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Mailchimp vs QuickBooks

Mailchimp logo

Mailchimp

Software

Turn emails into revenue

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuickBooks logo

QuickBooks

Software

Smart, simple online accounting software for small business

From
$30/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; QuickBooks chart of Accounts is capped on every QuickBooks Online tier except Advanced; Simple Start, Essentials and Plus all have a limited entry count
  • They diverge on capability: Mailchimp covers Email campaigns, QuickBooks covers Income & expense tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mailchimp and QuickBooks actually diverge.

Attributes where Mailchimp and QuickBooks differ
AttributeMailchimpQuickBooks
Starting priceFree$30/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20011983

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

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 QuickBooks

  • Income & expense tracking
  • Invoicing
  • Payment processing
  • Financial reporting
  • Tax preparation
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Bill management
  • Mobile apps

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • SOC2
  • PCI DSS

What people use each for

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

Mailchimp

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

QuickBooks

  • Bookkeepingnot Mailchimp
  • Invoicingnot Mailchimp
  • Expense trackingnot Mailchimp
  • Financial reportingnot Mailchimp
  • Tax preparationnot 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

QuickBooks

  • Chart of Accounts is capped on every QuickBooks Online tier except Advanced; Simple Start, Essentials and Plus all have a limited entry count
  • Even the top Advanced tier caps bulk invoice uploads at 1,000 transaction lines per batch
  • Payroll is a separate paid add-on billed per employee per month (USD 6 to 10 depending on plan) on top of the base subscription

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

QuickBooks

$30/month
  • Simple Start$30/month
    • Income & expense tracking
    • Invoice & payments
    • Tax deductions
  • Essentials$60/month
    • Everything in Simple Start
    • Bill management
    • Time tracking
  • Plus$90/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Inventory tracking
    • Project profitability
  • Advanced$200/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Dedicated account team
    • 25 users

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 QuickBooks if

  • You need income & expense tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want invoicing.
QuickBooks review

Questions people ask

Is Mailchimp or QuickBooks better?
Neither clearly leads. Mailchimp starts at Free and QuickBooks at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mailchimp or QuickBooks?
Mailchimp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mailchimp and $30/month for QuickBooks.
Does Mailchimp or QuickBooks run on more platforms?
Mailchimp runs on Web, iOS, Android. QuickBooks 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. QuickBooks starts at $30/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 QuickBooks is typically brought in for.
What can Mailchimp do that QuickBooks cannot?
Mailchimp covers Email campaigns, Marketing automation, Landing pages, Forms & popups. QuickBooks covers Income & expense tracking, Invoicing, Payment processing, Financial reporting. Both handle Shopify, SOC2, 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
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Related pages

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