Softwr

E-commerce · head to head

Mailchimp vs PayPal

Mailchimp logo

Mailchimp

E-commerce

Turn emails into revenue

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PayPal logo

PayPal

Personal Finance

The simpler, safer way to pay and get paid

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; PayPal currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
  • They diverge on capability: Mailchimp covers Email campaigns, PayPal covers Payment processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mailchimp and PayPal actually diverge.

Attributes where Mailchimp and PayPal differ
AttributeMailchimpPayPal
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryE-commercePersonal Finance
Founded20011998

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 Mailchimp

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

Only in PayPal

  • Payment processing
  • PayPal Checkout
  • Invoicing
  • Business debit card
  • Working capital loans
  • BigCommerce
  • Buyer/Seller protection
  • Web support

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • PCI DSS

What people use each for

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

Mailchimp

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

PayPal

  • Paying online merchants without sharing card detailsnot Mailchimp
  • Sending money to friends and family domestically and internationallynot Mailchimp
  • Holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchasesnot Mailchimp

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

PayPal

  • Currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
  • Instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.75 percent of the amount, with a minimum of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25.00 USD
  • International personal transactions carry a 5.00 percent fee regardless of payment method, with a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD
  • Sending domestic personal payments funded by a credit card costs 2.90 percent plus a fixed fee of 0.49 USD
  • Instant transfers are capped at 25,000.00 USD per transaction

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

PayPal

$29/month
  • Standard$2.99/transaction
    • Card payments
    • PayPal checkout
    • Invoice payments

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.
Mailchimp review

Choose PayPal if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want paypal checkout.
PayPal review

Questions people ask

Is Mailchimp or PayPal better?
Neither clearly leads. Mailchimp starts at Free and PayPal at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mailchimp or PayPal?
Mailchimp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mailchimp and $29/month for PayPal.
Does Mailchimp or PayPal run on more platforms?
Mailchimp runs on Web, iOS, Android. PayPal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Mailchimp for free?
Yes. Mailchimp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PayPal starts at $29/month.
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 PayPal is typically brought in for.
What can Mailchimp do that PayPal cannot?
Mailchimp covers Email campaigns, Marketing automation, Landing pages, Forms & popups. PayPal covers Payment processing, PayPal Checkout, Invoicing, Business debit card. Both handle Shopify, WooCommerce, PCI DSS.

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
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Mailchimp

More on PayPal

Keep looking

Other head to heads