Squarespace Email Campaign Pricing: Squarespace vs Mailchimp for Comparing Email Marketing Costs
Squarespace Email Campaigns is usually cheaper for simple newsletters if your site already runs on Squarespace, while Mailchimp becomes worth the higher cost when you need deeper automation, list management, testing, and reporting. If your main goal is to send polished emails to customers from one website dashboard, Squarespace is the cleaner buy. If email is a major sales channel, Mailchimp’s higher price can be easier to justify.
TLDR: For a small Squarespace store with 1,000 subscribers and four monthly newsletters, Squarespace Core at about $14 per month when billed annually can be far cheaper than many Mailchimp paid setups. Mailchimp may cost around $26.50 to $45 per month at that contact size, depending on the plan and current pricing. If email drives 20% of your monthly revenue, Mailchimp’s stronger automation may repay the gap. If email is just customer updates and promos, Squarespace often wins on cost and simplicity.
Quick pricing view: Squarespace vs Mailchimp
Squarespace Email Campaigns prices are based mainly on monthly email send limits. Mailchimp prices are based mainly on contact count, with monthly send limits attached to each plan. That difference matters more than it first appears.
- Squarespace Starter: around $7 per month billed annually, with about 500 emails per month and limited campaigns.
- Squarespace Core: around $14 per month billed annually, with about 5,000 emails per month and unlimited campaigns.
- Squarespace Pro: around $34 per month billed annually, with about 50,000 emails per month.
- Squarespace Max: around $68 per month billed annually, with about 250,000 emails per month.
Mailchimp’s common paid tiers start near these ranges:
- Free: limited contacts, limited sends, Mailchimp branding, and basic tools.
- Essentials: starts around $13 per month for 500 contacts.
- Standard: starts around $20 per month for 500 contacts.
- Premium: starts much higher and is aimed at larger teams with advanced needs.
Prices change, and discounts can shift the first-year cost. Always check the checkout screen before you commit. The real issue is not the starting price. It is how fast the bill grows as your list grows.
Why Squarespace often costs less
Squarespace Email Campaigns is built for people who already use Squarespace for their website, portfolio, bookings, or store. Your products, blog posts, logo, colors, and customer data are already close at hand. That saves time.
The pricing also feels more predictable. If you send 4,000 emails per month, the Core plan may be enough. For example, a list of 1,000 subscribers receiving four campaigns equals 4,000 sends. That fits within a 5,000-send allowance.
That same list on Mailchimp may require a paid contact tier. You might also pay more if your audience grows to 1,500 or 2,500 contacts. It drives me crazy that contact-based billing can punish you for keeping older contacts around, even when some barely engage.
Where Mailchimp earns its higher price
Mailchimp is not just a newsletter tool. It offers stronger marketing features, especially if you want more control. Its value is clearer when you need behavior-based emails, customer journeys, better audience groups, and testing.
Mailchimp tends to be better for:
- Advanced automations, such as multi-step welcome flows or cart recovery sequences.
- A/B testing on subject lines, content, and send times.
- Detailed reporting for opens, clicks, revenue, and audience activity.
- Segmentation based on behavior, tags, purchase history, or engagement.
- Multi-platform setups where your website, store, ads, and CRM are not all inside Squarespace.
If you are serious about email sales, this can matter. A better abandoned cart flow can recover revenue that a basic newsletter never touches. A 1% lift in conversion can cover a higher monthly bill for many stores.
Cost scenario: small online store
Take a small skincare shop with 1,200 email subscribers. It sends one product tip email, two promotional emails, and one monthly update. That is about 4,800 sends per month.
On Squarespace, the Core plan may handle that volume at about $14 per month when billed annually. On Mailchimp, the business may land in a paid tier above the 500-contact starting price. Depending on the tier, it could pay about $26.50 or more per month.
At first glance, Squarespace wins. But say Mailchimp’s automation recovers 12 abandoned carts per month, with an average order value of $48. That is $576 in recovered sales. In that case, the higher email bill is not the problem. Weak automation would be the problem.
Cost scenario: creator or services business
Now consider a consultant with 700 subscribers. They send two emails per month. That is only 1,400 monthly sends. They do not need abandoned cart tools, complex tagging, or advanced split testing.
Squarespace is a strong fit here if the consultant already has a Squarespace site. The email editor matches the site style, and the setup is quick. Mailchimp may still be useful, but it can feel like paying for a bigger system than the business needs.
Honestly, it feels like overkill when a simple announcement email takes extra clicks because the platform is built for larger campaigns. That is not a flaw for everyone. It is just a mismatch for a lean business.
Hidden cost factors to check
The monthly plan price is only part of the comparison. Review these items before choosing:
- Billing basis: Squarespace focuses on sends. Mailchimp focuses on contacts and plan level.
- Unused contacts: Mailchimp may charge for stored contacts unless they are archived or removed properly.
- Website dependency: Squarespace Email Campaigns makes the most sense with a Squarespace site.
- Automation depth: Mailchimp has more room for advanced journeys.
- Branding limits: free or low-tier plans may include platform branding.
- Team needs: larger teams may need permissions, approvals, and stronger reporting.
Which should you choose?
Choose Squarespace Email Campaigns if you want a low-cost, clean, website-connected email tool. It is best for newsletters, launches, simple offers, event updates, and small store promotions. It is also a good pick when you care more about saving time than building complex customer paths.
Choose Mailchimp if email is central to revenue. It is better when you need advanced automation, richer reports, stronger segmentation, and more testing. The higher price can make sense if better targeting brings measurable sales.
For most Squarespace website owners, the sensible starting point is Squarespace Core. Track open rate, click rate, sales from email, and list growth for 60 to 90 days. If email revenue rises and your campaigns need more logic, move to Mailchimp or another advanced email platform later. That way, you pay for complexity only when it starts paying you back.
