Summary
Comparison of Klaviyo vs Mailchimp. Klaviyo is a plateforme email et SMS pour l'e-commerce targeting e-commerce brands, especially on Shopify, looking to personalize their communications (Free plan up to 250 contacts, paid plans from $45/month (email + SMS)). Mailchimp is a plateforme email marketing tout-en-un targeting SMBs, e-commerce and creators looking for a complete, accessible solution (Free plan up to 500 contacts, paid plans from $13/month). Klaviyo excels for e-commerce brands wanting hyper-personalized campaigns based on purchase data. Mailchimp is preferable for small businesses and e-commerce brands just getting started with email marketing. Positive User (formerly Sarbacane) is presented as an alternative for teams wanting a complete European email platform.
Choosing between Klaviyo and Mailchimp? Despite apparent similarities, these two tools address different needs, and the decision goes well beyond email. Both are now broad marketing platforms that cover several channels, automation, segmentation, e-commerce data and analytics. This comparison weighs them across those dimensions so you can pick the right fit for your situation.
What is Klaviyo?
Klaviyo is an email and SMS platform built for e-commerce, used mainly by online brands, especially on Shopify, that want to personalize communications around purchase data. It now positions itself as a B2C CRM, with channels that include email, SMS, mobile push, WhatsApp and RCS. The free plan covers up to 250 active profiles. Paid plans start at $20/month for the Email plan and $35/month for the Email + SMS plan (251-500 profiles).
Klaviyo strengths
- Native e-commerce integration (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce) with revenue attribution per campaign
- Very advanced segmentation and predictive analytics (CLV, churn)
- Email and SMS in one tool, plus push and WhatsApp
- Deep e-commerce automation such as abandoned cart and post-purchase flows
Klaviyo limitations
- Billing is based on active profiles, so costs climb quickly as your list grows
- SMS is available in a limited number of countries (around 24 as of mid-2026)
- Less suited to B2B
- Takes time to learn before you can use every feature
Klaviyo works best for e-commerce brands that want hyper-personalized, data-driven campaigns.
What is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform owned by Intuit, used mainly by small businesses, e-commerce stores and creators who want an accessible, complete solution. Beyond email it offers social posting, landing pages, basic automation and SMS as a paid add-on in select countries. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts, with a cap of 500 emails per month. Paid plans start around $13/month with the Essentials plan.
Mailchimp strengths
- Very intuitive interface that is fast to get started with
- Large template library and easy landing-page and social tools
- E-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- Generous free plan
Mailchimp limitations
- Billing counts your full audience, including unsubscribed contacts, so pricing rises quickly with list size
- SMS is a paid add-on in select countries, not a native channel
- Automation is limited on lower plans; richer flows require Standard or Premium
- Less suited to B2B
Mailchimp works best for small businesses and e-commerce brands that are getting started with marketing.
Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: full comparison
Prices are indicative starting points, may exclude tax, and can change. Check each vendor's pricing page before deciding.
More than email: channels, automation and data
This is where the two tools differ the most. Klaviyo goes deepest on e-commerce: it connects email, SMS, push and WhatsApp to purchase behavior and reports revenue per campaign, with predictive segmentation built in. Mailchimp is wider but less deep. It is strong on ease of use, templates, social and landing pages, while automation and predictive features sit on its higher tiers and SMS stays a paid add-on.
If your choice depends on running coordinated journeys across several channels rather than email alone, look closely at how each tool handles automation, segmentation and unified customer data, not only the send price.
When to choose Klaviyo over Mailchimp?
Pick Klaviyo if you run an e-commerce brand, especially on Shopify, and you want personalized campaigns built on purchase data, deep automation and revenue analytics. Keep in mind that costs scale with your number of active profiles.
When to choose Mailchimp over Klaviyo?
Pick Mailchimp if you are a small business, a creator or an early-stage e-commerce store that wants an accessible all-in-one tool with templates, social and landing pages. Its ease of use is often what tips the balance for teams that do not need Klaviyo's automation depth.
A European alternative: Positive User
If you are comparing these two tools, you may also want a platform that covers several channels, stays simple to run and keeps your data in Europe. Positive User is a European customer engagement platform that fits that profile.
It brings email, SMS, WhatsApp, web push, mobile push, live chat and mobile wallet together with automation and a CRM, around a single customer profile and one login. It is built and hosted in Europe and governed by European law, so customer data stays on the continent, which helps with data sovereignty and GDPR. Support is included on every plan and handled by multilingual teams based in several European countries.
On pricing, Positive User offers unlimited contacts on every plan instead of charging per contact. The entry Campaigns plan starts at €69/month, billed annually, and includes up to 5,000 emails per month. Higher tiers add real-time visitor tracking, advanced segmentation and a customer data platform, while optional Sales (CRM) and Customer Service modules extend it beyond marketing.
To help teams get started, Positive User documents concrete workflow models and use-case guides you can set up step by step, covering goals such as acquisition, conversion, upsell and retention. The platform also includes an AI assistant, Uma, currently available in beta.
In short, Positive User is worth a look for European teams that want multichannel reach and a CRM in one place, unlimited contacts, European hosting and human support, without the complexity or the per-contact pricing of the larger US platforms.
