Compare
Lekalao and Mailchimp
Two models. Mailchimp delivers your e-mails itself and prices by the number of contacts. Lekalao delivers through the provider you choose, and is paid in your own currency. Everything said of Mailchimp here comes from its own pages, as of October 2026.
Free up to 1,000 subscribers, no card. Paid plans: 14 days to try.
Side by side
| Mailchimp | Lekalao |
|---|---|
| Sends your e-mails itself: there is no provider account to open. | Sends through your provider — Amazon SES, Postmark, Mailgun, SendGrid, Brevo, Resend or any SMTP server — which bills you directly. |
| Priced by contacts. Subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts all count toward the limit. | Priced by subscribers and e-mails a month. Someone who unsubscribed counts for nothing. |
| Free plan: 250 contacts and 500 sends a month. | Free plan: 1,000 subscribers and 10,000 e-mails a month, sent through your provider. |
| Prices in US dollars by default, with a few other currencies on offer. | Prices set in CFA francs, naira, shillings, euros and dollars, paid by Mobile Money, card or transfer. |
| Transactional e-mail is a separate, paid add-on (formerly Mandrill). | Transactional e-mail is in every plan: API, Laravel transport, SMTP relay. |
When Mailchimp is the better choice
If nobody on your team wants to deal with a sending provider, Mailchimp’s model is simpler: it delivers for you, and you never open an account elsewhere. It has also been in the trade for far longer than we have.
When Lekalao is
If you pay in CFA francs, naira or shillings, by Mobile Money. If many of your contacts have unsubscribed and you would rather not pay for them. If you already have a provider and its rate, or want one. If your application’s receipts should share their contacts with your newsletters.
Where this comes from
Read on 31 October 2026 on their own pages, linked below. Plans and prices change; check theirs before you decide. Something here is wrong or out of date? Write to us and we correct it.
Start free. Try the rest for 14 days.
Free up to 1,000 subscribers, with no card. Starter, Growth and Pro can be tried for 14 days, with no card either; if you do not pay, your team simply goes back to Free on day 15.
A question first? Write to hello@lekalao.com