Customer.io vs Mailchimp
Both sit in email marketing. Here is how they differ on the things you can actually check.
On price: Mailchimp starts $87 a month cheaper than Customer.io ($13 against $100, 87% less) on its Essentials tier. Both figures were read from the vendors' own pricing pages on the dates shown below.
Customer.io
customer.io
Triggers messages from product events rather than lists — email, push, in-app and SMS driven by what a user actually did. Data-warehouse-friendly.
Mailchimp
mailchimp.com
One of the longest-running email marketing platforms. Campaign builder, audience segmentation, landing pages, basic automation journeys and a large template library. Owned by Intuit.
| Customer.io | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $100/mo | $13/mo |
| Entry plan | Essentials | Essentials |
| Paid annually | — | $13/mo |
| Price checked | 21 Sept 2026 | 21 Sept 2026 |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Free plan |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Category | Email Marketing | Email Marketing |
| Around since | 2012 | 2001 |
Every price here was read from the vendor's own pricing page, most recently on 21 Sept 2026. Entry tier only — vendors change pricing without notice.
Customer.io vs Mailchimp, answered
- Is Customer.io cheaper than Mailchimp?
- No — Mailchimp is the cheaper entry point, at $13 a month against Customer.io's $100, 87% less.
- Do Customer.io or Mailchimp have a free plan?
- Mailchimp publishes an ongoing free plan; Customer.io does not.
- What is the difference between Customer.io and Mailchimp?
- Customer.io: Triggers messages from product events rather than lists — email, push, in-app and SMS driven by what a user actually did. Data-warehouse-friendly. Mailchimp: One of the longest-running email marketing platforms. Campaign builder, audience segmentation, landing pages, basic automation journeys and a large template library. Owned by Intuit.
