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AWeber vs Mailchimp: cost and features compared (2026)
Last verified against official pricing pages · USD, monthly billing, excluding tax
Prices change often. Every price here was checked against the platform's official pricing page on the date shown, but plans, promos and taxes vary. Always confirm on the official site before you buy or switch. Not financial advice.
Quick answer
- Basic newsletter: AWeber is cheaper at every size we checked.
- With automations: AWeber is cheaper at every size we checked.
- Paid newsletter: only AWeber has a verified option at every size we checked.
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Cost at 1k, 5k, 10k and 25k subscribers
Basic newsletter (no automations)
| Subscribers | AWeber | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $25 (Lite) | $26.50 (Essentials) | AWeber by $1.50/mo |
| 5,000 | $60 (Lite) | $75 (Essentials) | AWeber by $15/mo |
| 10,000 | $100 (Lite) | $110 (Essentials) | AWeber by $10/mo |
| 25,000 | $210 (Lite) | $270 (Essentials) | AWeber by $60/mo |
With automations (welcome sequences, drips)
| Subscribers | AWeber | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $25 (Lite, limited) | $26.50 (Essentials, limited) | AWeber by $1.50/mo |
| 5,000 | $60 (Lite, limited) | $75 (Essentials, limited) | AWeber by $15/mo |
| 10,000 | $100 (Lite, limited) | $110 (Essentials, limited) | AWeber by $10/mo |
| 25,000 | $210 (Lite, limited) | $270 (Essentials, limited) | AWeber by $60/mo |
Paid newsletter (5% of subscribers pay $8/mo)
| Subscribers | AWeber | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $55.60 (Lite) | n/a | AWeber (only option in our verified data) |
| 5,000 | $213 (Lite) | n/a | AWeber (only option in our verified data) |
| 10,000 | $406 (Lite) | n/a | AWeber (only option in our verified data) |
| 25,000 | $975 (Lite) | n/a | AWeber (only option in our verified data) |
Switching? AWeber → Mailchimp cost · Mailchimp → AWeber cost · Best platform for your needs
Cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and required features. Paid-newsletter totals include the plan, any platform cut and estimated card processing (Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 per payment; Kit's all-in fee instead). "limited" = feature is capped on that plan. Run your exact numbers →
Key differences
| AWeber | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | free up to 500 subscribers | free up to 250 subscribers |
| Fee on paid subscriptions | 0.6–1% platform cut depending on plan + Stripe fees | not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages) |
| Cheapest plan with automations | Plus (from $30/mo) | Standard (from $20/mo) |
| Cheapest plan with own domain | Lite (from $15/mo) | not verified |
| Cheapest plan without platform branding | Plus (from $30/mo) | Essentials (from $13/mo) |
| Plans | Free, Lite, Plus | Free, Essentials, Standard, Premium |
| Prices verified | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-20 |
Who each is best for
AWeber is best for
Small businesses and creators who want a long-established email tool with a simple subscriber-based price, landing pages and built-in selling, and who email a few times a week at most.
- Priced by active subscribers (unsubscribes and unconfirmed contacts don't count). Each tier includes monthly sends of 10× the tier on Lite and 12× on Plus; going over the subscriber count or the sends moves you up a tier automatically. source
- Free plan: up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 sends a month, 1 automation, 1 landing page, AWeber branding stays. source
- Lite caps you at 3 email automations, 3 landing pages and 1 list, and keeps AWeber branding; Plus removes branding and limits. source
- Paid subscriptions are sold via Stripe on AWeber landing pages: AWeber takes 1.0% per transaction on Free and Lite and 0.6% on Plus, plus Stripe fees. source
Mailchimp is best for
Small businesses that want an all-round email marketing tool with automation flows (Standard and up) and are fine with contact-based pricing and overage billing.
- Priced by stored contacts (the peak in each billing period); each tier includes a monthly send limit of 10× (Essentials), 12× (Standard) or 15× (Premium) your contacts. source
- Going over the contact or send limit on a paid plan adds overage charges rather than pausing sending. source
- Free plan: 250 contacts and 500 emails/month (250/day), no automation flows, Mailchimp branding stays. source
- Annual billing is only available through sales (Standard and Premium, 10,000+ contacts). On 2026-10-20 the page offered 15% off the first 12 months at 10,000+ contacts. source
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FAQ
Is AWeber cheaper than Mailchimp?
It depends on your list and needs. In our data (monthly billing, 1,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / 25,000 subscribers): basic newsletter — AWeber is cheaper at every size we checked. With automations — AWeber is cheaper at every size we checked. Paid newsletter — only AWeber has a verified option at every size we checked. Prices verified 2026-10-20.
Which has the bigger free plan, AWeber or Mailchimp?
AWeber: free up to 500 subscribers. Mailchimp: free up to 250 subscribers. Free plans have feature limits — see the comparison table.
Do AWeber and Mailchimp take a cut of paid subscriptions?
AWeber: 0.6–1% platform cut depending on plan + Stripe fees. Mailchimp: not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages).
What do AWeber and Mailchimp cost at 10,000 subscribers?
On monthly billing, a basic newsletter costs $100/mo on AWeber Lite and $110/mo on Mailchimp Essentials. With automations: $100/mo (AWeber Lite) vs $110/mo (Mailchimp Essentials).
Sources
- AWeber pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- AWeber: paid subscriptions
- AWeber: docs.aweber.com/getting-started-with-aweber/aweber-information/pricing-frequently-asked-questions
- AWeber: docs.aweber.com/getting-started-with-aweber/aweber-information/how-much-does-aweber-cost
- Mailchimp pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Mailchimp: mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/compare-plans/
- Mailchimp: mailchimp.com/help/about-additional-charges/
- Stripe pricing (card-fee estimate)
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