Klaviyo vs Mailchimp vs beehiiv: The Ultimate Email Marketing Showdown

For brands to receive the full benefit of email marketing — such as the number-one return on investment for any marketing channel — they need the right partner. The market for email marketing services is crowded, and the competition between Klaviyo vs Mailchimp is fierce.  How can you choose the right one for your business?

This comprehensive review covers the pros and cons of three top email marketing platforms to help you decide on the best option. In addition to Mailchimp vs Klaviyo, we'll cover the scrappy new kid on the block — beehiiv.

Whether you’re an e-commerce store, a creator, a local service business, or a different type of brand, we’ll help you find the best partner for you.

Mailchimp vs Klayvio at a Glance

Mailchimp offers extensive, user-friendly features but trails Klaviyo in customization, advanced segmentation, and analytics. On the other hand, Klaviyo requires a steeper learning curve and is more expensive. Both have a limited free plan. 

beehiiv lacks some of the multichannel marketing functions offered by Mailchimp and Klaviyo such as an SMS marketing add-on. On the other hand, the platform offers better tools for organic growth such as a built-in referral program.

For budget-conscious marketers, beehiiv offers the most affordable premium plan, and its free plan allows brands up to 2500 subscribers and unlimited sends, making it the largest free plan by a wide margin.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of Klaviyo vs. Mailchimp vs. beehiiv:

Klaviyo Overview

Klaviyo specializes in turning customer data into tailored marketing strategies, helping you to personalize each interaction. Sophisticated AI, extensive integrations, and detailed analytics have made Klaviyo a popular choice for direct-to-consumer brands looking to customize every touchpoint.

On the other hand, Klaviyo vs Mailchimp Reddit threads highlight the lack of customer support.  Other reviewers note the platform’s level of difficulty, which makes it best for expert email marketers. Others may need to go through a long, self-directed sequence of tutorials. 

Customers pay for its advanced features. For someone (like me), who works in email marketing, the price tag may be worth it. But if you're considering Klaviyo, ensure you have the expertise or time necessary to take full advantage of its tools.

Klaviyo Features

Klaviyo’s features best suit brands that prioritize detailed data and the ability to automate data-driven strategies.

Its high points include:

• A visual flow builder: Drag-and-drop elements create complex marketing automation sequences and intricate customer journeys.

• E-commerce integrations: Klaviyo is built for e-commerce and integrates with the biggest e-commerce platforms, including Woo, Shopify, and Square. Klaviyo then provides elements such as dynamic product recommendations and communication tailored according to each customer's latest purchase.

• AI and predictive analytics: With a blend of customer behavior and predictive analytics, brands can anticipate customer needs, tailor their emails to match upcoming actions and provide a more personalized customer experience.

• Customer Data Platform (CDP): As a separate, independently priced service, Klaviyo offers one of the best-in-class CDPs.  The platform excels at collecting and organizing customer data across various touchpoints. 

MailChimp Overview

Mailchimp is the most well-known email marketing service. Perfect for the less technically inclined, Mailchimp offers a user-friendly platform where small businesses and content creators can easily build and manage their marketing campaigns.

It offers a playful brand persona and integrates with a long list of business and creative tools such as Yelp and Canva.

However, some Mailchimp users feel frustrated due to the complicated and occasionally unclear pricing model. Setting up automated campaigns can also be a hassle. From my experience with Mailchimp, I find the process clunky.

As for people looking for a free plan, they should take a closer look at the details. Mailchimp has increasingly restricted its free plan. For example, it now allows users to have only 500 subscribers and to send 1,000 emails a month, half of its former numbers. 

Mailchimp Features

Mailchimp makes email marketing approachable. Through its platform, users can access a range of features including:

• Email templates: Mailchimp provides hundreds of options, more than the other two, and an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor.

• A multichannel campaign manager: This tool enables the creation and management of various marketing projects from a central location.

• An all-in-one solution: Mailchimp casts a wide net with its marketing platform. Higher-level plans provide access to paid advertising, social media scheduling, and even direct mail. Websites, transactional email, and SMS marketing are also available but priced individually.

• A massive database: Mailchimp leverages its years in the business, crunching the numbers to provide AI-driven insights and suggestions. So people can take advantage of what’s worked for past users and use it in their current email marketing efforts. 

beehiiv Overview

beehiiv is the newest platform of the three, but it's carving out its niche as a robust but affordable email marketing tool and newsletter platform.

beehiiv focuses on creators and equips them with the tools they need to build and scale a newsletter from the ground up. 

Our users love it!  beehiiv fans praise the platform's ease of use, comprehensive growth tools, and website hosting.

Potential cons? When it comes to beehiiv vs. Mailchimp, beehiiv doesn’t have as many integrations as the other two services. It also lacks a mobile app, which may deter people who like to compose on the move.

beehiiv Features

Some of beehiiv's most popular features include:

• Advanced newsletter analytics: Track and improve subscriber engagement and campaigns. beehiiv's 3D analytics offer a holistic view of your newsletter's performance with 3D analytics, and native one-click polls allow you to collect feedback seamlessly.

• Subscriber growth tools: Scale your brand with customizable sign-up forms, in-platform recommendations, and an impressive referral program. Audience segmentation features also improve your targeted outreach and retention.

• Monetization capabilities: Monetize your work. beehiiv supports the monetization of newsletters through paid subscriptions and a native ad network, allowing content creators to generate revenue from their publications.

Email Marketing: Mailchimp vs Klaviyo vs beehiiv

Winner: It depends.

The best choice depends on your business size and marketing objectives. Klaviyo has more sophisticated tools and better automation, while Mailchimp covers more channels.

Both serve small businesses, but Klaviyo primarily benefits e-commerce stores while Mailchimp is more versatile. Mailchimp is also easier to use, which makes it a good choice for businesses new to email marketing.

beehiiv is the best choice for solopreneurs, creators, and brands who rely on frequent email communication but need a free plan.

E-Commerce Integration: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp vs beehiiv

Winner: Klaviyo

Klaviyo takes this category.  It provides in-depth e-commerce analytics with user activity tracking and customer lifetime value, plus the ability to segment users based on past purchases.

Everything about Klaviyo is geared toward e-commerce. From the moment you create your account, the platform suggests that you link to one of fifteen listed e-commerce platforms.

Mailchimp also has strong e-commerce integrations, but it lacks Klaviyo's seamless automation. beehiiv, on the other hand, has an impressive suite of automation but doesn't integrate with as many platforms.

beehiiv vs Klaviyo vs Mailchimp for Shopify

Winner: Klaviyo wins the Klaviyo vs Mailchimp Shopify showdown, but a choice between Klaviyo and beehiiv for Shopify users may depend on your budget.

All three brands provide Shopify integrations. The Shopify app store's Mailchimp reviews rate it as mediocre, while its Klaviyo reviews are generally positive.

The most frequent complaint about Klaviyo is the price tag, so brands watching the budget might want to try easy-on-the-wallet beehiiv as an alternative.

Automation and Segmentation: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp vs beehiiv

Winner: beehiiv.

While Klaviyo offers truly impressive automation and segmentation to its e-commerce clientele, beehiiv wins this category due to its user-friendliness and versatility.

With beehiiv, you can automate audience segmentation, having the service sort your subscribers into data-based cohorts. 

Mailchimp's automation is described as clunky, while Klaviyo is best suited to experienced email marketers. 

Analytics and Reporting: Mailchimp vs Klaviyo vs beehiiv:

Winner: It depends on what you want to measure.

All three platforms offer robust analytics and reporting, but Klaviyo's AI-driven predictive analytics go the extra mile to help ecommerce stores stay ahead of the curve with tailored product recommendations.

On the other hand, beehiiv offers granular insight into the way that your audience interacts with your content. You can examine your results by posts or by subscribers, allowing you to identify your most profitable acquisition channels as well as your most popular emails.

Email Deliverability: Klaviyo vs Mailchimp vs beehiiv

Winner: beehiiv

It doesn't matter how good your email is if it never arrives in the inbox. Email deliverability measures the percentage of your sends that reach their intended recipients.

beehiiv wins with an impressive 98% deliverability rate. Third-party evaluators find that only 75% of Mailchimp sends land in the primary inbox. Klaviyo also has a known problem with emails going to spam.

Your Priorities, Your Choice

When it comes to email marketing, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Data-driven e-commerce businesses may prefer Klaviyo, while Mailchimp would better suit brick-and-mortar local services. beehiiv fits content-focused industries, marketers, and anyone trying to grow their audience.

The ultimate decision depends on your priorities and comfort level with email marketing tools. Take advantage of free plans or trials to make sure you like the way the platform handles before you commit.

If it turns out you're not a fan, don't worry. It's relatively simple to make a change. For example, you can migrate from Mailchimp to beehiiv in three easy steps.

Build Your Brand with beehiiv

You could give Klaviyo or Mailchimp a try, but beehiiv is ideal if you want to prioritize content and community growth. It offers better growth and monetization tools while remaining beginner-friendly.

So ask yourself if you should switch from Mailchimp to beehiiv (or from Klaviyo to beehiiv). You deserve best-in-class customer service, deliverability, and opportunities to grow.

Sign up for a free beehiiv account and experience the difference.

Klaviyo vs MailChimp: Frequently Asked Questions 

What are the main strengths of Klaviyo compared to Mailchimp?

Klaviyo excels in personalized customer data analysis, advanced automation, and e-commerce integration.

What are the main strengths of Mailchimp compared to Klaviyo?

Mailchimp is better suited for beginning marketers looking for an all-in-one platform with a user-friendly interface.

How do Klaviyo and Mailchimp handle customer data management and segmentation?

Both platforms offer data management and segmentation features, but Klaviyo has more advanced options for personalized customer data analysis. The company also offers a full CDP for brands interested in adding the service.

How user-friendly is Klaviyo for beginners compared to Mailchimp?

Klaviyo has a steeper learning curve compared to Mailchimp, and many users find themselves overwhelmed by advanced features.

Why Trust Us

I regularly use and write on email marketing services and have published many related bylined articles. As for beehiiv, the newsletter platform emerged to answer the need for a growth-focused newsletter and email marketing service.