Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: Which Email Marketing Tool for SaaS?

Overview

Klaviyo and Mailchimp are both major players in email marketing, but they've evolved in different directions. Klaviyo has become the go-to choice for e-commerce, with deep data integration and powerful segmentation. Mailchimp remains a versatile all-around platform.

For SaaS companies, both have relevance - especially if your SaaS serves e-commerce businesses or you need strong behavioral tracking.

Key Differences

Data and Segmentation

Klaviyo is built around data. It pulls in every piece of information about your customers - purchase history, browsing behavior, engagement patterns - and makes it available for segmentation. The segmentation engine is incredibly powerful, letting you build complex audience rules.

Mailchimp has good segmentation but doesn't match Klaviyo's depth. It's designed for broader marketing use cases where deep behavioral data isn't always available.

Revenue Attribution

Klaviyo tracks revenue attributed to every email and automation. You can see exactly how much money each campaign generated, which flows perform best, and what your email ROI looks like. This is incredibly valuable for optimization.

Mailchimp offers revenue tracking with e-commerce integrations but doesn't provide the same level of detail and confidence in attribution.

SMS Integration

Klaviyo has built-in SMS marketing that works seamlessly with email. You can create unified flows that include both channels, segment by SMS engagement, and track cross-channel performance.

Mailchimp has limited SMS capabilities. For serious SMS marketing, you'd typically need to add another tool.

Pricing Comparison

Klaviyo is significantly more expensive than Mailchimp at every tier. The premium reflects its advanced data capabilities and e-commerce focus. The ROI often justifies the cost for data-driven companies, but budget-conscious teams need to consider whether they'll use the extra features.

Pros and Cons

Who Should Choose What

Choose Klaviyo if:

• Data-driven marketing is core to your strategy
• You need advanced segmentation capabilities
• Revenue attribution matters for optimization
• You want email and SMS in one platform
• You can justify the higher cost with ROI

Choose Mailchimp if:

• Budget is a primary concern
• You need a versatile, general-purpose tool
• Your segmentation needs are moderate
• You want a full marketing platform
• You prefer a gentler learning curve

The Bottom Line

Klaviyo is the better choice if you're data-obsessed, need advanced segmentation, and can leverage its revenue attribution to drive decisions. The higher price is justified if you'll actually use the features.

Mailchimp makes sense for teams that need solid email marketing without Klaviyo's complexity or cost. It's a proven platform that works for most use cases.

For SaaS specifically, neither is purpose-built for your industry. If behavioral automation for software products is your priority, also consider Customer.io, Encharge, or Loops - they're designed with SaaS in mind.