Zoho Campaigns vs Mailchimp: Email Marketing Compared (2026)
Zoho Campaigns and Mailchimp are email marketing tools for small businesses.
- Verified 13 Nov 2026Sources are dated on this page
- 5 sourcesLinked, typed and dated
- No winner declaredFit depends on your criteria
- Not tested by Stack18Editorial summary of documented facts
Zoho Campaigns vs Mailchimp: the short answer
Zoho Campaigns and Mailchimp are email marketing tools for small businesses. Mailchimp is the best-known; Zoho Campaigns is the lower-cost Zoho option.
Zoho Campaigns integrates closely with Zoho CRM and sells pay-as-you-go credits. Mailchimp prices by contacts with Essentials, Standard and Premium tiers.
We compare what the dated sources support and mark the rest Unknown. No winner is declared: the better fit depends on your size, budget and how you work.
Choose Zoho Campaigns if you- Use Zoho CRM
- Want the lowest cost
- Need pay-as-you-go credits
Choose Mailchimp if you- Want the best-known tool
- Want many templates and integrations
- Need a 14-day trial on paid plans
Zoho Campaigns and Mailchimp at a glance.
One card per product, drawn from each full profile. Open a profile for features, pricing plans, limits and sources.
Zoho Campaigns
Zoho Corporation · Email Marketing Software
Zoho Campaigns is an email marketing and automation tool from Zoho that lets businesses design newsletters, automate journeys, segment contacts and track results, with a forever-free plan, subscriber-based Standard and Professional plans and pay-as-you-go email credits.
- Pricing
- Forever Free plan; Standard from about $3 a month.
- Best for
- Zoho CRM users
Mailchimp
Intuit Mailchimp · Email Marketing Software
Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform from Intuit, sold in Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium plans priced by the number of contacts you store.
- Pricing
- Free for up to 250 contacts; paid plans reported from $13 per month (Essentials, 500 contacts).
- Best for
- Small businesses that want a well-known all-round email tool
Zoho Campaigns vs Mailchimp: feature-by-feature comparison.
Every row is drawn from the two profiles and their sources. Rows that differ are marked, and you can filter the table to show only those.
- YesDocumented
- PartialAvailable with limits or on some plans
- NoDocumented as unavailable
- UnknownNot documented in the sources reviewed
| Dimension |  Zoho Campaigns |  Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Product | ||
| Core model | YesZoho Campaigns is an email marketing and automation tool from Zoho that lets businesses design newsletters, automate journeys, segment contacts and track results, with a… | YesMailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform from Intuit, sold in Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium plans priced by the number of contacts you store. |
| Product type | YesEmail marketing and automation (SaaS) | YesEmail marketing platform (SaaS) |
| Vendor | YesZoho Corporation | YesIntuit Mailchimp |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing modelDiffers | YesTiered by volume, Usage or transaction based | YesTiered by volume |
| Free plan | YesYes | YesYes |
| Free trialDiffers | YesYes (vendor) | YesYes (14-day trial on paid plans) |
| Starting price | YesForever Free plan; Standard from about $3 a month. | YesFree for up to 250 contacts; paid plans reported from $13 per month (Essentials, 500 contacts). |
| Platform and deployment | ||
| PlatformsDiffers | YesWeb, iOS, Android | YesWeb |
| Deployment | YesCloud (SaaS) | YesCloud (SaaS) |
| Key integrations | YesZoho CRM; Shopify and WordPress (vendor); Zapier | Yes300+ integrations (reported on all plans); Transactional email add-on; Marketing API |
| Fit | ||
| Team sizeDiffers | YesSolo and freelancers, Small teams, Mid-size teams | YesSmall teams, Mid-size teams |
| Best for | YesZoho CRM users | YesSmall businesses that want a well-known all-round email tool |
| Built for IndiaDiffers | YesYes, India-focused | UnknownNot flagged as India-specific in its profile |
| AI | ||
| AI featuresDiffers | YesAI features documented on the profile | UnknownNot documented in the sources reviewed |
Zoho Campaigns vs Mailchimp pricing.
Zoho Campaigns pricing
Monthly plan by contact count, or pay-as-you-go email credits; free plan.
- Starting pointForever Free plan; Standard from about $3 a month.
- Free planYes
- Free trialYes (vendor)
From the Zoho Campaigns profile. Checked 13 Nov 2026.
All Zoho Campaigns plans and sources
Mailchimp pricing
Tiered by volume
- Starting pointFree for up to 250 contacts; paid plans reported from $13 per month (Essentials, 500 contacts).
- Free planYes
- Free trialYes (14-day trial on paid plans)
From the Mailchimp profile. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
All Mailchimp plans and sourcesZoho Campaigns has a forever-free plan, Standard from about $3 a month and Professional from about $4.50. Mailchimp is free up to 250 contacts with paid plans reported from $13 a month (Essentials, 500 contacts). Zoho Campaigns is cheaper.
List prices rarely tell the whole story. Check minimum terms, user or volume minimums, add-ons and taxes such as GST before comparing totals.
Prices and plans change. Confirm current terms with each vendor before you decide.
Zoho Campaigns vs Mailchimp: implementation, ecosystem, AI and security.
Ease of implementation and trials
We did not test setup or migration for either product. Zoho Campaigns free trial: Yes (vendor). Mailchimp free trial: Yes (14-day trial on paid plans). Pilot one real process in each before committing.
Integrations and ecosystem
Zoho Campaigns: Zoho CRM; Shopify and WordPress (vendor); Zapier. Mailchimp: 300+ integrations (reported on all plans); Transactional email add-on; Marketing API. Check each integration directory for the tools you actually use.
AI capabilities
Zoho Campaigns documents AI features on its profile. Mailchimp does not document AI features in the sources reviewed. We did not test output quality, so run both against a real task before treating AI as a deciding factor.
Deployment, security and administration
Zoho Campaigns runs as cloud (SaaS); Mailchimp runs as cloud (SaaS). We did not review certifications or data residency in detail. Request current security documentation from both vendors if you are regulated.
Zoho Campaigns and Mailchimp: each option, in balance.
Zoho Campaigns
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- Forever-free plan.
- Very low entry price.
- Pay-as-you-go credits available.
- Native Zoho CRM sync.
- Template restrictions.
- Automation learning curve.
- Limited advanced reporting.
- Dedicated IP is an add-on.
Mailchimp
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- A free plan lets very small lists start at no cost.
- Standard adds full journeys, multivariate testing, dynamic content and send-time optimisation at a low entry price.
- Premium includes unlimited seats and audiences with phone support.
- The free plan was cut to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, which limits real use.
- Pricing scales with stored contacts, and billing uses the peak contact total in the cycle.
- Essentials caps journeys at 4 steps and leaves out advanced segmentation.
- Premium jumps to about $350 a month, a large step up from Standard.
Zoho Campaigns or Mailchimp: which fits which situation?
No overall winner is declared. The better choice depends on the criteria that matter most to you, so test both against your own requirements.
Choose Zoho Campaigns if you…
- Use Zoho CRM
- Want the lowest cost
- Need pay-as-you-go credits
Choose Mailchimp if you…
- Want the best-known tool
- Want many templates and integrations
- Need a 14-day trial on paid plans
Switching between Zoho Campaigns and Mailchimp.
Export contacts and segments to CSV, import them with consent status, re-create templates, and warm up sending gradually.
- Export a sample of your data and test an import into the other product.
- List the automations, integrations and permissions you would need to rebuild.
- Pilot with one team before a full cut-over.
- Check contract terms and notice periods with both vendors.
General guidance, not specific to either vendor. Confirm migration options with the vendors.
Zoho Campaigns vs Mailchimp: questions and answers
What is the difference between Zoho Campaigns and Mailchimp?
Zoho Campaigns and Mailchimp are email marketing tools for small businesses. Mailchimp is the best-known; Zoho Campaigns is the lower-cost Zoho option. Zoho Campaigns integrates closely with Zoho CRM and sells pay-as-you-go credits.
Is Zoho Campaigns cheaper than Mailchimp?
Yes. Zoho Campaigns paid plans start around $3 a month versus Mailchimp from $13.
Do both have free plans?
Yes. Mailchimp’s covers 250 contacts.
Which integrates with Zoho CRM?
Zoho Campaigns, natively.
Which is better for small businesses, Zoho Campaigns or Mailchimp?
Zoho Campaigns is documented for solo and freelancers, small teams, mid-size teams; Mailchimp for small teams, mid-size teams. Choose Zoho Campaigns if you use Zoho CRM; choose Mailchimp if you want the best-known tool.
What are the alternatives to Zoho Campaigns and Mailchimp?
Both are listed in Stack18’s Email Marketing Software directory. See the Zoho Campaigns alternatives guide and the Mailchimp alternatives guide for sourced shortlists of competitors.
Where this comparison comes from.
- All Zoho Campaigns Plans & Pricing Costbench Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Zoho Campaigns Pricing Capterra Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Mailchimp Pricing 2026: Full Guide to Selecting the Right Plan SaaS CRM Review Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- Mailchimp Pricing Explained (2026): You Pay for the List, Not the Sends TinyCommand (competing vendor) Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- All Mailchimp Plans & Pricing Costbench Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
Comparison rows summarise the sources listed and the two profiles. Confirm current details with each vendor. Stack18 has not tested either product.
Ready to test Zoho Campaigns and Mailchimp?
Check each vendor's current pricing and terms, run both against a real scenario from your business, or talk to Stack18 if off-the-shelf software is not the answer.
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