SmartChat vs. Mailchimp
SmartChat vs. Mailchimp.
SmartChat vs. Mailchimp: Mailchimp's pricing page and SmartChat's information differ in automations, price structure and extra costs. SmartChat has four plans from €0 to €999 per month, no add-ons and no minimum term. Mailchimp lists the plans Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium and points to extra costs if a contact or send limit is exceeded. As of: 02.11.2026.
The rows that are documented for both.
The information about Mailchimp comes from Mailchimp's pricing page, retrieved on 02.11.2026. No further rows are in the table because they have not been checked for Mailchimp.
| SmartChat | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Automations | Free 1, Starter 1 (the fixed double opt-in automation), Basic 3, Pro unlimited; in Basic and Pro, SmartChat builds your automation | Standard and Premium: "Up to 200 flows"; Essentials: up to 4 flow steps; Free: not included |
| Plans per month | Free 0 €, Starter 299 €, Basic 499 €, Pro 999 € | Free €0, Essentials €11.73, Standard €18.05, Premium €315.88. The pricing page says "€11.73/month for 12 months" and then lists "starts at" prices. No tax information is given there. |
| Free plan | Free: €0, no time limit, no credit card | Free: €0 |
| Add-ons, setup and extra costs | No add-ons, no setup fee, no markup per message; you pay Meta fees directly to Meta | Pricing page: "Overages apply if contact or email send limit is exceeded." |
| term and cancellation | No minimum term, no lock-in; cancel anytime, up to 1 hour before the payment is taken | Pricing page: "Cancel or downgrade to our Essentials or basic Free plans at any time." |
Quotes from Mailchimp are in English, exactly as they appear on the pricing page.
Who fits what.
The two providers are built differently. The points below are documented features, not a verdict.
SmartChat features
- Sending without credits. Newsletters, follow-ups and automations cost no credits.
- A fixed price with no extras. There are no add-ons, no setup fee and no extra charge per message.
- Consent built in. The double opt-in runs automatically, and you can download each contact's proof of consent with date, time and sign-up channel as a PDF.
- Win contacts in every plan. Landing page, website popup, click-to-WhatsApp button and QR code are included even in Free.
- Servers in Germany and unsubscribing via STOP. Contacts unsubscribe with the word STOP.
Mailchimp features
- A Free plan. Free costs €0. According to the pricing page, automations are not included there.
- Many workflows in the higher plans. Standard and Premium list "Up to 200 flows".
- An entry price for the first 12 months. Essentials costs €11.73 per month. The pricing page says "€11.73/month for 12 months".
- A Premium plan. Premium is listed on the pricing page at €315.88 per month.
- Cancelling or switching to a smaller plan. According to the pricing page, both are possible at any time.
What the plans cost.
The plans are built differently, so the information is listed separately. All amounts are in euros per month.
Mailchimp plans
Mailchimp lists four plans. The pricing page says: "€11.73/month for 12 months" and then lists "starts at" prices. No tax information is given on the page. If a limit is exceeded, this applies: "Overages apply if contact or email send limit is exceeded."
| Free | Essentials | Standard | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | 0 € | 11,73 € | 18,05 € | 315,88 € |
| Automations | Not included | Up to 4 flow steps | Up to 200 flows | Up to 200 flows |
SmartChat plans
SmartChat's four plans each have a fixed price. If you pay 3 months in advance, you save 24%, and if you pay 12 months in advance, you save 37%. Credits are used by SmartChat AI, the emergency WhatsApp message and domain purchases. They never expire.
| Free | Starter | Basic | Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | 0 € | 299 € | 499 € | 999 € |
| Price per month when paying 3 months in advance | 0 € | 227 € | 379 € | 759 € |
| Price per month when paying 12 months in advance | 0 € | 188 € | 314 € | 629 € |
| Automations | 1 | 1 | 3 | Unlimited |
| Credits per month | 500 one-time | 3.000 | 6.000 | 12.000 |
| team seats | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
Meta fees
Meta's fees for WhatsApp go directly from your Meta account to Meta. SmartChat adds nothing on top.
Fits less well, when.
At SmartChat
- You want to send messages through a channel other than WhatsApp. SmartChat only sends via WhatsApp.
- You need several automations of your own on the Starter plan. The one automation in Starter is the fixed double opt-in automation. Your own automations are available from Basic, where SmartChat builds them for you on request.
With Mailchimp
- You want to use automations in the free plan. According to the pricing page, Free includes no automations.
- You want to know the price for certain after the first 12 months. The pricing page then lists "starts at" prices.
- You want to rule out extra costs. The pricing page says: "Overages apply if contact or email send limit is exceeded."
FAQ about SmartChat and Mailchimp.
How does SmartChat differ from Mailchimp?
According to the public information, the two differ in automations, price structure and extra costs. SmartChat has no add-ons. On its pricing page, Mailchimp lists flows, plans with prices for the first 12 months and extra costs if limits are exceeded.
How much does Mailchimp cost per month?
Mailchimp lists Free for €0, Essentials for €11.73, Standard for €18.05 and Premium for €315.88 per month. The pricing page says: "€11.73/month for 12 months" and then lists "starts at" prices. No tax information is given there. As of: 02.11.2026.
How much does SmartChat cost compared with Mailchimp?
The SmartChat plans cost €0 (Free), €299 (Starter), €499 (Basic) and €999 (Pro) per month. If you pay 3 months in advance, you get 24% off, and with 12 months in advance 37%. See Pricing.
How many automations are included in Mailchimp and in SmartChat?
Mailchimp lists "Up to 200 flows" in Standard and Premium, up to 4 flow steps in Essentials, and no automations in Free. SmartChat has 1 automation in Free, 1 in Starter, 3 in Basic and unlimited in Pro.
What extra costs does Mailchimp have?
Mailchimp's pricing page says: "Overages apply if contact or email send limit is exceeded." SmartChat has no add-ons, no setup fee and no surcharge per message. You pay the Meta fees directly to Meta.
Can I cancel Mailchimp at any time?
Mailchimp's pricing page says: "Cancel or downgrade to our Essentials or basic Free plans at any time." As of: 02.11.2026. With SmartChat, you can cancel up to 1 hour before the payment is taken, and there is no notice period.
Does SmartChat tie me to a contract term?
No, there is no minimum term and no commitment. After you cancel, you can keep using the time you paid for. There is no refund. If you change plans, the new plan applies immediately and the remaining time is credited.
How does SmartChat get contacts' consent?
Anyone who signs up through a landing page or popup confirms automatically in WhatsApp (double opt-in). For each contact, there is the proof of consent with date, time and method as a PDF. Unconfirmed contacts do not receive newsletters or follow-ups.
Do both have a free plan?
Yes, both list a Free plan for €0. With SmartChat, Free has no time limit and needs no credit card, with 100 messages and 500 credits one time only. With Mailchimp, automations are not included in Free according to the pricing page.
How many contacts can I store with SmartChat?
Contacts are unlimited in every plan, including Free. You can import and export contacts. Messages per month differ by plan: 3,000 in Starter, 6,000 in Basic and unlimited in Pro.
How up to date is this comparison with Mailchimp?
The information about Mailchimp comes from Mailchimp's pricing page, retrieved on 02.11.2026. Prices and features may change later. SmartChat, one of the two providers, publishes this page. If you found an error, write to us via Contact.
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Last updated: By SmartChat Team