Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: Which tool is better for e‑commerce?

01Klaviyo: Built for e-commerce

Topic

Klaviyo

Advantage

thinks in products

Klaviyo was developed for online shops from the start. You notice it in every feature:

• Native Shopify integration: Customers and orders come in automatically, website events like Viewed Product only once you turn on the Klaviyo app embed in your Shopify theme, and for visitors from the EU only with consent[10]
• E-commerce event tracking: Viewed Product, Checkout Started, Placed Order: all out of the box[11]
• Predictive Analytics: Klaviyo automatically calculates Lifetime Value, Churn Risk, Next Purchase Date[4]
• Dynamic Product Blocks: Automatically show the products from the cart or browsing history[6]

Klaviyo is the tool if e‑commerce is your business. It thinks in products, orders, Customer Lifetime Value.

02Mailchimp: Generalist with a low-cost entry

Topic

Mailchimp

Advantage

cheaper to start

Mailchimp is an all-rounder. It works for newsletters, local businesses, non-profits, bloggers and also for e‑commerce. But:

• E-commerce features are less deeply integrated
• Segmentation is less granular
• Predictive Analytics such as customer lifetime value (CLV) and purchase likelihood only from the Standard plan upwards[3]

In return, Mailchimp is cheaper to start with and has a broader range of features for non-e‑commerce use cases (e.g. social media ads, landing pages).[2]

03Free plans compared

Topic

Free plans

Advantage

Klaviyo

Klaviyo Free Plan

• Up to 250 contacts
• 500 emails per month[1]
• Many core features included (flows, segmentation, reports), but without Predictive Analytics and with the Klaviyo logo in your emails[1]

Mailchimp Free Plan

• Up to 250 contacts[2]
• 500 emails per month (max. 250/day)[2]
• Limited features (only 1 audience, no A/B testing, no advanced segmentation)[3]

Free plan winner: Klaviyo. The same number of contacts (250),[3] but with flows and segmentation.[1] Mailchimp lacks important tools.

04Pricing from 250+ contacts

Topic

Pricing

Advantage

it depends

Klaviyo Pricing

• Email Plan: From $20/month (251-500 contacts), email only[9]
• SMS and other text messages: Separate plan, independent of the email plan, billed by volume and destination country[12]
• Prices rise with the number of contacts (1,000 contacts: $30/month, 5,000 contacts: $100/month)[1]

Mailchimp Pricing

• Essentials Plan: From $13/month (500 contacts)[2]
• Standard Plan: From $20/month (500 contacts), with automation and A/B testing[2]
• Premium Plan: From $350/month (10,000 contacts), with advanced segmentation[2]

Prices as of October 2026, in US dollars excluding tax.

Pricing winner: It depends. Mailchimp is cheaper to start with. Klaviyo gets more expensive but offers more e‑commerce depth.

05Shopify integration

Topic

Shopify integration

Advantage

Klaviyo native

Klaviyo: Native integration, connected directly in Klaviyo. Customers and orders come in automatically, website events like Viewed Product only after you turn on the Klaviyo app embed, and for visitors from the EU only with consent.[10]

Mailchimp: Official app from Intuit Mailchimp in the Shopify App Store.[13] The old legacy version has been discontinued, and anyone still using it has to switch to the current app.[14] There are third-party apps (ShopSync), but the integration is less seamless.

06Flow Builder & Automation

Topic

Flow Builder

Advantage

Klaviyo with Conditional Splits

Klaviyo: Intuitive Visual Flow Builder with Conditional Splits, A/B testing within flows, triggers based on e‑commerce events (Viewed Product, Placed Order, etc.).[7]

Mailchimp: Marketing Automation Flows (called “Customer Journey Builder” until June 2025) are available, but less e‑commerce specific.[3] There are shop triggers such as purchase, abandoned cart and churn risk, and with a connected Shopify store also abandoned browse and abandoned checkout.[15]

07Segmentation

Topic

Segmentation

Advantage

Klaviyo extremely granular

Klaviyo: Extremely granular. You can segment by any event, any property, any metric.[5] Example: “Customers who viewed product X in the last 30 days but did not buy it, and whose CLV is > €100.”

Mailchimp: Good segmentation, but less deep. Some e‑commerce specific metrics are missing.

08Reporting & Analytics

Topic

Reporting

Advantage

Klaviyo e-commerce dashboard

Klaviyo: E-commerce dashboard with Revenue per Recipient, Attributed Revenue, Conversion Rate, ROI.[8] Everything is focused on e‑commerce.

Mailchimp: Good reports, but less e‑commerce specific. Revenue attribution via the Shopify app with an adjustable time window.[16]

09Conclusion: Klaviyo or Mailchimp?

Topic

Conclusion

Advantage

Klaviyo for e-commerce

Choose Klaviyo if:

• You run an online shop (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, etc.)
• E-commerce events (Abandoned Cart, Browse Abandonment, Post Purchase) matter to you
• You want to use Predictive Analytics (CLV, Churn Risk)
• You are willing to pay for e‑commerce depth

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You mainly send newsletters (blog, content site, non-profit)
• Your e‑commerce share is small and you are looking for one tool for everything
• You want to pay as little as possible to start with

Bottom Line: For e‑commerce, Klaviyo is the better tool. It was built for it, it thinks in e‑commerce logic, and its features are designed to maximise revenue. Mailchimp is a solid all-rounder, but if you have a shop, you will miss Klaviyo’s e‑commerce depth.