Mailchimp cut its free plan to 250 contacts
It used to be 500 contacts and 1,000 sends a month. The daily limit halved too, so a single send to 250 contacts now uses a whole day.
| Free plan | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | 500 | 250 |
| Sends per month | 1,000 | 500 |
| Sends per day | 500 | 250 |
Mailchimp’s own wording from their plan-limits page, captured before and after the change.
What a paid plan costs, either way
If you have outgrown 250 contacts, this is the choice. Inbox Penny charges $0.0010 an email and nothing per month.
| Your list | Emails a year | Inbox PennyPay as you go. No monthly plans. | MailchimpEssentials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 6,000 | $12.00* | $156.00 |
| 1,000 | 12,000 | $12.00 | $318.00 |
| 2,500 | 30,000 | $30.00 | $540.00 |
| 5,000 | 60,000 | $60.00 | $900.00 |
At $0.0010 an email this row would be $6.00, but campaigns have a $1.00 minimum, so twelve small sends cost $12.00. The minimum stops applying above 1,000 contacts.
Cost for a year, sending to your whole list once a month. Competitor figures are their cheapest paid plan at the same list size, taken from their own pricing page on 5 September 2026 — Mailchimp.
Or work out your exact cost with the calculator.
Questions
Why is Inbox Penny so much cheaper than Mailchimp?
Mailchimp charges every month for the contacts you store, whether you email them or not. We charge $0.0010 for each email you actually send, and nothing in the months you send nothing. If you email your whole list most days the gap closes; if you send monthly or less, it is enormous.
Can I import my list from Mailchimp?
Yes. Export your contacts as a CSV and import it here — custom fields come across as attributes. You can also paste an existing email's HTML and have it rebuilt as an editable design.
Is there a contract, and does my credit expire?
No contract, no subscription, no minimum term, and credit does not expire. You load it when you want to, from $10.00 upward, and spend it when you send.
Will my emails still land in inboxes?
Deliverability follows your domain's reputation, not the platform. We sign every message with DKIM, align DMARC, suppress bounces and complaints automatically, and send one-click unsubscribe headers.
Last updated 5 September 2026.