Mailchimp or Flodesk? Here’s where I landed.
- Nicole
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
If you know me, you know that I’m the kind of person who lives for a good automation and loves getting tech tools to actually work for my clients. But what you may not know is... overthinking is a [somewhat annoying] specialty of mine.
So, when I was nearing the limit of my free Mailchimp plan and needed to decide which platform was going to be the home of my weekly newsletters… trust me when I say that I did my research!
Pricing, features, ease of use… they were all part of the decision, and when I started diving into my research it was easy to see the right solution for Let Nicole Help. So here I am, writing this blog post, to share what won me over.
Mailchimp pricing vs. Flodesk pricing
Like I mentioned, at the time of my switch I was nearing Mailchimp’s limit for their free plan, so naturally I looked into what the paid plans were like and immediately my eyes were crossed comparing features and contact limits and sending limits, etc.
When I turned to Flodesk, I noticed how the price is the price is the price - no matter how many contacts or emails you wanted to send!
Point: Flodesk!
As a solopreneur and service-based business, I never want to feel punished for growing my list of subscribers so I really appreciated Flodesk’s recognition of that.
Flodesk features vs. Mailchimp features
1. Workflows
As someone who works heavily in the 17hats CRM, I’m used to mapping out workflows. Mailchimp has “journeys”, which are essentially workflows, but with the next plan above free, there was a limit on the number of “journey” points.
And while both workflow builders are pretty visually-appealing, in Flodesk, there are no workflow limits.
(Point: Flodesk.)
And here are some of the things you can do with your Flodesk workflows… (at the time of writing this, anyway!)
Start one when someone joins a segment - perhaps by filling out a form or clicking a certain link
Delay for a certain amount of days, until a certain date, until a specific time of day, etc.
Give it yes/no conditions that branch off in different directions
Send automated emails
Add/remove subscribers from segments
And again, it’s all very visual. So it’s friendly for beginners - no developer skills required.
2. Branding
Honestly, both platforms were going to give me what I needed in terms of branding: logo, brand fonts & colors, social links, etc. So, this didn’t end up making an impact on my decision at the time.
HOWEVER, since I’ve started using Flodesk I’ve realized how many gorgeous and fun form templates they have available, along with a link in bio option that’s calling my name.
I didn’t honestly explore Mailchimp forms a whole lot before moving so in fairness, let’s say no points awarded here, haha.
3. Grouping Subscribers
Would you rather deal with audiences, segments and tags to group your subscribers? Or simply segments?
Yeah - that’s what I thought. Point: Flodesk.
I would get way too in the weeds with all the ways to group people before switching and now, it’s easy peasy thanks to Flodesk segmentation options that are both automatic and manual. I’m feeling way more confident in how my subscribers are organized and it’s very clear how to make sure the right groups of people get the right messaging.
4. Flodesk Integrations vs. Mailchimp Integrations
You know what I love just as much as automation? Integration.
So I also needed to know which of my other tools were going to play nicely with my email platform.
Both Flodesk and Mailchimp checked the boxes for Canva and Instagram integrations, in terms of getting great newsletter visuals. And both work with Zapier and Pabbly Connect to then connect with some of my other tools.
One point each.
(Note that both Flodesk and Mailchimp have e-commerce capabilities / integrations with paid plans, too; it’s just that I already had a cart & course platform set up before making this decision. So checkout features weren’t really part of my research.)
5. Email Analytics
I’m a numbers nerd. So there were certain bits of info that I knew I would want to get from my email marketing platform. Things like best send time and of course open and click rates.
Both platforms offer these types of analytics, but I would have had to upgrade two levels to get best send time through Mailchimp.
So, point: Flodesk.
If you’ve been following along, you can probably tell that my decision went to Flodesk. I’ve been so happy with it that I’m now an official partner, too! And what’s even better is that I can share my code LETNICOLEHELP with you so that you can snag 50% off your first year! As part of the partnership, I may receive a small commission - which, of course, is at no extra cost to you.
>> Another thing you may not know about me is my strong sense of loyalty and transparency. So I only partner with tools I genuinely use, love and recommend. And Flodesk has earned its place on that list.
Still want to learn more about my move to Flodesk? Read on!
Using Flodesk vs. Mailchimp
I’m sure that if you’ve heard anything about Flodesk, you’ve probably heard how beautiful it is. Because… it’s true! The platform feels light and airy and as weird as it might sound, that makes it a little more motivating to write in!
And the templates? Yep, they really are more fresh and fun, which was important to me as a service provider. I want my emails to feel as personal as possible.
Why I Almost Didn’t Switch
I’m not sure if anyone really looks forward to migrating across platforms. It’s a little scary and overwhelming to say the least. When’s the right time? Where do you even start?
For me, the right time was:
Well before any planned launches
Before I had to upgrade and start getting used to a new set of features
But really, it’s one of those things that may never have “the perfect” timing, so I just went with it.
I was also worried about losing all my segments and tags. But as I got into the migration, I realized it was a perfect opportunity to clean them up!
What Made Me Try Flodesk Anyway
The two-week free trial certainly didn’t hurt! But honestly? It all came back to the fact that I would no longer have to worry about what my list size was, or how many emails I wanted to send per month. No matter how many subscribers I would be fortunate enough to add… the price would be the price.
So I snagged that free trial and I explored all of the workflow automation, segmenting and beautiful email templates right away… and haven’t looked back.
How I Use Flodesk Now
At the time of writing this, I use Flodesk in these ways:
Welcome workflows for new subscribers who grab my lead magnets
Email newsletters to subscribers, for sharing streamlining tips and news about Let Nicole Help
Segments that help me be sure I’m emailing the right content to the right people
Link actions that help me follow up with people who’ve shown interest in certain links I’ve shared
Forms to kick off those welcome workflows or collect entries for certain promotions
Countdown timers to spice up the occasional email that has CTA with a deadline
Analytics to review my most effective emailing times, most engaged subscribers, workflow performance and more
I haven’t even tapped into all of the features I’d like to yet, and it’s still working wonderfully for me. Still on my list to tackle (as of this moment):
Link in bio
AI subject line recommendations
Polls in emails
Re-sending to unopened
Checkout features
Other fun forms like spinner / video / countdown forms that are sure to be extra engaging!
Final Thoughts
Switching to Flodesk didn’t just improve how my emails looked… it improved how I felt about sending them. It put me at ease to know I can grow my business without penalty. And it made me want to help others see the same benefits from their own email newsletters.
If you decide you’re ready to try Flodesk, too, I’d love for you to use code LETNICOLEHELP to take advantage of 50% off your first year sending emails your subscribers will love looking at.
I hope this has been helpful!
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