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Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp: Which tool should you choose?

Reading Time: 12 minutes

Email marketing is a cost-effective marketing tactic that’s useful for all types of businesses. 

As a small business, you just need an affordable solution, and Shopify Email and Mailchimp are popular options.

Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp — which one is better for you?

Both tools have their pros and cons, and choosing the right one depends on various factors. Read on for a detailed comparison to help you make an informed decision.

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The right email service provider can save you money, improve deliverability, and help you build better relationships with your customers. Here's everything you need to know to choose the best platform for you.

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Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp: Overview

Let’s start this Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp comparison with a quick side-by-side comparison of features. Later, we’ll delve into a more in-depth comparison.

FeaturesMailchimpShopify Email
Email builderEasy and intuitiveEasy and intuitive
Email list buildingLanding page builder and a form builderNo built-in tools, but it has a free Shopify Forms app
Segmentation and targeting featuresRobust audience segmentationGeneral Shopify segmentation
Marketing automation70+ prebuilt templates and an advanced customer journey builderEssential ecommerce automation templates and the option to create manual, custom workflows
User experience– Simple, intuitive interface
– Advanced features suited to experienced users
– Simple, intuitive interface
– Ideal for beginners and is user-friendly
Analytics and reportingCampaign performance tracking, audience, insights, and comparative reportingCampaign performance tracking, order tracking, and marketing funnel behavior
Customer support– 24/7 email and chat support for paid plan users
– Only 30-day email support for free plan users
– 24/7 email and live chat support with its paid plans
– Priority support is available with the Shopify Plus plan
PricingOne free plan and three paid plans:

Essentials: Starts at $13
Standard: Starts at $20
Premium: Starts at $350
Free emails: First 10,000 emails are free
Cost for additional emails (up to 300,000): $1 USD per 1,000 additional emails
Cost beyond 300,000 emails: $0.65 USD per 1,000 additional emails
Cost beyond 750,000 emails: $0.55 USD per 1,000 additional emails
User reviewPraised for automation and segmentation featuresPraised for its intuitive design and simplicity

Now, let’s compare Mailchimp and Shopify Email in depth in terms of various key aspects.

Email builders 

Both Shopify Email and Mailchimp have clear and intuitive email builders that are easy to navigate. However, as Shopify Email is a plugin, it doesn’t offer powerful features like Mailchimp as a standalone platform.

That’s why you’ll easily find everything that Shopify Email offers without a hassle. The Shopify Email setup process is also quick and straightforward. However, this tool doesn’t offer in-depth campaign personalization functionality, such as dynamic product recommendations.

This is not the case with Mailchimp. It may take you some time to learn where all the features and tools are located until you become more familiar with the platform, but it provides more extensive functionality for marketers.

Let’s compare the email builders of both tools by the features offered:

Content blocks

Shopify Email offers all the essential content blocks along with some ecommerce-specific ones. These include content blocks to add gift cards, products, and discount codes. Here’s a screenshot showing the interface to add products to your emails:

Email builder example from Shopify
Image via Shopify

Mailchimp offers a wide variety of content blocks, including promo codes, product recommendations, and product content blocks. 

Here’s a screenshot of the various content blocks it offers:

Email builder example from Mailchimp
Image via Mailchimp

You can also add dynamic content blocks to show personalized content to your subscribers.

Both tools allow you to drag and drop content blocks and create emails with ease.

However, the ecommerce features offered by both tools are somewhat limited compared to that of Omnisend, which is specifically designed for ecommerce businesses. Its product picker, for example, allows you to pick products from your store and directly add them to your emails with prices, descriptions, and photos included.

Email templates

Both Shopify Email and Mailchimp offer customizable email templates that you can use to create engaging emails.

Shopify Email offers branded templates where you can add your brand logos and colors for various occasions and use cases. You can access these templates for free.

Mailchimp, on the other hand, has a library of 100+ customizable templates, but only a few are available with the free plan. The rest are accessible only to paid plan users. Adding your branding to these templates and tailoring them to your needs is easy.

List building features 

No Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp comparison would be complete without considering their options for building lists. 

Shopify Email does not natively offer any list-building tools, but it has a Shopify Forms plugin as well as third-party integrations to create forms, landing pages, and popups.

The Shopify Forms app allows you to quickly design and launch in-line forms and popups to build email lists. You can even set customized triggers and decide where and when you want your forms to be displayed.

List of building features example from Shopify
Image via Shopify

According to customer reviews, though, you can only create basic email signup forms and not other types of engaging forms. For more sophisticated forms and landing pages, you’ll need to integrate your store with third-party apps, which isn’t the most convenient option.

Mailchimp, on the other hand, offers a built-in landing page builder and a dedicated form builder. There are basic and themed templates to create different types of landing pages.

Here are some examples of the themed landing page templates that Mailchimp offers:

List of building features example from 
Mailchimp
Image via Mailchimp

There’s also a convenient option to create one-click landing pages using Mailchimp’s mobile app. 

Want to know the best part?

It also offers performance analytics to help you assess how your landing pages are performing. This helps you identify low-performing pages and optimize them for better conversions.

Overall, both tools lack the advanced list-building capabilities offered by Omnisend. Omnisend offers various types of forms, such as single and multi-step popups, flyouts, and the gamified Wheel of Fortune. It has 100+ ready-to-use templates for landing pages and forms that can be quickly customized and used.

Segmentation and targeting 

Both Mailchimp and Shopify Email offer great segmentation options. Shopify Email has one distinct advantage, though: you can use your Shopify customer segments, which makes things much easier for you.

Shopify offers various segmentation options using filters, such as:

  • Amount spent
  • Location
  • Customer account status
  • Customer added date
  • Customer email domain
  • Language
  • Customer tags
  • Email events
  • Email or SMS subscription status
  • Last order date
  • Number of orders
  • Predicted spend tier
  • Products purchased

You can find the segmentation feature under the Customers tab on your Shopify dashboard, as shown in the image below:

Segmentation and targeting example from Shopify
Image via Shopify

Mailchimp offers comprehensive segmentation options. You can segment users based on:

  • Contacts’ demographic details
  • How contacts were acquired
  • Email and SMS activity
  • Ecommerce activity
  • Likelihood of repeat purchase
  • Online behavior and engagement

The best part is that you can create in-depth segments by adding up to five conditions for each segment. You can use “AND” or “OR” operators for setting up these conditions, as shown in the image below:

Segmentation and targeting example from Mailchimp
Image via Mailchimp

Though both tools offer substantial segmentation options, they still lack the advanced segmentation capabilities of other tools like Omnisend or Klaviyo. Omnisend, for instance, allows you to create unlimited audience segments from over 500 data points.

What’s more, it assigns a customer lifecycle stage to each customer to further improve segmentation and targeting. It also has ecommerce-specific ready-to-use segments to target for special occasions like Black Friday.

Marketing automation 

The next aspect of comparing Mailchimp vs. Shopify Email is marketing automation. We’ll focus on the kind of automation options offered by each tool and the complexity of workflows you can create.

Shopify Email offers essential email automation templates. Here are a few examples:

Marketing automation example from Shopify
Image via Shopify

To create manual automation workflows, you’ll need to use Shopify Flow, which is available with all of Shopify’s paid plans. You can use various triggers, conditions, and filters to create highly customized workflows. Here’s an example:

Marketing automation example from Shopify
Image via Shopify

Mailchimp, on the other hand, has powerful built-in marketing automation features. Its customer journey builder offers 70+ pre-built templates that you can customize and use. In this regard, it has an advantage over Shopify Email.

The journey builder is easy to use. You can set triggers and conditions and send automated emails with ease. Here’s an example of a basic automated workflow:

Marketing automation example from Mailchimp
Image via Mailchimp

However, you don’t get unlimited access to all of Mailchimp’s marketing automation features. For instance, you get only four journey points with the Essentials plan and 200 journey points with the Standard plan. Shopify doesn’t have such usage limitations, and marketing automation is available in all of its plans.

User experience

The user experience of an email marketing platform plays a vital role in effectively engaging and retaining customers. 

In this Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp comparison, we’ll examine how the usability and functionality of each platform impact your ability to deliver a hassle-free customer experience.

Shopify Email is designed to help business owners easily set up and manage campaigns.

Here’s how it simplifies email marketing:

  • Seamless integration: Automatically connects to Shopify stores, eliminating the need for manual setup
  • Beginner-friendly features: Features like pre-made templates, email scheduling, email testing, and clear analytics are easy to navigate for users with little to no technical expertise
  • Automated email sequences: Shopify Email lets users set up automated workflows for actions, such as welcome emails and cart abandonment reminders, ensuring consistent engagement with minimal effort

Here’s what the pre-designed templates on Shopify look like:

shopify templates
Image via Shopify

Shopify Email excels in simplicity and ease of use. However, businesses seeking advanced features may need third-party apps for advanced personalization.

Mailchimp’s user experience, on the other hand, focuses on delivering powerful features for businesses willing to invest time in learning the platform. It supports advanced marketing needs through:

  • Sophisticated segmentation: Businesses can segment their audience based on a variety of criteria, including location, purchase history, and engagement levels
  • Effective automation: Mailchimp’s trigger-based workflow sends personalized emails automatically, enhancing engagement through timely and relevant communication
  • In-depth analytics: Users can track detailed campaign performance, including audience insights and comparative reports

Mailchimp’s performance dashboard shows in-depth analytics in one place:

mailchimp dashboard
Image via Mailchimp

While Mailchimp offers powerful features, the platform’s complexity can be daunting for beginners. Navigating higher-level tools often requires effort and prior technical knowledge, especially for small businesses.

Both Shopify Email and Mailchimp cater to different types of users with distinct strengths and weaknesses. While Shopify Email prioritizes simplicity and ease of use, Mailchimp offers more advanced features for experienced marketers.

Analytics and reporting

Next, in this Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp comparison, we’ll assess each tool’s analytics. Let’s divide this into three aspects for better comparison:

Analytics

Both tools offer essential insights into your email campaign’s performance and track metrics like open rate, click rate, unsubscribe rate, and more.

Analytics and reporting example from Shopify
Image via Shopify

Shopify Email also provides insights into the orders placed as a result of email marketing by tracking metrics like:

  • Total sales
  • Average order value
  • Average products sold
  • First-time customers

It also provides insights into your customers’ marketing funnel behavior and tracks metrics like:

  • Unique visitors who visited your site after reading your email
  • Number of sessions where a user added a product to their cart or placed an order
  • The number of times a user viewed a product page
  • The number of clicks on each email link to your online store

As Shopify is an ecommerce platform, it’s no wonder it helps you track metrics related to email performance and the online shopping behavior of your customers. Hovewer, if you want more advanced analytics, you might want to consider other Shopify Email alternatives.

Mailchimp, on the other hand, broadens its range of analytics and also provides deeper insights into your customers and their likelihood to purchase again. You can also track social media and landing page engagement and find out which activities are generating more leads.

Marketing automation example from Mailchimp
Image via Mailchimp

Its ecommerce insights are comparatively basic but cover all the essentials.

Mailchimp has one distinct advantage over Shopify Email: it offers 300+ integrations to help you collect more data and analytics to enrich your email campaigns. This includes integration with web analytics tools like Google Analytics.

Omnisend provides more in-depth and advanced analytics than both. You can see sales trends, audience activity data, deliverability insights, and even some real-time analytics. Its analytics and reporting tools are perfect for ecommerce businesses.

Reporting

While Shopify Email provides in-depth reports into your email campaigns, it doesn’t provide comparative benchmarking reports. 

This is where Mailchimp takes the lead as it provides comparative reports to see which segments are performing better than others. This is similar to what Omnisend does with its “performance by segments” report. However, Mailchimp doesn’t have the segment customer breakdown report that Omnisend offers. 

A/B testing

Another win for Mailchimp in this Mailchimp vs. Shopify Email comparison is that it offers A/B testing for emails. 

You can send different variations of emails to different customers and see which elements perform better. This allows you to optimize and perfect your emails to drive the most conversions.

What’s more, it also provides send-time optimization to ensure your emails are sent at times when subscribers are most likely to engage with them.

Pricing 

Price is one of the most important criteria involved in choosing an email marketing tool. In this section of our Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp comparison, we’ll compare their free and paid plans.

Shopify Email pricing works on a simple model:

  • Free emails: The first 10,000 emails are free
  • Cost for additional emails (up to 300,000): $1 USD per 1,000 additional emails
  • Cost beyond 300,000 emails: $0.65 USD per 1,000 additional emails
  • Cost beyond 750,000 emails: $0.55 USD per 1,000 additional emails

You can also use Shopify Email for free to meet basic monthly email requirements.

Conversely, Mailchimp offers a free plan with limited features and three paid plans with different features.

Here are the details:

  • Free: For up to 1,000 emails/month
  • Essentials: Starts at $13 for 5,000 monthly emails and 500 subscribers
  • Standard: Starts at $20 for 6,000 monthly emails and 500 subscribers 
  • Premium: Starts at $350 for 150,000 monthly emails and 10,000 subscribers 

Mailchimp is more expensive than Shopify Email, but it offers greater accessibility and a more comprehensive set of features. While Shopify Email can be a solid option for ecommerce businesses on the Shopify platform, it’s not the best option for those who aren’t.

Mailchimp is a comparatively affordable email marketing tool suitable for all types of small businesses. However, it’s not the best option for large businesses as the price increase is steep beyond a certain number of subscribers.

For more details, use our email pricing calculator below to quickly compare costs and features with other top platforms. Input your desired number of contacts, choose up to two other email marketing providers from the list, and see how Omnisend stacks up against them.

Quick email provider pricing comparison

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    User reviews

    User feedback is essential when comparing Shopify Email Marketing vs. Mailchimp. It offers valuable insights into both platforms’ strengths and limitations. Let’s explore users’ reviews of both platforms from trusted review sites like G2, Trustpilot and Capterra.

    Shopify Email is praised for its simplicity, making it an excellent choice for small businesses and beginners looking for an intuitive email marketing solution.

    Highlights based on reviews

    • Ease of use: Trustpilot reviews show that 80% of users agree that Shopify Email provides an intuitive and user-friendly experience
    • Seamless integration: Most users love the easy setup, with no additional configurations needed
    • Affordable pricing: Many customers appreciate the free plan, which allows up to 10,000 monthly emails, making it particularly appealing to startups

    Common criticisms

    • Limited features: Shopify Email offers limited automation and segmentation features, which may not meet the needs of large businesses
    • Scaling challenges: Many users find it well-suited for basic campaigns but insufficient for managing complex operations

    In contrast, Mailchimp is known for its powerful features, but it can be challenging for beginners in email marketing.

    Highlights from reviews

    • Feature-rich: Many users highlight Mailchimp’s extensive tools for automation, segmentation, and analytics
    • Customizable templates: Most users appreciate the flexibility to create tailored email designs that suit their needs
    • Scalability: Many users mention that Mailchimp is ideal for businesses looking to scale their marketing efforts as they grow

    Common complaints

    • Steep learning curve: Many users feel overwhelmed when first navigating the platform.
    • Customer support issues: According to Trustpilot reviews, 90% highlight delays and inconsistent service quality

    Choosing between Shopify Email and Mailchimp largely depends on your business’s size, complexity, and marketing goals. 

    When comparing Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp, Omnisend combines Shopify Email’s simplicity with Mailchimp’s advanced features. It offers an easy-to-use platform that grows with your business. 

    Omnisend integrates seamlessly with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other platforms, providing scalability for both beginners and seasoned marketers. 

    With 24/7 support and competitive pricing, Omnisend delivers excellent ROI and offers an affordable alternative to other tools. This makes it a top choice for ecommerce businesses that value ease of use, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness in email marketing.

    Wrap up

    That brings us to the end of the Shopify Email vs. Mailchimp comparison. Here are our key takeaways:

    • Shopify Email is great for existing Shopify users who need a free tool for their basic email marketing needs, but it’s not suitable for others
    • All types of businesses can use Mailchimp, but it’s better suited for small businesses as the pricing structure isn’t as cost-effective after a certain subscriber count
    • Neither tool is suitable for large businesses or ecommerce businesses, as it lacks advanced features specific to ecommerce

    If you’re looking for an email marketing tool designed for ecommerce businesses that can grow with your business, then Omnisend is your best choice. It offers advanced ecommerce-specific features and analytics to help you supercharge your email marketing.

    Combine the power of email marketing with SMS and push notifications using Omnisend
    Richard White
    Article by

    Richard is a Content Marketing Manager at Omnisend. An avid writer, he's said to have been born holding a pencil. Fascinated by all things handmade, if he's not reading or writing he can often be found practicing leathercraft.