Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: Which Email Marketing Platform is Better?

Let’s face it, email marketing can be a bit overwhelming. With so many platforms out there, it’s hard to know which one is the best fit for your business.

But fear not, because we’re about to break down two of the top players in the game – Klaviyo and Mailchimp. From their features and pricing to user-friendliness and customer support, we’ve got you covered.

Say goodbye to frustration and confusion with your email marketing strategy. Imagine having all your subscriber data organized in one place, personalized emails that convert, and a platform that grows with you as your business expands.

Don’t hesitate any longer! Read our post and make the right choice for your email automation! Finding the perfect email marketing platform has never been easier!

Brief Overview: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp

First, I’ll give you a quick overview of Klaviyo vs Mailchimp:

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a sophisticated email marketing automation platform designed primarily for e-commerce. It offers deep integration with e-commerce platforms, allowing for highly personalized and targeted email campaigns.

Its advanced segmentation and automation capabilities make it a powerful tool for driving sales and understanding customer behavior.

Key Selling Points:

• Deep integration for ecommerce businesses
• Advanced segmentation and personalization
• Robust automation features
• Detailed analytics and reporting
• Customizable email templates

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a user-friendly email marketing service known for its ease of use and wide range of features. It caters to businesses of all sizes, offering tools for email campaigns, automation, and audience segmentation.

Its drag-and-drop email builder and comprehensive marketing platform make it a popular choice for many businesses.

Key Selling Points:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Versatile drag-and-drop email builder
• Comprehensive marketing platform
• Broad third-party integrations
• Free plan available for small businesses

Quick Verdict: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp

Klaviyo stands out as a specialized tool for ecommerce businesses. Its strength lies in its deep integration with e-commerce platforms, allowing you to create highly personalized email campaigns based on customer behavior and purchase history.

This level of customization and targeting is unparalleled, making Klaviyo an essential tool for e-commerce marketing strategies. It’s not just about sending emails; it’s about sending the right email to the right person at the right time, backed by data.

In email marketing, Mailchimp is a jack of all trades. Its ease of use and comprehensive feature set make it an ideal choice for businesses of various sizes and industries. 

Whether you’re a startup or an established brand, Mailchimp’s versatile platform, including its intuitive drag-and-drop email builder and wide range of integrations, adapts to your needs. It’s the go-to solution for a reliable, all-in-one marketing platform that’s easy to master.

Product Overview: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp

What is it?

Klaviyo is a powerful email marketing platform specifically built for e-commerce businesses. It offers advanced features like segmentation, automation, and deep integration with various e-commerce platforms.

Mailchimp, on the other hand, is an all-in-one integrated marketing platform suitable for businesses of all sizes. It provides various features, including email marketing, automation, landing pages, and more.

Who is it for?

Klaviyo is perfect if you run an e-commerce store and require a more tailored approach to your email marketing efforts. With its robust features, it allows you to create personalized customer journeys based on detailed customer data.

Mailchimp is an excellent fit if you’re just starting with email marketing or managing a small to medium-sized business. Its user-friendly interface and versatile features make setting up and running effective marketing, especially email marketing campaigns, easy.

What makes it special?

Klaviyo sets itself apart with its deep integration with e-commerce platforms, allowing you to pull in data directly from your store. This means you can target your audience based on their shopping behavior, leading to more personalized messages and effective marketing.

Mailchimp stands out with its ease of use and versatility. With a wide range of templates and a drag-and-drop builder, creating professional-looking campaigns is a breeze. Plus, its comprehensive automation features save you time and effort.

What does it do?

Klaviyo works by integrating with your e-commerce platform and using the data to segment your audience. You can then set up automated emails and SMS workflows to send targeted emails based on specific triggers or events.

Mailchimp allows you to create and send emails, set up automated campaigns, build landing pages, and more. It also provides analytics so you can track the performance of your campaigns and make necessary adjustments.

Quick Comparison: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp

Key Features	Klaviyo	Mailchimp
#1) Pricing	Winner
#2) Free Plan	Winner
#3) Design & Functionality	Winner
#4) Building and Customizing Emails	Winner
#5) Email Deliverability	Tie	Tie
#6) Automated Email Responses	Tie	Tie
#7) A/B Testing	Winner
#8) Segmentation	Winner
#9) Landing Pages and Forms		Winner
#10) Online Behavior Tracking	Winner
#11) Reporting and Analytics		Winner
#12) Social Media Integration		Winner
#13) Lead Scoring and Grading		Winner
#14) Customer Support		Winner
Overall	Winner

Feature Comparison: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp

Let’s compare the features of these email marketing platforms so you can make the right decision for you and your business.

#1) Pricing

Regarding the Mailchimp account, pricing begins at $13 per month for the Essentials Plan. This plan allows you to send up to 5000 emails monthly. As your needs grow, consider the Standard and Premium Plans, which offer more advanced features, increased personalization options, and a higher email send limit.

On the other hand, Klaviyo’s pricing structure is based on the number of contacts in your list. The free plan is an excellent option for those who are just starting with a contact list of 1 to 250. If you need to reach a larger audience, prices start at $20 for email marketing for 251 to 500 contacts. However, remember that email and SMS services may increase your final cost.

Comparing the two, it’s clear that Klaviyo offers a more flexible pricing model, especially for businesses just starting to grow their email lists. While Mailchimp’s lowest tier is reasonably priced, Klaviyo’s free plan for smaller contact lists and its pay-as-you-grow model can be more cost-effective for certain businesses.

Verdict: For pricing, Klaviyo offers more flexibility and can be a more economical choice for businesses with smaller or growing contact lists.

#2) Free Plan

Mailchimp’s free plan offers a good starting point for small businesses or those new to email marketing. You can manage up to 500 contacts and send out 1,000 emails monthly, with a daily limit of 500 sends. This plan has many features, which can be incredibly beneficial for those just dipping their toes into email marketing.

Klaviyo, on the other hand, offers a free plan that allows for 500 monthly email sends and 150 free monthly SMS/MMS credits. This plan is available for your first 1000 contacts. It’s an excellent option if you want to utilize email and SMS marketing strategies without incurring extra costs.

When comparing the two email marketing software, Klaviyo’s free plan offers more value, especially if you’re interested in exploring SMS marketing alongside email marketing. Moreover, it allows for a larger contact list than Mailchimp’s free plan.

Verdict: Klaviyo provides more comprehensive services and a larger contact list allowance for the free plan, making it the better choice.

#3) Design & Functionality

Mailchimp, renowned for its user-friendly design, offers a wide range of pre-designed templates that make creating attractive emails a breeze, especially if you’re short on time or design skills. Its drag-and-drop editor is a standout feature, simplifying the email creation process.

Klaviyo’s interface is streamlined and intuitive, making navigating and setting up campaigns simple. Its robust design tools offer advanced email customization options, which can be particularly beneficial if you have specific branding requirements or want to create highly personalized content.

When comparing these platforms in terms of design and functionality, Klaviyo edges ahead due to its deeper customization capabilities and more advanced personalization options. While Mailchimp excels in simplicity and ease of use, Klaviyo offers flexibility for those who desire a more tailored approach to their email marketing strategies.

Verdict: Klaviyo is the superior choice for design and functionality due to its advanced features and strong focus on eCommerce.

#4) Building and Customizing Emails

Mailchimp makes building and customizing emails a breeze. You can access various pre-designed templates that can be easily customized to fit your brand’s aesthetic. The drag-and-drop email builder is intuitive, making it effortless to create professional-looking emails even if you lack design experience.

Meanwhile, Klaviyo takes email customization to another level. It provides a range of templates as well, but where it shines is its dynamic content feature. This lets you personalize emails based on the recipient’s behavior and preferences, enhancing engagement and improving conversion rates.

In comparing both Mailchimp and Klaviyo, although Mailchimp offers simplicity and ease, Klaviyo’s capacity for deep customization gives it an edge. The ability to tailor content to individual subscribers can dramatically improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns.

Verdict: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp for building and customizing emails? Klaviyo comes out ahead with its advanced personalization features.

#5) Email Deliverability

Email deliverability in Klaviyo is measured through real human engagement events such as opens, clicks, replies, forwards, or conversions. Klaviyo offers a centralized Deliverability hub that allows you to analyze and diagnose your email deliverability health at the account level. They also provide best practices to improve your email deliverability and a complete guide to understanding it.

Mailchimp also focuses on improving email deliverability. They offer tools and features to boost your emails’ chances of reaching the inbox. These include authentication tools, testing for spam filters, and comprehensive reporting that helps you understand your audience’s engagement and optimize accordingly.

Klaviyo and Mailchimp have vehemently tried to ensure high email deliverability rates. They provide comprehensive tools and resources to help you understand and improve your email deliverability. Therefore, a tie seems fair in this category.

Verdict: For Email Deliverability, it’s a tie between Klaviyo and Mailchimp.

#6) Automated Email Responses

Klaviyo’s automated email responses are designed to make your life easier. They have a selection of pre-built automation templates for common scenarios like the welcome series. Still, the real power comes from the ability to create custom workflows based on specific events, actions, or customer behaviors.

On the other hand, Mailchimp offers more pre-built automation. These range from basic welcome emails to more complex e-commerce workflows. The platform also supports trigger-based automation, helping you stay connected with your audience without extra effort.

It’s a close call between Klaviyo and Mailchimp regarding automated email responses. While Klaviyo offers more flexibility with its custom workflows, Mailchimp provides more pre-built options. It really depends on what you value more: customization or convenience.

Verdict: For automated email responses, it’s a tie – Klaviyo for flexibility and Mailchimp for ease of use.

#7) A/B Testing

A/B testing in Klaviyo is a powerful marketing tool for optimizing your email marketing. It allows you to test different versions of your emails to see which one performs better. You can create up to four variations, testing everything from subject lines to content and timing.

Mailchimp also offers A/B testing but with a more focused approach. They allow you to test different subject lines, content, and sender names. However, their testing is limited to three variations, which may not be as flexible as Klaviyo offers.

Regarding A/B testing, Klaviyo has the edge with its ability to create up to seven variations. This gives you more opportunities to test and optimize your emails. However, Mailchimp’s three variation limit may be more than enough if you’re looking for a simpler approach.

Verdict: For A/B Testing, Klaviyo takes the lead.

#8) Segmentation

In Klaviyo, segmentation is a breeze. You can segment your audience based on various factors, such as purchase behavior, browsing activity, and email engagement. This allows you to send highly targeted emails that resonate with your audience’s needs and preferences.

Mailchimp, too, offers segmentation options. You can categorize your audience based on demographics, engagement, and other custom fields. However, it doesn’t provide as much depth in terms of behavioral data as Klaviyo does.

When considering segmentation, Klaviyo offers a more detailed approach, allowing you to delve deeper into behavioral data. This can help you create more personalized and effective email campaigns. On the other hand, Mailchimp’s simpler approach may be sufficient if your segmentation needs are more straightforward.

Verdict: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp for segmentation? Klaviyo is the winner for its advanced capabilities.

#9) Landing Pages and Forms

Klaviyo offers a variety of form types, including pop-ups, flyouts, and embedded forms. While it doesn’t have a built-in landing page builder, you can integrate it with various landing page platforms. This allows you to create a cohesive customer journey from your landing page to your email campaigns.

In contrast, Mailchimp shines in this area with its landing page builder. You can easily create stunning landing pages that match your brand and integrate them seamlessly with your email campaigns. They also offer various form options, making capturing leads and growing your email list easy.

Mailchimp stands out with its integrated landing page builder for landing pages and forms. This makes it easier for you to create and manage everything in one place. However, if you already have a preferred landing page platform, Klaviyo’s flexibility may be more appealing.

Verdict: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp for landing pages and forms? Mailchimp takes the crown.

#10) Online Behavior Tracking and Predictive Analytics

Klaviyo offers advanced online behavior tracking and predictive analytics. This allows you to understand your audience’s online behaviors and preferences deeply. Klaviyo’s strength lies in its ability to use this data to predict future buyer behavior, which can be a game-changer in tailoring your marketing strategy.

Mailchimp also provides good online behavior tracking coupled with predictive analytics. While it might not dive as deep as Klaviyo in terms of granularity, it does an excellent job of giving you insights into your audience’s behavior and the potential impact on your marketing efforts.

When comparing their capabilities in online behavior tracking and predictive analytics, Klaviyo takes the lead for its more advanced and detailed approach. However, if you’re seeking a balance between functionality and simplicity, Mailchimp is still a very competent choice.

Verdict: For online behavior tracking and predictive analytics, it’s a close call, but Klaviyo edges out.

#11) Reporting and Analytics

Klaviyo’s reporting and analytics provide detailed insights, which are crucial for data-driven marketing strategies. However, this depth can be overwhelming if you’re unfamiliar with complex data analysis.

Some Mailchimp users found that the platform makes reporting and analytics approachable and easy to understand. The platform provides a comprehensive view of campaign performance, including essential metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and subscriber activity, all presented as user-friendly.

In terms of reporting and analytics, if your preference leans towards simplicity and ease of understanding without sacrificing essential insights, Mailchimp is the superior choice. It delivers the crucial data you need in a format that’s easy to interpret and use for improving your marketing efforts.

Verdict: For reporting and analytics, Mailchimp is the winner.

#12) Social Media Integration

Klaviyo integrates seamlessly with various social media platforms, enabling you to run targeted ad campaigns based on your email lists. It allows you to retarget your email subscribers on Facebook and Instagram, significantly increasing your reach and engagement.

In contrast, Mailchimp offers a broader suite of social media marketing features. You can create, launch, and track multi-channel campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, and Google. Plus, its built-in CRM helps you manage your audience data effectively across all these channels.

Regarding social media marketing, Mailchimp’s more comprehensive feature set makes it the superior choice. Not only does it cover more platforms, but it also provides a unified view of your audience data, making it easier for you to optimize your campaigns.

Verdict: For social media marketing, Mailchimp is the clear winner.

#13) Lead Scoring and Grading

Klaviyo offers an advanced approach to lead scoring and grading, leveraging its robust analytics capabilities. However, this sophistication might be more than needed for businesses seeking simplicity and straightforward tools.

Mailchimp, on the other hand, provides an accessible and user-friendly solution for lead scoring and grading. While it may not delve as deep into analytics as Klaviyo, its approach is sufficient for most businesses. The ease of understanding and implementation makes Mailchimp an excellent choice for those who need effective lead scoring without the complexity.

Considering the needs of most businesses for simplicity and direct applicability, Mailchimp’s approach to lead scoring and grading is more appealing. It balances functionality and user-friendliness, making it a suitable choice for businesses that want to efficiently grade and score leads without getting bogged down in overly complex data analysis.

Verdict: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp for lead scoring and grading? Mailchimp is the superior choice.

#14) Customer Support

Klaviyo provides customer support through various channels, including email and live chat support channels. Their support is known for being knowledgeable and helpful, particularly when addressing complex queries related to their advanced features. However, some users have noted that response times can vary.

Mailchimp, in contrast, is renowned for its extensive support options. It offers email support, live chat support, phone support, a comprehensive knowledge base, and community forums. The availability of diverse support channels and the quick response times make Mailchimp’s customer support highly accessible and reliable.

Regarding customer support, while Klaviyo offers solid assistance, Mailchimp stands out for its broader range of support options and more consistent response times. Mailchimp is excellent for those who value readily available and varied support resources.

Verdict: For customer support, Mailchimp is the better choice.

Final Thoughts on Klaviyo vs Mailchimp

In my experience analyzing and comparing email marketing platforms, Klaviyo and Mailchimp each have distinct strengths that cater to different needs.

Klaviyo excels with its advanced features, particularly in segmentation, automation, and predictive analytics. It’s the go-to choice for depth, customization, and detailed data analysis. The granularity of Klaviyo’s analytics is particularly beneficial for tailoring highly specific marketing strategies.

Mailchimp, on the other hand, is renowned for its user-friendly interface, making it a favorite for those who prioritize ease of use and simplicity. It offers a range of features suitable for most basic to intermediate email marketing needs, all wrapped in an intuitive design.

For those who require a sophisticated, data-driven approach and are comfortable navigating complex analytics, I recommend Klaviyo.

Its ability to delve deep into customer behavior and preferences provides a significant edge in creating targeted, effective marketing campaigns.

Try Klaviyo today for a comprehensive, feature-rich platform that aligns with ambitious marketing goals and leverages the power of subscriber data to its fullest.