Email generates $36 for every $1 spent. But the platform you choose affects deliverability, automation capability, and developer experience. Here is how three popular options compare.
Different Tools for Different Jobs
Mailchimp: All-in-one marketing platform. Email campaigns, landing pages, social ads, CRM. Designed for small businesses that want everything in one dashboard.
ConvertKit: Creator-focused email platform. Designed for bloggers, creators, and small businesses that prioritize email sequences and audience segmentation.
Resend: Developer-first transactional and marketing email. API-based. Built for sending email programmatically from your application.
Pricing Comparison
For 5,000 Subscribers
| Plan | Mailchimp | ConvertKit | Resend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo | 10,000 subscribers (limited features) | 3,000 emails/mo |
| Paid (5K contacts) | $75/month | $79/month | $20/month (50K emails) |
| Automations | Standard+ ($75/mo) | All plans | API-based |
| A/B testing | Standard+ | All plans | Build your own |
Resend is dramatically cheaper but requires developer integration.
For 50,000 Subscribers
| Plan | Mailchimp | ConvertKit | Resend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $350/month | $379/month | $100/month (500K emails) |
At scale, the cost gap widens. Resend's pricing is based on email volume, not subscriber count.
Feature Comparison
Email Builder
Mailchimp: Drag-and-drop visual builder. Pre-built templates. Brand kit. AI-powered content suggestions. Best-in-class for non-technical users.
ConvertKit: Simple, text-focused email editor. Emphasis on clean, deliverable emails rather than heavily designed ones. Minimal design options by design — plain text emails get higher open and click rates.
Resend: No visual builder. Build emails in React with react-email (open-source). Full design control for developers. Beautiful, responsive emails via code.
Automation
Mailchimp: Visual automation builder. Pre-built journeys (welcome series, abandoned cart, birthday). Triggers based on list membership, tags, and e-commerce events.
ConvertKit: Visual automation builder. Tag-based system. Sequences (drip emails). Rules engine for complex logic. Excels at content-driven nurture sequences.
Resend: No built-in automation. Trigger emails from your application code. Build any automation logic in your app. Maximum flexibility but requires development.
Deliverability
Mailchimp: Shared IP addresses on lower plans (deliverability affected by other senders). Dedicated IP on Premium ($350/month). SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup guides.
ConvertKit: Good deliverability reputation. Actively monitors list health. Unconfirmed subscribers removed automatically. Higher deliverability than Mailchimp for most use cases.
Resend: Built on AWS SES infrastructure. Dedicated IP available. SPF, DKIM, DMARC configuration. Developer-focused deliverability tools.
Analytics
Mailchimp: Comprehensive dashboards. Open rates, click rates, revenue attribution, audience insights, comparative reports.
ConvertKit: Core metrics: open rates, click rates, subscriber growth, sequence performance. Less visual but actionable.
Resend: Real-time delivery events via webhooks. Build your own analytics dashboard. Raw data for custom analysis.
Ideal Use Cases
Choose Mailchimp When:
- Non-technical marketing team manages email
- E-commerce store needs abandoned cart, product recommendations
- All-in-one platform is preferred (email + landing pages + social)
- Visual email design is important
- You need pre-built templates and drag-and-drop
Choose ConvertKit When:
- Content creators (blog, podcast, newsletter)
- Tag-based audience segmentation is important
- Email sequences drive your business (courses, launches)
- You prioritize deliverability over design
- You want creator-specific landing pages and forms
Choose Resend When:
- Developer team manages email sending
- Transactional emails (password resets, order confirmations, notifications)
- Programmatic email sending from your application
- You want to build with
react-emailfor beautiful coded emails - Budget is constrained (volume-based pricing)
- Custom automation logic lives in your application
Integration with Your Website
Mailchimp + Custom Website
- Embedded forms via JavaScript snippet
- API integration for custom forms
- E-commerce tracking pixel for product recommendations
- Works but can add bloat to your site
ConvertKit + Custom Website
- Simple form embeds
- Clean API for custom integrations
- Lightweight scripts
- Good middle ground
Resend + Custom Website (Our Preferred Stack)
- Direct API calls from your Next.js server actions
react-emailtemplates version-controlled with your codebase- No third-party scripts on your frontend
- Zero impact on site performance
- Full control over email sending logic
Our Stack
We use Resend for email in our client projects. The developer experience, React-based templates, and cost efficiency make it ideal for custom-built websites and applications. For clients who need self-service email marketing, we integrate ConvertKit.
Contact us to discuss email integration for your website.