Mailchimp's 2026 price increase: what changed and what to do
Mailchimp made two changes in 2026. From February 17, 2026, the free plan dropped to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. From April 2026, accounts on older legacy plans were reported to see increases of about 11 to 13%. Paid Essentials now costs $13 a month at 500 contacts and $110 at 10,000 (as of October 2026).
Last reviewed October 20, 2026
What changed in 2026
- The free plan got smaller. Since February 17, 2026, Mailchimp's free plan allows 250 contacts and 500 email sends a month (250 a day). It used to allow 500 contacts and 1,000 sends, and back in 2022 it allowed 2,000 contacts. Mailchimp's pricing page shows the current 250 contact limit.
- Legacy plans went up. According to several email software review sites, accounts still on legacy plans (generally those opened before May 2019 that never moved to a current plan) saw price increases of about 11 to 13%, starting with the first bill after April 13, 2026.
If you're a free user with more than 250 contacts, you have to archive contacts to get under the limit or move to a paid plan. If you're on a legacy plan, check your recent invoices to see your new price.
What Mailchimp costs now
Here is Mailchimp Essentials, its entry-level paid plan, next to Constant Contact Lite and MailWild at common list sizes:
| Contacts | 500 | 2,500 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 25,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailWild | $9 | $33 | $56 | $82 | $202 |
| Mailchimp Essentials | $13 | $45 | $75 | $110 | $270 |
| Constant Contact Lite | $12 | $50 | $80 | $120 | $280 |
Monthly prices, billed monthly, from each company's pricing page as of October 2026. A dash means that plan isn't sold at that size or we couldn't confirm the price.
Remember that Mailchimp counts unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts toward your plan, so your real bill depends on your total contacts, not just the people you can email. The Mailchimp cost calculator works out both numbers. Read more about unsubscribed contact billing.
How to tell if it affected you
- Compare your last few invoices. Your billing history is in your account settings. A jump from one month to the next, with no change in contacts, is the price change.
- Check your plan name. If your account is old and your plan isn't called Free, Essentials, Standard or Premium, you may be on a legacy plan.
- Check your contact count, not your subscriber count. If your bill rose because you crossed a tier, look at how many unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts you have. Those count too, and archiving them may undo the rise.
Your options
- Archive contacts you can't email. Archived contacts don't count toward Mailchimp's billing tier. Archiving your unsubscribed and long-inactive contacts can drop you a tier, and it costs nothing to try.
- Stay under 250 on the free plan. Workable for a very small list, but 500 sends a month means you can send only about two newsletters to a full 250-person list.
- Pause your account. If you send seasonally, Mailchimp lets you pause billing for 3 or 6 months, up to twice in 12 months, and keeps your data.
- Move to a simpler tool. If you mostly send newsletters, a smaller tool may cover what you need for less. Here's how to export your audience and cancel safely.
Where MailWild fits
MailWild is newsletter software with one plan priced by list size. It's at least 25% cheaper than Mailchimp Essentials at every size we sell, includes unlimited sends (fair use is 12 full-list sends a month), and only bills contacts you can email. You can import Mailchimp's export zip as it is, and unsubscribes stay unsubscribed.
It's not for everyone. There's no free plan, no landing pages and no A/B testing. Setting up and sending test emails is free, and you pay when you send to your list. See the pricing page.
Questions
Did Mailchimp raise prices in 2026?
Yes. The free plan was cut to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month from February 17, 2026, and accounts on legacy plans were reported to see increases of about 11 to 13% from their first bill after April 13, 2026.
How many contacts can I have on Mailchimp's free plan?
250 contacts and 500 email sends a month, with a daily limit of 250 sends (as of October 2026).
How much is Mailchimp Essentials?
$13 a month at 500 contacts, $45 at 2,500, $75 at 5,000, $110 at 10,000 and $270 at 25,000, billed monthly (as of October 2026).
How can I lower my Mailchimp bill?
Archive unsubscribed and inactive contacts, because archived contacts don't count toward your billing tier. You can also pause your account for 3 or 6 months, or move to a simpler newsletter tool.