If you’re relying solely on email marketing to reach your customers, you’re missing out on the channel they actually check the most – their text messages. While emails aren’t sitting open in overflowing inboxes, text messages boast sky-high open rates and instant attention.
MailChimp SMS Marketing brings text messaging capabilities to a platform primarily known for email campaigns. As an add-on to MailChimp’s paid plans, SMS marketing lets you reach customers directly on their phones, managing everything from a unified dashboard. But is adding SMS to your MailChimp account worth the extra cost, or should you look elsewhere for your text marketing needs?
Key Features
MailChimp SMS integrates text messaging into the email marketing platform used by millions of businesses worldwide. The tool focuses on creating omni-channel campaigns that integrate email and SMS for maximum impact.
Plans and pricing
Unlike MailChamp’s tiered email plans, SMS works on a credit-based system that’s available to anyone with a paid MailChamp account. Before you can add SMS capabilities, you’ll need at least one accessory ($13/month for 500 contacts).
SMS credits start at $20 for 1,000 credits and increase in blocks from there. Each standard SMS message costs 1 credit to send, while multimedia messages (MMS) containing images or more text cost 3 credits. Credits are purchased monthly and automatically renewed on your billing date, but there’s a catch – unused credits expire at the end of each month with no rollover.
You’ll need to complete an SMS marketing application and get approved by MailChimp before you can purchase credits, adding an extra step to getting started. Good news? Eligible users can access a free 14-day SMS trial to test the waters.
Unified email and SMS platform
The standout feature here is integration. Instead of juggling separate platforms for email and SMS, you manage both channels from a single MailChamp dashboard. According to data from MailChimp, users who send both email and SMS campaigns see a 97% higher click-through rate than email-only campaigns.
This unified approach means your customer data, distribution, and automation workflows work across both channels. You can trigger an email campaign and follow up with an SMS reminder, all from a single customer journey builder.
AI-powered messaging with Intuit Assist
MailChamp’s AI assistant helps you draft SMS copy, generate message ideas based on your campaign goals and brand voice. The tool has helped users send more than 3.1 billion emails with AI-infused content, and now extends that capability to text messages.
Although you’ll still need to review and refine the AI’s suggestions, the speed at the starting point makes for faster campaign creation—especially valuable given the 160-character limit of SMS messages.
Automation and Customer Journeys
Prebuilt automation workflows let you send dynamic messages based on customer actions. The most valuable automation? Abandoned cart recovery. MailChimp claims that users see up to 16.5x ROI after launching their first SMS campaign, largely driven by timely cart abandonment reminders.
Other automation options include welcome series for new customers, post-purchase follow-ups, appointment reminders, and birthday messages. You can also set up keyword-triggered responses where users text a specific word to their number to receive automated information or offers.
SMS short codes
MailChimp now offers SMS shortcodes—those memorable 5-6 digit numbers you see from big brands. Shortcodes can send up to 100 messages per second and appear more professional than a standard 10-digit number, potentially improving open rates and brand trust.
The registration process takes 8-12 weeks from application to approval, but you can continue to use your standard number while you wait. Short codes require an additional monthly fee on top of the SMS credit cost.
Compliance and Consent Management
Text messaging comes with strict regulatory requirements, and MailChimp handles much of the compliance burden for you. The platform includes built-in consent management, quiet hours settings (blocking messages during nighttime hours), easy opt-out management, and guidance on double-opt-in requirements.
With 24+ years of experience in data security, MailChimp applies the same privacy standards to SMS that it’s trusted for email marketing.
Benefits
- Streamlined multi-channel marketing
The ability to integrate email and SMS campaigns from one platform eliminates the hassle of managing multiple tools. Your customer segments, automation triggers and analytics work across both channels, creating a truly unified marketing approach. - High engagement and ROI
SMS marketing delivers results that justify the investment. MailChimp users report 58% higher click-through rates when using both email and SMS than email alone, and first-time SMS campaigns generate an average 16.5x return on investment for e-commerce businesses. - Automation that actually saves time
Pre-built customer journey templates take the guesswork out of SMS automation. Set up abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase setup, or re-engagement campaigns in minutes instead of hours. An AI copywriting assistant makes campaign creation even faster. - Flexibility without long-term commitment
A pay-as-you-go credit system means you’re never locked into expensive contracts. Scale your SMS volume up or down monthly based on your needs, and stop SMS altogether if you need a break without affecting your email plan.
Disadvantages
- Geographical and characteristic boundaries
SMS marketing is only available in select countries, primarily the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. MMS (Multimedia Messages) is limited to US and Canada only for standard and premium plans. If you have an international customer base or need global SMS capabilities, you’ll need a different solution. - Expired credits create stress
Unlike MailChimp’s email credits that never expire, SMS credits disappear at the end of each month. If you don’t use all of your credits, you lose them—creating pressure to send messages you wouldn’t otherwise send, or simply wasting money on unused credits. - High costs per message
At 1 credit per SMS and $20 per 1,000 credits, you’re paying $0.02 per text message. Dedicated SMS marketing platforms often offer low message rates, especially at high volumes. For businesses that send tens of thousands of messages a month, those bucks add up quickly. - Additional approval hurdle
The application and approval process adds friction to startups. Although MailChimp claims it protects against spam and maintains carrier relationships, this means you can’t start sending SMS when you decide to add the feature.
The last word
MailChimp SMS marketing makes the most sense for businesses already using MailChimp for email who want to add text messaging without the complexity of managing multiple platforms. Unified dashboards, shared customer data, and integrated automation create real efficiency gains that justify premium pricing for many small businesses.
Combining email and SMS in one platform delivers measurable results – 97% higher click-through rates and 16.5x ROI on SMS campaigns tells a compelling story. If you’re serious about omnichannel marketing and value simplicity at rock-bottom prices, MailChimp SMS deserves consideration.
However, businesses needing international SMS capabilities, very high message volumes, or maximum cost efficiency per message should look for dedicated SMS platforms. Expired credit structures and geographic limitations make MailChimp SMS less suitable for some business models.
For mid-sized US businesses already in the MailChimp ecosystem, adding SMS capabilities offers an easy path to higher engagement and revenue—just make sure to use those credits each month before they expire.