How we compared
Prices are monthly, in USD and excluding VAT, for a list that gets four campaigns a month: a weekly newsletter. We picked the cheapest plan that covers that volume, without the provider’s logo where it can be removed. Competitor prices come from each provider’s pricing page or a dated third-party price tracker; where we could not confirm a price, the table says so instead of guessing.
| Platform (plan) | 1,000 contacts | 5,000 contacts | 10,000 contacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sendonia (every feature) | $15 | $29 | $59 |
| Mailchimp (Essentials) | Not published | $75 | $110 |
| Brevo (Starter, logo unless add-on) | $17 | $32 | $56 |
| MailerLite (Comfort) | $19 | $49 | $89 |
| EmailOctopus (Pro, Dec 2025 data) | $13.50 | $31.50 | $44.50 |
| Moosend (Pro) | $16 | $48 | $88 |
| ActiveCampaign (Starter) | $19 | $99 | $189 |
| Kit (Creator) | $39 | $89 | $139 |
| Klaviyo (Email) | $30 | Not published | $150 |
Sendonia is clearly cheaper than Mailchimp, MailerLite, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign and Kit at these sizes. It is level with the budget tools, not the cheapest: EmailOctopus and Brevo Starter can cost less at 10,000 contacts, and several tools have free plans for very small lists.
Why people leave Mailchimp
- The free plan shrank to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with Mailchimp branding.
- Subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts all count toward the bill.
- Going over your plan adds overage charges automatically.
- Essentials includes 3 seats and automation flows of up to 4 steps; A/B and multivariate testing are listed on Premium.
- Section 30 of the terms allows AI inputs and outputs, including customer data, to be used for machine learning.
The alternatives, by the job you need done
Sendonia: campaigns from your own domain, without seat or feature limits
Every feature and unlimited seats on every plan, sending from your authenticated domain on Amazon SES in the EU and the US, bot-filtered analytics and hard plan limits instead of overage bills. Not the right pick yet if you need automation, A/B testing, segments or signup forms, or if you want a free plan.
EmailOctopus: simple newsletters on a budget
The closest product to Sendonia: simple, originally built on Amazon SES, with a free plan up to 2,500 subscribers (with branding) and unlimited users on Pro. Cheaper than Sendonia at 10,000 contacts on the latest prices we could find.
Brevo: an EU suite with SMS and CRM
Priced by emails sent rather than contacts, with SMS, WhatsApp and a CRM. Starter keeps the Brevo logo unless you buy the add-on and includes one marketing seat; automation and A/B testing start on Standard.
MailerLite: simple editor, automations and sites
Friendly editor, automations, forms and a website builder, and it does not bill unsubscribed contacts. Prices rose about 17–30% in June 2026, including for existing customers, and the free plan dropped to 250 subscribers.
Kit, Moosend, ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo
Kit suits creators, with a free newsletter plan up to 10,000 subscribers. Moosend is budget automation with a 30-day trial. ActiveCampaign is automation and CRM, with one user on Starter and a 30-day results guarantee for new customers. Klaviyo is built for e-commerce and bills on active profiles.
How to switch without losing your unsubscribes
- 1 Export every contact from Mailchimp, including unsubscribed and cleaned contacts, not just the subscribed ones.
- 2 Import them all into the new tool with their status, so people who left stay suppressed.
- 3 Authenticate your sending domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC before the first send.
- 4 Start with your most engaged contacts for the first few campaigns, then send to the full list.