Is Acast or Mailchimp better?

Neither clearly leads. Acast starts at On request and Mailchimp at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Acast or Mailchimp?

Mailchimp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Acast and Free for Mailchimp.

Does Acast or Mailchimp run on more platforms?

Acast runs on Web. Mailchimp runs on Web, iOS, Android.

Can I use Mailchimp for free?

Yes. Mailchimp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acast starts at On request.

What is Acast best used for?

Acast is most often used for hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening apps, monetising episodes through the acast advertising marketplace and sponsorships, publishing video podcast episodes alongside audio. Of those, hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening apps and monetising episodes through the acast advertising marketplace and sponsorships are not what Mailchimp is typically brought in for.

What can Acast do that Mailchimp cannot?

Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Dynamic ad insertion, Sponsorship platform, Monetization. Mailchimp covers Email campaigns, Marketing automation, Landing pages, Forms & popups. Both handle Analytics.

Podcast & Audio Publishing · head to head

Acast vs Mailchimp

Acast

Podcast & Audio Publishing

Enterprise podcast hosting and advertising

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Mailchimp

E-commerce

Turn emails into revenue

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Mailchimp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Acast the free Starter tier is limited to 1 show and 5 episodes; unlimited episodes require making the show available in Acast's advertising marketplace; Mailchimp the free plan allows 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a 250 daily cap
They diverge on capability: Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Mailchimp covers Email campaigns.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acast and Mailchimp actually diverge.

Attributes where Acast and Mailchimp differ
Attribute	Acast	Mailchimp
Starting price	On request	Free
Pricing model	quote	Unknown
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android
Category	Podcast & Audio Publishing	E-commerce
Founded	2014	2001

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Acast

Enterprise hosting
Dynamic ad insertion
Sponsorship platform
Monetization
API access
All podcast platforms
Advertising networks
CMS systems

Only in Mailchimp

Email campaigns
Marketing automation
Landing pages
Forms & popups
Audience management
Content studio
Social media
Shopify

Both cover

Analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Acast

Hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening appsnot Mailchimp
Monetising episodes through the Acast advertising marketplace and sponsorshipsnot Mailchimp
Publishing video podcast episodes alongside audionot Mailchimp

Mailchimp

Email newslettersnot Acast
E-commerce marketingnot Acast
Lead generationnot Acast
Customer engagementnot Acast
Marketing automationnot Acast

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Acast

The free Starter tier is limited to 1 show and 5 episodes; unlimited episodes require making the show available in Acast's advertising marketplace
Multiple shows require the paid Influencer plan at $14.99 per month billed annually or $25 per month billed monthly
Team management, prioritised support and the Publishing API require the Pro plan at $29.99 per month billed annually or $40 per month monthly
Publishing video episodes to Apple Podcasts requires the Video plan at $39.99 per month billed annually or $50 per month monthly
The Video plan includes only 10,000 monthly video views
A payment card is required to sign up even for the free tier
The Creator Network tier is quote only with no published price

Mailchimp

The free plan allows 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a 250 daily cap
Price is driven by contact count, so the list growing raises the bill regardless of how much you send
Send allowances are a multiple of contacts, 10x on Essentials and 12x on Standard, so a large list with heavy sending forces a tier change
Essentials allows 3 seats and Standard 5; unlimited seats need Premium at $350 a month
The headline $13 and $20 prices are for 500 contacts, not a flat rate

Pricing, plan by plan

Acast

On request

Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Sponsorship marketplace

Mailchimp

Free

FreeFree
- 250 contacts
- 500 sends per month
- Basic email campaigns
Essentials$13/month
- 500+ contacts
- Email campaigns
- Basic automation
Standard$20/month
- Advanced automation
- Segmentation
- Landing pages

Which should you pick?

Choose Acast if

You need enterprise hosting.
You also want dynamic ad insertion.

Acast review

Choose Mailchimp if

You need email campaigns.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, iOS, Android.
You also want marketing automation.

Mailchimp review

Questions people ask

Is Acast or Mailchimp better?: Neither clearly leads. Acast starts at On request and Mailchimp at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acast or Mailchimp?: Mailchimp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Acast and Free for Mailchimp.
Does Acast or Mailchimp run on more platforms?: Acast runs on Web. Mailchimp runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Mailchimp for free?: Yes. Mailchimp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acast starts at On request.
What is Acast best used for?: Acast is most often used for hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening apps, monetising episodes through the acast advertising marketplace and sponsorships, publishing video podcast episodes alongside audio. Of those, hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening apps and monetising episodes through the acast advertising marketplace and sponsorships are not what Mailchimp is typically brought in for.
What can Acast do that Mailchimp cannot?: Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Dynamic ad insertion, Sponsorship platform, Monetization. Mailchimp covers Email campaigns, Marketing automation, Landing pages, Forms & popups. Both handle Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Mailchimp: Does Mailchimp offer a free plan?

Yes, Mailchimp's free plan supports up to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month with a 250-per-day cap.

Source

Mailchimp: What email features does Mailchimp include?

Mailchimp provides email campaign builder, automation sequences, segmentation, contact management, and A/B testing for email marketing.

Source

Mailchimp: Can Mailchimp integrate with e-commerce platforms?

Yes, Mailchimp integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, and other e-commerce platforms for customer sync and abandoned cart automation.

Source

Acast vs Mailchimp

Acast

Mailchimp

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Acast

Only in Mailchimp

Both cover

What people use each for

Acast

Mailchimp

Where each one falls short

Acast

Mailchimp

Pricing, plan by plan

Acast

Mailchimp

Which should you pick?

Choose Acast if

Choose Mailchimp if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Acast

More on Mailchimp

Keep looking

Other head to heads