Mailchimp
Sprout Social
| Feature | Mailchimp | Sprout Social |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $13/mo | From $249/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | small-businesses, startups, solopreneurs, e-commerce | enterprise, agencies, marketing-teams, brand-managers |
| Founded | 2001 | 2010 |
| Email Campaigns | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Audience Segments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| A B Testing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Publishing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Social Inbox | ✗ | ✓ |
| Social Listening | ✗ | ✓ |
| Advocacy | ✗ | ✓ |
| Chatbots | ✗ | ✓ |
| Review Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Mailchimp Pros
- Free tier for up to 500 contacts
- Easy drag-and-drop email builder
- Built-in automation workflows
- Good reporting and analytics
✗ Mailchimp Cons
- Gets expensive as list grows
- Automation less powerful than competitors
- Limited A/B testing on lower plans
✓ Sprout Social Pros
- Best-in-class social analytics and reporting
- Unified inbox across all platforms
- Social listening for brand monitoring
- Excellent customer support
✗ Sprout Social Cons
- Very expensive — starts at $249/month
- Additional profiles cost extra
- Overkill for small businesses
The Verdict
Mailchimp is built for small businesses and startups, with a focus on email-campaigns and automation. Sprout Social targets enterprise and agencies and leads with publishing and social-inbox.
On pricing, Mailchimp is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $13/mo compared to $249/mo for Sprout Social. That $236/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Mailchimp has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Sprout Social requires a paid subscription from day one.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.
