Mailchimp is retiring Classic Automations
Mailchimp Classic Automations are going - here's what to do!
Do you use Mailchimp for your newsletters and email marketing?
If, like me, you do, you may have had an email from them in the last couple of days to say that Mailchimp Classic Automations are retiring as of 1 June 2025.
Have you had the email?
If you have, it means you have Classic Automations set up and will need to take action.
If you haven’t, don’t worry, it doesn’t apply to you and you can carry on as before!
What to do if you’ve had the email
Firstly, if you already have a paid account with Mailchimp, you can simply convert your existing Classic Automations to Customer Journeys.
It’s relatively simple to do and Mailchimp has created a guide to talk you through it:
If you are still using a free Mailchimp account, you will either need to:
- Upgrade to a paid account, then convert your Mailchimp Classic Automations to Customer Journeys, or
- Change from Mailchimp to a different email marketing provider.
The easiest option is to upgrade and then convert your automations. By upgrading, you will also get access to other functions within Mailchimp, such as being able to schedule emails. Depending on the age of your free account*, you will also be able to send more emails each month in a paid account.
See all features included in free and paid Mailchimp accounts here.
*If you’ve had your account since before May 2019, you may have a grandfathered account, which means you’ll have access to more features for free than newer free accounts.
Mailchimp alternatives
However, if upgrading Mailchimp is not for you, there are plenty of email marketing platform alternatives. Most of them offer a free starter plan but you will need to check whether this includes automated emails.
Bear in mind that free accounts on other platforms could change at any time, in the way Mailchimp is doing.
Here are three alternatives I can recommend:
Mailerlite
Currently, Mailerlite offers automations within its free account (but this could change in future). Their free account also allows up to 1,000 contacts, 12,000 monthly sends and 10 landing pages.
Brevo
Brevo allows limited automations for up to 2,000 contacts on its free plan. More info on all its plans here.
SendFox
While it doesn’t offer automations on its free plan, SendFox has a fantastic one-off payment option of $49 (currently about £38 at the time of writing). This lifetime access for a very reasonable one-off cost includes automations and lots of other features. For a $98 one-off fee, you can get even more features, so it’s worth considering.
There are other platforms available too, so it’s worth doing a comparison to check they offer the features you need at a price that’s right for you. If you’d like my help deciding on the best platform for you, book a free call with me.
Is Mailchimp the best platform for small businesses?
Personally, I think Mailchimp is a great platform for email marketing. But I would say, despite being a Mailchimp & Co member, that it’s not always the best for small business owners and start ups.
If you’re only going to send emails, have fewer than 500 people on your list, don’t want to schedule emails and don’t want any automations, then the free account is great.
A paid account starts at about £12 per month, depending on the features you want and the number of contacts you have. However, the platforms mentioned above all work out better value for paid accounts than Mailchimp does, when you’re starting out with smaller numbers.
Of course, when you have a large mailing list and other needs, such as selling online or digital products, you might want to look at a comprehensive all-in-one email marketing, sales funnels and CRM platform instead.
Help! I’m not sure what I need or what I should do now!
Don’t worry, I have years of experience with different email marketing platforms, so I can help you.
Whether you want to convert your existing Mailchimp automations, move to an alternative supplier or advice on which platform would work best, click here to book a free call with me.
