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Flodesk 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: Flodesk is cheaper at every size we checked.
- With automations: Flodesk is cheaper at every size we checked.
- Paid newsletter: only Flodesk 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 | Flodesk | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $25 (Lite) | $26.50 (Essentials) | Flodesk by $1.50/mo |
| 5,000 | $52 (Lite) | $75 (Essentials) | Flodesk by $23/mo |
| 10,000 | $72 (Lite) | $110 (Essentials) | Flodesk by $38/mo |
| 25,000 | $162 (Lite) | $270 (Essentials) | Flodesk by $108/mo |
With automations (welcome sequences, drips)
| Subscribers | Flodesk | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $25 (Lite, limited) | $26.50 (Essentials, limited) | Flodesk by $1.50/mo |
| 5,000 | $52 (Lite, limited) | $75 (Essentials, limited) | Flodesk by $23/mo |
| 10,000 | $72 (Lite, limited) | $110 (Essentials, limited) | Flodesk by $38/mo |
| 25,000 | $162 (Lite, limited) | $270 (Essentials, limited) | Flodesk by $108/mo |
Paid newsletter (5% of subscribers pay $8/mo)
| Subscribers | Flodesk | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $83.40 (Everything) | n/a | Flodesk (only option in our verified data) |
| 5,000 | $254 (Everything) | n/a | Flodesk (only option in our verified data) |
| 10,000 | $431 (Everything) | n/a | Flodesk (only option in our verified data) |
| 25,000 | $992 (Everything) | n/a | Flodesk (only option in our verified data) |
Switching? Flodesk → Mailchimp cost · Mailchimp → Flodesk cost · Best platform for your needs
Cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and required features. Paid totals = plan + platform cut + Stripe card fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment, estimate) + Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments where confirmed (beehiiv, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack, AWeber and Flodesk); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees. "limited" = feature is capped on that plan. Run your exact numbers →
Key differences
| Flodesk | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | free plan has no email sending | free up to 250 subscribers |
| Fee on paid subscriptions | 0% platform cut + Stripe fees | not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages) |
| Cheapest plan with automations | Pro (from $28/mo) | Standard (from $20/mo) |
| Cheapest plan with own domain | Lite (from $25/mo) | not verified |
| Cheapest plan without platform branding | Pro (from $28/mo) | Essentials (from $13/mo) |
| Plans | Lite, Pro, Everything | Free, Essentials, Standard, Premium |
| Prices verified | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-20 |
Who each is best for
Flodesk is best for
Creators and small brands who care most about design (templates, fonts, link-in-bio) and want unlimited sends at a fixed tier price.
- Priced by active subscribers since December 2, 2025 (tiers from 1,000 to 255,000), with unlimited email sends on every paid plan. Members who were paying before then keep the old flat Unlimited plan. source
- The Free plan has forms, landing pages and link-in-bio but no email sending, so it isn't a free newsletter plan. source
- Lite stops at 25,000 subscribers and includes 1 workflow (a "limited time bonus"); unlimited workflows and hiding the Flodesk footer start on Pro. source
- Paid subscriptions only on Everything, through your own Stripe Standard account; Flodesk adds no transaction fee on top of Stripe. 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
FAQ
Is Flodesk 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 — Flodesk is cheaper at every size we checked. With automations — Flodesk is cheaper at every size we checked. Paid newsletter — only Flodesk has a verified option at every size we checked. Prices verified 2026-10-20.
Which has the bigger free plan, Flodesk or Mailchimp?
Flodesk: free plan has no email sending. Mailchimp: free up to 250 subscribers. Free plans have feature limits — see the comparison table.
Do Flodesk and Mailchimp take a cut of paid subscriptions?
Flodesk: 0% platform cut + Stripe fees. Mailchimp: not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages).
What do Flodesk and Mailchimp cost at 10,000 subscribers?
On monthly billing, a basic newsletter costs $72/mo on Flodesk Lite and $110/mo on Mailchimp Essentials. With automations: $72/mo (Flodesk Lite) vs $110/mo (Mailchimp Essentials).
Sources
- Flodesk pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Flodesk: paid subscriptions
- Flodesk: help.flodesk.com/en/articles/8923841
- 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)
- Stripe Billing pricing (0.7% on recurring payments)
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Guides: AWeber Free plan (2026) · Mailchimp to MailerLite migration · Mailchimp to beehiiv migration · How much does Mailchimp cost
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