Mailchimp Free Plan Changes in 2026 (and Best Alternatives)
Mailchimp is tightening its Free Marketing plan, with new limits taking effect in February 2026. These changes significantly reduce how useful the free tier is for growing newsletters and businesses.
What’s Changing in the Mailchimp Free Plan
Starting February 17, 2026, the Free Marketing plan will be limited to:
- Up to 250 contacts (down from 500)
- Up to 500 email sends per month (down from 1,000)
- Up to 250 email sends per day (down from 500)
If your account exceeds 250 contacts, Mailchimp will pause email sending until you either:
- Archive contacts to get back under the limit, or
- Upgrade to a paid plan
The feature set of the Free Marketing plan remains the same; only contact and send limits are changing.
Official pricing page:
https://mailchimp.com/pricing/
Why This Matters
Mailchimp’s free plan was once a strong option for small teams and creators. With these new limits, it is now one of the most restrictive free email marketing plans available, making alternatives far more attractive in 2026.
Hosted (SaaS) Mailchimp Alternatives
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
- Free plan: Unlimited contacts
- 300 emails per day
- Includes automation, CRM, and transactional email
Best for businesses that want a full marketing suite without per-contact limits.
Sender
- Free plan: Up to 2,500 subscribers
- Up to 15,000 emails per month
- Automation and analytics included
Strong free tier with generous limits.
EmailOctopus
- Free plan: Up to 2,500 subscribers
- Up to 10,000 emails per month
Simple, reliable, and affordable for newsletters.
MailerLite
- Free plan with automation and modern editor
Popular for creators and small teams.
ConvertKit
- Free tier with limits
- Designed for creators and bloggers
Good choice for audience-driven businesses.
Moosend
- Free tier with automation and segmentation
Affordable option with strong workflow tools.
Self-Hosted & Open-Source Alternatives
If you prefer full data ownership, no per-subscriber fees, and long-term cost control, self-hosting is worth considering.
Sendy (Self-Hosted + Amazon SES)
- One-time license fee
- Uses Amazon SES for delivery (very low cost)
- Requires your own server or VPS
Ideal for high-volume newsletters on a budget.
Mautic
- Full marketing automation platform
- Self-hosted and open source
Best for advanced automation without SaaS pricing.
Mailtrain
- Open-source newsletter application
- Self-hosted
https://github.com/Mailtrain-org/mailtrain
Good balance of features and simplicity.
Listmonk
- High-performance self-hosted mailing app
https://github.com/knadh/listmonk
Well suited for large lists and fast sending.
Postal
- Self-hosted email delivery platform
https://github.com/postalhq/postal
Best for teams running their own mail infrastructure.
AWS SES + Self-Hosted UI
- Email delivery cost: ~$0.10 per 1,000 emails
Combine with tools like Sendy, Mailtrain, or Listmonk for maximum cost efficiency.
Final Thoughts
With the Free Marketing plan now capped at 250 contacts and 500 monthly sends, Mailchimp is no longer a practical free solution for most growing lists.
In 2026:
- Hosted platforms offer better free tiers and faster setup
- Self-hosted tools provide maximum control and the lowest long-term cost
If you’re nearing Mailchimp’s new limits, migrating early helps avoid disruptions and gives you more flexibility going forward.