Skip to content
Start here
Browse by category
AI Assistants5Accounting Software3Agency & Funnel Software4B2B Sales Outreach5Business Backup3Business Email & Office3CRM Platforms7Cloud Storage4Customer Support3Design Tools3E-Signature3E-commerce Platforms3Email Marketing1Inventory Management3Knowledge Management3Marketing Automation11POS Systems3Paid Ads Management3Password Managers3Payment Processing3Payroll & HR3Project Management7SEO Software3Sales Intelligence3Scheduling Software3Social Media Management3Team Communication1Time Tracking3Video Conferencing5Website Builders3Workflow Automation3
All categories →
Not sure what you need? Start hereTell us the job and see the software it takes, with verified prices for your team.
Recently verified
Decision brief builderTurn your shortlist into a one-page case for sign-off: verified prices for your team size, requirements and sources.
Recently updated switching guides
All 264 migration guides →
What every guide covers
What transfers, and what doesn’tThe vendor’s own import path, step by step, plus the data you will rebuild by hand. Switching cost estimatorAn adjustable estimate of the hidden labor, cleanup and retraining cost, with its assumptions shown.
Open data
Open data hub: every dataset (JSON/CSV)JSON and CSV under CC BY 4.0. Every value carries its source page and verification date. How we verify pricingThe research method behind every figure on the site.
Pricing data
Software IndexEvery tool we track in one sortable table: entry price, free plan, AI pricing and source. AI Pricing DatabaseHow each vendor bills its AI features: bundled, add-on, metered or quote. Stack Cost CheckerPrice every tool you pay for at list price, saved in a link that re-prices later.Black Friday Software DealsVerified deals plus the discounts you can get today, checked on each vendor’s site.
Original research
The B2B SaaS Sticker Shock IndexCheapest published entry price in 18 categories, ranked.2026 SaaS Price IncreasesEvery list-price increase we could verify, with old price, new price and source.The AI TaxHow 19 AI features are actually billed: bundled, add-on or metered.The Real Cost of a 10-Person Startup StackThree software stacks priced at published entry prices.
Security & compliance
Security & compliance databaseSOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAAs, and the plan you need for SSO, SCIM and audit logs. How to read security claimsSOC 2 vs ISO 27001, the single sign-on tax, and what “Not published” means.
Where your team works
Offline access databaseWhich tools work without internet, in which app, and what syncs later. Remote vs office guideIP allowlisting, device controls, data residency and office hardware, tool by tool.
Side by side
Security in every comparisonEach head-to-head now compares compliance, sign-in, offline and remote controls. Download the dataJSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0. Every value carries the vendor URL and quote.
Marketing Automation

Keap vs Mailchimp: Which Marketing Platform Fits Your Business in 2026?

Keap is a flat-priced all-in-one CRM, sales and marketing platform for small businesses; Mailchimp is an email-first tool priced by contact-list size with a lighter feature set. Here is what each actually costs.

By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 23, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Keap logoSingle platform plan — $299/mo flat (2 users included, $39/mo per extra user)

Keap

VS
Mailchimp logoEssentials — From $13/mo (500 contacts, 3 seats)

Mailchimp

Run the cost calculator Compare pricing tiers
Keap vs MailchimpVerified Sep 23, 2026
Bill Belcamino
Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Is Keap worth $299 a month when Mailchimp starts at $13?

Only if you'd actually use the CRM, pipeline, invoicing, payments and scheduling it bundles, because for email alone Mailchimp's $13/mo Essentials plan with 3 seats does the job.

The fair comparison is Keap against Mailchimp plus a CRM, an invoicing tool and a scheduler, and Mailchimp Essentials also caps automation at 4 steps. What the price gap doesn't show is the cost of the joins. Every extra tool is another login to manage, another place a customer's details go stale, and another sync that breaks quietly when someone renames a field, and somebody on your team ends up owning those fixes. So list the tools you'd pair with Mailchimp and the data that has to flow between them. If it's a couple of simple connections, stack it, and if marketing, billing and bookings all need the same customer record, Keap's bundle earns its price.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 23, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

Verified data

Keap vs Mailchimp: quick facts

At a glanceKeapMailchimp
CategoryMarketing Automation
Entry priceSingle platform plan — $299/mo flat (2 users included, $39/mo per extra user)Essentials — From $13/mo (500 contacts, 3 seats)
Free planNo free plan — free trial only (capped at 25 emails, no payments or texting)Free — 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo (250/day), 1 seat

Is Keap cheaper than Mailchimp?

Mailchimp, by a wide margin: $13/mo (up to 500 contacts, 3 seats) against Keap’s $299/mo flat. But that comparison is not apples-to-apples — Keap’s $299 bundles CRM, sales pipeline, invoicing, checkout and payment processing that Mailchimp does not offer at any price. Price out what you would pay for Mailchimp plus a separate CRM and invoicing tool before assuming Mailchimp is the cheaper option overall.

Verified data

Keap vs Mailchimp at a glance

CategoryKeapMailchimp
Entry priceKeap $299/mo flat (2 users included)Essentials $13/mo flat (500 contacts, 3 seats)
Free planNone — free trial only250 contacts, 500 sends/mo
CRM includedYes, built inBasic contact records, not a full CRM
Invoicing & checkoutIncludedNot offered
Appointment schedulingIncludedNot offered
Sales pipelineIncludedNot offered
Built forSmall businesses running their whole operationEmail-first campaign sending

Verified September 23, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Prices in USD from keap.com/pricing and mailchimp.com/pricing, both checked September 23, 2026.

Editorial assessment

How they actually differ

Both send marketing emails, but Keap bundles that inside a much wider small-business operating platform, while Mailchimp stays focused on campaign design and delivery.

Bundled platform vs. campaign tool

Keap’s flat $299/mo covers CRM, sales pipeline, invoicing, checkout forms, native payment processing and appointment scheduling on top of email and text marketing. Mailchimp covers email marketing well — templates, automation, segmentation — but has no sales pipeline, invoicing or payment tools of its own.

What you are really comparing

A fair like-for-like comparison is Keap’s $299 against Mailchimp plus a separate CRM (commonly $15-50/seat/mo more) plus an invoicing tool plus a scheduler — at which point the gap narrows substantially. If you only need email, that stack is unnecessary and Mailchimp alone is cheaper.

Moving between them

Keap’s implementation packages include data import and migration services for a fee. Mailchimp’s own migration service (Premium Migration Services) is reserved for its Premium tier; moving contact data between the two otherwise happens by CSV export and import.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

Keap

Pros

  • CRM, invoicing, checkout and payments included in one price
  • Sales pipeline and appointment scheduling built in
  • Text/SMS marketing included at the base tier
  • One system instead of stitching several tools together

Cons

  • $299/mo is a steep entry price versus Mailchimp’s $13
  • No free plan, trial only
  • Less template/design depth for pure email campaigns
  • Overkill if you only need to send newsletters

Mailchimp

Pros

  • $13/mo entry price, far cheaper to start
  • 3 seats included at the entry tier
  • Genuine free plan (250 contacts)
  • Strong template and design library for campaigns

Cons

  • No CRM, sales pipeline, invoicing or payment processing
  • Automation capped at 4 steps on Essentials
  • Not built for running the broader business operation
  • Migration service reserved for Premium-tier customers only
Verified data

Cost calculator: what does your team actually pay?

Keap

 
$0/mo

Mailchimp

 
$0/mo
 

Keap’s $299/mo includes 2 users, then $39/mo per additional user entered above. Mailchimp’s $13/mo is a flat rate for its lowest contact tier and does not change with the number above. Klaviyo, Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign prices shown are each vendor’s flat entry-tier rate and do not scale with the number above; Keap’s $299 includes 2 users, then adds $39/mo per extra user; HubSpot scales per seat. Checked September 23, 2026.

Choose Keap if…

You want CRM, sales pipeline, invoicing, payments and scheduling bundled with your marketing, replacing several separate tools.

Choose Mailchimp if…

You mainly need to design and send email campaigns to a modest list, and do not need CRM, invoicing or scheduling in the same tool.

Total cost over time

Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.

Ready to pick your marketing platform?

Keap offers a free trial; Mailchimp has a genuine free plan. Add up what a Mailchimp-plus-CRM-plus-scheduler stack would actually cost before comparing to Keap’s flat price.

See Keap pricing See Mailchimp pricing
Verified data

Keap vs Mailchimp: security, offline & remote work

How Keap and Mailchimp compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedKeapMailchimp
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportNot publishedSOC 2 reportType not stated by vendorsource
ISO/IEC 27001Not publishedCertifiedsource
Other certificationsPCI DSSsourceNot published
HIPAA (BAA)BAA availablesourceNot published
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceDPA offeredsource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)Not publishedNot published
SCIM user provisioningNot publishedNot published
Two-factor authenticationYesEnforcement: All plans (2FA mandatory for every user)sourceYesEnforcement: Any multi-user plan (automatic once an Owner or Admin enables 2FA)source
Admin audit logNot publishedNot published
Data residency choicesNot publishedUS onlysource
EncryptionNot publishedTLS 1.2+ in transit; at-rest encryption not statedsource
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modeNot documentedNot documented
Desktop appsNot publishedNot published
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, Androidsource
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingNot publishedNot published
Device & session controlsNot publishedNot published
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: Mailchimp states a SOC 2 report on its own site; we found no SOC 2 statement for Keap. If your security team requires SOC 2, ask Keap directly before shortlisting.
  • Health data: Keap will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement. We found no BAA offer for Mailchimp, so keep protected health information out of it.
  • Working offline: Keap and Mailchimp don’t document an offline mode. Details are in the Offline mode row above.

Keap: worth knowing

  • SecurityAfter a successful 2FA challenge, a recognized device is not challenged again for 90 days unless a new device signs in. source
  • SecurityHIPAA protections must be switched on in-app (HIPAA Security Controls) before signing Keap's BAA. source
  • RemoteKeap can be used from a phone through the native app or the mobile browser. source

Mailchimp: worth knowing

  • RemoteMailchimp's iOS and Android apps cover campaigns, reports, inbox replies and adding contacts, but Mailchimp says they do not replace the full web version. source
  • SecurityMailchimp states it has SOC 2 reports but does not say on its security page whether they are Type I or Type II; reports are downloadable from the Intuit Compliance portal. source
  • SecurityMailchimp's terms leave HIPAA suitability to the customer and disclaim liability if the service does not meet HIPAA requirements. source
  • RemoteAccounts have up to five user levels (Owner, Admin, Manager, Author, Viewer), and the number of seats depends on the pricing plan. source

Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mailchimp cheaper than Keap?

Yes, by a wide margin on sticker price: $13/mo against Keap’s $299/mo flat. But Keap bundles CRM, invoicing, checkout and payments that Mailchimp does not offer at any price, so a fair comparison depends on what else you would need to buy alongside Mailchimp.

Does Mailchimp include a sales pipeline or invoicing?

No. Mailchimp is an email marketing tool with basic contact records; it has no sales pipeline, invoicing or payment-processing features. Keap includes all three.

How many users are included?

Keap includes 2 users in its $299/mo price ($39/mo per extra user); Mailchimp Essentials includes 3 seats at $13/mo.

Does Keap have a free plan?

No, only a free trial capped at 25 emails with no payments or texting. Mailchimp has a permanent free plan for up to 250 contacts.

Migration Guides

Already decided? Here’s how to actually switch.

Step-by-step migration guides covering what transfers automatically, what doesn’t, and how to handle the gap — in both directions.

Switching from Keap to Mailchimp Switching from Mailchimp to Keap
Editorial assessment

When to Buy — and When to Walk Away

Every “best marketing platform” listicle tells you why to buy. Here’s the other half: the specific conditions under which Keap or Mailchimp is the wrong purchase for your team.

Keap

Buy Keap if:

  • You want CRM, invoicing, payments and scheduling bundled with your marketing
  • You are currently paying for several separate tools that Keap could replace
  • You want text/SMS marketing included at the base tier

Do NOT buy Keap if:

  • You only need to design and send email campaigns
  • You want the lowest possible entry price
  • You want a free plan to start on

Mailchimp

Buy Mailchimp if:

  • You mainly send email campaigns to a modest list
  • You want the lowest entry price and a real free plan
  • You already have a CRM, invoicing and scheduling handled elsewhere

Do NOT buy Mailchimp if:

  • You want a sales pipeline, invoicing or payments in the same tool
  • You are assembling a full small-business operating stack
  • Your automation needs exceed a handful of steps

Canonical data for the tools on this page

Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

KeapPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›MailchimpPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
beehiiv vs MailchimpHead-to-head comparisonActiveCampaign vs KeapHead-to-head comparisonActiveCampaign vs MailchimpHead-to-head comparisonHubSpot vs KeapHead-to-head comparisonHubSpot vs MailchimpHead-to-head comparisonKeap vs KlaviyoHead-to-head comparison

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

Cite this page: HelpCompare, “Keap vs Mailchimp”, helpcompare.com/keap-vs-mailchimp/ (updated ).

Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.

Start with the job

Guides for the jobs this software does

Plain-language guides: the steps, what to check before you buy, common mistakes, and every tool it takes with verified prices.

Get more leads and customersAutomate follow-ups and nurture campaignsSend a newsletter or email campaignSchedule social media postsBuild an email listSend text messages to customersBuild landing pagesCollect forms and surveysAll 50 job guides
Need sign-off?

Turn this into a one-page decision brief

Verified prices costed for your team size, a check against your must-have requirements, the questions to settle before you sign, and a source for every figure. Print it, or paste it into an email to whoever approves the spend.

Build a decision brief

From shortlist to switched

Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.

01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.133 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.264 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 23, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

Read Bill’s story How we verify pricingSpot an error? Tell Bill