MailPoet vs Mailchimp: WordPress-Native or External Platform?

This is the fundamental choice for WordPress email marketing: keep everything inside WordPress with MailPoet, or use an external platform like Mailchimp?

The choice seems simple on the surface. MailPoet runs in your WordPress dashboard. Mailchimp requires a separate login. But the tradeoffs run deeper than convenience.

Let me walk you through what actually matters and help you make the right choice for your situation.

The Core Difference

MailPoet: Your subscriber data lives in your WordPress database. The email builder is in your WordPress admin. Everything happens inside WordPress.

Mailchimp: Your subscriber data lives on Mailchimp's servers. You log into a separate platform. WordPress integrates via plugins or API. For detailed setup instructions, see our Mailchimp WordPress integration guide.

This isn't just about where you click. It's about infrastructure, deliverability, and operational responsibility.

Quick Comparison

Pricing Comparison

Let's look at real costs at different subscriber levels:

MailPoet is consistently cheaper. At 25,000 subscribers, you're saving $180/month.

With Nonprofit Discounts:

The pricing gap is significant.

The Infrastructure Argument

Here's where I need to be direct about something most comparisons skip.

"If you go use a Mailchimp or Constant Contact, you're taking advantage of their multi-million dollar infrastructure that was designed and built for exactly what you want to do."

It's the same argument for video hosting. "They have amazing technology. Its only job is to deliver videos. Your website and the hosting server that you're paying between $5 and $100 a month for is never going to deliver videos efficiently and as well as the big video providers."

The same applies to email. "You're just never, ever going to get that with a plugin. You're going to be making decisions and sacrifices here and there when you go that route."

What Mailchimp Handles For You

• IP reputation management
• Bounce handling
• Unsubscribe processing
• Deliverability optimization
• Sending infrastructure at scale
• Compliance monitoring

What MailPoet Requires You to Manage

MailPoet offers a sending service (which handles deliverability), but if you use your own SMTP:

• SMTP provider configuration
• DNS authentication records
• Deliverability monitoring
• Bounce management
• Server resource allocation

Even with MailPoet's sending service, you're adding operational complexity to your WordPress site. Another plugin. Another database. Another point of failure.

When MailPoet Makes Sense

MailPoet is a legitimate choice in specific situations:

1. Simple Newsletter Needs

If you're sending occasional newsletters to a modest list without complex automation, MailPoet handles this well.

2. WordPress Data Integration

MailPoet pulls content directly from your WordPress database rather than parsing RSS feeds. Post notifications are seamless. If your content strategy is heavily WordPress-based, this integration is genuinely convenient.

3. WooCommerce Stores

Since Automattic (WooCommerce's parent company) acquired MailPoet, the WooCommerce integration is deep:

• Abandoned cart emails
• Post-purchase sequences
• Product recommendations
• Customer segmentation

For small WooCommerce stores wanting basic automation without Mailchimp or Klaviyo, MailPoet works.

4. Data Ownership Priority

Your subscribers are in your database. No vendor lock-in. No export fees. If data sovereignty matters, this is meaningful.

5. Budget Is Primary Constraint

The price difference is real for organizations where every dollar matters; MailPoet's lower cost is significant.

When Mailchimp Makes Sense

1. Growing Organizations

Here's something that speaks to the MailPoet vs Mailchimp question:

"We've never actually migrated from an external platform to a native solution. I think that speaks to the kind of clients we have."

"The decision always went in the opposite direction. We've certainly helped clients extract data from WordPress-native solutions and move it to systems like Mailchimp or Constant Contact."

The pattern is consistent: "People just outgrew the WordPress-native solutions and needed robust feature sets from these external platforms."

"For smaller organizations, native WordPress solutions can work. For larger organizations that are doing more complex communication and marketing campaigns, you probably want third-party products, one of the big-time SaaS products."

2. Advanced Automation Needs

Mailchimp offers 100+ pre-built automations with branching logic, behavioral triggers, and sophisticated sequences. MailPoet handles welcome emails and post notifications. The gap is substantial.

3. Integration Flexibility

Mailchimp offers three integration tiers:

• Widget/embed (easiest)
• Plugin (moderate control)
• API (full control)

This matters for organizations with branding requirements. We work with associations that have invested heavily in their brand identity. Having a form with wrong fonts or colors doesn't fly.

Mailchimp's well-documented API lets us build exactly what clients need.

4. Professional Associations with Budgets

Most of our clients who consider themselves nonprofits or associations typically have healthy communications budgets. Fees from platforms like Mailchimp are well within their budget.

For these clients, cost isn't the primary concern. We're not going to recommend a native WordPress solution even though it's cheaper. The external platforms are worth it.

5. Analytics and Reporting

Mailchimp provides industry benchmarks, detailed reporting, and analytics depth that MailPoet doesn't match. If you're making data-driven decisions about email strategy, Mailchimp gives you more to work with.

The CRM Confusion

Both platforms market themselves as having "CRM" features. Let me clear this up.

"Mailchimp often markets itself as a CRM. But from what I've seen, it's really just a list manager. It's not a true customer relationship manager in the true sense of CRM."

MailPoet is similar: a list manager with email capabilities. It stores subscribers, lets you segment them, and sends emails. That's not CRM.

Neither is true customer relationship management. If you need an actual CRM, consider FluentCRM (WordPress-native) or external CRMs like HubSpot or Salesforce.

"Do not install MailPoet and expect a full-blown CRM. You're not going to be doing customer relationship management there. You are going to be doing list building."

If you need true CRM within WordPress: "FluentCRM provides real CRM tools within the website. That means so much more than just email delivery. Starting to step out of just email list management and working your way into true CRM, which is a whole other type of job."

Migration Considerations

From Mailchimp to MailPoet

If you're considering switching:

Pros:

• Cost savings
• WordPress centralization
• Data ownership

Cons:

• Learning a new interface
• Losing automation complexity
• Potential deliverability learning curve

What Transfers:

• Subscriber lists (via export/import)
• Basic segments

What Doesn't Transfer:

• Automation workflows (must recreate)
• Historical analytics
• Complex segments (must recreate)

From MailPoet to Mailchimp

This is the more common migration direction:

Why Organizations Switch:

• Outgrowing automation capabilities
• Needing more sophisticated analytics
• Wanting specialized infrastructure
• Preparing for growth

Process:

• Export subscribers from MailPoet
• Import to Mailchimp
• Set up forms and integrations
• Recreate automation sequences
• Update WordPress integration

Our Recommendation

When clients ask about MailPoet or Mailchimp, we typically recommend Mailchimp. Here's why:

Integration Flexibility: Mailchimp's three-tier approach (widget, plugin, API) lets us meet any requirement. Organizations may want fully branded API integrations. Or they may have a budget for just a widget. Mailchimp offers all options.

Infrastructure Reliability: The multi-million dollar platform argument applies. Specialized email-delivery infrastructure is more reliable than adding complexity to your WordPress site.

Growth Path: Organizations tend to outgrow WordPress-native solutions, not the other way around. Starting with a platform that scales avoids future migration.

Client Pattern: We've never migrated external to native. Only native to external. That pattern means something.

But this isn't universal.

MailPoet makes sense if:

• Budget genuinely matters
• Needs are simple (newsletters, basic automation)
• WordPress-centric approach is a priority
• WooCommerce with basic email automation

The Platform Matters Less Than:

• Organized lists
• Relevant content
• Reasonable sending frequency
• Proper segmentation

The platform is infrastructure. What you do with it determines success.

For more on why we typically recommend external platforms over WordPress-native email solutions, see our complete guide to WordPress email marketing. Need help with your email platform integration? Our website support team handles WordPress email integrations at any complexity level.