Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MailChimp VS Circle.so

Compare MailChimp VS Circle.so and see what are their differences

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MailChimp logo MailChimp

MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

Circle.so logo Circle.so

Bring together your discussions, memberships, and content. Integrate a thriving community wherever your audience is, all under your own brand.
  • MailChimp Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-10
  • Circle.so Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-14

MailChimp features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    MailChimp offers an intuitive, user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to design emails, manage campaigns, and track results.
  • Automation Features
    MailChimp provides robust automation tools that allow users to automate email sequences, send targeted messages, and create automated workflows.
  • Comprehensive Reporting
    The platform offers detailed analytics and reporting tools, giving users insight into campaign performance, open rates, clicks, and more.
  • Integrations
    MailChimp integrates with numerous third-party services and platforms including e-commerce sites, social media platforms, and CRM systems.
  • Freemium Plan
    MailChimp offers a free plan that gives access to essential features, making it a viable option for small businesses and startups.
  • Design Templates
    A wide variety of pre-designed templates are available, making it easier to create professional-looking emails without design expertise.
  • Product Recommendations
    Drive more sales with personalized product recommendations

Possible disadvantages of MailChimp

  • Cost
    As your subscriber list grows, MailChimp's pricing can become quite expensive compared to some other email marketing services.
  • Limited Automation in Free Plan
    The free plan offers limited automation features, which can restrict the ability to implement more comprehensive automated email campaigns.
  • Complexity for Advanced Users
    While it's user-friendly for beginners, advanced users may find that it's not as flexible or customizable as other platforms.
  • Support Limitations
    Customer support for the free plan is limited to email and self-help resources, which may not be sufficient for users needing immediate assistance.
  • Deliverability Issues
    Some users have reported issues with email deliverability, which can impact the effectiveness of their email marketing campaigns.
  • List Management
    Managing large contact lists can be cumbersome, and there have been complaints about the efficiency of list segmentation and organization.

Circle.so features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Circle.so offers an intuitive and clean design that makes it easy for users to navigate and engage with the community features.
  • Customization Options
    Users can customize their community’s look, feel, and functionality to align with their brand, making it a versatile platform.
  • Integrated Monetization
    Circle.so provides built-in tools for monetization, such as the ability to charge for memberships, courses, and events, which helps creators generate revenue.
  • Robust Community Features
    The platform includes various features like forums, chats, events, and live streams, enabling rich interactions and engagement within the community.
  • Scalability
    Circle.so can support communities of different sizes, from small groups to large organizations, allowing for growth and adaptability.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    The platform integrates with popular tools and services like Zapier, Slack, and third-party membership platforms to enhance functionality and connectivity.

Possible disadvantages of Circle.so

  • Pricing
    Circle.so can be relatively expensive, with pricing plans that may not be affordable for all individuals or small businesses.
  • Learning Curve
    While user-friendly, some users may still face a learning curve in terms of fully utilizing all the platform’s features and customization options.
  • Limited Built-In Analytics
    The platform's built-in analytics capabilities are somewhat limited, which can make it harder for community managers to track detailed engagement and performance metrics.
  • Dependence on Internet Connectivity
    Circle.so is a cloud-based platform, so a stable internet connection is required at all times to access the community features, which can be a disadvantage for users with unreliable internet.
  • Feature Overwhelm
    The abundance of features can be overwhelming for new users, making it challenging to determine which tools are most beneficial for their specific community needs.

Analysis of MailChimp

Overall verdict

  • MailChimp is a popular and generally well-regarded email marketing service, known for its ease of use and robust features.

Why this product is good

  • MailChimp is considered good because it offers a user-friendly interface, a comprehensive set of features including automation, segmentation, and analytics, and a free tier that is suitable for small businesses or individuals just starting out. It also has integrations with various e-commerce and CRM platforms, making it versatile for different marketing needs.

Recommended for

    MailChimp is recommended for small to medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits who want a cost-effective solution for email marketing. It's also suitable for those new to email marketing who are looking for a simple yet powerful tool to reach their audience and grow their subscriber base.

Analysis of Circle.so

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Circle.so is a robust and effective tool for community building, offering ample features to enhance engagement and communication among members.

Why this product is good

  • Circle.so is considered a good platform for building and maintaining online communities due to its user-friendly interface, customizable spaces, and integration capabilities. It allows creators to gather their audiences, share content, and engage in meaningful interactions through features like discussion forums, live streams, and group events.

Recommended for

    Circle.so is recommended for content creators, educators, coaches, and organizations seeking to build strong and interactive online communities. It's particularly beneficial for those who want to monetize their communities or create exclusive spaces for member interaction.

MailChimp videos

Mailchimp Automation Sequence For Beginners (2024) Complete Mailchimp Guide

More videos:

  • Review - WARNING! MailChimp Review: Marketers & Entrepreneurs Stayaway! (Why I left MailChimp)
  • Demo - MailChimp Review & Demo - Top 5 Reasons MailChimp Rocks For Newsletters
  • Review - Mailchimp Review: Pros and Cons

Circle.so videos

Circle.So Review: A First Look at Circle, the NEW SASS For Building Online Communities Without Code

More videos:

  • Review - Circle.so Review: Is this the best community platform for creators?
  • Tutorial - Learn how to Use Circle.So: Add Spaces, Structure Your Community and Monetize Your Platform

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MailChimp and Circle.so)
Email Marketing
100 100%
0% 0
Community Platform
0 0%
100% 100
Email Marketing Platforms
Community Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MailChimp and Circle.so

MailChimp Reviews

  1. Harshi1995
    · intern at ulketz ·
    A great platform for email marketing.

    It is most affordable marketing automation tool . It helps in all in one marketing platform that helps you manage and talk to your clients , customers and others.

    🏁 Competitors: zeta marketing platform, Salesforce Marketing Cloud
  2. Elle Bennett
    · Webmaster at FixedFeeTaxReturn ·
    Good tool for basic email newsletters

    Mailchimp has always been a good solution for sending campaign emails for e-commerce.

  3. Mohit Gupta
    · Small Business Owner at Ecommerce Platform ·
    Mailchimp - Nice Experience with email marketing campaign to use on it.

    This Mailchimp is a very nice email marketing platform to use it. I like its features and all functions for creating emails. It is the best tool to make design, send and share email newsletters.

    🏁 Competitors: Brevo, ActiveCampaign, SendGrid, MailerLite
    👍 Pros:    One of the best thing about mailchimp is, you can use for free and then purchase paid version if you like, no cc nothing required.
    👎 Cons:    Everything is alright, there is no cons

Top 10 Bulk Email Verifier and Validation Services Compared
It validates your email lists to check for invalid or undeliverable emails so that you can maximize your marketing campaign potential. You can either upload your email list and clean it in bulk using the CSV format, or integrate with MailboxValidator API. MailboxValidator interface is fully integrated with major ESP (Email Service Provider). Alternatively, a list can be...
10 Best Campaign Monitor Alternatives You Can Find
Mailchimp is a popular marketing automation and email marketing tool. Its form and landing page builders are useful for generating signups and expanding email lists. Are you wondering if Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp are the same? Both are email marketing tools, yet they differ in many ways.
Source: mailbluster.com
Comparing 16 Campaign Monitor Alternatives: In-depth Analysis
Insights and predictions: Mailchimp’s analytics, including current analytics and predicted demographics, helps you learn more about your audience campaigns.
The 6 Best Campaign Monitor Alternatives for 2024
CategoryMailchimpCampaign MonitorBest FeatureEfficient handling of large listsUser-friendly email designPros1. Seamless scalability2. Comprehensive marketing tools3. User-friendly drag-and-drop editor1. Easy-to-use email templates2. Beautiful customizable templates3. In-depth reporting and analyticsCons1. Learning curve for beginners2. Pricing can be higher for large lists3....
The 5 Best Email Marketing Software of 2023
Mailchimp emerges as a frontrunner in the email marketing arena. Its blend of user-friendly features, advanced capabilities, and an extensive array of templates position it as an invaluable asset for businesses of all sizes. While its pricing tiers could be a concern for some, the benefits it brings to the table undoubtedly outweigh the drawbacks.

Circle.so Reviews

The Top Free and Paid Teachable Alternatives For Creators
While Circle offers video and social integrations, it’s missing quite a number of features on the sales and market side. For example, it doesn’t allow you to create in-app sales funnels with customizable landing pages and checkout for selling community memberships. It also doesn’t offer any native or third-party email marketing tools.
20 Telegram Alternatives to Chat With in 2024
Like Mighty Networks, Circle is a community platform that can work as an alternative to Telegram. It has a combination of forum, course, and livestreaming features to build a community around a shared interest. And your members can share text and video content.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MailChimp should be more popular than Circle.so. It has been mentiond 89 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MailChimp mentions (89)

  • Scalable E-Learning Platforms with Strapi’s API Integrations
    Integrating with marketing tools like Mailchimp through Strapi's API ensures that user data is consistently updated and synchronized, enabling more effective and targeted marketing campaigns. Whenever a user updates their profile or makes a purchase, these changes are automatically reflected across all connected systems. Real-time synchronization helps e-learning platforms maintain accurate contact records,... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Email Workflow Automation 101: Templates, Tools, and Best Practices
    Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform that offers features like customizable templates, A/B testing, and audience segmentation. This can preferred by teams looking to automate their email workflows but also want a minimalist tool to streamline their marketing efforts. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • The Behind-the-Scenes Magic: How Email Marketing Platforms Connect to Your Domain to Send Emails on Your Behalf
    Have you ever wondered how email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, BestRegards, and HubSpot manage to send hundreds or even thousands of emails from your custom domain in just seconds—without flooding your inbox?. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • 7 Best Transactional Email Platforms in 2024 Compared 📬
    MailchimpTransactional Emails, formerly Mandrill, is a paid Mailchimp add-on for sending transactional emails. For the purpose of this article, we’ll mainly use the former name Mandrill for the transactional part of the Mailchimp service. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Design Newsletter Emails in Golang
    Have you ever wondered how newsletters from different companies and organisations work? Some companies use platforms like Mailchimp but if you're like me and want to understand what is going on and how to build yours so you have full control then follow along as we send a few custom newsletters to our subscribers. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
View more

Circle.so mentions (31)

  • Do you guys know of another platform where people can talk, but is less anonymous than reddit? Allows for more of a sense of connecting with real people in a safe way.
    Https://cptsdfoundation.org/ has a group that you can interact with using https://circle.so/. Membership is 5 bucks a month, and to me, while I was using it, it was a very welcoming community. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Tell HN: DuckDuckGo Search Results have jumped the shark
    Https://circle.so/pricing/ I would guess even if DDG protects your privacy, it would use information (perhaps search and or site history) the browser is broadcasting regardless to filter results it pipes to the end point. For example I never see quora results (honestly it's been some years so I'd forgotten they existed still) as some members in this thread were annoyed with and paid to be done with them ... Then... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Which nocode tool to build an online academy?
    What is the reason you are trying to go custom? https://circle.so this is probably the best platform I have seen. Big and small companies use it (even webflow) so it has great adoption works well. I would stay away from a custom solution when there are wonderful tools like circle out there. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Show HN: Engineering Book Club
    I am also curious about the logistics of the club. It seems to be this: https://circle.so. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Feeling a bit stuck
    You could even possibly use something like https://circle.so if the app would eventually move in a more community based way, it has a lot you can do in the backend with automation. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MailChimp and Circle.so, you can also consider the following products

Brevo - Innovative online Email Marketing solution to manage your contacts, create & send your newsletters and track your results. More than 80 000 clients. Best prices and attractive features.

Mighty Networks - Mighty Networks enables entrepreneurs, organizations, and companies to create and grow a community-powered brand.

Campaign Monitor - Email marketing software built for designers and their clients to run successful email campaigns.

Bettermode - Create community sites, code-free.

GetResponse - Email marketing from GetResponse. Send email newsletters, campaigns, online surveys and follow-up autoresponders. Simple, easy interface. FREE sign up.

Discord - Step up your game with a modern voice & text chat app. Crystal clear voice, multiple server and channel support, mobile apps, and more.