Sendy vs Mailchimp

Sendy vs Mailchimp - An Objective Comparison

Although Mailchimp is one of the biggest players in the email marketing field, Sendy, a less well-known option, has also proven it can be a good alternative. Explore the features and principal benefits of each of these tools in our Sendy vs Mailchimp comparison.

Written by Ria du Plessis - Digital Marketing Expert

Updated 9/2/2021

 


Sendy logo
Sendy Review


Mailchimp logo
Mailchimp Review

Score

7.9/10

8/10

Summary

Sendy is an affordable and user-friendly tool that enables you to send emails via Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) and track their performance.

Mailchimp is an intuitive platform featuring advanced segmentation, automation, and reporting capabilities.

 

Sendy vs Mailchimp - Quick Comparison

 

Sendy logo

Mailchimp logo

Pros 

  • Affordable
  • Intuitive
  • Advanced list management options 
  • Customizable dashboard
  • Numerous reports
  • Multiple email design options
  • Many integrations 

Cons 

  • Few integrations
  • No templates
  • Fewer reports compared to Mailchimp 
  • Not so flexible list management 
  • Limited support for the basic plan
  • Expensive if you want to access all the features 

Key Features

  • Templates
  • List segmentation & cleaning 
  • Split testing
  • Reporting
  • Ready-made templates
  • Forms and landing pages
  • Workflows 
  • A/B Testing

Pricing

  • $69 Lifetime plan
  • $1 - 10,000 emails 
  • Forever free plan
  • Essential plan $9.99
  • Standard plan $14.99
  • Premium plan $299

Support

  • Email
  • Troubleshooting   page
  • Help center
  • Chat
  • Email
  • Phone

Ease of Use

  • User-friendly interface
  • At-a-glance reports
  • Support resources 
  • Drag-and-drop editor
  • Multiple training resources
  • In-app tips 

Best fit for

Marketers looking for an affordable platform 

Small companies, marketers of any level 

Email Builder & Templates

Let’s start by analyzing the main feature required from an email marketing platform - the email builder. 

Sendy Email Builder & Templates 

Sendy features a straightforward WYSIWYG editor that allows you to design newsletters in no time. To customize your emails,  you can add different graphics via the editor. You can also apply tags if personalization is your goal. An HTML editor is also available. 

Unlike many email marketing platforms, Sendy doesn't provide a gallery of ready-made email templates, nor the possibility to create them directly in the platform using drag-and-drop functionality. But the platform allows you to build your custom templates from zero using HTML. Moreover, you can download email HTML templates from other sources (e.g. Litmus, Beefree, MJML, Cerberus), upload them on the platform, and edit them to fit your needs. 

Mailchimp Email Builder & Templates 

Mailchimp offers a user-friendly email editor and numerous in-app tips that guide you through the email creation process. 

With Mailchimp, on the other hand, you get more than 100 different email templates that can adapt to specific marketing needs. Their responsive format makes them look great on any device. You can customize these templates based on your needs by choosing the most suitable layout and adapt its different elements. You can change all the basic aspects of your emails, including fonts, colors, indents, videos, images, social share buttons, text blocks. 

Mailchimp Email Builder & Templates 

Winner

MailChimp wins as it also provides its templates. 

Split Testing 

Split testing allows you to better understand your audience’s preferences by experimenting with different email versions. 

Sendy Split Testing

Sendy is more limiting when it comes to split testing capabilities. Basically,  the platform only allows you to use list segmentations to A/B test your campaigns. The process is somewhat manual. Sendy also offers a test send feature, allowing you to send test emails. 

Mailchimp Split Testing

This platform allows you to split test campaigns by experimenting with two design variations. The tests will determine the winning variation and send it to the whole contact list. The winning criteria are either the highest open rate or click rate.  After the tests are completed, you get statistics that allow you to determine their performance. Mailchimp also features an inbox preview function. 

Mailchimp Split Testing

Winner

Mailchimp offers more testing options. 

You may also like the following comparison: Totango vs Gainsight

List Management 

Both platforms provide multiple list management and segmentation options. Here is a rapid overview. 

Sendy List Management

Sendy makes it easy for you to manage your contact lists and your newly acquired subscribers. You can easily mass import your contact list or delete contacts. The segmentation process is thoroughly connected to the forms features. Your customers will automatically be divided into groups based on the information they provide while signing up. The platform features basic subscriber information at a glance, such as the last activity date or status.

Sendy List Management

Mailchimp List Management 

With Mailchimp, you can divide your audience into different groups based on the advanced algorithms of the platform that manage to predict their behavior. Prevalent criteria that can act as a segmentation trigger include contacts status and their interaction with your messages, their behavior on your website, or their purchases. However, Mailchimp is less flexible than other platforms regarding the number of lists you can create. Furthermore, it charges for duplicates. 

Mailchimp List Management 

Winner

Overall, Mailchimp seems to offer more advanced features. 

Forms 

Forms enable you to collect valuable contacts and start segmenting them into different groups based on the answers they provide. 

Sendy Forms

Sendy allows you to configure sign-up forms by adding fields or even pass-through URLs. It’s also possible to embed sign-up codes.  You can also build forms by integrating different third-party apps such as MailOptin or Piotnet Form. The platform’s custom fields feature largely contributes to the overall list segmentation process. This feature allows you to group contacts based on specific criteria. Single or double opt-in forms are available. 

Sendy Forms

Mailchimp Forms

Mailchimp allows you to create sign-up and pop-up forms and add them to the landing pages you can also build from this platform.  Or you can add them to your existing website, with only a few simple clicks. You can adjust the forms to fit your website's layout and embed them anywhere on the page (sidebar, footer, etc.). You can also add forms on your social platforms and connect them with your marketing CRM without effort. This provider only offers opt-in forms

Mailchimp Forms

Winner

Both platforms offer good form-building capabilities. 

Autoresponders 

Autoresponders are a feature any email marketing platform should provide. These automated email messages can help you save time and keep customers engaged. 

Sendy Autoresponders 

Sendy's automation features allow you to send email messages at predetermined time intervals. The automation section feature is very intuitive. You simply enter the name, message and select the time when you want it to be delivered. 

You can also use different triggers to schedule the autoresponder according to specific actions, such as new subscribers joining your list. 

Sendy Autoresponders 

Mailchimp Autoresponders 

Mailchimp not only allows you to create automated email sequences from an intuitive automation builder, but it also offers different ready-made workflows and autoresponder templates. Some of the most common workflows of this kind include welcome messages, abandoned cart flows, loyal custom reward emails, post-purchase follow-ups, etc. To create custom workflows from zero, you will use logic if/then conditions. 

Winner

Mailchimp offers more advanced features, as well as templates. 

You may also like the following comparison: iContact vs Mailchimp

Ease of Use 

Let’s see how easy it is to use Sendy vs Mailchimp. 

Sendy Ease of Use

With Sendy, most features you might want to use for your contact list and email campaigns are easy to access and use, including the split testing and autoresponder options. Overall, the platform’s interface is well-organized, unambiguous, and doesn’t feel clunky. 

Mailchimp Ease of Use

Mailchimp features a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to create emails or landing pages. The interface is reasonably intuitive and easy to navigate. One of the features that makes this platform excellent especially for beginners is the handy in-app tips. Mailchimp allows you to customize your dashboard to feature only the main tools you are interested in. 

Winner

Both platforms are easy to use. 

Pricing

Discover the different pricing options these platforms offer. 

Sendy Pricing 

A particular feature you might find very useful in Sendy is that it allows you to send up to 10,000 emails via Amazon SES, and pay just $1. In other words, you are not limited by a contract, a monthly fee, or an email send limit. Sendy allows you to pay precisely for how many emails you are sending. Sendy has a low price point because it relies on multi-threading to deliver emails via Amazon SES. 

To be able to use Sendy’s software, there is a one-time lifetime fee that costs $69. Paying this fee will grant you an unlimited and uninterrupted license to use Sendy. 

Sendy Pricing 

Mailchimp Pricing 

With Mailchimp, you can send 10,000 emails for free to a maximum number of 2,000 contacts each month. The paid subscriptions start at $9.99/month with the Essential plan. This plan is available for 500 contacts and allows you to use email templates, A/B testing, workflows, custom branding, and benefit from 24/7 email and chat support. The Standard plan costs $14.99/month and also includes send-time optimization, behavioral targeting, and dynamic content. The Premium plan includes all of the platform’s advanced features. It costs $299 per month. 

Mailchimp Pricing 

Winner

Sendy is more affordable. 

Integrations

Integrations allow you to use other third-party apps in conjunction with your email marketing platform.

Sendy Integrations 

Sendy offers integrations with many popular applications. Its portfolio includes Magento, WordPress, WooCommerce, Joomla, among others. Furthermore, this software can be integrated with Zapier, which means you can build integrations with thousands of other apps. 

Sendy Integrations 

Mailchimp Integrations 

Mailchimp offers more than 250 integrations with popular marketing, productivity, social, or eCommerce third-parties. Some of the names you can find in its rich portfolio include Stripe, Drupal, Shipware, Zendesk, WordPress, Mixpanel, Linkedin, Facebook, Vimeo, Survey Monkey, Chargebee, Unsplash, Adobe Photoshop. 

Mailchimp Integrations 

Winner

Mailchimp offers more integrations. 

Reports 

Reports are an essential tool you should use to monitor and improve your email campaigns. These are the main options you get with Sendy vs Mailchimp. 

Sendy Reports 

Sendy offers a formatted report that allows you to see the progress of each campaign after your messages are delivered. This report is easy to follow, and it shows you essential stats such as open rates, bounces, click-throughs, or spam complaints. The unsubscribes, bounces, and complaints are handled in real-time, as the corresponded contacts are automatically eliminated from the list. 

Sendy Reports 

Mailchimp Reports 

Mailchimp offers a wide range of in-depth analyses. It allows you to access all the basic campaign metrics such as opens, clicks, unsubscribes, or bounces. You can also get helpful comparative reports that determine how well your current campaign is unfolding compared to previous ones or with industry standards. Google Analytics reports, social media statistics, geo-tracking reports are also available, and so are ROI statistics

Mailchimp Reports 

Winner

Mailchimp offers more reports. 

You may also like the following comparison: MailerLite vs Sendinblue

Customer Support

Both platforms offer different customer support solutions. 

Sendy Customer Support

Sendy allows you to find the answer to the problems you are facing via their troubleshooting page. The platform also offers email support. 

Sendy Customer Support

Mailchimp Customer Support 

Mailchimp offers 24/7 email and chat support to all paying customers. Phone support is also available for the highest plan. The platform also has an extensive knowledge base loaded with training materials. 

Mailchimp Customer Support 

Winner

Mailchimp provides more support channels. 

When to Use Each 

Here are the main reasons why you should use Mailchimp or Sendy. 

When to Use Sendy

Sendy is an excellent choice for anyone on a tight budget and wanting basic email automation and reporting features. Sendy offers a full array of tools that can successfully substitute more expensive platforms, despite not having the same complexity. 

When to Use Mailchimp 

Mailchimp is suitable for any marketer, regardless of their experience. This platform's intuitive interface and in-app recommendations make navigation easy. Its strong reports and automations put your campaigns on autopilot. 

Pros and Cons 

Each platform has its pros and cons. Here is a summary. 

Sendy Pros vs Cons

Sendy is a great budget option for anyone looking for an email marketing platform, but wanting to avoid a monthly fee. Easy to navigate, with great automated list cleaning features and straightforward reports, this platform is ideal for beginners. However, it lacks the complexity you can find in many of its rivals in terms of email design, segmentation, or automation. 

Mailchimp Pros vs Cons

Mailchimp is a well-rounded platform that offers every feature you might need to build stunning email campaigns, track, and improve their results. However, due to its vast array of features, it is also more expensive than its rival. 

Alternatives to Sendy or Mailchimp 

These are two valuable alternatives you might also want to consider.

GetRespons

is an intuitive email marketing platform that features powerful automation, responsive forms, numerous integrations, and in-depth reports. 

ConvertKit

is another user-friendly platform. It offers different forms, customizable workflows, numerous email customization options, and an intuitive segmentation process. 

Winner

Mailchimp

The final winner in this Sendy vs Mailchimp comparison is Mailchimp because it provides excellent email design capabilities, in-depth analysis, and numerous integrations.

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Totango vs GainsightiContact vs MailchimpMailerLite vs Sendinblue