My saas grew exponentially in January to 20k users – mailchimp charges per contact so my bill was $500. I only send 2 email blasts per month and new users receive a 2 email sequence. Been using Mailchimp for years but my bill has only ever been ~$100.
Is there anything cheaper?
What’s everybody using these days?
A: If you’re only doing a couple broadcasts + a small onboarding sequence, it might be worth looking at tools that don’t scale pricing strictly with list size.
Mailchimp gets pricey mainly because it charges per contact — so when your list jumps, your bill jumps too, even if your sending volume stays low.
For cheaper options, people have already mentioned solid ones like Brevo, MailPoet, and EngineMailer — all worth checking depending on your stack.
Another angle is switching to a plan-based tool instead of contact-based. That’s where something like Systeme.io fits.
For context (rough numbers):
- Systeme.io Free → up to 2k contacts
- Startup ($27/mo) → 5k contacts
- Webinar ($47/mo) → 10k contacts
- Unlimited ($97/mo) → unlimited contacts + unlimited emails
So if you’re sitting around 20k users, you’d typically be on the Unlimited plan (~$97/month flat) instead of paying per contact like Mailchimp.
It’s not as advanced as Mailchimp for deep segmentation, but for simple broadcasts + onboarding flows, some people switch mainly for predictable pricing.
I actually wrote a plain breakdown of tools that are cheaper than Mailchimp (no hype, just pricing models and when each makes sense). If you want to explore options before moving anything, you can check it out — might help you see which setup fits your usage pattern.
Pro-tip: Choosing the Unlimited Plan has a hidden perk—systeme.io will migrate your whole business for free, including emails, funnels, and products. That’s nearly $2,000 worth of work done for you.