Softwr

E-commerce · head to head

Mailchimp vs YNAB

Mailchimp logo

Mailchimp

E-commerce

Turn emails into revenue

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
YNAB logo

YNAB

Personal Finance

You Need A Budget

From
$14.99/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; YNAB subscription priced exclusively in US dollars; international customers face unfavourable exchange rates
  • They diverge on capability: Mailchimp covers Email campaigns, YNAB covers Zero-based budgeting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mailchimp and YNAB actually diverge.

Attributes where Mailchimp and YNAB differ
AttributeMailchimpYNAB
Starting priceFree$14.99/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
CategoryE-commercePersonal Finance
Founded20012004

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 YNAB

  • Zero-based budgeting
  • Bank sync
  • Goal tracking
  • Reports
  • Multi-device sync
  • Bank connections
  • Plaid
  • Bank-level encryption

What people use each for

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

Mailchimp

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

YNAB

  • Individual budget tracking with 34-day free trial before subscription commitmentnot Mailchimp
  • Household budget management with wife-on-plan sharing for up to 6 household membersnot Mailchimp
  • Manual transaction entry for banks outside the supported import listnot 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

YNAB

  • Subscription priced exclusively in US dollars; international customers face unfavourable exchange rates
  • Multi-currency support restricted to one currency per spending plan
  • Bank import limited to select institutions in US, Canada, UK, and EU only
  • Household plan can only be shared with up to 6 people; additional members cannot access shared plan

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

YNAB

$14.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the YNAB 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.
Mailchimp review

Choose YNAB if

  • You need zero-based budgeting.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want bank sync.
YNAB review

Questions people ask

Is Mailchimp or YNAB better?
Neither clearly leads. Mailchimp starts at Free and YNAB at $14.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mailchimp or YNAB?
Mailchimp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mailchimp and $14.99/month for YNAB.
Does Mailchimp or YNAB run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Mailchimp for free?
Yes. Mailchimp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. YNAB starts at $14.99/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 YNAB is typically brought in for.
What can Mailchimp do that YNAB cannot?
Mailchimp covers Email campaigns, Marketing automation, Landing pages, Forms & popups. YNAB covers Zero-based budgeting, Bank sync, Goal tracking, Reports.

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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