that opt to use any of Mailchimp’s paid plans will have access to a whole heap of flexible and customizable email template designs. There’s a ton of choice and the templates can be customized using a drag and drop interface. The free plan does come with a few templates; although, they are a little limited in their customization and appear quite outdated.
- Email Templates: Mailchimp offers a variety of customizable email templates that allow businesses to create professional-looking emails without any coding skills.
- Audience Management: Mailchimp allows businesses to create and manage their email lists, segment them according to different criteria, and personalize emails for different audiences.
- Automation: Mailchimp's automation feature allows businesses to create email campaigns triggered by specific actions or events, such as welcoming new subscribers or sending abandoned cart reminders.
- Analytics: Mailchimp provides detailed analytics on email campaigns, including open rates, click-through rates, and engagement metrics, allowing businesses to track the success of their campaigns.
- Integrations: Mailchimp integrates with a range of third-party tools, including e-commerce platforms, social media platforms, and CRM software, allowing businesses to streamline their marketing activities across multiple channels.
- Mobile App: Mailchimp's mobile app allows businesses to manage their campaigns on the go, create and send emails, view analytics, and more.
Usability
Although Mailchimp may involve a bit of head-scratching to set up, once it is up and running the app’s ease of use quite good. Mailchimp’s clean interface, navigation, and tools are all fairly intuitive to use and simple to operate. Users can choose from pre-designed templates or create their own from scratch.
Additionally, Mailchimp offers analytics and reporting features to track the success of campaigns and identify areas for improvement. The platform also integrates with other tools such as social media, e-commerce, and CRM platforms to streamline marketing efforts. Overall, Mailchimp's usability makes it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes looking to streamline their email marketing efforts.
Support
Mailchimp’s customer support can feel rather lacking, particularly for those that are using the free plan. Although, those users that are using any of the paid plans will have access to 24/7 email, live chat, or phone support, depending on the plan of choice.
Why We Recommend It?
Mailchimp's intuitive drag-and-drop email builder makes it easy for even novice users to create visually appealing and effective email campaigns, while its advanced segmentation and personalization options allow for highly targeted and relevant messaging. The platform also offers seamless integration with Shopify, allowing for automatic syncing of customer data and purchase history.
The Bottom Line
Mailchimp is a great tool with a wide range of highly valuable integrated tools and features. And their free and premium plans are both generous and reasonably priced. Overall, we believe that Mailchimp is a top choice for Shopify store owners looking to improve their email marketing efforts and drive business growth.
MailChimp Review - Pros & Cons, Pricing, and Integrations
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