AWeber vs Mailchimp comes down to what you value in an email platform: AWeber is the better fit for creators and small businesses that want straightforward email, a generous free plan and phone and chat support, while Mailchimp is the better fit for teams that want a broader marketing suite with websites, ads, social posting and a very large template and integration catalog. Both are long-running names, and neither is the cheapest option once a list grows.
On documented features and pricing, AWeber is typically reported as the simpler, more email-focused product with flat support access across paid plans, and Mailchimp as the wider platform whose price rises quickly with contact count. Sources disagree on a few exact prices, so verify current figures on both pricing pages before you commit.
If you are still deciding between many tools, our roundup of the best email marketing software for small business covers the wider field. This article is for the narrower question of these two.
How We Compared AWeber and Mailchimp
We compared the two using each vendor's public pricing and feature pages, third-party pricing trackers and patterns across verified user reviews. We did not send campaigns through either account, and we do not claim hands-on testing. The same four yardsticks apply to both: documented price at different list sizes, free plan limits, automation and template depth, and the support included at each tier.
Pricing and Free Plans: Compare at Your List Size
AWeber documents a free plan for up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 emails per month, with one list and one automation. Its paid tiers are reported at about $15 per month for Lite (about $12.50 on annual billing) and about $30 per month for Plus (about $20 on annual billing), starting at the smallest subscriber band. Mailchimp's free plan is reported at around 500 contacts in some sources and 250 contacts in others, with monthly send limits, and its paid Essentials and Standard plans are reported in a range of roughly $13 to $17 and $20 to $25 per month respectively at entry level.
Those entry prices sit close together, so the real difference appears as your list grows. Reviewers and pricing trackers consistently report that Mailchimp's cost climbs faster as contact counts rise, partly because it has historically counted contacts including unsubscribed or non-subscribed records depending on settings. Always read how each vendor counts contacts, and price out your list at its current size and at double.
| Factor | AWeber | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 500 subscribers, 3,000 emails per month | Reported 250 to 500 contacts with monthly send limits (verify current) |
| Entry paid plan | About $15 per month (Lite), verify current | About $13 to $17 per month (Essentials), verify current |
| Mid paid plan | About $30 per month (Plus), verify current | About $20 to $25 per month (Standard), verify current |
| Support | Phone and chat reported on paid plans | Support level varies by plan |
| Best known for | Email, autoresponders, creators | All-in-one marketing, templates, integrations |
| Main weakness | Less of a full marketing suite | Cost growth with list size, plan feature gating |
Features: Email Focus Against Full Marketing Suite
AWeber documents autoresponders, a drag-and-drop email builder, landing pages, tagging, segmentation and basic sales and product tools on paid plans. Its free and Lite tiers are limited in automation (the free plan has one automation), and Plus unlocks unlimited automations, advanced segmentation and removal of AWeber branding. The pattern in reviews is that AWeber does email reliably and plainly, with less visual polish than newer tools.
Mailchimp documents a wider set: a large template library, audience segmentation, customer journey automations, landing pages and websites, social posting, ads and a big integration directory. Reviewers often like the breadth, and often complain that useful features such as advanced automation or A/B testing sit on higher plans, and that the interface has grown busy.
Support and Deliverability
AWeber is often praised for human support, with phone and chat documented on paid plans in several sources, though details vary by plan and region so confirm what your tier includes. Mailchimp support depends on plan, and free users are largely directed to self-service help. Neither vendor can guarantee inbox placement, and deliverability depends on your list quality, sending reputation and authentication setup. We have no measurement to claim one delivers better, and anyone who gives you a percentage without a named source should be treated with caution.
Automation, Segmentation and Landing Pages
Automation is where the plans diverge most. AWeber's free plan allows a single automation, so a welcome email sequence is possible but a full set of behavior-based journeys is not. Paid tiers widen that, and Plus is documented as removing the limits on automations and adding richer segmentation. Mailchimp documents customer journeys with branching logic, but reviewers often point out that its more advanced automations and testing tools sit on the Standard plan and above.
Both platforms include landing page builders. AWeber's is documented as available on its plans including free in limited form, and Mailchimp offers landing pages and a basic website builder across plans with differing limits. For a small business that only wants to collect sign-ups and send a monthly newsletter, either is enough, and the extra features of the larger suite will go unused. That is worth saying plainly, because paying for breadth you do not need is the most common way small senders overspend.
Who Should Pick Which
Choose AWeber if you mostly send newsletters and autoresponder sequences, want to talk to a person when something breaks, and prefer a plainer tool. Choose Mailchimp if you want one platform for email plus landing pages, social and ads, rely on integrations, or want its template depth. Teams that expect a list well beyond a few thousand contacts should price a third option too, since several newer tools undercut both at scale. Our related guides for specific use cases will help if neither feels right.
If you decide to switch later, both platforms document export of subscriber lists as CSV files, though automations, templates and reporting history rarely move across, so plan to rebuild those. Keep a copy of your consent records and unsubscribe list when you export, so you do not re-email people who opted out. For AWeber, start at its official site to confirm current plans.
The bottom line: pick AWeber for simple, support-friendly email and a generous free plan, pick Mailchimp for a wider marketing suite and template depth, and price both at your expected list size before you commit.
