Mailchimp charges you for contacts sitting in your list, not for emails you actually send. If you have 5,000 contacts but only email 1,000 of them this month, you still pay the 5,000-contact rate. And the prices on their homepage are 50% off intro rates that double after 12 months. Here's what Indian businesses actually pay, and what switching looks like in practice.
Most email marketing platforms, including Mailchimp, charge per contact stored. The more contacts in your list, the higher your monthly bill, regardless of how often you email them.
This model quietly hurts Indian businesses. A clothing retailer collects customer numbers at the checkout counter. A coaching institute signs up every enrolled student. A gym chain adds walk-ins to their list. Most of these contacts get emailed once or twice a month at best. But with Mailchimp, you pay for all of them, every month, whether you email them or not.
Sendflo charges per email sent. 5,000 contacts in your list but you only emailed 800 this month? You pay for 800 emails. During off-season months when you send nothing, you pay nothing beyond your plan.
This is the single biggest pricing difference between the two platforms. The question is simple: are you paying for contacts stored or emails sent? For most Indian businesses, paying per send works out cheaper.
The prices on Mailchimp's pricing page carry a "Save 50%" label. These rates apply for the first 12 months only. After that, the price doubles automatically. Here is what you actually pay from month 13 onwards:
| Contact list size | Essentials: intro (yr 1) | Essentials: real (yr 1+) | Standard: intro (yr 1) | Standard: real (yr 1+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 500 | ₹385/mo | ₹770/mo | ₹575/mo | ₹1,150/mo |
| 501–1,500 | ₹750/mo | ₹1,500/mo | ₹1,300/mo | ₹2,600/mo |
| 1,501–2,500 | ₹1,150/mo | ₹2,300/mo | ₹1,925/mo | ₹3,850/mo |
| 2,501–5,000 | ₹1,925/mo | ₹3,850/mo | ₹2,900/mo | ₹5,800/mo |
| 5,001–10,000 | ₹2,900/mo | ₹5,800/mo | ₹3,800/mo | ₹7,600/mo |
The price on Mailchimp's homepage is not the price you will pay in month 13. Many businesses sign up at ₹1,925/month, budget around that figure, and receive a ₹3,850 invoice a year later with no feature change, just an automatic doubling. By then, they have templates, contact history, and workflows locked into the platform.
Mailchimp's free plan caps you at 250 contacts, not 500 as many people assume. You get one user seat, one audience, and email support for the first 30 days only. After that, free-plan users are on their own with documentation.
Email scheduling, removing Mailchimp branding from your emails, automation, and AI features are all locked behind paid plans. The free tier exists to let you test the product; once your contact list hits 251, you're paying.
Sendflo's free plan gives you 300 emails per month with no contact limit and no time limit on support.
Mailchimp has generative AI features, but they are a separate paid add-on available only on Standard and Premium plans. They are not included in Essentials, and they require separate setup. If you are on Essentials at ₹1,500+/month, you get no AI writing assistance.
On Sendflo, the AI email generator is part of every plan. You describe what you want to send (a Diwali sale, a product launch, a payment reminder) and get a complete, formatted HTML email in about 30 seconds. No add-on required.
Numbers in tables are easy to gloss over. Here's what four typical Indian businesses actually pay on each platform:
Mailchimp is genuinely better for some use cases. Here's where it still wins:
| Feature | Sendflo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per email sent | Per contact stored |
| Free plan | 300 emails/month, no time limit | 250 contacts max, support for 30 days only |
| INR pricing | Fixed INR, no increase after year 1 | INR available, but doubles after 12 months |
| AI email generator | Built in on all plans | Paid add-on, Standard+ only |
| Campaigns in Indian languages | AI-generated in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi + more | Manual content in any language (no AI in regional languages) |
| WhatsApp campaigns | Coming soon | Not available |
| Monthly send cap | Based on plan (5k–50k/mo on paid plans) | ~10–12× your contact count per month |
| Open & click tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| CSV contact upload | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email scheduling | ✓ | Essentials+ only |
| Remove platform branding | ✓ | Essentials+ only |
| Email templates | ✓ | ✓ (much larger library) |
| Automation workflows | Not yet | Up to 200 flows (Standard+) |
| Third-party integrations | Limited | 300+ integrations |
| Multi-user seats | Single user currently | 3–5 seats on paid plans |
| Ongoing customer support | All plans | First 30 days only (free plan) |
The migration takes under 30 minutes. Your contacts, past campaign data, and templates all remain in Mailchimp; you're not deleting anything, just sending from a different platform going forward.
300 free emails every month. AI campaigns in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and more. No credit card required.
Get started free →Does Mailchimp charge per contact or per email in India?
Mailchimp charges per contact stored, not per email sent. If you have 5,000 contacts in your list, you pay the 5,000-contact tier price every month, whether you email them once, ten times, or not at all.
What is Mailchimp's free plan contact limit?
Mailchimp's free plan is limited to 250 contacts. Email support is available for the first 30 days only. Email scheduling, automation, and AI features are not included. Once your list reaches 251 contacts, you need a paid plan.
Can I import my Mailchimp contacts into Sendflo?
Yes. Export your contacts from Mailchimp as a CSV (Audience → Export Audience), then upload that file in Sendflo's Contacts section. The process takes under 30 minutes and your Mailchimp account remains intact.
Does Sendflo support email campaigns in Hindi and other Indian languages?
Yes. Sendflo's AI generator writes full campaigns in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and several other languages. You describe your campaign in plain English and the AI produces a complete formatted email in the language you choose.
Is Sendflo free to use?
Sendflo has a free plan with 300 emails per month, no credit card required, and no time limit. Paid plans start at ₹1,499/month for 5,000 emails.