When it comes to choosing the right email marketing platform, the options can feel overwhelming for business owners. Two of the top contenders in this space are Privy and Mailchimp, but they take quite different approaches.
In this comprehensive Privy vs Mailchimp comparison guide, we evaluate Privy and Mailchimp across a range of factors such as market position, ease of use, customization options, built-in features, third-party integrations, website performance, customer support, pricing models, and overall reputation.
Our goal is to break down how Privy and Mailchimp stack up in the areas that matter so you can confidently select the right platform for driving business growth through email and social media marketing features for campaigns, building customer loyalty, and boosting online sales.
1. Understanding the Basics
Founded in 2011 by Ben Jabbawy, Privy is an email marketing and e-commerce platform based in Boston, Massachusetts. Privy has quickly grown in popularity thanks to its easy-to-use tools for building email lists, creating campaigns, managing online stores, and collecting customer data. Privy currently has over 250,000 businesses using its platform.
Launched in 2001 by Ben Chestnut and Mark Armstrong, Mailchimp is one of the world’s leading email marketing platforms. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Mailchimp has become a household name in the industry. Currently, over 14 million businesses and entrepreneurs use Mailchimp for email campaigns, automation, and analytics.
With over 2 decades in business, Mailchimp has a very strong market position as an email marketing leader. Some key user communities are:
2. Features and Functionality
Automation
Privy
Privy offers a visual automation builder to easily set up “if this, then that” workflows between your email subscribers and customers. You can create onboarding campaigns to nurture new subscribers, abandoned cart automation to recover sales, and birthday or anniversary automation to build loyalty.
Some key aspects of Privy’s automation builder include the ability to drag-and-drop workflow creation, leverage pre-built automation templates, incorporate sentiment analysis for personalized messaging, enable automated SMS and postcard options, and integrate across email, social campaigns, and landing pages.
The visual interface makes it very simple to set up even advanced, multi-step automation in just a few clicks. You can segment customers based on behaviors and send them down customized pathways.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp provides automated email workflows that engage customers based on their actions and activity with your business. These include welcome campaigns for new subscribers, re-engagement emails for inactive contacts, and abandoned cart automation.
Aspects of Mailchimp’s email automation incorporate an easy-to-follow workflow builder, pre-built automation templates, tags and segments for personalization, automated postcard and SMS follow-ups, and drip campaigns to nurture customers.
While the marketing automation platform may not be quite as visually intuitive as Privy’s drag-and-drop builder, the platform still makes it simple for small business owners to set up multi-channel sequences with very little technical know-how required.
Winner: Privy
Privy wins when it comes to the ease and flexibility of building email marketing automation without complex functionality. The drag-and-drop workflow builder allows nearly anyone to create sophisticated, omnichannel sequences that convert at a high rate. For small e-commerce businesses without big marketing teams, Privy provides better automation solutions.
Email Templates
Privy
Privy provides professionally designed email templates to choose from for designing campaigns. There are over 100 mobile-optimized templates covering categories like welcome emails, promotions, announcements, newsletters, and more.
The template options enable easy customization of elements like images, colors, and fonts so you can match your brand style. You can also build emails from scratch using a drag-and-drop editor. All emails are tested for inbox delivery across all major email providers.
Mailchimp
With over 600 professionally created email template options, Mailchimp offers extensive choices covering all types of email campaigns. The customizable templates are mobile-optimized and translation-ready.
Key aspects include a drag-and-drop builder or HTML editor, custom coding options available, templates organized by campaign type, and designs for all major email clients tested.
While Privy provides sufficient high-quality templates for most small businesses, Mailchimp has a much more extensive collection of creative designs and options to choose from, including exit intent popup templates.
Winner: Mailchimp
Mailchimp wins for email templates due to having over 4x more designer-crafted template choices compared to Privy. The expansive template library with creative designs enables both beginners and experienced marketers to quickly build polished, effective email campaigns that represent their brand well across all devices. The customization options provide added flexibility.
Segmentation
Privy
Privy enables you to segment your contacts based on categories like email activity, purchase history, visited pages, and more. You can create dynamic segments that automatically update based on consumer behaviors over time.
Key aspects include the ability to visually map customer journeys, leverage automated or manual segmentation, create dynamic categories that self-update, and build segments with drag-and-drop functionality.
Segmenting by user attributes and engagement makes it easy to deliver highly personalized messaging and offers.
Mailchimp
With Mailchimp, you can manually or automatically segment contacts using tags, user activity data, purchase history, geolocation, and campaign activity.
Aspects of Mailchimp’s segmentation incorporate tag-based manual grouping, automated user activity filtering, segmentation by location, age, and gender, and seamless integration with automation.
While Privy does offer slightly more intuitive visual segmentation, Mailchimp provides comparable functionality for manual and automated segmentation based on the same types of customer data and behaviors.
Winner: Tie
Privy and Mailchimp both provide robust features for segmenting your audience based on attributes and behaviors to personalize marketing. Privy’s visual journey mapping adds a nice touch. However, overall the two are evenly matched on flexible segmentation capabilities essential for targeting campaigns.
Analytics
Privy
Privy provides detailed analytics on email and landing page performance. You can view opens, clicks, unsubscribes, shares, survey responses, and page visits. Charts break down top-performing segments and campaign metrics over custom date ranges.
Aspects of Privy’s analytics include visual campaign performance dashboards, email and page view analytics, segment, and A/B test reporting, and the ability to export reports as PDF or CSV.
The analytics make it easy to optimize both your email and landing page content for higher conversion rates.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp offers robust analytics on your contacts, email campaigns, automations, and landing pages. It tracks metrics like open rate, click rate, drop-off rates, conversion rates, and more. You can filter analytics based on custom segments and date ranges.
Key analytics functionality incorporates interactive dashboard reporting, campaign and list insight tracking, automation, and RSS analytics, comparative performance graphs, and exportable analytics reports.
With comparable in-depth analytics across channels, Mailchimp is on par with Privy for understanding audience behaviors to refine your strategy.
Winner: Tie
Both Privy and Mailchimp provide extensive campaign, audience, and channel analytics using interactive dashboards and reports. Between easy-to-interpret metrics and the ability to filter data and export reports, the two platforms are evenly matched for the analytics needs of most small businesses.
Unique Features
Privy
Some unique capabilities Privy provides beyond standard email marketing include a built-in store builder for selling products, visual workflow and automation mapping, advanced popups, wheel of fortune, and contest tools, SMS messaging and postcard integrations, social posting to Facebook, Instagram, etc., and integration marketplace for apps like Slack, Zapier.
These features make Privy an all-in-one hub for managing multi-channel marketing campaigns, building email lists, running an online store, and understanding customer journeys.
Mailchimp
Special capabilities that set Mailchimp apart as an email and marketing platform are automations for omnichannel sequences, pre-designed landing page templates, A/B testing for emails and landing pages, account health metrics and guidance, and international campaign support.
The unique functions focus mainly on expanded options for email campaign optimization and streamlining workloads.
Winner: Privy
Privy wins for going beyond standard email marketing with tools for building stores, creating comprehensive customer journeys, spinning contests and promotions, facilitating two-way SMS conversations, and unifying multi-channel post reach. Mailchimp has email and landing page testing but Privy bundles more for serious ecommerce marketers.
3. Ease of Use
Privy
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Privy is designed for simplicity and ease of use even for non-technical users. The intuitive drag-and-drop interface enables the creation of email campaigns, building landing pages, and setting up automation through visual workflow maps.
With pre-designed templates and step-by-step wizards guiding you, Privy makes it easy for small business owners to create professional-looking emails, launch pop-up carts, build complex multi-channel automation, and view campaign analytics without coding skills. The platform is very beginner-friendly.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp provides a clean, simply designed user interface that is relatively easy for novices to start sending their first email campaigns. With pre-built templates and automation, you can drag and drop to customize emails and sequences yourself regardless of technical expertise.
The platform streamlines setting up segments, groups, and tags as well. But certain areas like viewing detailed contact analytics can feel a little less intuitive. The learning curve is reasonable for basic email and automation building.
Winner: Privy
Privy wins for ease of use with the most intuitive, visual interface that uses wizards and maps to guide any user. The drag-and-drop campaign and automation builders are easier for complete beginners compared to Mailchimp. For basic email marketing, Mailchimp simplifies the process but Privy provides an edge.
4. Email Deliverability
Privy
Privy optimizes email deliverability through sender authentication, inbox testing, link wrapping, and ongoing monitoring for red flags. It ensures compliance with top email providers like Gmail.
Key aspects that aid email deliverability include SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup, inbox render testing for iOS, Android, and web, automatic link tagging for reputation, and delivery error monitoring and alerts.
By handling the technical requirements behind you and testing campaigns, Privy makes it easy to focus on creating content.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is well-known for exceptional email deliverability thanks to years of experience fine-tuning and testing campaigns. Features that optimize inbox placement incorporate automated authentication protocols, testing for all major email platforms, global unsubscribe links to maintain hygiene, and deliverability monitoring and reporting.
Reaching inboxes reliably across ESPs is critically important, and Mailchimp offers rock-solid reliability you can count on.
Winner: Tie
Both Privy and Mailchimp use email authentication, rigorous testing procedures, link wrapping, and ongoing monitoring to guarantee inbox delivery. Their technical expertise and continuous optimization result in stellar sender reputations and extremely reliable deliverability.
5. Customer Support and Community
Privy
Privy provides email support, live chat, and phone support, with team members available 24/7 to aid customers with technical issues or questions about using the software. As a smaller, more boutique email marketing platform, Privy can offer specialized, dedicated support. Their customer success team takes the time to understand the specifics of each customer’s account, troubleshoot intricate problems, and provide in-depth knowledge on utilizing Privy tools.
Additional self-serve resources Privy offers incorporate video tutorials, online knowledge base articles, webinars, and white papers. For community support, Privy operates an active user forum with conversations around best practices as well as a 7,000+ member Privy Users Facebook group for advice.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp members have access to 24/7 email support services as well as a searchable online knowledge base comprising hundreds of help articles and tutorials about using Mailchimp features. As one of the email marketing industry’s largest established players, Mailchimp scales its support through documentation and automation instead of direct channels. Select users may have access to limited live chat. However, phone and personalized support is not provided.
With over 14 million businesses on Mailchimp, the platform fosters an enormous community of marketers centered around their Community forums and Facebook groups. Users have expansive peer discussion channels, though less opportunity for tailored troubleshooting guidance from Mailchimp’s own customer service agents compared to Privy’s boutique approach.
Winner: Privy
When it comes to customer support, Privy has a distinct edge for offering three live support channels – phone, chat, and email – available 24/7 for rapid problem resolution with hands-on agents ready to dive deep into specifics. Combined with a tight-knit user community centered around its smaller customer base, Privy makes it simple to get individualized assistance. Mailchimp wins for the breadth of their self-serve and community resources by scale, but Privy goes the extra mile on personalized support.
6. Integrations
Privy
Privy connects with over 750+ third-party apps and services to expand functionality. Key category integrations Privy offers include CRM platforms like Salesforce, Capsule CRM, and Keap; Email platforms like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo; Webinar software like GoToWebinar, and Zoom; Marketing tools like Mailchimp, Facebook, and Google Analytics; Commerce platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify App Store, Stripe; and Automation tools like Zapier, Integromat.
With Privy’s integration marketplace, users can easily install apps to manage contacts, connect workflows, facilitate services, and more.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp integrates with over 500 apps and services including email platforms like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo; CRM systems like Salesforce, Capsule, and Zoho; E-commerce software like WooCommerce, and Shopify; Marketing services like Facebook, and Google Analytics; and Automation tools like Zapier.
Its apps expand features from syncing contacts to feeding purchase data into workflows and email personalization.
Winner: Privy
Privy wins for having nearly 50% more integrations than Mailchimp, enabling small businesses to unify all martech and operational solutions in one centralized command hub. Both platforms cover the basics, but Privy expands possibilities further.
7. Pricing
Privy
Privy offers a free plan and 2 paid plans. The Starter Plan costs $30/month and comes with all the basic features to send emails to up to 1,500 contacts.
The Growth Plan costs $45/month and includes conversion tools, SMS features, and advanced automation.
Core features across all tiers include email marketing, landing pages, SMS, workflows, and e-commerce. The higher tier plan adds capabilities like advanced metrics, priority support, and feature access control for teams.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp’s pricing plans are as follows:
- Free – Up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month
- Essentials – $13/month billed annually for up to 500 email contacts
- Standard – $20/month billed annually for up to 2,500 contacts
- Premium – $350/month billed annually for up to 10,000 contacts
Add-ons like additional email sends, domain authentication and SMS credits cost extra.
The plans include automation, landing pages, pop-ups, email capture, reports, CRM integrations, and other features. Mailchimp’s free plan has a generous allowance for getting started. Paid plans offer strong value for growing email lists.
Winner: Tie
Both platforms enable getting started for free and offer thoughtful scaling. Privy starts paid plans cheaper while Mailchimp offers more robust enterprise customization. For typical e-commerce site needs, their pricing is competitively matched.
8. Reviews and Reputation
Privy
Privy earns overwhelmingly positive reviews across users and reputable software review platforms. On G2, they rate 4.6/5 stars based on 120+ user reviews praising the intuitive interface, excellent support, and robust email/e-commerce features.
The most common positives highlighted include Privy being easy to use even for beginners having great customer support and a powerful built-in store builder. This makes it an ideal alternative to more popular options like Constant Contact when it comes time to convert visitors. Constructive feedback centers around wanting more advanced analytics. But simplicity is appreciated.
Mailchimp
With over 14 million customers, Mailchimp enjoys enormous brand recognition and largely satisfied reviewers. They hold 4.3/5 stars on G2among 12,000+ reviews.
Frequent user likes to involve Mailchimp’s strong deliverability and compliance, hundreds of useful templates available, and automation that contribute to sales. Exit intent works fabulously, but users cite the learning curve for technical functions and clunky UX as cons at times.
Winner: Privy
By focussing on user-friendliness and support over scale, Privy edges out Mailchimp in customer satisfaction with remarkably high ratings and 20x better like: dislike review ratios. Both are trusted platforms, but ease of use matters.
9. FAQ’s
Privy FAQs
- What types of email campaigns can I create in Privy?
Privy supports creating all standard campaign types like broadcasts, newsletters, win-backs, event triggers, and any other dynamic content event. Pre-set templates make it easy to customize designs. - Does Privy have automation workflows I can set up?
Yes, Privy provides an intuitive automation builder to create multi-channel sequences involving emails, SMS, cart abandonment flows, and post-purchase nurturing. - Can Privy handle my product catalog and e-commerce store?
Absolutely – Privy has a built-in store builder to launch a shopping site and publish an online catalog with flexible customization.
Mailchimp FAQs
- What types of emails can I send with Mailchimp?
Mailchimp enables sending all basic campaign types from announcements to promotions to newsletters, plus automated postcard mailings. Hundreds of customizable templates are available. - How do I segment my customer lists in Mailchimp?
You can leverage tags, groups, and automated filters to segment contacts based on lifecycle stage, interests, purchase history, location, and other attributes. - Is Mailchimp integrated with online stores?
Yes, Mailchimp provides integrations with all major e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce to sync product catalogs and customer purchase events.
Final Thoughts
Choose Privy if…
Privy is the ideal email and marketing platform for e-commerce brands and retail stores that want to combine email campaigns with selling products online. With its drag-and-drop store builder integrated with email flows, automations, promotions, and loyalty rewards, Privy delivers an all-in-one solution for driving repeat business.
The intuitive editor makes it easy for small business owners to create professional email and landing page content themselves without relying fully on web developers. For those seeking simplicity and convenience in managing marketing alongside online sales, choose Privy.
Choose Mailchimp if…
Mailchimp is best suited for established businesses needing to send a high volume of email newsletters and automated emails at scale. The breadth of deliverability and compliance expertise Mailchimp offers makes it reliable for major email campaigns.
And if you anticipate needing advanced features like multivariate testing or custom coding down the road, Mailchimp provides greater expandability. For already growing businesses focusing heavily on email alone, Mailchimp delivers industry-leading functionality.
You may also be interested in checking out some Mailchimp alternatives to help with the evaluation process.