Looking beyond Mailchimp? Compare the top email design tools and marketing platforms — from AI-powered template builders to full ESPs — and find the right solution for your email workflow.
How the top email tools stack up against Mailchimp
| Feature | Iconly | Mailchimp | Brevo | Stripo | Beefree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | AI design platform | ESP + builder | ESP + CRM | Email design tool | Email design tool |
| AI Email Design | Yes, text-to-template | AI content assist | AI content assist | AI subject lines | AI content assist |
| Email Sending | Export to any ESP | Built-in | Built-in | Export to 60+ ESPs | Export to ESPs |
| Contact Management | No (design-focused) | Built-in CRM | Built-in CRM | No | No |
| Icon Generation | Yes, 5 styles | No | No | No | No |
| Free Tier | 300 tokens | 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo | 300 emails/day | Free, limited exports | Free, limited features |
| Starting Price | $1.25/mo ($15/yr) | $13/mo (Essentials) | $9/mo (Starter) | $15/mo | ~$15/mo |
| AI Features | AI generation included | $20/mo add-on for AI | AI on paid plans | Limited AI | Limited AI |
| Brand Studio | Built-in | Brand kit (paid) | No | Brand guidelines | Brand kit |
| Best For | AI email design + icons | All-in-one email marketing | Budget email marketing | Dedicated email design | Drag-and-drop email design |
Mailchimp charges based on contacts and adds $20/month for AI features. Iconly takes a design-first approach — create beautiful email templates with AI and export them to use with any ESP you choose. No contact pricing, no per-send fees.
Need icons for your email templates or website? Iconly includes a global CDN with a CSS class-based icon system. Add icons to your website with one script tag — no downloading or self-hosting required.
<script defer src="https://cdn.iconly.ai/iconly.js"></script>
<i class="ci-line ci-rocket ci-lg"></i>Common questions about Mailchimp alternatives
Top Mailchimp alternatives include: Iconly (AI design platform for email templates, icons, social graphics, and brand assets starting at $1.25/mo), Brevo (email marketing platform with CRM from $9/mo), Stripo (dedicated email design tool with free plan), Beefree (drag-and-drop email builder from ~$15/mo), and Postcards by Designmodo (modular email builder from $17/mo). The best choice depends on whether you need a design tool, an ESP, or both.
Yes. Iconly offers a free tier with 300 tokens for AI-powered email template creation. Brevo offers a free plan with 300 emails per day. Stripo has a free plan with limited exports. Mailchimp's free plan is limited to 500 contacts and 1,000 sends per month. For email design specifically, Iconly's free tier is the most generous for AI-powered template creation.
For email design, Iconly is the cheapest at $1.25/month (Mini plan) with AI-powered template creation. For email sending, Brevo starts at $9/month. Mailchimp's Standard plan starts at $20/month and charges based on contacts. Iconly focuses on design rather than sending, so you can pair it with any affordable ESP for a lower total cost than Mailchimp.
A design tool (like Iconly, Stripo, or Beefree) focuses on creating beautiful email templates that you export and send through any email service provider. An ESP (like Mailchimp or Brevo) handles email sending, contact management, automation, and analytics with a built-in but often limited email builder. Using a dedicated design tool with a separate ESP often gives you better designs and more flexibility.
Start with 300 free tokens + a 3-day free trial.
300 free tokens + 3-day free trial.