Klaviyo is fairly new on the market in comparison to Mailchimp. That could partly explain why Mailchimp has more users and popularity than Klaviyo.
Still, Klaviyo has made a big impact within their niche. Klaviyo is an email marketing platform built for eCommerce, while Mailchimp is an email marketing platform made for any kind of business.
If we compare Klaviyo and Mailchimp for non-eCommerce businesses (businesses that don’t sell physical products online), Mailchimp wins, no questions asked. However, when we compare Klaviyo and Mailchimp for eCommerce businesses, it takes a closer look to define the winner. And it would be up to you to make the decision.
Spoiler alert: I love Klaviyo.
But I’ll do my best to be as objective as possible.
I’ll divide this post into 12 parts. If you want to know about one specific aspect of the comparison, use the navigation. For example, if your question is “How much does mailchimp cost?“, click on Klaviyo vs. Mailchimp Pricing.
Also, if you have more questions or I missed something please leave a comment below and I will respond to each and every one:
Part 1: Dashboard
The Klaviyo and Mailchimp dashboards are similar and you can easily see your profits from your email marketing efforts on both platforms.
The main difference –– which might seem small, but for me personally is impactful, is the percentage. Klaviyo shows how much percentage of your total revenue you make from email, automated email and campaigns.
This helps me because when I talk with a potential client and they tell me their revenue from email marketing is less than 30% of their total revenue, I know for sure I can help them.
Here’s a Mailchimp dashboard snapshot:
Here is a Klaviyo dashboard snapshot:
Another cool feature of Klaviyo’s dashboard which is not available in Mailchimp is the breakdown of revenue by automated emails (flows) and campaigns.
Part 2: Campaigns
Klaviyo and Mailchimp campaign builders are very similar and have a lot of the same features. Both campaign builders are visual. The campaign builder consists of blocks which you can drag and drop.
A unique feature of both platforms is the product block. However, the way product block works differs between the platforms.
On the Klaviyo platform, you can either use the product feed or pick a product from your store.
The “select from catalog” is the same option as in Mailchimp. However, the ability to populate from your feed is different and more robust. You basically create a product feed from your store where you specify which product category or collection to show and then it dynamically populates that block within the email.
In Mailchimp, this option is limited – you only show popular products and not specific categories, collections and/or tags.
How can it impact your business? Let’s say you have male and female products. It does not make sense to show male products to females and vice versa. In Klaviyo, you can create female product block and male product blocks and show them to the right segment.
Part 3: Integrations
Klaviyo and Mailchimp both have a big library of software with which they integrate. In addition, both platforms are part of Zapier software (the 3rd party integration software), meaning they can integrate with anything that’s available in Zapier’s library.
Klaviyo integration library (click here)
Mailchimp integration library (click here)
Part 4: Analytics vs. Reports
In general, both platforms have user friendly reports. However, you need to upgrade to a PRO Mailchimp account to see an in-depth comparison report between automated emails and campaigns. In Klaviyo, it is a standard feature that doesn’t require additional payment.
In addition, in Klaviyo you can customize your report views and save as many views as you want. Each view consists of cards. Each card can be customized to show the information you want.
Part 5: Flows vs. Automation
Klaviyo has a simple and powerful flow (automation) builder. You drag and drop actions and filters into the flow builder and it’s visually clear how the automation will work.
Basically, you have triggers which define how this automation should start. Then you have time delays (if any) and email at the end.
On Mailchimp, you do not have a visual builder, but instead a more logic-based automation builder. You add emails.
You might think they are interchangeable, but I would argue it is much easier to make a mistake without the visuals. Also, it is easier to create on a visual diagram when you need to split your flow. See below:
Klaviyo also has a “Browse Abandonment” trigger which is not available in Mailchimp. It is an email for those who viewed the product but did not buy it or add it to their cart. After this trigger, the email goes to the subscriber and shows them which product they did not buy.
Part 6: Segments
Mailchimp segmentation is per list. In other words, if you want to create a segment where you say everybody who purchased X product, it will show you only people who are were put on the list when you created the segment.
On the other hand, if you do the same in Klaviyo, it pulls from everybody in your account and it does not care what list that person is on.
Mailchimp segmentation is list based. Klaviyo segmentation is global per account.
Klaviyo has more robust segmentation and your imagination is the only limit for creating the segment since you can create any kind of segment you want based on the information you have in Klaviyo.
Part 7: Subscribers Profile
For this section, I will show you two snapshots to compare and provide the overview below:
Mailchimp Subscriber Profile
Klaviyo Subscriber Profile
Those two snapshots are for the same subscriber. Since we recently move this account to Klaviyo from Mailchimp, you still can see some emails which were sent using Mailchimp.
Both softwares have similar analytics. However, you can customize the views in Klaviyo based on your preferences. In addition, you have predictive analytics which are very powerful for projections.
In general, I would say we have a tie here.
Part 8: Opt-In Forms
Mailchimp opt-in forms are based on the lists. If you want to create a new form, you need to create a new list.
Klaviyo opt-in forms are based on your desire. You can create as many forms as you want and point all to one list or one form per list or however you want/need.
Both softwares have drag and drop form builders.
Part 9: Support
In the past, it took me a good 10-15 minutes to find Mailchimp support contact information. The support was helpful, but it was hard to find and required a Google search. They hide it, likely to reduce the number of requests.
Klaviyo support is available from 9am to 5pm (EST). They are a Boston-based company. Their support chat very easy to find. It is in the top right corner under your account name. The support is quick and extremely helpful.
Part 10: Other Features
Mailchimp has some features which do not exist in Klaviyo. Those features are landing pages and postcards. For the landing page, you have to pay extra if you plan to use a custom domain.
Part 11: User Interface
I am sorry Mailchimp, but the Klaiviyo team has a better understanding of user friendliness. I am an email marketing consultant and people hire me to do their email marketing for them. It is my profession, but even still, it is hard for me to follow Mailchimp’s logic on how to setup automation and etc.
For some projects in the past, I had to be very creative to accomplish what I wanted in Mailchimp. At first glance, I might think I had an easy project, but then with Mailchimp’s limitations, I would have to create many extra steps to accomplish the goal.
Part 12: Pricing
Before I show you price per subscriber comparison, I want to clarify how Mailchimp and Klaviyo charge per subscribers. Klaviyo is subscriber based. It means you pay only for active subscribers.
Mailchimp is list-based. For example, if you have five different lists in Mailchimp, and one contact (let’s say firstname@xyz.com) is on five different lists, you will pay five times for the same subscriber.
In Klaviyo, that same person (firstname@xyz.com) can be on five different lists, but you pay only once for this subscriber. Keep that in mind when you compare the pricing.
In addition, Klaviyo bases their pricing only on the number of subscribers and provides everybody the same set of features. Mailchimp has three different plans and some features are not available to other plans.
Klaviyo costs more, there is no argument, but every penny is worth it.
If you just need a platform to send emails, Mailchimp is the right software for you. However, if you plan to make money and see how each email performs, you need to pick Klaviyo.
Okay, so how much does Mailchimp cost compared to Klaviyo? Here’s an overview.
Klaviyo VS Mailchimp Pricing
| # of Subscribers | Klaviyo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| 0-500 | $25 | $0 |
| 501-2,500 | $50-$125 | $30.00 |
| 2,501-5,000 | $125-$200 | $50.00 |
| 5,000-10,000 | $200-$325 | $75.00 |
| 10,001-25,000 | $325-$450 | $150.00 |
Final thoughts
As I said before, I love Klaviyo and I’ve intentionally stopped doing projects on Mailchimp’s platform. Why? I am not able to provide the same kind of results for my clients by using Mailchimp vs. Klaviyo. So for that reason, I stopped using it. If you have an ecommerce business or are starting one, I highly recommend investing in the best software even if your budget is tight at the moment. I know Mailchimp offers free services up to 2000 subscribers, but sooner or later you will switch to Klaviyo and the migration will cost you more than you’ve saved.
I love this quote by Klaviyo:
If you want to try a Klaviyo account for free, click here to create a free account.
If you have any additional questions, please leave them below in the comments section and I will respond to them.
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