Pick BigMailer if you want low-cost email sending through Amazon SES and need to manage several brands. Pick Mailchimp if you want a polished, all-in-one marketing tool with pretty templates, built-in reports, and fewer technical chores.

TLDR: BigMailer is best for teams that send lots of email and care about cost per message. Mailchimp is best for small teams that want an easy campaign builder and do not want to touch Amazon SES, DNS records, or SMTP settings. For example, a shop sending 500,000 emails per month may pay far less with BigMailer plus Amazon SES than with a large Mailchimp plan. But Mailchimp can save hours if your team just wants to build a newsletter in 15 minutes and move on.

BigMailer vs Mailchimp: the quick vibe check

BigMailer feels like a smart email control room. It is built for volume. It is also great if you run multiple brands, clients, or product lines.

Mailchimp feels like a friendly marketing studio. It gives you templates, forms, basic CRM tools, journeys, reports, and a giant orange mascot. It is easy to start. It can get pricey as your list grows.

Honestly, it feels like Mailchimp wants to do everything. That is nice at first. Then you may pay for features you barely use.

BigMailer is more focused. It helps you send email campaigns through Amazon SES. That means your sending cost can be very low. But yes, you need to set things up.

What is BigMailer?

BigMailer is an email marketing platform that connects with Amazon Simple Email Service, also called Amazon SES. Amazon SES handles the actual sending. BigMailer gives you the campaign tools on top.

You can create email campaigns. You can manage contacts. You can segment groups. You can track opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes.

BigMailer is popular with agencies and businesses that run many brands. You can keep each brand separate. That is cleaner than stuffing everything into one messy account.

The big win is cost. Amazon SES is known for low sending fees. So if you send a lot, BigMailer can make your budget feel less attacked.

What is Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is one of the best-known email marketing tools. It is made for people who want a simple start.

You can build newsletters with a drag-and-drop editor. You can create signup forms. You can run audience segments. You can set up welcome emails, abandoned cart emails, and customer journeys.

Mailchimp also has landing pages, surveys, basic customer data tools, and ecommerce integrations. It is a big toolbox.

The tradeoff is price. Mailchimp can be affordable for tiny lists. But once your audience grows, the bill can grow too. Fast.

Email marketing campaigns: which one feels better?

Mailchimp wins for beginners.

The editor is smooth. The templates look nice. The setup is simple. You can go from blank screen to “send” without needing a tech friend named Dave.

BigMailer is not hard. But it feels more practical than cute. It is made for people who care about control, cost, deliverability, and scale.

Here is the simple split:

• Use BigMailer if you send high volumes and want lower sending costs.
• Use Mailchimp if you want a friendly builder and fast setup.
• Use BigMailer if you manage several brands or client accounts.
• Use Mailchimp if your team wants templates and guided workflows.

It drives me crazy that some tools hide simple list tasks under five menus. Mailchimp can feel like that after it adds more and more features. BigMailer is plainer, but that can be a good thing.

SMTP campaigns: the key difference

This is where things get interesting.

BigMailer is closely tied to Amazon SES. Amazon SES supports sending through SMTP and API. So BigMailer works well for teams that care about strong sending infrastructure.

Mailchimp is different. Standard Mailchimp email campaigns are sent through Mailchimp’s own system. You do not usually plug in your own SMTP server for regular newsletters.

Mailchimp does offer Transactional Email, formerly known as Mandrill. It supports SMTP and API sending for one-to-one messages. Think receipts, password resets, shipping alerts, and account notices.

So the short version is this:

• BigMailer: better fit for marketing campaigns powered by Amazon SES sending.
• Mailchimp: better fit for standard newsletter campaigns without SMTP setup.
• Mailchimp Transactional: useful for SMTP transactional email, but it is a separate add-on.

Pricing: where BigMailer gets spicy

BigMailer can be very cost-friendly for large senders.

Why? Because Amazon SES charges low rates per email. BigMailer charges for the platform layer. This can work well when your list is large or your send volume is high.

Mailchimp pricing is based on plan, contacts, and features. The more contacts you store, the more you tend to pay. Even if some contacts are not very active, they may still affect cost.

Here is a plain example.

Say you send 300,000 marketing emails per month. With a traditional email platform, that can push you into an expensive tier. With BigMailer plus Amazon SES, the sending cost may stay much lower. You still pay for BigMailer, of course. But the math often favors high-volume senders.

For a small bakery with 1,200 subscribers, Mailchimp may be fine. It may even be the smoother choice. For a media company with 250,000 subscribers, BigMailer deserves a serious look.

Ease of use: Mailchimp is friendlier

Mailchimp is easier for non-technical users.

The menus are friendly. The editor is visual. The templates reduce blank-page panic. You can connect Shopify, WooCommerce, or other apps with less fuss.

BigMailer asks more from you. You may need to connect Amazon SES. You may need to verify domains. You may need to set up SPF, DKIM, and tracking records.

That sounds boring because it is boring. But it matters. These records help inboxes trust your email.

If your team has a technical marketer, BigMailer is fine. If your team panics when it sees DNS settings, Mailchimp may save your afternoon.

Deliverability: both can do well

Deliverability means getting emails into inboxes instead of spam folders.

Both tools can perform well. But neither can save a bad sender.

If you buy email lists, blast cold contacts, or ignore bounces, your results will stink. That is not the tool’s fault. That is email karma.

BigMailer gives you more control because Amazon SES is part of the setup. You can manage sending domains and reputation with care. This is great for experienced senders.

Mailchimp handles more of the sending setup for you. That is helpful for beginners. But you still need clean lists and useful content.

Automation: Mailchimp has more polish

Mailchimp has stronger built-in marketing automation for the average small business.

You can create customer journeys. You can trigger emails from signups, purchases, tags, or behavior. You can build handy flows without writing code.

BigMailer supports automation and segmentation, but it is not trying to be a giant marketing suite. It is more about sending and managing email at scale.

If you want simple drip campaigns, BigMailer can work. If you want rich ecommerce flows with lots of conditions, Mailchimp may feel easier.

Reporting and analytics

Both platforms cover the basics.

• Open rates
• Click rates
• Bounces
• Unsubscribes
• Campaign performance

Mailchimp reports are more visual. They are easier to scan. They are also nice for clients or bosses who like pretty charts.

BigMailer reports are useful and direct. They focus on performance. Agencies may like the separate brand reporting.

One good use case: an agency sends 40 campaigns per month for 12 clients. BigMailer can help keep each client’s data separate. That saves time. It also avoids the classic “oops, wrong list” disaster.

Best choice by user type

Choose BigMailer if:

• You send a lot of email.
• You want lower costs through Amazon SES.
• You manage many brands or clients.
• You are comfortable with domain setup.
• You care about SMTP or Amazon SES-based sending.

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You are new to email marketing.
• You want polished templates.
• You need simple automations fast.
• You prefer an all-in-one tool.
• You do not want to touch SMTP settings.

Final verdict

BigMailer is the better pick for serious send volume, multi-brand work, and Amazon SES-based email sending. It is practical. It is cost-aware. It is built for people who care about scale.

Mailchimp is the better pick for ease, design, and quick marketing campaigns. It is friendly. It is polished. It works well for small teams that want less setup.

If your list is small and your time is tight, start with Mailchimp. If your list is growing and your bill is getting rude, check BigMailer. Your wallet may breathe again.