E-commerce · head to head
Mailchimp vs Braintree
Braintree
E-commerce
End-to-end checkout experiences for businesses, from PayPal
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Mailchimp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Mailchimp the free plan allows 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with a 250 daily cap; Braintree vendor overview page names no transaction fee percentage or fixed charge, requiring a separate signup flow to see pricing
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mailchimp and Braintree actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-commerce).
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 Mailchimp
- Email campaigns
- Marketing automation
- Landing pages
- Forms & popups
- Audience management
- Content studio
- Analytics
- Social media
Only in Braintree
Nothing recorded that Mailchimp does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Mailchimp
- Email newslettersnot Braintree
- E-commerce marketingnot Braintree
- Lead generationnot Braintree
- Customer engagementnot Braintree
- Marketing automationnot Braintree
Braintree
No use cases recorded yet. See the Braintree review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Braintree
- Vendor overview page names no transaction fee percentage or fixed charge, requiring a separate signup flow to see pricing
- Now marketed and hosted directly under the PayPal brand at paypal.com rather than a standalone braintreepayments.com site, which now redirects
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Braintree
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Braintree review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Mailchimp if
- You need email campaigns.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want marketing automation.
Choose Braintree if
Nothing in the data separates Braintree from Mailchimp on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Mailchimp or Braintree better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mailchimp starts at Free and Braintree at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mailchimp or Braintree?
- Mailchimp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mailchimp and On request for Braintree.
- Does Mailchimp or Braintree run on more platforms?
- Mailchimp runs on Web, iOS, Android. Braintree runs on Web.
- Can I use Mailchimp for free?
- Yes. Mailchimp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Braintree starts at On request.
- What is Mailchimp best used for?
- Mailchimp is most often used for email newsletters, e-commerce marketing, lead generation, customer engagement. Of those, email newsletters and e-commerce marketing are not what Braintree is typically brought in for.
- What can Mailchimp do that Braintree cannot?
- Mailchimp covers Email campaigns, Marketing automation, Landing pages, Forms & popups.
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.
SourceMailchimp: What email features does Mailchimp include?
Mailchimp provides email campaign builder, automation sequences, segmentation, contact management, and A/B testing for email marketing.
SourceMailchimp: 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