Mailchimp is For Beginners: Look Elsewhere for Robust and Reliable Solutions
December 20, 2021

Mailchimp is For Beginners: Look Elsewhere for Robust and Reliable Solutions

Andy Ryan | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Standard

Overall Satisfaction with Mailchimp

I work with multiple companies with their online marketing plans. Mailchimp has been a popular choice for companies starting email marketing. I help companies decide which software to purchase as well as help them implement email campaigns and automations. Mailchimp is the software solution for email marketing. Mailchimp has multiple tiers for their plans to suit businesses' needs at their level.
  • Free plan is usually what most businesses need starting out
  • It's easy to start and understand how to use
  • Very helpful tutorials and help articles
  • There are a lot of integrations with other software that you need third-party software such as Zapier to make automations happen.
  • I have experienced Mailchimp integrations failing to work properly during crucial marketing campaign launches which resulted in the loss of revenue for my clients
  • Even though it is fairly easy to get started with Mailchimp, I believe it could be even easier for non-techy people.
  • I have seen clients lose a lot of money in critical product launches that rely on email delivery and campaign automations using Mailchimp
  • The free version of Mailchimp is branded with their information which is fine but doesn't look professional. I think they could do something else for their free version to get you hooked on their platform... but I wouldn't recommend their software anyway.
  • The free version is an easy way for new businesses to start figuring out how email campaigns and software work.
I would say that Mailchimp is good for beginner businesses trying to get started with their email marketing campaigns and customer list. But I would say it's temporary until they find a better solution that will fit their needs. I would do research into more robust and reliable platforms such as ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign. It's important to find a solution that will integrate with the software that you use for your business. Mailchimp has to rely on third-party software integrators such as Zapier to make automations work. But the more moving parts the harder it is to be reliable.
It's easy to use Mailchimp. It's a great platform for beginners to learn about how these email platforms work. I would recommend it to beginners or to small businesses that don't have the budget for more robust software for their email marketing. If you have the budget just go with ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign.
The problem with this is that when we have relied on Mailchimp solely for our all-in-one marketing platform, it didn't work completely. We still needed to use other software and integration software to run our marketing campaigns. I would not rely on Mailchimp for an all in one system
I used Mailchimp for years as just a way to send out one email to a list of people where I didn't want to use my Gmail account. The free version of Mailchimp is probably good for most solo business owners that need to get an email out to a list. I would say you can start there but then start researching other software such as ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit

Do you think Mailchimp delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Mailchimp's feature set?

Yes

Did Mailchimp live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Mailchimp go as expected?

No

Would you buy Mailchimp again?

No

I would give Mailchimp a lower score but they are very good with businesses starting out. The reason I don't score Mailchimp higher is because of the number of times that it failed for my clients over the years. When you're in the middle of an email campaign for a product launch, email delivery is critical. I have seen forms not accept information properly. I've seen automations fail. If you're looking for a more robust and reliable platform, I would look at ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit.

Mailchimp Feature Ratings

WYSIWYG email editor
8
Dynamic content
8
Ability to test dynamic content
8
Landing pages
5
A/B testing
8
Mobile optimization
8
Email deliverability reporting
8
List management
8
Triggered drip sequences
8
Standard reports
6