Mailchimp vs Moosend: a $7 unlimited-send plan, prepaid credits and a free tier
Moosend Pro is $7 a month at 500 contacts on annual billing with no send cap, and it also sells prepaid email credits: 350,000 for $350, which is $1 per 1,000 emails, with no expiry. Mailchimp offers a free plan, then Essentials at $13, Standard at $20 and Premium at $350 for the same 500 contacts, each with a cap of 10, 12 or 15 sends per contact. Moosend is the lower-priced sender at small sizes; Mailchimp has the larger ecosystem, and its free plan is the practical difference for a tiny list.
By Julian Pryor · Updated 7 Oct 2026
Short answer
Choose Moosend if you send a lot to a modest list, mail in seasonal bursts, or want a prepaid credit balance that does not expire. Choose Mailchimp if you need the free plan, a wider integration catalogue, audiences, or an events-triggered flow. For a SaaS, both are marketing senders: Moosend keeps transactional email as an add-on, and Mailchimp sells it as a separate product.
What each page prints
Moosend's figures were read on 7 October 2026 from moosend.com/pricing and Mailchimp's from mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing. Moosend publishes contact-tier prices through a selector (stops from 500 contacts to 1,000,000) that could not be read stop by stop, so this table uses the entry price and the credit packs.
| Option | Moosend | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free | No plan; 30-day trial, no card, unlimited sends up to 1,000 contacts | 250 contacts, 500 sends a month |
| 500 contacts, entry plan | Pro $7 a month on annual billing ($9 shown struck through) | Essentials $13 |
| 500 contacts, fuller plan | Pro includes unlimited sends and automation | Standard $20, sends up to 6,000 a month |
| Top plan | Moosend+ (custom plan) and Enterprise (get a quote) | Premium from $350 |
| Prepaid sending | 350,000 credits $350; 500,000 $500; 750,000 $750; 1,000,000 $1,000 | None; overages billed automatically |
| Larger contact bands | Selector on its pricing page | $100 for 2,501 to 5,000; $135 for 5,001 to 10,000 |
Moosend offers monthly billing, a biannual option that saves 15% and an annual option that saves 20%, plus a further 25% for non-profits that stacks on the annual rate. Mailchimp offers annual plans only for Standard and Premium accounts at 10,000 or more contacts, through sales.
Credits against a contact plan
Moosend's credit packs price every pack at $1 per 1,000 emails, and the page pitches them at seasonal senders: unlimited subscribers, no time limit, and automation, forms, landing pages and an SMTP server included. A worked case: a 10,000-contact list mailed twice a month sends 20,000 emails, so one 350,000-credit pack covers 17.5 months for $350. Mailchimp Standard at 10,000 contacts is $135 a month, $1,620 for twelve months at list price or $810 on the 50% first-year offer. The comparison ignores plan features, which differ, and it needs $350 up front because 350,000 credits is the smallest pack. Ask Moosend what features a credit account carries before you budget on it.
The same arithmetic turns against you if you mail often. If those 20,000 emails went out every week instead of every month, the pack would last 17.5 weeks, not 17.5 months.
Send caps and seats
- Moosend Pro: unlimited campaigns and sends, 5 team members. Moosend counts unique email addresses, so a person on several lists is billed once, and you must upgrade when you pass the contact limit.
- Mailchimp: sends capped at 10 times contacts on Essentials, 12 on Standard and 15 on Premium; 3, 5 and unlimited seats. Overages are billed automatically after the trial.
At 500 contacts that is 5,000 and 6,000 sends on Mailchimp's two paid plans, so a list mailed more than ten times a month outgrows Essentials, whereas Moosend Pro has no ceiling listed.
Transactional and SaaS events
Moosend's plan table lists an SMTP server on Pro but marks transactional emails as not included there (an add-on on Moosend+), and its FAQ says transactional email works through SMTP and API with dynamic templating that loops through your data. Mailchimp's Transactional product has its own tab and API quick-start. For marketing sequences, Mailchimp documents an Events endpoint whose API trigger starts flows on paid plans (multi-step from Standard) for contacts already in the audience; Moosend's pricing page describes automation without naming an events API. Neither lists a Stripe or Paddle connector, so billing webhooks need your own handler either way.
Moving
- Export contacts with their subscription status, and bring unsubscribed addresses across as unsubscribed.
- Use the Moosend trial (30 days, unlimited sends up to 1,000 contacts) to rebuild one automation before you buy a plan or credits.
- Authenticate the sending domain and keep the old records for the overlap.
- Move transactional mail last, and decide whether it needs the Moosend add-on.
Which to choose
- Moosend Pro for a small-to-mid list with frequent sends, where the $7 entry price and no cap beat Mailchimp's $13 to $20.
- Moosend credits for seasonal or irregular sending to a large list, if the features included suit you.
- Mailchimp for a free start under 250 contacts, a broader ecosystem and audiences. Its related rival is Constant Contact, and Moosend's own page carries the line "By Constant Contact".
Related reading: MailerLite vs Moosend, Moosend vs GetResponse, Brevo vs Moosend, Mailchimp vs Brevo and the comparison index.
Mailchimp vs Moosend: common questions
How much does Moosend cost compared with Mailchimp?
Moosend Pro reads $7 a month at 500 contacts on annual billing, with unlimited sends and $9 struck through beside it. Mailchimp is $13 for Essentials and $20 for Standard at 500 contacts, with send caps of 10 and 12 times contacts. Moosend's prices for larger contact counts sit behind a selector, so for 5,000 or more compare its calculator with Mailchimp's $100 and $135 bands.
What are Moosend email credits?
A pay-as-you-go alternative to a contact-based plan: 350,000 credits for $350, 500,000 for $500, 750,000 for $750 and 1,000,000 for $1,000, which is $1 per 1,000 emails at every pack size. Each credit sends one email to one recipient, subscribers are unlimited and credits never expire. The page lists SMTP, automation, forms and landing pages with them.
Does Moosend include transactional email?
Not on Pro. Its plan table marks transactional emails as an add-on on Moosend+ and included on Enterprise, with an SMTP server listed on Pro. The FAQ says transactional mail is supported through SMTP and API. Mailchimp also sells transactional separately, on its own tab.
Is there a free plan on either?
Mailchimp has one (250 contacts, 500 sends a month). Moosend has none: it offers a 30-day trial with no credit card, with unlimited sends for up to 1,000 contacts, after which you pick a plan or buy credits.