Mailchimp vs Brevo for Nonprofits (2026 Comparison)

Last updated: April 14, 2026

TL;DR: Neither Mailchimp nor Brevo is built for nonprofits. Mailchimp charges for unsubscribed contacts and has gutted its free plan to just 250 contacts. Brevo's send-based pricing sounds promising, but its Starter plan caps contacts at 500, and its nonprofit discount only applies to Enterprise plans most organizations will never need. For nonprofits that want simple member updates without marketing complexity, Groupmail offers Community-First pricing at $15/mo with unlimited contacts, human support, and setup in 10 minutes. Try Groupmail free — set up in 10 minutes →

If you're running a nonprofit and comparing Mailchimp vs Brevo, you're probably weighing two very different pricing models: one that charges by contacts, one that charges by emails sent. Both have their appeal — and both have traps that only become visible once your organization starts growing.

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.

Why Are Nonprofits Comparing Mailchimp and Brevo?

Nonprofits outgrow Mailchimp's pricing and look for cheaper alternatives, but Brevo's per-email model introduces its own cost surprises.

Most nonprofits land on this comparison because Mailchimp's bills have been climbing. Since Intuit acquired Mailchimp in 2021 for $12 billion, the platform has raised prices multiple times and reduced its free plan from 2,000 contacts down to just 250 as of January 2026. According to EmailToolTester, Essentials prices rose 30% between 2022 and late 2023 alone. Brevo's per-email pricing model feels like a logical escape — you pay for what you send, not who sits on your list.

But the reality is more nuanced. According to Nonprofit Tech for Good, 86% of nonprofits use email marketing, and 45% send newsletters monthly. For organizations sending one or two updates a month to a few thousand members, neither platform is purpose-built for their needs. Both were designed for marketers — and their pricing and features reflect it.

💡 Tip: Before choosing based on price alone, consider how your organization actually uses email. If you're sending member updates (not running marketing campaigns), you may need a simpler tool entirely.

What Should Nonprofits Look for in Email Software?

Nonprofits need predictable pricing, unlimited contacts, easy setup for non-technical volunteers, and human support when things go wrong.

The typical nonprofit email user isn't a marketing professional. They're a volunteer secretary, a PTA coordinator, or an executive director wearing twelve hats. According to Neon One, the average nonprofit email list contains 4,191 contacts, with smaller organizations averaging around 547 contacts. What matters most is simplicity: can a new volunteer pick this up in an afternoon? Does the pricing stay predictable as the list grows? Will a human answer the phone when something breaks before the annual fundraiser?

Both Mailchimp and Brevo were built for businesses running multi-channel marketing campaigns. That means automation workflows, CRM pipelines, A/B testing, and e-commerce integrations — features most nonprofits never touch but still pay for. According to the M+R Benchmarks 2025 study, nonprofits sent an average of 62 emails per subscriber in 2024. That's roughly one email per week — hardly the volume that demands enterprise marketing tools.

How Do Mailchimp and Brevo Compare for Nonprofits?

Mailchimp charges by contacts (including unsubscribed ones), while Brevo charges by emails sent — but both models create cost surprises as nonprofits grow.

1. Groupmail

Best for: Nonprofits that want simple member updates without marketing complexity Pricing: Free (500 contacts) | Community $15/mo | Continuity $29/mo | Business $49/mo | All paid plans: unlimited contacts Website: groupmail.io

Groupmail takes the opposite approach from both Mailchimp and Brevo. Instead of building for marketers and offering nonprofits a discount, Groupmail was built for organizations from day one. The Community plan at $15/mo includes unlimited contacts, 5,000 emails per month, and human support — keeping costs well under typical $500 board-approval thresholds. According to Stripo, the average small nonprofit maintains an email list of around 547 contacts, meaning most organizations can start on the free plan and move to Community as they grow without any pricing surprises.

What sets Groupmail apart is what happens when things change. Volunteer turnover is one of the biggest operational challenges for nonprofits, and Groupmail's Continuity plan ($29/mo) includes an annual handover call — when your volunteer admin changes, Groupmail helps the new person take over. No other platform on this list offers anything similar. Groupmail manages email delivery on all plans, so there's no technical setup required. According to Nonprofit Tech for Good, 63% of nonprofits use personalization in their email marketing — Groupmail includes AI writing help on every paid plan to assist with that.

Pricing last verified April 2026. Visit groupmail.io/pricing for current rates.

What's missing: Groupmail doesn't offer complex automation workflows, CRM pipelines, or e-commerce integrations. If your nonprofit needs multi-step drip campaigns or Shopify integration, you'll need a marketing platform. But if you're sending member updates, newsletters, and event announcements, Groupmail covers everything you need without the complexity tax.

Key Takeaway: Groupmail is built for the way most nonprofits actually use email — simple updates to members, sent by non-technical staff, with predictable pricing that never punishes list growth.

2. Mailchimp

Best for: Nonprofits that need advanced marketing automation and have budget for it Pricing: Free (250 contacts) | Essentials from $13/mo | Standard from $20/mo | Premium from $350/mo Website: Mailchimp

Mailchimp remains the most recognized name in email marketing, with over 20 million users worldwide. The platform offers 130+ email templates, a powerful drag-and-drop editor, and deep integrations with payment processors and CRM tools. For nonprofits running sophisticated fundraising campaigns with donor segmentation and automated journeys, Mailchimp's Standard plan delivers genuine capability. According to the M+R Benchmarks 2025 study, email campaigns accounted for 11% of all online revenue for nonprofits in 2024, and Mailchimp's analytics tools can help organizations track that revenue precisely.

The 15% nonprofit discount applies to all paid marketing plans. To access it, you need to sign up for a free account and contact Mailchimp's billing team with your username and a link to your organization's website, along with 501(c)(3) documentation. According to Mailchimp's nonprofit discount page, the discount must be requested before purchasing a paid plan — it cannot be applied retroactively. For a nonprofit with 2,500 contacts, the Essentials plan costs approximately $45/month, or about $38/month after the discount.

However, Mailchimp's pricing model has a significant catch for nonprofits. According to Mailchimp's own pricing documentation, subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts all count toward your plan limit. The M+R Benchmarks 2025 study found nonprofits average a 9.7% unsubscribe rate — meaning a 5,000-contact list accumulates roughly 485 contacts per year that you can't email but still pay for. Trustpilot rates Mailchimp 2.8/5 from over 1,300 reviews. For more detail, see our Mailchimp nonprofit pricing breakdown.

What's missing: Mailchimp's free plan was gutted in January 2026 to just 250 contacts and 500 emails per month, with no automation, no scheduling, and Mailchimp branding on every email. Support expires after 30 days on the free plan. For most nonprofits, the free tier is no longer functional. Pricing escalates steeply as contact lists grow — at 5,000 contacts, Essentials costs $75/month and Standard costs $100/month before any discount. One-click cancellation is not available; pricing and plan management can be confusing to navigate.

3. Brevo

Best for: Nonprofits with large contact lists who send infrequently Pricing: Free (300 emails/day, 100K contacts) | Starter $9/mo | Standard $18/mo | Enterprise custom Website: Brevo

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) uses a fundamentally different pricing model: you pay by emails sent, not contacts stored. For a nonprofit with 10,000 members on the roster but only sending one monthly newsletter, this model can deliver real savings compared to Mailchimp's contact-based pricing. The free plan allows up to 100,000 stored contacts and 300 emails per day (roughly 9,000 per month), making it the most generous free tier for contact storage among major platforms. According to Omnisend's Brevo review, Brevo holds a 4.3-star rating on Trustpilot and 4.5 stars on G2, with users frequently praising its intuitive interface and affordability.

Brevo also bundles SMS, WhatsApp messaging, and a basic CRM into its platform — useful for nonprofits that want multi-channel outreach without juggling separate tools. The drag-and-drop editor includes 48 newsletter templates, and automation workflows are available on every plan, including free (though limited to 2,000 contacts on lower tiers). According to Encharge, Brevo's prebuilt automation flows for welcome sequences and donation follow-ups can save nonprofits significant setup time.

But Brevo's nonprofit discount is where the model breaks down for most organizations. According to EmailToolTester, the 15% nonprofit discount applies only to Brevo's Enterprise plan — a custom-priced tier designed for large organizations needing dedicated account management, advanced security, and dedicated IP addresses. For the plans most nonprofits would actually use (Starter or Standard), there is no discount available.

What's missing: The biggest surprise is Brevo's paid Starter plan. According to Brevo's own pricing documentation, the $9/month Starter tier caps contacts at just 500 — down from the 100,000 contacts available on the free plan. A nonprofit with 3,000 members wanting to send one monthly email would need to upgrade to the $29/month tier just to store all their contacts. As one user noted in a Brevo community thread, upgrading from free to paid actually reduces your contact allowance. If you exceed the contact limit, Brevo auto-upgrades your plan to the next tier without explicit approval, increasing your bill without warning. Brevo branding appears on Starter emails, and removing it costs an additional $9/month. Phone support is only available on Standard ($18/month) and above.

How Do Nonprofits Actually Pay on Each Platform?

Mailchimp requires a 15% discount application, Brevo reserves its discount for Enterprise customers, and Groupmail's Community-First pricing needs no application at all.

The contrast is stark. Mailchimp's 15% discount is modest and requires paperwork — a 501(c)(3) determination letter submitted before your first paid purchase. According to Mailchimp's nonprofit discount page, there is no retroactive application. Brevo's 15% discount applies only to custom Enterprise pricing, which most nonprofits will never reach. Groupmail's Community-First pricing means $15/mo is the default price for every organization. No application forms, no documentation, no hoops. Credit top-ups ($5/1,000 additional emails) are available on all plans, including Free, if you need to send beyond 5,000 emails in a given month.

Which Tool Is Right for Your Nonprofit?

Groupmail is the best fit for most nonprofits sending member updates. Choose Mailchimp for advanced marketing automation or Brevo for multi-channel outreach on a large, infrequently-emailed list.

For the majority of nonprofits — organizations with a few hundred to a few thousand members, sending monthly or weekly updates — Groupmail is the simplest and most predictable choice. You'll never pay for unsubscribed contacts, you'll never face an auto-upgrade surprise, and you'll always reach a human when you need help. Groupmail manages email delivery on all plans, so there is zero technical setup required.

Choose Mailchimp if your nonprofit runs sophisticated fundraising campaigns with behavioral triggers, donor segmentation, and A/B tested subject lines. You'll pay more, and you'll need to manage your contact list actively to avoid paying for unsubscribes — but the marketing capabilities are genuine. For a deeper look, see our Mailchimp alternatives for nonprofits guide.

Choose Brevo if you have a large contact database (10,000+) but only send monthly newsletters. The send-based pricing model means you're not punished for list size. Just watch the Starter plan's contact cap and budget for branding removal. For more context, see our best email software for nonprofits comparison.

According to a 2025 survey cited by the DMAW, 33% of donors say email is the channel that most inspires giving. Whichever tool you choose, the most important step is getting your emails out consistently. The right platform is the one your team will actually use.

FAQ

Is Brevo really cheaper than Mailchimp for nonprofits? It depends on your list size and sending frequency. For nonprofits with large contact lists who send infrequently (one or two emails per month), Brevo's per-email pricing is usually cheaper than Mailchimp's per-contact model. However, Brevo's Starter plan caps contacts at 500, its nonprofit discount only applies to Enterprise plans, and branding removal costs an additional $9/month. For nonprofits with 2,500+ contacts who send weekly, total Brevo costs can approach Mailchimp's.

Does Mailchimp charge for unsubscribed contacts? Yes. According to Mailchimp's pricing documentation, subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts all count toward your plan limit and billing. You must manually archive unsubscribed contacts to stop paying for them. Groupmail does not charge for inactive or unsubscribed contacts on any plan.

What happens when I exceed my contact limit on Brevo? If you're on the Starter or Standard plan's lower tiers and exceed the contact storage limit, Brevo automatically upgrades your plan to the next tier. This increases your monthly bill without requiring your explicit approval. According to Brevo's help documentation, this auto-upgrade is designed to prevent sending interruptions — but it means your costs can change without warning.

Does Brevo offer a nonprofit discount? Brevo offers a 15% discount, but it applies only to the custom-priced Enterprise plan. For Starter ($9/month) and Standard ($18/month) plans — the tiers most nonprofits would use — there is no nonprofit discount available. Groupmail's Community-First pricing starts at $15/month for all organizations by default, with no application required.

Why is Groupmail so affordable for nonprofits? Groupmail uses Community-First pricing, which means $15/mo is the standard price for community organizations — not a discounted rate. There are no application forms, no discount codes, and no documentation requirements. This model works because Groupmail is built specifically for organizations sending member updates, not for marketers who need complex automation, CRM pipelines, or e-commerce integrations. By focusing on simplicity, Groupmail keeps costs low for everyone.

Can I switch from Mailchimp or Brevo to Groupmail? Yes. Groupmail's Continuity plan ($29/month) includes migration assistance — the team helps you move your contacts and templates from your old platform. Export your contacts as a CSV from either Mailchimp or Brevo, and Groupmail's support team walks you through importing them. For Mailchimp specifically, see our how to switch from Mailchimp guide.

Which platform has better email deliverability? All three platforms maintain reasonable deliverability rates when used properly. Brevo reports deliverability rates around 87% according to EmailToolTester. Mailchimp benefits from its massive sending volume and established IP reputation. Groupmail manages email delivery on all plans — no DNS configuration, no SPF/DKIM setup, no third-party sending service to arrange. For most nonprofit newsletters, deliverability differences are marginal compared to list hygiene and content quality.

Is Mailchimp's free plan still worth using for nonprofits? For most nonprofits, no. Mailchimp's free plan was reduced in January 2026 to just 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. There's no automation, no scheduling, Mailchimp branding on every email, and support expires after 30 days. Even a small PTA or volunteer group will outgrow 250 contacts quickly. Groupmail's free plan offers 500 contacts and 1,000 emails per month with ongoing human support and templates included.

Conclusion

Mailchimp and Brevo are both capable marketing platforms — but neither was designed for the way most nonprofits actually work. Mailchimp's contact-based pricing penalizes list growth and charges for people who've unsubscribed. Brevo's send-based model sounds better on paper, but the Starter plan's contact cap and Enterprise-only nonprofit discount undercut the value proposition. For organizations that simply need to send updates to their members, Groupmail offers a clearer, simpler path.

Ready to send your first update? Start free with Groupmail — set up in 10 minutes, no credit card required. Built for organizations, not marketers.