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10 Best Free Mailchimp Alternatives for UK Charities 2026
July 2, 2026
⚡TL;DR — The Short Answer
Mailchimp prices by contact count, so every new supporter moves the bill up. Here is what to know before switching.
Zeffy is the only platform on this list where unlimited contacts, unlimited sends, Gift Aid handling, and a built-in supporter CRM stay at £0, regardless of list size.
Pure ESPs (MailerLite, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, EmailOctopus, Constant Contact, HubSpot, Moosend, Campaign Monitor, Kit) require a separate fundraising tool to handle Gift Aid via HMRC Charities Online.
UK charities must document a lawful basis under UK GDPR before importing any contact list, and PECR governs email marketing; any platform you choose must support consent management.
The main reason UK charities stay on Mailchimp longer than they should is fear of losing the list. The migration is more straightforward than it looks.
Zeffy is a fundraising platform that includes free email tools bundled with a built-in supporter CRM, Gift Aid declaration capture on eligible donations, and pre-filled donation form links you can drop directly into any campaign. For a UK charity whose headline pain is "the bill scales with my supporter list", it is the only platform on this list where unlimited contacts and unlimited sends stay at £0 as your list grows.
Email blasts go out to large contact lists per send, BCC'd for privacy. The native Mailchimp importer (direct connect or CSV) means migration takes a few minutes, not a quarter.
Using Zeffy for charity email marketing
A typical set-up looks like this: import your Mailchimp list, create a segment in the supporter CRM (for example, "donors who gave in the last 12 months" or "event attendees from your spring gala"), draft a campaign in the drag-and-drop editor, drop in a pre-filled donation form link, and schedule the send. Open rate, click rate, and donations attributed to the email all track back to the donor record.
What Zeffy does:
Unlimited contacts and unlimited sends at £0, with no contact-tier upcharge
Built-in supporter CRM with segmentable lists that auto-update as contacts meet criteria
UK GDPR-aligned donor data handling, with consent management at the donation form
Pre-filled donation form links inside email campaigns
Email blasts to large contact lists, BCC'd for privacy
Drag-and-drop email builder, templates, scheduled sends, and open/click/donation tracking
Embeddable sign-up forms that sync new subscribers to your lists
Native Mailchimp importer (direct connect or CSV)
What Zeffy does not include:
No visual automation workflow builder, no A/B testing, no predictive sending
No landing-page builder
No published deliverability rate (Zeffy does not benchmark inbox placement against pure ESPs)
If your primary need is best-in-class email marketing sophistication and you are not running a fundraising programme alongside it, the pure ESPs further down this list (ActiveCampaign in particular) will serve you better. If your primary need is to stop paying a per-contact bill that climbs every quarter, Zeffy is the only option here.
Pricing: £0. Every charity, every list size, forever. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever.
2. MailerLite: The closest budget Mailchimp alternative for small charities
MailerLite is the closest thing to a budget Mailchimp alternative for a small UK charity. The drag-and-drop editor is clean, the free tier is usable for getting started, and the paid tier is one of the cheaper per-contact prices on this list. The bill still climbs with your contact count, and the live pricing page (verified 2026-06-02) does not publish a UK charity discount.
Standout features:
Drag-and-drop email editor
Segmentation and personalisation
Automated workflows on paid plans
Real-time analytics
Caveats:
Free tier caps monthly sends and limits templates and support; see mailerlite.com/pricing for current limits
No UK charity discount published on the live pricing page (2026-06-02)
Pure ESP: no Gift Aid handling, no donor records, no donation forms
Who it suits: Small charities and PTAs with under roughly 5,000 contacts who want a Mailchimp replacement at a lower price and do not need fundraising features in the same tool.
3. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): Volume-based pricing plus SMS in one console
Brevo prices by send volume instead of contact count, which is genuinely useful for UK charities with large lists who send infrequently. The free plan holds 500 contacts and roughly 300 sends per day per brevo.com/pricing (verified 2026-06-02). The real differentiator is SMS in the same console: a charity running event reminders or volunteer call-ups can send an email and a text from one tool with one contact record.
One note for UK charities: SMS marketing to UK contacts is governed by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). Charities need explicit opt-in for marketing SMS. See the Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practice (effective 1 November 2025) for the relevant data and consent standards. UK charities running village-hall event reminders or Christmas-appeal follow-ups will find the email-plus-SMS combination useful, but the consent records must be in place first.
Brevo's pricing also climbs faster than many UK charities expect once a contact list passes a few hundred. Small charities have flagged monthly bills at modest list sizes as a reason to look elsewhere.
Standout features:
Email priced by send volume, not contact count
SMS marketing in the same console (event reminders, volunteer alerts)
Contact-level marketing CRM
Automation workflows on paid plans
Caveats:
Free plan caps daily sends and excludes A/B testing and full automation
No published UK charity discount on the standard pricing page; check current programme eligibility before signing
Pure ESP: no Gift Aid handling, no donation forms
SMS requires explicit PECR opt-in for UK marketing contacts
Who it suits: Charities running event reminders or rapid-response campaigns where text messages matter as much as email, and where PECR consent records are already in place.
4. ActiveCampaign: The deepest automation workflow builder on this list
ActiveCampaign is the platform you choose when your charity's email programme is more than a monthly newsletter. The visual workflow builder is best-in-class on this list, A/B testing is built in, and predictive sending picks the optimal time to deliver each email. A classic charity use case: a lapsed-donor re-engagement sequence that fires automatically 60 days after a donor's last gift, with a different message track for monthly vs. one-time givers and an automatic exit once a new gift comes in.
Standout features:
Visual automation workflow builder (the deepest on this list)
A/B testing and predictive sending
Strong marketing CRM
Documented Mailchimp import tool
Caveats:
No free plan; trial only
No UK charity discount published on the live pricing page (verified 2026-06-02); check current programme eligibility
Pure ESP: no Gift Aid handling, no donation forms
Who it suits: Campaigning charities and larger organisations running multi-step donor sequences who will actually use the workflow depth.
5. EmailOctopus: A generous free tier built for high-volume newsletters
EmailOctopus is a UK-founded platform (based in London) built on Amazon SES infrastructure, which keeps per-email cost low and lets the free tier be unusually generous. The free plan includes 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month per emailoctopus.com/pricing (verified 2026-06-02). If your charity sends a weekly newsletter to a 2,000-contact list and you do not need fancy automation, the free tier may carry you indefinitely. UK charities often value the London base for the time-zone-matched support and data-residency angle.
Standout features:
2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month on the free tier
Low per-email cost on paid tiers
Simple, clean interface
UK-founded with time-zone-matched support
Caveats:
Limited automation builder compared to ActiveCampaign or Mailchimp
Pure ESP: no Gift Aid handling, no donation forms, no donor-specific CRM
No published UK charity discount
Who it suits: Charities whose programme is a high-volume supporter newsletter and who do not need automation depth or fundraising features. If your programme is a weekly supporter newsletter and you do not need automation depth, this is the UK-founded alternative many fundraising teams already trust.
6. Constant Contact: Strong support and training for teams new to email marketing
Constant Contact's draw is human support. The training resources are extensive, phone support is included, and the live page (2026-06-02) cites a 20% charity discount on a 6-month prepay and 30% on a 12-month prepay (verify UK charity eligibility before signing). There is no free plan and per-contact pricing scales fast; see constantcontact.com for current UK rates and confirm whether phone support hours cover UK time zones.
Standout features:
Extensive training resources, webinars, and phone support
Charity prepay discount (per live page: 20% / 30%, verify UK eligibility)
Drag-and-drop editor, automation, contact CRM
Caveats:
No free plan (trial only)
Pricing scales with contact count; re-verify UK GBP rates before signing
Pure ESP: no Gift Aid handling, no donation forms
Phone support hours may be US-only; confirm for UK time zones
Who it suits: Small charities where staff are new to email marketing and the value of training and phone support outweighs the price.
7. HubSpot: Worth it only if your contact data already lives there
HubSpot is a marketing and sales CRM with email as one channel among many. The free CRM tier exists and includes a capped number of monthly email sends (live page cites roughly 2,000 per month, verified 2026-06-02). Above that, Marketing Hub Starter at 5,000 contacts runs into significant monthly fees; see hubspot.com/pricing for current UK rates. The live pricing page does not publish a UK charity programme; verify current eligibility before signing. If you have already standardised on HubSpot for supporter relationships, email lives in the same place. If email is your primary need, it is overkill.
Standout features:
Integrated marketing and sales CRM with email
Strong workflows when contact data already lives in HubSpot
Free CRM tier with limited email sends
Caveats:
No UK charity discount published on the live pricing page (verified 2026-06-02); check current programme eligibility before signing
Pricing climbs fast above the free tier
General-purpose CRM: no Gift Aid handling, no HMRC-compliant declaration capture, no donation forms
Who it suits: Larger charities already running multi-channel supporter relationships on HubSpot.
8. Moosend: Unlimited sends on a cheap paid plan once free tiers run out
Moosend is the budget pick when MailerLite's free tier runs out and ActiveCampaign is too expensive. Paid plans include unlimited sends and decent automation. There is a 30-day trial but no permanent free plan as of 2026-06-02. See moosend.com/pricing for current entry pricing before signing.
Standout features:
Unlimited sends on paid plans
Automation builder
Cheap entry tier
Caveats:
No permanent free plan (30-day trial only)
No published UK charity discount
Pure ESP: no Gift Aid handling, no donation forms
Who it suits: Cost-sensitive charities past the free-tier ceilings of MailerLite and Brevo who do not need charity-specific features.
9. Campaign Monitor: Design-led templates for brand-conscious charities
Campaign Monitor is the design-led pick. Templates are genuinely well-crafted, the editor rewards a marketer with brand sensibility, and the live page (2026-06-02) cites a 15% charity discount (verify UK eligibility). Pricing is mid-market; see campaignmonitor.com for current UK rates. There is no free plan.
Standout features:
High-quality template design
15% charity discount (per live page, 2026-06-02, verify UK eligibility)
Segmentation, automation, analytics
Caveats:
No free plan
Mid-market pricing even after discount; re-verify UK GBP rates before signing
Pure ESP: no Gift Aid handling, no donation forms
Who it suits: Charities with in-house design or brand resources who want emails that look professionally produced.
10. Kit (formerly ConvertKit): Built for creator-led charities with a personal-voice newsletter
Kit rebranded from ConvertKit in 2024 and is built for creators: authors, podcasters, founder-led personal brands. For a charity with a strong founder or executive director who runs the email programme as a personal-voice newsletter (think: an environmental charity whose director is the face of the brand), Kit's sequence tools and landing pages fit well. There is no published UK charity discount.
Pricing tiers per kit.com/pricing (verified 2026-06-02): Newsletter (Free), Creator, Pro. Re-verify under Kit branding and confirm current GBP rates before signing.
Creator-focused: no Gift Aid handling, no donation forms, no donor CRM
Limited automation on the free tier
Who it suits: Founder-led charities running a personal-voice newsletter as the core engagement channel.
Why UK charities are leaving Mailchimp in 2026
The scaling penalty hits UK charities hardest. Mailchimp's paid tiers price by contact count and send volume, both of which a charity's email programme is supposed to grow. See mailchimp.com/pricing for current UK rates (re-verify before signing; use the GBP toggle where available). Mailchimp's 15% charity discount is documented, but it does not change the shape of the curve: every new supporter on your list moves the bill up.
The Gift Aid gap is the biggest one. Mailchimp cannot capture Gift Aid declarations or store the required data (donor full name, home address, and tax confirmation) that HMRC requires for a valid claim. A UK charity running Mailchimp typically pairs it with JustGiving, CAF Donate, or Enthuse for fundraising and Beacon or Donorfy for donor records. That is three or four separate subscriptions for what should be one joined-up process. Zeffy bundles Gift Aid handling, a supporter CRM, and donation forms with email at £0, which removes both the bill and the toolchain sprawl. (HMRC: Gift Aid guidance)
The free trial is genuinely limited. Per mailchimp.com/pricing (verified 2026-06-02), the free option is a 14-day trial capped at 6,000 emails per month with limited automation. For a charity testing a single appeal it is workable. For ongoing supporter communication it is not a free tier in the way most readers expect when they search "free Mailchimp alternative."
UK GDPR and PECR are the pre-purchase gate. UK charities must document a lawful basis for processing supporter data under UK GDPR (Data Protection Act 2018) and comply with PECR rules for direct electronic marketing. Mailchimp being US-headquartered means charities carry the data-transfer paperwork. This came up unprompted in UK charity conversations: "Are you GDPR compliant?" is a pre-qualification question, not a nice-to-have. Any platform on this list will let you collect consent and run a suppression list. The platform that also handles supporter data inside the same record (rather than syncing across three tools) is the one that survives an ICO audit with the least pain. (Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practice, effective 1 November 2025, Section 9 on online platforms)
How to choose the right email platform for your charity
There is no universally right pick. Match the platform to the scenario:
1.Just starting out with under 1,000 contacts. You want a generous free tier you will not outgrow in a quarter. Zeffy (unlimited at £0), MailerLite (small-list free tier), Brevo (500-contact free plan with SMS), or EmailOctopus (2,500 subscribers, 10,000 sends per month) all qualify. If you also want fundraising in the same tool, Zeffy is the only one in this group that bundles it.
2.Growing charity with 5,000 or more contacts that also runs fundraising campaigns. Zeffy. The cost stays £0 as your list grows, and donation forms, Gift Aid declaration capture, and a supporter CRM are in the same tool as email. For UK charities specifically, the Gift Aid handling and HMRC Charities Online support inside the same tool is what pushes Zeffy past every pure ESP on this list. (HMRC Gift Aid guidance)
3.Campaigning charity needing advanced automation workflows. ActiveCampaign for the deepest visual workflow builder, or HubSpot if your contact data already lives there.
4.Mid-size charity prioritising template design and brand polish. Campaign Monitor. Pay the mid-market price for the template quality.
How to switch from Mailchimp without losing subscribers
The main reason charities stay on Mailchimp longer than they should is fear of losing the list. The migration is more straightforward than it looks:
1.Export your Mailchimp list. In Mailchimp, open the audience you want to move, click "Export Audience", and download the CSV. This file is your safety net: keep a copy off the new platform until the cut-over is complete.
2.Clean your list before importing. Remove obvious bounces, unsubscribed contacts, and duplicates. A smaller, healthier list improves deliverability everywhere you send it. For UK lists, this is also a chance to audit consent records against UK GDPR. Any contact whose consent basis you cannot evidence should go through a re-permission flow in step 4.
3.Set up your new platform and import. If you are moving to Zeffy, the native Mailchimp importer lets you connect your account directly or upload the CSV you just exported. Either path takes a few minutes. Import your Mailchimp contacts to Zeffy walks through the steps.
4.Re-confirm consent under UK GDPR and PECR. For existing donors who gave or signed up to be contacted, you may be able to rely on documented legitimate interest under the charity soft opt-in rules. Any segment with unclear consent history needs a re-permission email before your first campaign. Yes, you will lose some addresses. The list you keep is the list that actually wants to hear from you. (Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practice, Section 2.1.5)
5.Redirect any Mailchimp sign-up forms. Update the embed code on your website, donation pages, and event landing pages to point at your new platform's sign-up form. Keep the old Mailchimp audience active for 30 days as a backstop in case any form was missed.
Mailchimp offers a 15% prepay discount for registered charities (verify current UK eligibility at mailchimp.com/pricing). The free option is a 14-day trial capped at 6,000 emails per month with limited automation. There is no permanent free tier for ongoing supporter communication. The 15% discount reduces the bill but does not remove it; the per-contact scaling penalty remains.
Zeffy is the only platform on this list where unlimited contacts, unlimited sends, Gift Aid declaration capture, and a built-in supporter CRM stay at £0 as your list grows. Pure ESPs like MailerLite and EmailOctopus offer generous free tiers for small lists but do not handle Gift Aid and require separate fundraising tools alongside them.
Export your audience CSV from Mailchimp, clean out bounces and unsubscribed contacts, then import into your new platform. Zeffy's native Mailchimp importer (direct connect or CSV upload) makes this a few-minute process. Before your first send, audit consent records under UK GDPR. Any segment without a documented lawful basis should go through a re-permission flow. You will lose some addresses, but the list you keep is the list that actively wants to hear from you. The Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practice (fundraisingregulator.org.uk/code) sets out the data-sharing basis requirements.
No platform on this list publishes an independently verified deliverability rate for charity email. In practice, inbox placement depends far more on list hygiene, authentication set-up (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and content quality than on which ESP you use. Donation appeals and fundraising language can trigger spam filters at higher rates than commercial promotional email, so charities should prioritise a clean, permission-based list over platform choice when diagnosing deliverability problems.
Only Zeffy handles Gift Aid declarations as a native feature on this list. Gift Aid requires the charity to capture each donor's full name, home address, and confirmation that they pay sufficient UK income or capital gains tax, then submit claims to HMRC via Charities Online (gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid). The pure ESPs (MailerLite, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, EmailOctopus, Constant Contact, HubSpot, Moosend, Campaign Monitor, Kit) do not handle this and require a separate fundraising tool to process Gift Aid claims.
Yes. Zeffy includes a drag-and-drop email builder, segmentable lists, scheduled sends, and open/click/donation tracking, all at £0. It is designed for charities running fundraising campaigns alongside their newsletters, not for pure email-marketing use cases. If your primary need is sophisticated automation workflows or A/B testing, a pure ESP such as ActiveCampaign will serve you better. If your primary need is to stop paying a per-contact bill while keeping Gift Aid handling and supporter management in the same tool, Zeffy is the only option on this list that does all of that at £0.
Zeffy. There is no contact-tier upcharge at any list size; 10,000 supporters cost the same as 1,000. For context, MailerLite, Brevo, Constant Contact, and every other paid ESP on this list price significantly higher at 10,000 contacts than at 5,000. Zeffy's £0 promise does not change with list size. The native Mailchimp importer also handles large list migrations without manual CSV splitting.
Zeffy is 100% free for charities because donors have the option to leave an optional contribution to support Zeffy when they give. Zeffy's fees to charities are unconditional: no platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever. The optional donor contribution is entirely separate and does not reduce the amount that goes to your charity.
Ask three questions before committing: Does the platform comply with UK GDPR and PECR for direct electronic marketing? Does it support Gift Aid declaration capture, or will you need a separate fundraising tool? And does the pricing model scale with your list, or stay flat? Most platforms on this list answer "no" to the second question and "yes" to the third. Zeffy answers "yes" to all three and charges nothing. For GDPR and consent-management standards, the Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practice (fundraisingregulator.org.uk/code) and HMRC Gift Aid guidance (gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid) are the primary references.
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