MailGraf vs Mailchimp: A Mailchimp Alternative for the UK

MailGraf is a Mailchimp alternative for UK businesses that want to pay for the emails they send, not for every contact they have ever collected. It keeps a record of each subscriber's consent and gives you forms, pop-ups and landing pages to grow your list.

This page compares MailGraf and Mailchimp point by point, shows what you get when you switch, and explains how to move your list without losing a single unsubscribe.

Why UK businesses look for a Mailchimp alternative

Mailchimp is a well-known tool, and most people who leave it have no complaint about the editor. They leave because of how they are billed and where their data is kept.

• You pay for people you can no longer email. Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts towards your plan. An older list costs more every year, even when the number of people reading your emails stays the same.
• Going over the limit adds charges. When your contacts or sends pass your plan's limit, Mailchimp keeps sending and adds extra charges to your bill.
• Your data is held in the United States. Mailchimp's servers are in the US. Many UK organisations would rather work with a UK company and keep subscriber data in Europe.

MailGraf vs Mailchimp at a glance

Both platforms cover the basics: a drag-and-drop editor, double opt-in, automation, sign-up forms and landing pages. The differences are in what you pay for, where your data lives and how much help you get.

	Mailchimp	MailGraf
Price based on	Number of contacts	Number of emails you send
Unsubscribed contacts	Count towards your plan	Never count; paid packages have no contact limit
Company	Intuit, United States	MailGraf Digital Ltd, United Kingdom
Where your data is hosted	United States	European Union
Support on the free plan	Email support for the first 30 days	Email support, with a reply within 48 hours

Pay for the emails you send, not for inactive contacts

MailGraf's paid packages are based on how many emails you plan to send. There is no limit on the number of contacts you store, so a growing list never pushes you into a higher plan.

People who unsubscribe, bounce or complain stay on record, because you need to remember who said no. They never count towards a limit. Even on the free plan, the 250-contact limit counts only the people you can email.

You can see the current packages on the pricing page.

Grow your list and understand it

Forms, pop-ups and landing pages

Build a sign-up form, choose the list it feeds and publish it. You can embed the form on your website or share its link wherever your customers are: in an email, on social media or in a WhatsApp message.

Pop-ups use the same kind of form and appear after a delay, when a visitor scrolls, or when they are about to leave the page. Landing pages give a campaign or an offer its own address, with a form that adds new contacts to the list you choose.

List growth and engagement at a glance

Every list has its own page. A growth chart shows how many contacts joined and left over the last 30 days, the last three months or the year to date.

Next to it, an engagement card splits your active contacts into three groups: opened at least once, never opened and not emailed yet. A list that is growing but not reading shows up here long before it shows up in your bounce rate.

Segments that keep themselves up to date

A segment in MailGraf is a rule, not a fixed list, so contacts move in and out as their behaviour changes. Ready segments cover the rules people build most often, such as contacts who clicked a link, contacts who are cooling off and customers who have not ordered for a while. Each one shows how many contacts it finds before you use it.

Consent and deliverability built in

Consent you can prove

Newsletter sign-up forms use double opt-in: a new subscriber joins your list only after clicking the link in a confirmation email. MailGraf stores the time of that click and the IP address (the internet address of the device used). For form sign-ups, the record can also include the page and the exact consent text, and you can download it as a PDF.

Under UK GDPR and PECR (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations), this is the evidence you need if someone asks how you got their address. Our UK GDPR email marketing guide explains the rules in more detail.

A preference centre that keeps people subscribed

Every email can link to a page where subscribers update their details or pause your emails for 30, 60 or 90 days. On Pro, they can also choose the topics they want to hear about.

This gives people who want fewer emails a choice other than unsubscribing. Our preference centre guide shows how to set one up well.

A clean list before your first send

MailGraf checks every import: invalid addresses are skipped and listed in a report. Before you email a new or older list, a free bounce test estimates its risk from a sample of up to 250 addresses.

After each campaign, hard bounces go to the block list automatically, so you never email them again. Our email verification guide explains when a full clean is worth it.

Create and automate

Bring your Mailchimp designs with you

Paste or upload the HTML of an email you built in Mailchimp, and MailGraf converts Mailchimp personalisation tags, such as the first name tag, into its own. You can also import a design from Canva, or build a new one in the drag-and-drop editor with blocks such as countdown timers and video.

Automation that follows each contact

Build flows on a visual canvas: a welcome series when someone joins a list, a birthday or renewal email on a date you store, or a follow-up for people who opened or clicked. On Pro, a webhook step can pass a contact to your CRM, or to tools such as Make and Zapier, when they reach a point in the flow.

Our email automation guide suggests which flows to build first.

AI help when you want it

GrafAI writes a first draft of an email in your brand from a few answers, and can suggest a subject line and preview text. On paid plans, you can also connect an AI assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT, then create campaigns or check results by chat.

How to switch from Mailchimp to MailGraf

Most of the move is routine. The step people often skip is the unsubscribed list.

1. Export two files from Mailchimp. One with your subscribed contacts, one with your unsubscribed contacts.
2. Import your subscribed contacts. Match your columns and confirm that these people gave you permission to email them.
3. Import the unsubscribed file as unsubscribed. Choose Upload unsubscribed contacts, so these addresses stay blocked in MailGraf as well.
4. Add your sending domain. MailGraf shows the DNS records (the settings at your domain provider) to add. The records you set up for Mailchimp do not carry over.
5. Bring over your templates and flows. Import each template's HTML, recreate your automations, and send your first campaign to a small group before you close your Mailchimp account.

Try MailGraf as your Mailchimp alternative

Create an account, import your list and send a test before you decide. Create a free MailGraf account: 14 days of Pro features, no card needed.

Frequently asked questions

Is MailGraf a good Mailchimp alternative for UK businesses?

Yes, if you want to pay for the emails you send rather than the contacts you keep. MailGraf Digital Ltd is a UK company registered with the ICO (the Information Commissioner's Office), and it publishes a data processing agreement.

Do unsubscribed contacts count towards my MailGraf plan?

No. Paid packages have no contact limit, and on the free plan only the contacts you can email count towards the 250.

Can I use my Mailchimp templates in MailGraf?

Yes. Paste or upload the HTML, and MailGraf converts Mailchimp personalisation tags into its own.

Do my subscribers need to opt in again after I switch?

No, as long as they gave you permission in the first place. Import your unsubscribed contacts separately so they stay blocked.

Will you help me move my list from Mailchimp?

Yes. Our team helps you move your list and checks it with you before your first campaign.