Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: Which Is Best for Growing Your Brand?

Brands can agonise over this decision for months. When it comes to email marketing, is there a platform that really is best?

The honest answer? It depends entirely on what you're trying to achieve. Both Mailchimp and Klaviyo are strong platforms, and plenty of brands succeed on either. But when we look at ecommerce specifically, Klaviyo tends to unlock growth opportunities that Mailchimp simply wasn’t built for. Let’s get into why.

What We’re Really Comparing

Mailchimp is the household name. It’s been around for decades (in internet years), built as a straightforward email tool and later expanded into what they call an “all-in-one marketing platform.” Today, it includes extras like landing pages, social ads, and postcards.

Klaviyo, on the other hand, is a younger platform, but it was designed specifically for ecommerce. It doesn’t try to cover every kind of business. Instead, it focuses on online retail, with deep integrations, data-driven features, and cross-channel marketing (email and SMS working hand-in-hand).

When we speak to clients, the conversation often starts with:
“We’re using Mailchimp, but we keep hearing about Klaviyo. Should we switch?”

The answer isn’t always yes. But for ecommerce brands, Klaviyo often unlocks possibilities that Mailchimp wasn’t built to deliver.

When Mailchimp Still Makes Sense

Mailchimp is not a bad platform. Far from it. It’s one of the most widely used tools for a reason, and plenty of businesses thrive on it.

When sticking with Mailchimp can be the right choice:

1. You’re just starting out.
   If you’re new to email marketing, Mailchimp’s simple interface and pre-built templates make it easy to get campaigns out the door without weeks of training. It’s a solid way to start building your list while focusing energy on product development or service delivery.

2. You’re not primarily ecommerce.
   Service-based businesses, consultants, creators, and B2B companies often prefer Mailchimp’s broad feature set. You don’t need ecommerce-specific tools if your business isn’t built around online sales.

3. Budget is tight.
   Mailchimp’s free tier is genuinely useful. For businesses with small lists and limited cash flow, it allows you to build an email presence without immediate costs.

4. You want an all-in-one platform.
   Some businesses value having everything in one place, even if individual features aren’t best-in-class. Mailchimp gives you landing pages, social ads, and email under one roof, appealing if you don’t want to juggle multiple tools.

For many small or service-based businesses, Mailchimp remains a perfectly good choice.

Where Mailchimp Starts to Show Its Limits

Once a business starts scaling in ecommerce, Mailchimp can feel restrictive.

• Integrations are basic. Yes, Mailchimp connects with Shopify and WooCommerce, but the data you get is limited, making it hard to personalise campaigns or build advanced automations.

• Segmentation feels clunky. Ecommerce brands need to segment by purchase behaviour, product affinity, or predicted churn. In Mailchimp, this is time-consuming and not always precise.

• Reporting lags behind. When you want to know how much revenue a flow generated or which customers are most valuable, Mailchimp often can’t deliver the depth of insight you need.

• Automation has limits. Simple welcome sequences or abandoned cart flows work fine. But when you try to build more sophisticated, behaviour-based journeys, the platform starts to creak.

None of these are deal-breakers for service businesses or those just dipping their toes into email. But for ecommerce brands chasing growth, these pain points can become costly.

Why Klaviyo Has Been Winning the Hearts of Ecommerce Brands

Klaviyo has built its reputation by solving the exact problems ecommerce brands face.

1. Ecommerce-first design.
   Customer lifetime value, predicted next order date, and product recommendations aren’t afterthoughts—they’re built into Klaviyo’s DNA.

2. Ridiculously deep data.
   Klaviyo integrates seamlessly with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and more. It knows what your customers bought, how much they spent, what they browsed, and what they’re likely to buy next.

3. Crystal-clear revenue attribution.
   Want to know how much revenue your welcome series has generated in the last 90 days? Or which automation flow is most profitable? Klaviyo shows it instantly.

4. Advanced segmentation.
   Targeting is where Klaviyo really shines. You can easily create segments like:

   • Customers who bought Product A in the past 30 days but not Product B
   • Shoppers predicted to churn in the next 60 days
   • High spenders who abandoned a cart twice this month

5. SMS built in.
   While Mailchimp has experimented with SMS, Klaviyo has fully integrated it. Brands can run email and SMS side-by-side using the same data. For many ecommerce brands, SMS now accounts for 15–25% of email-driven revenue.

The Cost Question: More Than Meets the Eye

On paper, Mailchimp often looks cheaper. But dig deeper and the story changes.

• Mailchimp’s advanced features sit behind higher-tier plans. By the time you add what you need, costs can rival Klaviyo.
• Add-ons cost extra. Need SMS? Deeper analytics? You may end up stacking additional tools onto Mailchimp.
• Klaviyo looks pricier per contact, but often delivers more revenue—offsetting the cost.

The Migration Reality Check

Switching platforms is never instant. Here’s what to expect when moving from Mailchimp to Klaviyo:

• Time investment. Flows and automations need rebuilding. Budget 2–4 weeks.
• Metric differences. Results may look different at first due to deeper attribution.
• Learning curve. Klaviyo has depth but is intuitive with a bit of practice.

Many brands find the switch smoother when working with a Klaviyo agency, who can help with migration and setup.

When Not to Switch to Klaviyo

Klaviyo isn’t right for everyone. Stick with Mailchimp if:

• You’re not in ecommerce.
• You have a list under 500 and budget is minimal.
• You rely on features Klaviyo doesn’t prioritise (e.g., landing pages).

What We’re Seeing in 2025

The gap between these platforms is widening.

• Klaviyo is doubling down on predictive analytics. Next-order prediction and churn forecasting are becoming standard.
• Integration depth is growing. Shopify users can now trigger campaigns based on browsing or product-level events.
• Cross-channel orchestration is here. Email, SMS, and push working in sync on one customer profile.

Meanwhile, Mailchimp continues to position itself as a generalist platform.

The Recommendation Framework

If you’re deciding which tool to use, ask yourself:

1. What’s your primary business model?
   Ecommerce → Klaviyo is almost always better.
2. How sophisticated do you want to get?
   Basic newsletters → Mailchimp is fine.
   Advanced automations → Klaviyo wins.
3. What’s the opportunity cost?
   Will staying with a simpler tool cost you revenue?

The Verdict

Mailchimp is still a strong choice for small businesses, creators, and non-ecommerce brands.

But for ecommerce growth, Klaviyo consistently delivers the tools, insights, and results that matter.

That said, platforms don’t drive growth on their own...execution does. Which is why working with an experienced Klaviyo email marketing agency is a no-brainer for many ecommerce brands.

If you’re unsure which platform fits your brand best, we’re here to help.