SendGrid vs Mailchimp: Which Tool is Better for You?

SendGrid offers a multiplicity of features that vary depending on your chosen plan.

Here’s a look at what they’ve got to offer:

With these tools, you’ll be able to run campaigns using templates and a drag-and-drop design feature ― they’ve even got choose-your-path marketing workflows.

They promise approachable automation with analysis tools to help you optimize your campaigns.

With SendGrid, you can choose whether your emails are sent via SMTP or API.

They offer interactive API documents, a setup guide, a knowledge center, and customer support to make your integration process as smooth as possible.

SendGrid’s number 1 priority is getting your emails delivered.

To do this they use:

But SendGrid’s deliverability can’t be trusted due to the shared IPs on their Free and Basic plans.

If anyone using their service sends spam, all of their users will experience deliverability issues.

Social proof is key, let’s see what some reviewers on Capterra have said.

Multiple reviewers struggled to do integrations with SendGrid ― this is a huge issue considering it’s a tool that requires integrations for functionality that isn’t included out of the box.

According to others, you need to know how to code if you want your emails to look a certain way.

A couple of users have said that new updates made the software clunky and more difficult to use.

Here’s a quick recap of some of the pros and cons of SendGrid:

If SendGrid doesn’t sound like your perfect fit, maybe you’ll like Mailchimp more.

All-in-one is a big claim to make ― and Mailchimp is making it!

Let’s see if their features can back it up:

These are only the features offered specifically for emails.

Regardless of the additional features they have to offer, when it comes to email marketing, deliverability is all that matters!

Mailchimp’s deliverability is described as acceptable but not necessarily good.

They’ve also got tools for:

With Mailchimp, you can build your website or online store using their library of 100+ templates as well as their AI creative assistant.

Their marketing goes beyond email. They help you to set up digital ads and make sure your social media marketing is on par.

They prohibit affiliate marketing ― their reasoning for this is that “it isn’t the type of marketing Mailchimp is meant for.”

You can share the odd third-party link via Mailchimp, but you can’t market third-party links.

In their own words, “the difference here isn’t super clear.”

If you accidentally cross their blurred line, they’ll stop your campaign and suspend your account.

This prohibition is a huge pity considering 80% of businesses have affiliate marketing programs and 16% of ecommerce orders originate from affiliate links.

That’s what you’re missing out on if you use Mailchimp.

Automations include customer journeys and send-time optimization.

They also cover segmentation, behavioral targeting, predicted demographics, and customer relationship management (CRM).

So Mailchimp sounds pretty good, but let’s see what users have said about it on Capterra.

The main complaints are problems with spam, coding, design difficulties, and extreme limitations on the Free plan.

The coding and design difficulties point to a larger problem ― users are unsatisfied with the templates on offer and are trying to code their own designs.

Many users have said that Mailchimp is easy to use but the app isn’t.

A few users also complained that Mailchimp’s price is higher than its competitors, so let’s have a closer look at that.

Mailchimp’s pricing is divided into 3 categories:

Are you getting any closer to making up your mind?

If not, the next section will take you through a comparison of both tools.

Now that you know what’s different and what’s the same, it’s time to see what these tools might cost your business.

But if you’re not looking to spend over $1,000 (we don’t blame you), you’ll have to go with SendGrid... Or will you?

In the business world, there can only be one winner.

But is that always true? This reviewer said neither of these tools are worth using.

An integral part of email marketing is delivering emails to your contacts’ inboxes and, with their deliverability issues, neither of these tools fits the bill.

SendGrid is recommended if: You’re wanting a more affordable option and you’ve got someone on your team who can code.

While Mailchimp is recommended if: Your budget is on the larger side and you’re looking for sleeker, more modern designs.

Both tools are not recommended if: You want to stick to a specific budget every month, avoid coding, and have high deliverability rates.

Again, they both offer Free plans, so you can try the software for yourself.

By now you may be thinking that neither SendGrid nor Mailchimp really deserves your hard-earned cash.

But we know a tool that can really help you up your email marketing game, with very little involvement from that hard-earned cash.

Enter our masterful tool that delivers way more than it costs: systeme.io.

When it comes to email marketing systeme.io offers:

With us, you can put together email campaigns that will bolster your bottom line and grow your business.

Our software does more than email marketing though.

Our software can also help you to build:

You came to find out which tool is best, SendGrid or Mailchimp, but maybe you’re leaving with a slightly different outlook.

Deliverability is all that really matters when it comes to email marketing, and if you can’t get that from these tools, then they’re not worth your time or money.

If you want to get serious about your email marketing strategy, give us a visit at systeme.io ― our proven tools will change the way you look at your entire business!

And we can’t wait to help you grow.