Mailchimp is the email tool most small businesses try first. It is well known, it has plenty of templates, and it works. The problem starts when your list grows. The free plan is small, the bill rises with every contact you add, and features you need often sit on a higher plan. The short answer is this. For most UK small businesses, Brevo or MailerLite will do the job for less money. Kit suits creators and coaches. ActiveCampaign suits businesses that want deeper automation. Omnisend suits online shops. There is no single best alternative. The right one depends on your list size, how often you send, and what you want the tool to do. This guide compares seven alternatives on price, free plans, automation and UK compliance. It also explains how to switch without losing subscribers. Prices change often, so treat every figure here as a guide and check the vendor page before you buy.
Why businesses leave Mailchimp
The first reason is cost. Mailchimp charges by contact count. Every subscriber on your list pushes the bill up, even if they never open an email. A list of past customers can cross the free limit fast. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts and up to 500 sends a month, based on Mailchimp published plan details checked in late October 2026 guides. That is fine for a brand new list. It is tight for a trading business with a few hundred past customers.
The second reason is pricing in dollars. Mailchimp shows prices in US dollars on its UK page, so the pound figure on your card can move with the exchange rate. Tools that bill in pounds, such as Brevo, make budgeting simpler.
The third reason is fit. Mailchimp tries to do everything. If you only send a monthly newsletter, you may pay for features you never touch. If you want advanced automation, you may find the good features sit on a pricier plan. A simpler or more focused tool can be a better match.
None of this makes Mailchimp a bad tool. It makes it a tool worth comparing before you renew or upgrade.
What to look for in an alternative
Start with how the tool charges. Some charge by contact count. Some charge by emails sent. If you have a large list but send rarely, a send based plan such as Brevo can be far cheaper. If you send often to a small list, a contact based plan may suit you better.
Next, check automation. Can you build a welcome sequence, a follow up series and a simple abandoned basket email without paying for the top plan? For many small businesses, automation matters more than fancy templates.
Then check templates and the editor. A drag and drop editor saves time. So does a good set of starter templates for your kind of business.
Check integrations too. Does the tool connect with your website, your shop and your booking system? A tool that cannot talk to your shop will cost you time every week.
Check support and data location. UK based support helps when something breaks before a big send. Data location matters for UK GDPR, which we cover below.
Finally, check the free plan properly. A free plan that caps sends at a low daily limit may not suit a business that sends one big monthly campaign. A free plan that allows many subscribers but few sends may suit a creator who sends weekly to a small list.
The 7 alternatives compared
1. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo is the strongest budget pick for most UK small businesses. It charges by emails sent, not by list size, so a large list you email rarely stays cheap. Its free plan allows 300 emails a day. Its Starter plan was listed at 6 pounds a month for 5,000 emails a month on Brevo UK pricing pages checked in October 2026, with VAT not clearly stated, so check the checkout total before you commit. Brevo includes automation, SMS campaigns, a CRM and live chat. It bills in pounds by default on its UK page. It is a French company with a strong European presence, which many UK businesses prefer for data protection reasons. The trade off is that removing Brevo branding from free emails costs extra, and prices rise as your send volume rises. Best for: small businesses sending regular newsletters and offers on a budget.
2. MailerLite
MailerLite is the closest budget alternative to Mailchimp in feel. It has a clean drag and drop editor, simple automation and good templates. Its free plan covers up to 250 subscribers, based on late October 2026 comparison checks. Paid plans are priced in dollars or euros, so watch the exchange rate. MailerLite suits businesses that want Mailchimp style simplicity without the Mailchimp price curve. Its automation covers welcome sequences, triggers and simple workflows. It is less strong for deep ecommerce automation than Omnisend or ActiveCampaign. Best for: small businesses and freelancers who want simple, cheap email marketing.
3. Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Kit is built for creators, coaches and small brands that sell digital products or courses. Its free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, the widest free list in this guide. That makes it a strong starting point for a growing newsletter. The catch is that the paid Creator plan is needed for unlimited automations and sequences and for removing Kit branding. Paid pricing is in US dollars. If you run a shop, Kit is not the best fit. If your newsletter is the product, Kit is hard to beat. Best for: creators, coaches and newsletter led businesses.
4. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign has the deepest automation builder in this guide. You can build multi step workflows based on behaviour, tags and purchases. It suits businesses that sell through automation, such as service firms with a nurture sequence or shops with post purchase flows. There is no generous free plan. You get a trial, then you pay. That makes it a poor choice if you only send an occasional newsletter. It is a strong choice once email drives real revenue and you need automation that just works. Best for: growing businesses that want serious automation.
5. GetResponse
GetResponse is an all rounder with email, automation, landing pages and webinars in one login. It suits businesses that want to run campaigns and simple funnels without buying three separate tools. Its pricing is contact based, so clean your list before you move. Check the plan carefully, because automation depth varies by plan. GetResponse is worth shortlisting if you also want landing pages and webinar tools from the same supplier. Best for: small businesses that want email plus landing pages in one tool.
6. Omnisend
Omnisend is built for online shops. It connects deeply with Shopify and WooCommerce, and it handles abandoned basket emails, product recommendations and post purchase flows well. Its free plan covers 250 contacts, and paid plans were listed from around 16 dollars a month in October 2026 comparisons. If you do not run a shop, Omnisend is probably more tool than you need. If you do run a shop, it is one of the closest ecommerce focused alternatives to Klaviyo, at a lower starting price. Best for: online shops, especially on Shopify.
7. EmailOctopus
EmailOctopus is a low cost, no fuss option for high volume newsletters. It is popular with businesses and charities that send to large lists and want a simple tool at a low price. It keeps the feature set focused, so it suits teams that do not need deep automation. Check its current free tier and paid limits before you commit, because low cost tools often change limits as they grow. If your needs are simple, EmailOctopus can save real money against a contact based bill. Best for: newsletters and large lists on a tight budget.
UK compliance: GDPR and PECR consent
A platform change alone does not make your marketing compliant. Your permission basis, your privacy information and your supplier arrangements still need review. That said, the tool you choose affects how easy compliance is.
Under UK GDPR, you need a lawful basis to process subscriber data. For most email marketing, that means consent, or the soft opt-in for existing customers. The soft opt-in lets you email existing customers about similar products or services, as long as you gave them a clear chance to opt out when you collected their details and in every message since. It does not cover bought lists or strangers.
Under PECR, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, you must not send marketing emails to individuals without consent or a valid soft opt-in, and every message must include a working unsubscribe option. Keep a suppression list of people who opted out, and never email them again from any tool.
Before you choose, ask these questions. Does the platform support double opt-in forms? Does it record consent and keep an audit trail? Does it offer a data processing agreement? Where is subscriber data stored, and does the supplier transfer data outside the UK? EU based hosting, as offered by Brevo and other European platforms, can simplify the data transfer paperwork, but it does not replace your own compliance work.
Also check how the platform handles subscriber rights. Can a subscriber easily unsubscribe, update details or ask for deletion? A tool that makes this hard will cost you trust and time.
For a plainer explanation of the rules, what GDPR means in simple terms
How to switch without losing subscribers
Switching feels risky because your list is the asset. Follow these steps and the move is straightforward.
First, clean your list in Mailchimp. Remove bounced addresses and long term non openers. A smaller, engaged list costs less on a contact based plan and sends better everywhere.
Second, export everything, not just email addresses. Export names, tags, signup dates, consent records and your suppression list. Your new tool must keep unsubscribes and bounces suppressed from day one.
Third, set up the new tool before you cancel anything. Recreate your signup forms, your welcome email and your key automations. Send a test campaign to yourself and a colleague, and check it on a phone and a desktop.
Fourth, warm up slowly. Send your first campaign to your most engaged subscribers, not the whole list at once. A sudden large send from a new sending domain can hurt deliverability. Use your own domain for sending, and set up the authentication records the new tool asks for.
Fifth, tell subscribers nothing has changed for them, unless you need to re-confirm consent. If a segment has unclear consent history, send a re-permission email before your first campaign. You will lose some addresses. The list you keep is the list that actually wants to hear from you.
Finally, keep Mailchimp active until your first send from the new tool has landed and your automations are working. Only then cancel the old plan.
If you want to use email to grow a business list, how to automate newsletter writing with AI
Our pick by business type
If you send a regular newsletter on a budget, start with Brevo. Its send based pricing and pound billing suit UK small businesses well.
If you want Mailchimp style simplicity at a lower price, start with MailerLite.
If your newsletter is your business, start with Kit and its wide free plan.
If email already drives sales and you need deeper automation, shortlist ActiveCampaign.
If you run an online shop, shortlist Omnisend and compare it with Brevo on your actual order volume.
If you send to a very large list and need the lowest cost, shortlist EmailOctopus.
If you want email plus landing pages in one login, shortlist GetResponse.
Try the free plan or trial first. Build one real campaign in it before you pay. The tool that feels easiest for your weekly workflow is usually the right one, even if another tool wins on paper.
FAQs
Do I need to tell subscribers I switched tools?
No, not in most cases. Subscribers care about the emails they receive, not the tool behind them. You only need to contact them about the switch if you need to re-confirm consent for a segment with unclear permission history.
Will switching hurt my deliverability?
It can, if you rush it. Send from your own domain, set up the authentication records your new tool asks for, and send your first campaign to engaged subscribers first. A slow warm up protects your sender reputation.
Can I keep my Mailchimp templates and automations?
You can rebuild them, but you cannot usually move them directly. Export your content and rebuild your key automations in the new tool. Treat this as a chance to tidy up old templates and sequences.
Which alternative is best for UK GDPR?
No tool is compliant on its own. Brevo and other European platforms can simplify data location and paperwork, but your consent records, privacy information and suppression handling matter more than the logo on the tool. Check for a data processing agreement and clear consent tools before you choose.
Is the cheapest alternative always the best?
No. A tool that saves 5 pounds a month but costs you an hour a week is not cheap. Compare the total cost, including your time, deliverability and the features you actually use.
Conclusion
Mailchimp is still a capable tool, but it is no longer the only sensible choice, and for many UK small businesses it is no longer the cheapest. Brevo wins on budget and pound billing. MailerLite wins on simplicity. Kit wins for creators. ActiveCampaign wins on automation. Omnisend wins for shops. Pick based on your list size, your sending frequency and your business type, not on a feature list. Clean your list, keep your consent records, warm up slowly, and test before you cancel. Done that way, switching is a small job with a lasting saving.
If growing your audience matters as much as emailing it, SEO basics for small business
