Creating & Sending Campaigns
Sendinblue has a drag-and-drop form builder to create a newsletter template. With this function, it is easier and quicker to drag and drop the elements or use a pre-designed template. Mailchimp, on the other hand, makes sure you complete all the basic necessary steps when setting up a new campaign. However, some of their functions may not be included in the setup such as adding an opt-in for new sign-ups. This may not be user-friendly for complete beginners.
Design & Flexibility
Mailchimp offers more than 100 templates (they call it “themes”) that are mobile responsive. Sendinblue does not offer as many design choices as Mailchimp. However, if you are looking to customize your own template, you can simply copy and paste the HTML into their editor or import it from another account on Sendinblue’s platform using a shared URL. Sendinblue also has a new landing page builder which was created from customer feedback.
Forms Creation
Mailchimp does not actually have a registration form in their main navigation, you will have to navigate to the “Audience” tab. As for options, you can create an embedded form, a pop-up form or a landing page but it is not that user-friendly and their forms do not all appear to be mobile responsive. And when you have new subscribers, they can only be on one list or audience you choose or else you will be charged again. Sendinblue, on the other hand, directly allow pre-selection of the list(s) they want to be opted into, making the whole sign-up process a breeze.
Managing Subscribers
Both providers allow you to add contacts manually by uploading a.CSV containing basic contact information or by Microsoft exchange (third-party contact repository). Mailchimp’s dashboard lays out the steps very clearly for you: start by designing your first email, add your contacts and send your first email. With Sendinblue, you can use the data from a submission form to map the custom fields to their corresponding fields.
Pricing Plans
Whether you are just starting out or on a tight budget, Sendinblue and Mailchimp both offer free plans. There are more email marketing features that Sendinblue offers in their free plan while Mailchimp has lesser features on its free plan. Let’s compare their lowest-level to highest-level plans:
Sendinblue
Mailchimp
Free: 300 emails/day & unlimited contacts
Free: 10,000 emails/month & 2,000 contacts
Essentials start at S$15/month for 500 contacts
Premium starts at S$74.97/month for 20,000 emails & unlimited contacts
Standard starts at S$25/month for 500 contacts
Enterprise depends on the custom volume of emails
Premium starts at S$299/month for 10,000 contacts
Pricing plan for sendinblue & mailchimp as of 2021
From the table above, we can see that Sendinblue’s price plan has a better offer compared to Mailchimp’s as Sendinblue does not set a cap on contacts and instead charges per number of emails sent. This is a great option for small businesses who have a high number of contact but send one or two emails per month. Mailchimp offer a freemium and pay as you go plans but it may not be budget friendly for many marketers and small business owners if you are being charged for unsubscribed contacts and those who did not confirm opt-in.
Support
Mailchimp is already on the losing end here as you have to be upgraded to a paid account if you are looking for any support, but both providers offers offers knowledge base, email and live chat.
Tracking Campaigns
Both Sendinblue and Mailchimp have a reporting tab (known as “Statistics in Sendinblue) for you to see email performance such as open, clicks, bounces, unsubscribes, etc and other reports such as links clicked, geolocation and automation. Google Analytics integration are also available for both providers and you can track conversions. Sendinblue also differentiates Email Campaigns from SMS Campaigns. But Mailchimp has the upper hand here as they offer social and ecommerce data and Sendinblue does not.
Transactional Email Functionality
If you have a business that frequently send transactional emails such as shipping notifications or password resets, you should be aware that Mailchimp charges this function as a paid add-on on top of your monthly plan. Transactional emails often contain sensitive information and if you do not want them to end up in Junk or “Promotions” tab (if you are on Gmail), Sendinblue will be a better choice as it is part of your monthly plan via their SMTP server.
Feature Available
Sendinblue
Mailchimp
Email Marketing
Yes
Yes
Transactional Email
Yes
Paid Add-on
SMS Marketing
Yes
Require plugin
Transactional SMS
Yes
No
Marketing Automation
Yes
Yes
Free unlimited contacts
Yes
No
Email client testing
Yes
Yes
Advanced statistics
Yes
Yes
Email Support
Yes
Yes
Phone Support
From $65
From $299
Video Tutorials
Yes
Yes
Retrieved from https://www.sendinblue.com/mailchimp/
Conclusion
Both providers are some of the most reputable email service providers in the market today. Mailchimp offers a fairly generous free plan with easy-to-use email editor, however, Sendinblue does comes off as a more affordable provider that charges per email rather than per contact. Depending on your budget and requirements, you may want to deliberate further in order to come to the best decision for your business. Feel free to get in touch with us if you would like to find out more about Sendinblue to kickstart your email campaign!
