SendervsMailchimp

Sender vs Mailchimp

Budget-friendly newcomer vs established marketing platform

TL;DR

Sender offers a generous free tier (2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails) and SMS marketing at lower prices. Mailchimp is the established leader with 300+ integrations and comprehensive marketing features. Choose Sender for budget-conscious email + SMS. Choose Mailchimp for ecosystem and advanced marketing.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Free Tier Generosity
Sender wins

Sender offers 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails free vs Mailchimp's 500 subscribers and 1,000 emails. For startups testing email marketing, Sender's free tier is far more useful.

Ecosystem & Integrations
Mailchimp wins

Mailchimp has 300+ integrations built over years. It connects to virtually every tool. Sender has fewer integrations and less ecosystem depth.

SMS Marketing
Sender wins

Sender includes native SMS marketing. Mailchimp's SMS is limited and costs extra. For email + SMS from one platform, Sender is more complete.

Advanced Features
Mailchimp wins

Mailchimp offers more sophisticated automation, social media posting, website builder, and advanced analytics. Sender covers basics well but has less depth.

Value for Money
Sender wins

Sender costs significantly less at 10k subscribers (~$50 vs $130). Combined with SMS inclusion and generous free tier, Sender offers better value for budget-conscious teams.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

Sender
~$50/month

Standard plan, email + SMS capabilities, 1600+ templates.

Visit Sender
Mailchimp
$130/month

Standard plan, full features, social media, advanced automation.

Visit Mailchimp
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Sender
Mailchimp
Sequenzy
Pricing & Free Tier
Free Plan Subscribers
2,500 subscribers
500 subscribers
None
Free Plan Emails
15,000/month
1,000/month
None
10k Contacts Cost
~$50/month
$130/month
$49/month
Price Transparency
Clear pricing
Can be complex
Simple
Email Features
Template Library
1600+ templates
Large library
Component library
Email Builder
Drag-and-drop
Comprehensive
Visual builder
A/B Testing
Automation Workflows
Good
Advanced
SaaS-focused
Marketing Channels
SMS Marketing
Built-in
Limited, extra cost
Social Media
Posting, ads
Landing Pages
Website Builder
E-commerce & Integrations
Shopify Integration
Deep integration
WooCommerce
Total Integrations
Limited
300+
SaaS-focused
API Quality
Good
Comprehensive
Modern
SaaS Features
Stripe Integration
Via Zapier
Native OAuth
Subscription Events
Native
Transactional Email
Via Mandrill
Via Mandrill
Built-in

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Sender if you...
  • Budget-conscious startups and SMBs
  • Teams needing email + SMS together
  • E-commerce stores on tight budgets
  • Businesses starting with email marketing
  • Companies wanting generous free tier
Choose Mailchimp if you...
  • Businesses needing extensive integrations
  • Teams wanting comprehensive marketing
  • Companies requiring social media tools
  • Established businesses with complex needs
  • Organizations already in Mailchimp ecosystem
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies needing Stripe integration
  • Subscription businesses
  • Software companies wanting unified email
  • Teams seeking modern SaaS-specific features

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Specific Needs

Neither Sender nor Mailchimp has native Stripe integration. Sequenzy is built for SaaS with subscription-aware automation, MRR tracking, and trial conversion flows.

Unified Transactional + Marketing

Both Sender and Mailchimp require separate services for transactional email. Sequenzy includes both in one platform with consistent branding and unified analytics.

Similar Pricing, SaaS Focus

At $49/month for 10k subscribers, Sequenzy costs similar to Sender but with SaaS-specific features like churn prevention and upgrade triggers that neither platform offers.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Sender and Mailchimp both offer email marketing but with different value propositions. Sender emphasizes affordability with a generous free tier and native SMS. Mailchimp offers comprehensive marketing with extensive integrations. See our Mailchimp comparison for more context.

Free Tier Comparison

Sender's free plan is genuinely generous: 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month. Mailchimp's free plan offers only 500 subscribers and 1,000 emails. For startups and small businesses testing email marketing, Sender's free tier goes much further.

Budget vs Ecosystem

At 10,000 subscribers, Sender costs around $50/month vs Mailchimp's $130/month. That is a significant difference. However, Mailchimp offers 300+ integrations while Sender has fewer. The tradeoff is cost vs ecosystem breadth.

SMS Marketing

Sender includes native SMS marketing in its platform. Mailchimp's SMS is limited and costs extra. For businesses wanting email + SMS from one dashboard, Sender is more practical and cost-effective.

E-commerce Capabilities

Both integrate with Shopify and WooCommerce, but Mailchimp's e-commerce features are more mature. Product recommendations, advanced abandoned cart flows, and deeper analytics favor Mailchimp for serious e-commerce operations.

Template Library

Sender boasts 1600+ email templates - one of the largest libraries available. Mailchimp also has extensive templates. Both provide plenty of options for most email marketing needs.

When Mailchimp is Worth It

Mailchimp makes sense when you need extensive integrations, social media posting, website building, or advanced automation. The ecosystem justifies the price for businesses with complex marketing needs.

For SaaS Companies

Neither platform is built for SaaS specifically. Both lack native Stripe integration for subscription businesses. Sequenzy offers Stripe integration with subscription-aware automation at similar pricing to Sender but with features designed for software businesses.

Making the Choice

Choose Sender for budget-friendly email + SMS with a generous free tier. Choose Mailchimp for comprehensive marketing with extensive integrations. For SaaS companies needing subscription-aware automation, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Sender's free plan includes 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails per month with core features. This is 5x more subscribers than Mailchimp's free tier.

Sender has native SMS marketing included. Mailchimp has limited SMS that costs extra. For combined email + SMS, Sender is more straightforward and affordable.

Yes. Sender has good deliverability and has been around since 2012. It powers email for over 180,000 businesses. It is a legitimate platform, not a new startup.

Mailchimp offers more features (social media, website builder, advanced automation, 300+ integrations) and has higher operational costs. You pay for the ecosystem and brand.

Sender integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce for basic e-commerce automation. Mailchimp's e-commerce features are more advanced with deeper integrations and product recommendations.

Sender has 1600+ templates - a very large library. Mailchimp also has many templates. Both offer good variety for most use cases.

For small businesses on a budget, Sender offers more value with its generous free tier and lower paid pricing. Mailchimp is better if you need specific integrations or advanced marketing features.

Yes. Mailchimp counts all contacts including unsubscribed toward your plan limit. This can inflate costs. Sender is more straightforward with subscriber counting.

Export your audience from Mailchimp as CSV. Import into Sender with field mapping. Recreate your automation workflows - they will be simpler in Sender. Consider that some integrations may not be available.

Export subscribers from Sender. Import into Mailchimp. Connect your integrations and rebuild automations. You will gain access to more features but expect higher costs at scale.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com