Mailchimp Free Plan Changes 2026: What to Do Now

TL;DR: Mailchimp's free plan is now nearly unusable for most organizations. The contact limit dropped from 2,000 to just 250, monthly emails are capped at 500, and all automation features have been removed. For nonprofits, churches, schools, and associations that relied on Mailchimp's free tier, it's time to switch. Groupmail offers a more generous free plan (500 contacts), human support, and simplicity—without the complexity Mailchimp has added over the years. Switching from Mailchimp? Contact us for 50% off your first year.

If you've been using Mailchimp's free plan to send updates to your members, you've likely noticed things getting tighter. The limits that once made Mailchimp a go-to choice for small organizations have been quietly chipped away—and the latest changes make the free tier barely functional.

Disclosure: We're the team behind Groupmail—simple email software for organizations since 1996. We'll be upfront about where we fit and honest about alternatives.

What Changed with Mailchimp's Free Plan

The Mailchimp you signed up for years ago isn't the same platform today. Since Intuit acquired the company in 2021, the free plan has been systematically reduced. Here's what the current free tier actually gives you:

Current Mailchimp Free Plan Limits (2026):

• 250 contacts maximum (down from 2,000)
• 500 emails per month (down from 10,000)
• 250 emails per day limit
• No email automation whatsoever
• No email scheduling
• Limited templates
• Mailchimp branding on all emails
• Email support for 30 days only

The automation removal is particularly painful. In June 2025, Mailchimp discontinued its Classic Automation Builder entirely. The replacement—Customer Journey Builder—is only available on paid plans starting at $13/month. If you had welcome sequences, donation follow-ups, or event reminders running on the free plan, they stopped working.

💡 Tip: Before evaluating alternatives, export your contact list from Mailchimp as a CSV file. Go to Audience → All contacts → Export Audience. This ensures you won't lose any member data during a transition.

Why These Changes Hit Organizations Hardest

Mailchimp's free plan cuts aren't random—they're designed to push users toward paid tiers. But for nonprofits, churches, schools, and associations, these changes create real problems.

The 250-contact ceiling is too low. Most PTAs have more than 250 families. Most churches have more than 250 members. Most small nonprofits have more than 250 donors and volunteers combined. The moment you cross that line, Mailchimp locks your account until you upgrade or delete contacts.

Losing automation breaks essential communication. Welcome emails for new members, thank-you messages for donors, event reminders for volunteers—these aren't marketing gimmicks. They're how organizations stay connected with their communities. Without automation, someone has to manually send each message, which often means it doesn't happen at all.

The pricing math doesn't work. Mailchimp's Essentials plan starts at $13/month for 500 contacts. That's $156/year for basic email. For an organization watching every dollar, that's money that could go toward actual mission work.

What to Look For in a Mailchimp Alternative

Before jumping to another platform, define what you actually need. Most organizations sending member updates require far less than what complex email platforms offer.

Essential features for organizations:

• Simple email editor (no learning curve)
• Contact list management
• Basic open and click tracking
• Mobile-friendly emails
• Scheduling capabilities
• Easy unsubscribe handling

Nice to have but not critical:

• Basic automation (welcome emails, reminders)
• Landing pages
• Sign-up forms

Features you probably don't need:

• Advanced segmentation
• A/B testing
• Complex automation workflows
• E-commerce integrations
• SMS marketing

Key Takeaway: The best email tool for your organization is one that does what you need without charging for features you'll never use. Complexity isn't a benefit—it's overhead.

5 Alternatives That Work Better for Organizations

1. Groupmail

Best for: Organizations wanting simplicity + human support Free plan: 500 contacts Paid plans: Starting at €25/month | 30% nonprofit discount Website: groupmail.io

💡 Mailchimp Switcher Offer: Contact us and mention you're switching from Mailchimp to get 50% off your first year. No hoops, no proof required—just get in touch.

Groupmail is built specifically for organizations that need to send member updates—not run marketing operations. The interface is intentionally simple: you can send your first email within 10 minutes of signing up, no training required.

What sets Groupmail apart is the BYOSMTP model. Instead of paying for email delivery bundled into your subscription, you connect your own email service (like Amazon SES, SendGrid, or even your organization's existing email). This typically cuts costs significantly and improves deliverability since emails come from your domain.

The 30% nonprofit discount applies to all paid plans, keeping the Starter plan (€250/year after discount) well under most board-approval thresholds. And when you have questions, you talk to actual humans—not chatbots. That matters when you're the PTA volunteer who didn't sign up to become an email expert.

The trade-off: fewer integrations than larger platforms, and the BYOSMTP setup requires a one-time configuration. For most organizations, that's time well spent.

2. MailerLite

Best for: Organizations wanting automation on a budget Free plan: 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month (but reduced to 500 subscribers in late 2025) Paid plans: Starting at $10/month | 30% nonprofit discount Website: mailerlite.com

MailerLite offers a generous free tier that includes automation—something Mailchimp now charges for. The interface is clean and modern, making it relatively easy to learn.

The 30% nonprofit discount matches Groupmail's, making paid plans quite affordable. However, MailerLite's free plan includes their branding on emails, and support is limited for free users. The platform has also been gradually reducing its free tier limits, following Mailchimp's lead.

3. EmailOctopus

Best for: Budget-conscious basics Free plan: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month Paid plans: Starting at $10/month | 20% nonprofit discount Website: emailoctopus.com

EmailOctopus has one of the most generous free plans available—2,500 contacts with 10,000 monthly emails. For very small organizations just getting started, this can work well.

The platform is deliberately simple, though "simple" here means fewer features rather than easier to use. The 20% nonprofit discount is lower than competitors. Support is email-only, and response times can vary.

4. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Best for: Organizations that also need CRM features Free plan: Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day Paid plans: Starting at $9/month | 15% nonprofit discount (Enterprise only) Website: brevo.com

Brevo's pricing model is unusual—you're charged based on emails sent rather than contacts stored. For organizations with large lists but infrequent sending, this can work out cheaper.

The free plan's 300 emails/day limit (about 9,000/month) is reasonable for most needs. However, the interface is more complex than simpler alternatives, and the nonprofit discount only applies to custom Enterprise plans, which most small organizations don't need.

5. Buttondown

Best for: Minimalist text newsletters Free plan: 100 subscribers Paid plans: Starting at $9/month | 50% nonprofit discount Website: buttondown.email

Buttondown is for organizations that want the opposite of Mailchimp—stripped-down, text-focused newsletters with minimal design options. The 50% nonprofit discount is the best in the industry.

The trade-off is significant: the free plan only supports 100 subscribers, and the platform intentionally lacks features like templates, drag-and-drop editing, and landing pages. For some organizations, that simplicity is appealing. For most, it's too limiting.

Quick Comparison Table

How to Switch from Mailchimp

Moving to a new email platform is simpler than most people expect. Here's the process:

Step 1: Export your Mailchimp contacts

Navigate to Audience → All contacts → Export Audience. Download as CSV. This file contains all your members' email addresses and any additional data you've collected.

Step 2: Sign up for your new platform

Create an account with your chosen alternative. Most offer free plans or free trials, so you can test before committing.

Step 3: Import your contacts

Upload the CSV file to your new platform. Most tools will walk you through mapping fields (email, first name, last name, etc.).

Step 4: Send a transition email

Let your members know your emails will look slightly different. This isn't strictly necessary, but it reduces confusion and unsubscribes.

Step 5: Update your sign-up forms

If you have sign-up forms on your website, update them to connect to your new platform instead of Mailchimp.

⚠️ Watch out: Don't delete your Mailchimp account until you've verified that all contacts imported correctly and you've updated all sign-up forms. Keep it active for at least a month to catch any stragglers.

Which Tool Is Right for Your Organization?

Choose Groupmail if: You want simplicity above all else, value human support, and prefer a company focused specifically on organizations rather than marketers. The BYOSMTP model appeals to you for cost savings and deliverability. Plus, Mailchimp switchers get 50% off the first year.

Choose MailerLite if: You need automation on the free plan and want a modern interface with more features than the basics.

Choose EmailOctopus if: You're very small, very budget-conscious, and need the largest possible free tier to get started.

Choose Brevo if: You have a large contact list but send infrequently, and you want CRM features bundled with email.

Choose Buttondown if: You send text-only newsletters and want the simplest possible tool with maximum nonprofit discount.

For most nonprofits, churches, schools, and associations, Groupmail or MailerLite will be the best fit. Both offer generous nonprofit discounts, reasonable free tiers, and the core features organizations actually need.

Conclusion

Mailchimp's free plan changes aren't a surprise—they're part of a years-long pattern of reducing the free tier to push users toward paid plans. For organizations that don't need advanced marketing features, there's no reason to pay Mailchimp prices.

The tools listed above all offer better value for member communication. The key is choosing one that matches your actual needs rather than getting distracted by features you'll never use.

Switching from Mailchimp? Contact us for 50% off your first year of Groupmail — no proof required, just mention you're making the switch. Set up in 10 minutes, human support when you need it.