Mailchimp vs Klaviyo: which is better for online stores?

If you run an online store, you will hear the same advice from every e-commerce agency: move to Klaviyo. If you run a small shop alongside other work, you will hear that Mailchimp is all you need. Both are right, for different stores.

The short answer: Klaviyo is for stores that treat email and SMS as a main sales channel and want to use their order data. Mailchimp is for smaller shops and mixed businesses that want an easy, capable all-rounder. It's mid-September, and if you are going to switch, the next few weeks are the last sensible window before Black Friday on November 27.

Mailchimp and Klaviyo at a glance

	Mailchimp	Klaviyo
Built for	Small businesses of all kinds	Online stores
Pricing model	By contacts (subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed count)	By active profiles you can market to
Free plan	Yes, small, without automation	Yes, small, with a monthly SMS credit
Store data in segments	Purchases and basic product data	Orders, products viewed, predicted next order, lifetime value
Pre-built e-commerce flows	Abandoned cart, product recommendations	Welcome, abandoned cart, browse abandonment, post-purchase, win-back and more
SMS	Not a core part of the product	Built into the same platform
Ease of use	Easier for beginners	More to learn
Best for	Simple newsletters and small shops	Growing stores where email drives revenue

Store data and segmentation

This is the real difference. Klaviyo builds each profile from store events: what someone bought, what they browsed, how often they order and what they are likely to spend next. You can target "bought running shoes 60–90 days ago and opened an email recently" without exporting anything. Mailchimp syncs purchase data and supports useful segments, but the depth and speed of store-based targeting is lower.

Winner: Klaviyo, because segmentation on store data is what it was built for.

Automation

Both tools handle the essentials: welcome series, abandoned cart and post-purchase emails. Klaviyo's flow library is larger and more e-commerce specific, with browse abandonment, back-in-stock, price drop and win-back flows ready to switch on. Mailchimp's journey builder is easier to understand, but its more advanced automation sits on higher plans.

Winner: Klaviyo for stores, because more of the flows that make money are ready out of the box.

Ease of use

Mailchimp is the easier tool to pick up. The editor, templates and campaign flow suit someone who sends a newsletter between other jobs. Klaviyo's power comes with more screens, more settings and more decisions about segments.

Winner: Mailchimp, because a non-marketer can send a good campaign on day one.

Reporting and attribution

For a store, the useful question is "how much did email earn this month, and which flows earned it?" Klaviyo answers that on its main dashboard, with revenue per campaign, per flow and per recipient based on store orders. Mailchimp reports opens, clicks and e-commerce revenue for connected stores, but its revenue reporting is less central to the product. If you need to prove email's contribution to the business, Klaviyo makes it easier.

Winner: Klaviyo, because revenue attribution is built into how you use it every day.

Pricing

Both grow with your audience, but they measure it differently. Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts until you archive them. Klaviyo counts active profiles, meaning anyone you can market to, whether or not you email them that month. At the same list size Klaviyo is often more expensive, especially with SMS. For stores where flows bring in a meaningful share of revenue, that price is usually justified.

Tie: Mailchimp is cheaper on paper; Klaviyo often earns more per subscriber. Price both at your list size in a year.

Beyond the store

Mailchimp also suits businesses that aren't stores: consultants, venues, charities and service businesses. Klaviyo can send any email, but most of its value depends on store data.

Winner: Mailchimp, for anyone whose business isn't mainly an online shop.

Choose Klaviyo if… / Choose Mailchimp if…

Choose Klaviyo if:

• you run a Shopify or other online store where email and SMS bring in a real share of sales;
• you want segments and flows built on orders, browsing and predicted behaviour;
• you will use SMS for launches, sales and shipping updates;
• someone on the team can spend time learning the tool properly.

Choose Mailchimp if:

• you run a small shop and send a regular newsletter plus a few simple automations;
• your business is partly or mainly offline, or not a store at all;
• you want the easiest editor and the widest choice of integrations;
• your list is small and well cleaned, so contact-based pricing stays low.

Before you switch

If you are moving from Mailchimp to Klaviyo, do it before mid-October or wait until January. Your welcome, cart and post-purchase flows need a few weeks of real traffic before the holiday peak. Import unsubscribed contacts as suppressions, warm up sending to engaged subscribers first, and keep Mailchimp running until the new flows have proved themselves.

For other options, see our list of Mailchimp alternatives, the best email marketing software for small businesses, or every ranked alternative to Klaviyo.