While Mailchimp remains a household name in email marketing, its contact-based pricing model increasingly penalizes B2B SaaS companies as their subscriber lists grow. From multi-channel powerhouses like Brevo to automation specialists like ActiveCampaign, these seven alternatives offer superior value, advanced automation, and predictable scaling for growing businesses. This comprehensive analysis examines each platform's strengths, pricing models, and ideal use cases to help Series A+ companies make informed decisions that align with their go-to-market strategy.

Key Takeaways

• Pricing models determine long-term costs: Mailchimp charges by contacts stored, while Brevo charges by emails sent—significantly cheaper as lists grow, potentially saving thousands annually for B2B SaaS companies with large databases

• Automation sophistication varies dramatically: ActiveCampaign offers 900+ pre-built templates versus Mailchimp's basic automation, enabling complex customer journeys critical for B2B sales cycles

• Free plans differ substantially in value: Brevo provides up to 100,000 contacts with 300 emails/day free (2,000-contact limit for automations), while Mailchimp restricts features and sends on free tiers—evaluate true free tier value before committing

• All-in-one platforms reduce operational overhead: HubSpot serves 278,000+ customers as of Q3 2025 by unifying marketing, sales, and service, eliminating multiple tool subscriptions and integration maintenance

• eCommerce specialization matters for product-led growth: Klaviyo powers 183,000+ brands with purpose-built features for online sales, while generic platforms lack transactional email depth

The email marketing landscape has evolved significantly in 2025, with advanced automation and multi-channel capabilities becoming essential for B2B SaaS companies pursuing product-led growth strategies. While Mailchimp maintains brand recognition, seven alternatives consistently outperform it in features, value, and scalability for growing businesses.

1. Brevo — Best Overall Value with Multi-Channel Capabilities

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) emerges as the most compelling Mailchimp alternative in 2025, combining email marketing with native SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat capabilities at a fraction of the cost.

Key Features:

• Unlimited contacts on all plans, including free

• Multi-channel marketing (Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Chat)

• Built-in CRM and transactional email

• 40+ email templates included

• Marketing automation workflows

• Real-time analytics and reporting

Pricing Structure:

• Free: $0 (300 emails)

• Starter: $9/month (5,000 emails)

• Standard: $18/month (5,000 emails, more features)

• Professional: $499/month (150,000 emails, advanced features)

• Enterprise: Custom pricing for high-volume teams

The platform's integrated approach supports Genesys Growth's GTM architecture, enabling multi-touch customer journeys without complex integrations. One customer testimonial highlights that Brevo delivers "the functionality and flexibility we need...while saving $30,000 annually compared to HubSpot."

With 500,000+ customers and a 4.5/5 on G2 from over 2,900 reviews, Brevo proves that value doesn't require sacrificing capability. For B2B SaaS companies implementing lifecycle marketing, the send-based pricing model enables predictable scaling.

2. ActiveCampaign — Best for Advanced Marketing Automation

ActiveCampaign stands as the automation powerhouse among Mailchimp alternatives, delivering sophisticated workflow capabilities that transform how B2B SaaS companies engage prospects throughout complex sales cycles.

Standout Capabilities:

• 900+ pre-built templates

• Visual automation map showing multiple journeys

• Advanced SMS and website messaging

• Integrated sales CRM with lead scoring

• Predictive analytics and AI-powered insights

• Free migration from Mailchimp

Pricing Structure:

• Free: $0 (14-day trial with email sign-up)

• Starter: Starts at $15/month (10x contact limit)

• Plus: Starts at $49/month (10x contact limit)

• Pro: Starts at $79/month (12x contact limit)

• Enterprise: Starts at $145/month (15x contact limit)

The platform's automation depth aligns perfectly with Genesys Growth's demand generation, enabling nurture sequences that respond to behavioral triggers rather than simple time delays. For companies tracking PLG metrics, ActiveCampaign's lead scoring provides the behavioral intelligence needed for sales-assisted conversion.

3. Klaviyo — Best for eCommerce and Product-Led Growth

Klaviyo dominates the eCommerce email marketing space with purpose-built features that generic platforms like Mailchimp cannot match, making it ideal for B2B SaaS companies with transactional or self-serve revenue models.

eCommerce-Native Features:

• Deep Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce integration

• AI-powered product recommendations

• Advanced eCommerce analytics and predictive insights

• 350+ app integrations available

• Marketing and customer service AI agents

• Pre-built dashboards showing full business view

Pricing Structure:

• Free: $0/month (up to 250 active profiles, 500 email sends/month, 150 SMS/MMS credits, email support for first 60 days)

• Email plan: starting at $45/month (example card: 15,000 email sends/month; pricing scales with active profiles and send volume)

• Email + mobile messages plan: starting at $60/month (example card: 15,000 email sends + 1,250 mobile message credits/month; pricing scales with profiles and credits)

Klaviyo powers 183,000+ brands, demonstrating enterprise scalability. The platform earns a 4.6/5 on G2 and Capterra, with users praising its data depth for revenue-focused marketing.

For B2B SaaS companies pursuing product-led growth, Klaviyo's behavioral segmentation enables targeted onboarding sequences and expansion campaigns that maximize customer lifetime value.

4. HubSpot — Best All-in-One Platform for GTM Alignment

HubSpot represents the comprehensive choice for B2B SaaS companies seeking unified marketing, sales, and service operations—eliminating the tool fragmentation that plagues growing organizations.

Platform Unification:

• All-in-one platform (Marketing, Sales, Service, Content, Data, Commerce)

• 2,000+ native integrations

• Breeze AI agents for marketing and customer service

• Free CRM with unlimited contacts

• 2,000 emails/month on free tier

• Scalable from startup to enterprise

Pricing Structure:

• Free: $0/month (CRM plus basic marketing/email tools; email send and feature limits apply)

• Marketing Hub Starter: from $15/month per seat (entry-level marketing plan; pricing scales with required seats and contacts)

• Marketing Hub Professional: starting around $890/month (includes more advanced automation, campaigns, and reporting; pricing is contact-tier-based)

• Marketing Hub Enterprise: starting around $3,600/month (enterprise-grade features, higher limits, advanced governance; contact-tier-based, often with required onboarding)

HubSpot reported #1 in 526 reports, serving 278,000+ customers as of Q3 2025 across 135+ countries. Case studies demonstrate significant pipeline growth—one customer grew "from millions to billions in 12 months."

Genesys Growth's HubSpot guide details how to maximize platform value for B2B SaaS companies. The unified approach supports content operations while maintaining sales and marketing alignment.

5. MailerLite — Best for Simplicity and Budget-Conscious Teams

MailerLite delivers the easiest learning curve among serious Mailchimp alternatives, combining intuitive design with surprisingly capable automation at startup-friendly pricing.

Simplicity-First Features:

• Pre-built content blocks for rapid email creation

• Pre-built automation workflow templates

• Sell digital products and subscriptions directly

• 90+ pre-designed templates

• Strong deliverability team

• Clean, intuitive interface

Pricing Structure:

• Free: $0/month (up to 500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, 1 user; core email, automations, 1 website, and up to 10 landing pages)

• Growing Business: from $10/month (adds more advanced email features, additional automations, ability to remove MailerLite logo, more sites/landing pages; price scales with subscribers)

• Advanced: from $20/month (adds unlimited account users and more advanced site/automation features; price scales with subscribers)

• Enterprise: custom pricing

Over 1 million users trust MailerLite, earning it a 4.6/5 G2 rating—the highest among alternatives reviewed. The platform excels at enabling marketers to move quickly without technical dependencies.

For early-stage B2B SaaS companies exploring programmatic SEO and content marketing, MailerLite's built-in landing pages and newsletter monetization support growth experiments without additional tools.

6. Omnisend — Best Omnichannel Value for Growing Teams

Omnisend bridges the gap between basic email tools and enterprise platforms, offering email, SMS, and push notifications within unified workflows at accessible pricing.

Omnichannel Capabilities:

• Email, SMS, and push notifications in same automation

• 350+ email templates focused on product promotion

• Customer Lifecycle Map with engagement tracking

• Pre-built workflows for cart abandonment

• Seamless Shopify, WooCommerce integration

• 24/7 live chat support

Pricing Structure:

• Free: $0/month (up to 250 contacts, 500 emails/month, 500 web push notifications/month, and a one-time 60 SMS credits bundle) 

• Standard: $16/month regular price – or $11.20/month for the first 3 months when you pay 3 months upfront with the Starter Discount (up to 500 contacts) 

• Pro: $59/month regular price – or $41.30/month for the first 3 months when you pay 3 months upfront with the Starter Discount (up to 2,500 contacts) 

• Custom: Custom pricing (for larger contact lists or higher volumes)

Omnisend earns a 4.6/5 rating on G2 and 4.7/5 on Capterra, with users highlighting its free plan features including automation and segmentation—typically paid features on competing platforms.

The platform's multi-channel approach supports AI-powered GTM workflows that reach customers across their preferred channels without requiring enterprise budgets.

7. Moosend — Best Budget Option with Enterprise Features

Moosend delivers the most cost-effective path to advanced email marketing, offering features typically reserved for enterprise tiers at a cheaper pricing.

Budget-Friendly Power:

• Advanced automation with 25+ triggers including web tracking

• Unlimited emails on all paid plans

• AI-powered product recommendations

• 100+ pre-made templates

• Single Pro tier with all features (no feature gates)

• Consistently intuitive interface

Pricing Structure:

• Free Trial: $0 (30-day free trial of core features/Pro functionality; no credit card required)

• Pro: from $9/month (for ~500 subscribers with unlimited email sends; pricing scales with subscriber count via calculator)

• Moosend+: custom pricing (build-your-own plan with extras like transactional emails and custom reporting)

• Enterprise: custom pricing (adds SSO/SAML, dedicated account manager, advanced reporting, dedicated IP, and SLAs)

Moosend earns a 4.7/5 G2 rating with users praising the single-tier approach that provides all features without upgrade pressure. High email deliverability scores ensure messages reach inboxes.

For Series A companies that Genesys Growth advises, Moosend provides enterprise automation capabilities at startup-friendly pricing—enabling sophisticated marketing without budget constraints.

Choosing the Right Alternative Based on Your Growth Stage

For B2B SaaS companies evaluating alternatives, success depends on matching platform capabilities to organizational maturity and resources:

Series A (10-50 employees):

• Recommended: MailerLite or Moosend

• Budget: $100-500/month

• Why: Maximum value with minimal complexity, enabling focus on product-market fit

Series B (50-200 employees):

• Recommended: Brevo or ActiveCampaign

• Budget: $500-2,000/month

• Why: Advanced automation and multi-channel capabilities for scaling operations

Series C+ (200+ employees):

• Recommended: HubSpot or Klaviyo

• Budget: $2,000-10,000+/month

• Why: Enterprise features, compliance, and GTM alignment capabilities

For companies seeking expert guidance through platform selection and implementation, Genesys Growth's services provide hands-on support with weekly deliverables—accelerating time-to-value while avoiding common migration pitfalls.

Explore additional marketing tools that complement your email platform selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Mailchimp pricing problematic for growing B2B SaaS companies?

Mailchimp charges based on contacts stored rather than emails sent, meaning you pay for dormant subscribers who may never open your emails. As lists grow, costs escalate exponentially while Brevo's send-based pricing offers predictable scaling—you pay only for what you send. This makes Brevo significantly cheaper as subscriber lists expand into tens of thousands.

Which alternative offers the best free plan for early-stage startups?

Brevo provides the most generous free tier with up to 100,000 contacts and 300 emails/day, while MailerLite supports up to 500 subscribers with 12,000 monthly emails. Both include automation features typically locked behind paid tiers, enabling meaningful testing before committing a budget.

How do marketing automation platforms differ from basic email marketing software?

Basic email tools handle newsletters and simple broadcasts, while marketing automation platforms like ActiveCampaign offer conditional logic, behavioral triggers, lead scoring, and multi-step journeys responding to user actions. With 900+ workflow templates, ActiveCampaign enables sophisticated nurture sequences critical for B2B sales cycles spanning weeks or months.

What key features should B2B SaaS companies prioritize in an email marketing tool?

Prioritize behavioral automation triggers, CRM integration or built-in CRM, segmentation based on product usage data, transactional email capabilities, and deliverability reputation. Secondary considerations include multi-channel capabilities (SMS, push), landing page builders, and A/B testing for optimizing campaign performance.

Can Genesys Growth help implement a new email marketing platform?

Yes. Genesys Growth's Consultant Plan includes lifecycle marketing strategy and execution, covering email platform selection, migration planning, automation workflow design, and performance optimization. With weekly deliverable turnaround and always-on-call support, teams achieve faster time-to-value than self-implementation.

What is the typical commitment for Genesys Growth's consulting services?

Genesys Growth requires a minimum 3-month commitment starting from $8,500/month for the Consultant Plan and $12,000/month for the Fractional Plan. This output-based pricing ensures dedicated focus on measurable outcomes rather than hourly billing—aligned with their principle of working "in your business as if it was my own."