Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: Best Email Marketing for E-commerce

Introduction

If you run an e-commerce store, choosing between Klaviyo and Mailchimp is one of the most consequential marketing decisions you will make. Klaviyo is purpose-built for e-commerce with deep Shopify integration, behavioral automation, and revenue attribution at its core. Mailchimp is a general-purpose email marketing platform that works across many business types, with e-commerce as one of several use cases. Both platforms have evolved significantly in 2026, but the fundamental difference remains: Klaviyo treats your store data as the center of everything, while Mailchimp treats email as the center. Here is how they compare for online stores.

Pricing Comparison

Mailchimp is more affordable at smaller scales. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts with 500 monthly emails. The Essentials plan starts at $13/month for 500 contacts, and the Standard plan begins at $20/month with automation and A/B testing. For 10,000 contacts, the Standard plan costs around $100/month. The Premium plan starts at $350/month for advanced features.

Klaviyo prices based on active profiles. The free tier includes 250 contacts and 500 email sends. Paid plans start at $20/month for up to 500 contacts. At 1,000 contacts, expect to pay around $30/month. At 5,000 contacts the cost is approximately $100/month, and at 10,000 contacts it rises to around $150-200/month. SMS is billed separately based on usage.

Over a three-year period at 10,000 contacts, Klaviyo costs approximately $5,400 versus Mailchimp at roughly $3,600 on the Standard plan. However, one critical issue emerges at scale: Mailchimp has been widely reported to double-charge for contacts that appear in multiple audiences, and its Trustpilot rating of 1.4/5 from nearly 700 reviews reflects systemic billing complaints.

Shopify Integration

This is where Klaviyo dominates decisively. Shopify is a Klaviyo investor, and the integration is native at the deepest level. Customer purchase history, browsing behavior, cart data, and lifetime value sync in real time. Every automation, segment, and report can leverage this data without configuration.

Mailchimp connects to Shopify and other e-commerce platforms via integrations, and the connection works for basic use cases like order confirmations and abandoned cart emails. However, the data sync is less granular, product recommendation logic is simpler, and you will not get the same depth of behavioral segmentation. If Shopify is your primary platform, Klaviyo's integration is in a different league.

Automation and Segmentation

Klaviyo's automation is built entirely around e-commerce events. Pre-built flows for abandoned carts, browse abandonment, post-purchase follow-ups, winback campaigns, and cross-sell sequences are available out of the box and optimized for online stores. Segmentation can target customers based on purchase frequency, average order value, predicted lifetime value, and product-specific behavior. Predictive analytics identify customers likely to churn or make their next purchase.

Mailchimp offers solid automation with welcome series, abandoned cart emails, re-engagement campaigns, and custom workflows. However, the segmentation relies more on tags and basic engagement data than deep behavioral commerce data. Advanced automations are functional but lack the commerce-specific intelligence that Klaviyo bakes into every flow.

AI Capabilities

Klaviyo has invested heavily in AI for e-commerce. Predictive analytics forecast customer lifetime value, expected next order date, and churn risk. AI-powered product recommendations personalize email content based on individual purchase and browsing history. Smart send time optimization and subject line recommendations round out the toolkit. The platform also supports SMS, RCS, mobile push, and WhatsApp alongside email.

Mailchimp offers Intuit Assist for generative AI content creation, predictive segmentation, Content Optimizer for subject lines and send times, and Creative Assistant for AI design suggestions. Product recommendation blocks work with Shopify and WooCommerce data. While capable, Mailchimp's AI is more general-purpose and less tuned to e-commerce conversion optimization.

Analytics and Revenue Attribution

Klaviyo provides detailed revenue attribution tied directly to email and SMS campaigns. You can see exactly how much revenue each flow, campaign, and individual email generated. Custom dashboards track customer lifetime value trends, segment performance, and predictive metrics. This level of insight is essential for data-driven e-commerce marketing.

Mailchimp offers clear reporting on open rates, click rates, and basic revenue tracking with industry benchmarks. However, e-commerce attribution and predictive analytics are less comprehensive. You will get campaign-level performance data but not the same depth of customer-level revenue insight.

Who Should Choose Klaviyo

Klaviyo is the right choice for e-commerce stores of any size that want to maximize email and SMS revenue. Shopify store owners should consider Klaviyo the default option given the depth of integration. Brands that rely on customer lifecycle marketing, behavioral segmentation, and detailed revenue attribution will find Klaviyo indispensable. The higher price point is justified by measurable ROI from better-targeted, data-driven campaigns.

Who Should Choose Mailchimp

Mailchimp works well for e-commerce stores that are just getting started and need a simple, affordable platform to send their first campaigns. If you run a small store with under 2,000 subscribers and a limited budget, Mailchimp's lower starting price and easier setup make practical sense. Businesses that do content marketing alongside e-commerce and need a website builder, landing pages, and social posting in one platform will also find Mailchimp convenient.

Final Verdict

For e-commerce email marketing in 2026, Klaviyo is the stronger platform by a significant margin. Its native Shopify integration, commerce-focused automation, predictive analytics, and revenue attribution make it purpose-built for online stores. Mailchimp remains a solid entry-level option for beginners, but its e-commerce capabilities hit a ceiling quickly. If email marketing is a meaningful revenue channel for your store and you plan to scale, investing in Klaviyo from the start avoids the painful migration that many store owners eventually face.