Flodesk vs Mailchimp — Which Email Marketing Platform is Right for You?
If you've been researching email marketing platforms, you've probably landed on these two names more than once — Flodesk and Mailchimp. Both are popular, both get the job done, but they are very different platforms built for very different people.
I've used both. Here's my honest take.
The Quick Answer
If you're a small business owner, creative entrepreneur, or solopreneur who wants beautiful emails without a steep learning curve, Flodesk is probably your platform.
If you're a larger business that needs deep analytics, complex segmentation, and a free entry point, Mailchimp might be worth a look.
But let's break it down properly.
Pricing
This is where things get interesting.
Mailchimp's pricing scales based on your list size, which means the more your list grows, the more you pay. For a small business actively trying to grow their audience, that can add up quickly.
Flodesk has three plans. The Free plan gets you started with forms, landing pages, designer templates, and audience segmentation — but doesn't include email sending. The Pro plan is $25/month for up to 1,000 subscribers and includes unlimited email sends, unlimited workflows, advanced analytics, and 2 seats. The Everything plan is $49/month and adds e-commerce features like integrated checkouts, sales pages, funnels, subscriptions, and abandoned cart automations.
All plans scale with your subscriber count, and the Pro plan covers everything most small businesses need to build and grow a thriving email list.
And through my affiliate link, you can get 25% off for the first year.
Winner: Flodesk for transparent, predictable pricing that doesn't punish you for growing.
Design
This one isn't close.
Flodesk was built with beautiful design at its core. The templates are stunning right out of the box, the editor is drag and drop intuitive, and your emails will look like they were designed by a professional even if you have zero design experience.
Mailchimp's templates are functional but feel dated in comparison. Getting them to look the way you want takes more time and effort.
Winner: Flodesk by a mile.
Ease of Use
Mailchimp has been around longer and has a lot of features — which also means it has a lot of menus, settings, and options to navigate. It can feel overwhelming for someone who just wants to send a newsletter.
Flodesk is clean, simple, and genuinely enjoyable to use. Most people are up and running within an hour of signing up.
Winner: Flodesk for beginners and small business owners.
Automations
Both platforms offer automations, welcome sequences, abandoned cart emails, subscriber workflows, and so on.
Mailchimp's automation capabilities are more advanced and customizable, which is great if you have complex needs or a dedicated marketing team.
Flodesk's automations are streamlined and easy to set up, covering everything most small businesses actually need without the overwhelm. Welcome sequences, sales funnels, and evergreen workflows are all straightforward to build.
Winner: Mailchimp for complex enterprise needs. Flodesk for small business simplicity.
Analytics
Mailchimp has more robust analytics and reporting, which matters if you're constantly A/B testing and deep diving into data.
Flodesk gives you the essentials: open rates, click rates, unsubscribes, which is honestly all most small business owners need to make smart decisions. They are rolling out A/B testing on subject lines soon.
Winner: Mailchimp for data-heavy teams.
Integrations
Both platforms integrate with popular tools like Squarespace, Shopify, Zapier, and more. Mailchimp has a longer list of native integrations simply because it's been around longer.
Flodesk's integration list is growing and covers the most commonly used tools for small businesses.
Winner: Mailchimp for sheer volume of integrations, but Flodesk covers most small business needs.
My Honest Recommendation
For the vast majority of small business owners, creatives, and solopreneurs, Flodesk wins. The flat rate pricing, beautiful design, and ease of use make it the clear choice if you're building and growing an email list without a dedicated marketing team behind you.
I switched to Flodesk and never looked back. My open rates sit at 60%, and my clients consistently tell me their emails have never looked better.
If you're ready to try Flodesk you can get 25% off your first year through my affiliate link below. It's the best deal available, and I only recommend it because I genuinely use and love it.
[Get 25% off Flodesk →] LINK
Already on Flodesk but not sure you're using it to its full potential?
That's exactly what I help with. I'm an Official Flodesk Partner, and I set up, optimize, and manage Flodesk accounts for small business owners who want their email marketing to actually work.
[Learn more about working with me →] link to creative.sarahmartino.com
Or grab my free 4-part Flodesk video training and get started on your own:
[Get the free training →] LINK
XO,
Sarah