Is Mailchimp a CRM? The honest answer for UK small businesses
Mailchimp is brilliant at email marketing. But if you try to run your sales from it, you'll hit its limits quickly. Here's what it can and can't do, what it really costs, and how to tell when you've outgrown it.
Quick answer
No. Mailchimp is an email marketing platform with some contact management, not a CRM. It stores contacts, tags and email engagement, but it has no sales pipeline, no deal tracking and no follow-up reminders. For newsletters it's excellent. For managing who's about to buy, you need a CRM.
- Mailchimp is built around campaigns. A CRM is built around customers and what to do next.
- Mailchimp charges for unsubscribed contacts, and allows 3 users on Essentials and 5 on Standard.
- popcorn joins your CRM, email marketing, WhatsApp and website tracking in one place, from £59 a month ex VAT.
01 · The verdict
1. What can Mailchimp do as a CRM?
Mailchimp is excellent at what it was built for: sending email campaigns and managing a mailing list. The gaps only matter once you're managing sales as well as a list. Here's how it compares with popcorn, a CRM with email marketing built in.
| What you need | popcorn | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Sales pipeline and deal tracking | ✓ Visual pipeline with deal values | ✗ Not available |
| Follow-up reminders and tasks | ✓ Shown on your daily dashboard | ✗ Not available |
| Spot who's ready to buy | ✓ Hot Prospects across email, website visits and WhatsApp | Email opens and clicks only |
| Full contact history | ✓ Notes, 1:1 emails, WhatsApp and website visits on one timeline | Partly: campaign activity, purchases and basic notes |
| Company records | ✓ Companies with every linked contact and deal | ✗ Contacts only |
| See which pages prospects visit | ✓ Page-by-page history for each prospect | Partly: online shop browsing, used to trigger automated emails |
| ✓ Built in, 1,000 messages a month included | Needs a third-party add-on | |
| Email marketing and automation | ✓ 3,500 emails a month included | ✓ Included; multi-step automation from the Standard plan |
| Unsubscribed contacts | ✓ Never charged | ✗ Still count towards your bill |
| Users | ✓ Pay per user, every feature included | 3 on Essentials, 5 on Standard, more needs Premium |
| UK phone support | ✓ Every paid plan | Premium plan only (from £266.69 a month) |
Mailchimp details from Mailchimp's UK pricing and help pages, checked 9 October 2026. Prices exclude VAT.
popcorn starts at £59 a month for 1 user, with every feature, 3,500 emails a month and UK support included. No contract and no setup fee. Prices exclude VAT.
Want more detail? Read our guide to Mailchimp's CRM features, or see the full Mailchimp vs popcorn comparison.
02 · Your numbers
2. What would Mailchimp really cost you?
Enter your team size, contacts and how often you email. You'll see the Mailchimp plan you'd actually need, the hidden costs, and what you'd still need a separate CRM for. No sign-up needed.
Can Mailchimp be your CRM?
Four quick questions. We'll compare Mailchimp with popcorn - what you'd really pay, the hidden costs, and what you'd be missing.
Prices shown ex VAT, correct as of 9 October 2026
03 · In fairness
3. Where is Mailchimp genuinely better?
Mailchimp is a very good email platform, and for some businesses it's the right answer. If email is the whole job, you don't need to change anything.
Choose Mailchimp if...
- You run an online shop and need abandoned-basket emails and product recommendations
- You mainly send newsletters to a small list (from £9.90 a month)
- You want SMS, A/B testing, or social posts and ads in the same tool
- Your list is under 250 contacts and the free plan covers you
Choose popcorn if...
- You sell through conversations, quotes and follow-ups
- You need to know who to call today, not just who opened
- Your team needs to share leads and see the same history
- You want your CRM, email, WhatsApp and website tracking in one place
04 · Signs
4. How do you know you've outgrown Mailchimp?
Five common signs that email marketing alone isn't enough any more:
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You're tracking deals in a spreadsheet
If you export contacts or keep deals in Excel because Mailchimp can't hold a pipeline, you've outgrown email marketing on its own.
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Follow-ups are slipping
Mailchimp has no reminders against a contact, so following up relies on memory, and good leads go cold.
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You can't see who's ready to buy
Opens and clicks sit in Mailchimp, website visits sit somewhere else, and nobody sees the full picture.
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Your business runs on conversations, not campaigns
Quotes, calls and follow-ups matter more to your sales than the next newsletter.
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Your team works from different places
Customer details are spread across inboxes, spreadsheets, notes and Mailchimp, so nobody has the whole story.
If none of these sound familiar, stay on Mailchimp. If three or more do, you've outgrown it, and you're losing sales because leads aren't being followed up.
05 · Your options
5. What are your options, and what do they cost?
Once you've outgrown Mailchimp, there are three routes. Here's what each costs for a typical small team: 3 users, 1,500 contacts and 2 emails a month. All prices exclude VAT.
| Option | Monthly cost | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Stay on Mailchimp as it is | £45.71 | No pipeline or reminders, so follow-ups still rely on memory |
| Keep Mailchimp and add a CRM | About £76 to £174 | Two systems to maintain, with your prospect data split between them |
| Move to popcorn | £99 | CRM, email marketing, WhatsApp and website tracking in one place |
How "Mailchimp plus a CRM" adds up
- Mailchimp Standard: £45.71. You need Standard for multi-step automation, and you're billed on 1,650 contacts, because the 10% who've unsubscribed still count.
- A typical small business CRM: £30 to £105. That's £10 to £35 per user.
- A connector, if the CRM doesn't link to Mailchimp directly: £0 to about £23. Zapier Professional is listed at $19.99 a month billed annually, or $29.99 billed monthly, for 750 tasks.
Mailchimp and Zapier prices checked 9 October 2026, converted at Mailchimp's own rate of $1 = £0.7619.
Read more about why syncing Mailchimp with a CRM falls short, the real cost of Mailchimp in the UK, or compare Mailchimp alternatives with a built-in CRM.
Just starting out? Both have a free plan
| Mailchimp Free | popcorn Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £0 | £0, free forever |
| Users | 1 | 1 |
| Contacts | 250 | 200 |
| What you get | Email marketing: 500 emails a month, no automation or scheduling | Your daily dashboard for contacts and follow-ups, without email marketing |
| Best if | You only send a simple newsletter to a small list | You mainly need to keep on top of your own follow-ups |
Customer stories
From playing catch-up to knowing who's ready to buy
"Before popcorn CRM, we were constantly playing catch-up. Now we know exactly who to follow up and when."
Mark SedgleyManaging Director, TEUR Pro
Read the case study →"I no longer need to pick up the phone anymore; I know who is ready to buy."
Antony AdamsFounder, International Education Week
Read the case study →What our customers say on Google
4.8 popcorn CRM & Lead Management is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Google
Simon and the team have been excellent, since subscribing to Popcorn & as a complete novice to email marketing. Popcorn has enabled us to have an easy, efficient and extremely transparent way of planning our campaigns, doing the correct follow ups and building pipeline(s) to bring in new enquires/win more sales and increase our turnover. Thank you
I've been using popcorn for only around 2/3 weeks and really happy with the progress so far. The demo and on boarding was brilliant and haven't hit any issues.
I've been using a more complex CRM for some time but have chosen to switch our lead management to Popcorn as it's so user friendly, has a great user interface and has the brilliant added benefit of web traffic tracking. It's easy to navigate from a mobile or tablet device.
CRM is not my skillset but Simon and the team have been super helpful and patient, helping us to set up our campaigns. They have tailored help available for any level required and are available online or on the phone for any queries. The digital world can be so frustrating when you have questions that aren't answered by the FAQ list. It's so refreshing to be able to talk to a real person and get your issues sorted out straight away.
Thank you, Popcorn.
I have been using Popcorn for about two years now and have found Simon and his team to be exceptionally customer service focussed, helpful and no request too much for them.
The software is powerful and easy to use
I strongly recommend Popcorn to anyone looking for such a tool
This is our first time with a CRM and it is early (very early!) days but from the beginning the service and follow up has been excellent. Simon has been brilliant which has continued since we signed up which is always so nice and such a good sign. We are a small business but getting bigger so we needed to start being more organised! I'm still learning but the system is really easy to pick up (Simon was right!) and the videos and FAQs resources are amazing. Simon seems to genuinely care and gave me some really helpful advice when I was getting overwhelmed with the set up which has really helped. Can only say if you've been toying with the idea of committing to a CRM like we had been, we highly recommend Popcorn, on all levels. Thanks everyone!
Great experience so far. As a small company it is so nice to have a personal touch when onboarding and integrating news systems. The Customer service has made all the difference and the Popcorn team are super friendly.
I have recommended Popcorn to various clients, as their service is second to none, and Simon's attention to detail and willingness to assist is superb. I explored other firms offering similar service, but with Popcorn you feel valued.
Very clever, versatile, but intuitive CRM software. Like the functionality and the support is very good.
I have used Popcorn as a telemarketer and it is such a simple system to use I love it and would highly recommend it
Amazing tool, can't recommend enough! It's easy and straightforward to use with add-ons available. The Popcorn team is super friendly and always happy to help out. If you're a small businesses this is THE tool to track your prospects.
06 · Switching
6. How hard is it to move from Mailchimp?
Easier than most people expect. Moving your contacts is the part people tend to worry about, so we do it for you.
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Export your audience from Mailchimp
Download your contacts from Mailchimp as a CSV file. It takes a few minutes.
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We import it for you
Your contacts come across with their unsubscribe and consent status, so you stay fully GDPR compliant.
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Get set up properly
A 40-minute one-to-one session to set up your customer journey and sales pipeline, so popcorn fits the way you sell.
Enhanced onboarding is free
Sign up to any paid package within 14 days of a demo, or without one, and you get Enhanced onboarding at no cost: your data imported for you, a 40-minute one-to-one training session, and help setting up your customer journey and sales pipeline. It's applied automatically when you sign up.
Prefer to bring contacts across automatically while you switch? popcorn connects to Mailchimp through Zapier. The full step-by-step guide is here: how to move from Mailchimp to a CRM.
07 · Definitions
7. Is Mailchimp a CRM or a CMS?
Neither, strictly. Mailchimp is an email marketing platform. The three types of software are easy to mix up:
| Type | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing platform | Sends campaigns and newsletters, and tracks opens and clicks | Mailchimp, Brevo, MailerLite |
| CRM | Manages customer relationships: contacts, deals, follow-ups and your sales pipeline | popcorn, Pipedrive, Capsule |
| CMS | Runs the content on your website | WordPress, Wix, Squarespace |
Mailchimp covers a slice of each: contact management from the CRM side, and landing pages from the website side. It isn't a full version of either.
Summary
Quick check: is Mailchimp enough for you?
- You only need to send newsletters and campaigns: Mailchimp is enough.
- You track deals or quotes anywhere outside Mailchimp: you need a CRM.
- You rely on memory to follow up: you need a CRM.
- More than 3 people need access: Mailchimp Essentials won't cover you.
- Your list has plenty of unsubscribes: check what they're adding to your Mailchimp bill.
- You want email, WhatsApp, website visits and your pipeline in one place: look at popcorn.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailchimp a CRM?
No. Mailchimp is an email marketing platform with some contact management features. It stores contacts, tags, segments and email engagement, but it has no sales pipeline, no deal tracking and no follow-up reminders, which are the features that define a CRM.
Is Mailchimp a CRM or a CMS?
Neither, strictly. Mailchimp is an email marketing platform. A CRM manages your customer relationships and sales pipeline, and a CMS such as WordPress runs your website content. Mailchimp covers a slice of each but isn't a full version of either.
What CRM features does Mailchimp have?
Mailchimp offers contact storage, tags, segmentation, basic notes, a 1 to 5 star contact rating based on campaign opens and clicks, and automation triggers. It doesn't offer a sales pipeline, deal tracking, follow-up reminders, company records or a way to assign leads to team members.
Can I use Mailchimp as a CRM for a small business?
For a while, if email is your only channel and your list is small. It stops working once you need to track deals, remember follow-ups, see which prospects are visiting your website or share leads across a team.
Does Mailchimp charge for unsubscribed contacts?
Yes. Unsubscribed contacts still count towards your Mailchimp bill, and anyone in more than one audience is charged for each audience they're in. popcorn's paid plans have no contact charges.
Can I move my Mailchimp contacts to popcorn?
Yes. Export your audience from Mailchimp and we'll import it for you, including unsubscribe and consent status. Sign up to a paid package within 14 days of a demo, or without one, and Enhanced onboarding is free, including the data import and a 40-minute one-to-one session.
How much does popcorn cost compared with Mailchimp?
popcorn costs £59 a month for 1 user and £99 a month for 3 users, excluding VAT, with every feature and 3,500 emails a month included. Mailchimp can cost less for newsletters alone, but you'd need a separate CRM for sales. Use the calculator on this page to compare your own numbers.
Is there a contract with popcorn?
No. popcorn has no contract and no setup fee.
Sources
See how it works
Outgrown Mailchimp?
Join up your sales pipeline, website visits, email marketing and WhatsApp, so you can keep your prospects moving.
No contracts · No setup costs · UK-based support
