Klaviyo wins for most UK Shopify stores

Most UK Shopify stores start on Mailchimp. Most eventually switch. This comparison explains the reasons, helps you decide if now is the right time for your store, and covers exactly how to migrate.

Why Mailchimp is still common

Mailchimp’s brand recognition, extensive tutorial library, and free tier make it the default choice for new store owners who have not yet researched alternatives. For a store with under 200 contacts just getting started with email marketing, Mailchimp works fine. The problems emerge as stores grow.

The 2019 Shopify integration removal

In March 2019, Shopify removed the official Mailchimp app from its App Store following a data dispute. The native integration — which previously synced orders, customers, and purchase behaviour automatically — was discontinued. It has not been restored.

Shopify stores that want to use Mailchimp today do so via a third-party connector. ShopSync is the most commonly recommended option. It works, but it introduces a dependency that the native integrations from Klaviyo and Omnisend do not have. When Shopify updates its platform, there can be a lag before ShopSync updates to match — during which time syncing may be unreliable.

Price comparison

Contacts	Mailchimp Essentials	Klaviyo Email
Up to 250	Free (1,000 sends/mo)	Free (500 sends/mo)
Up to 500	~£10/mo	~£20/mo
Up to 1,000	~£25/mo	~£35/mo
Up to 2,500	~£45/mo	~£60/mo
Up to 5,000	~£65/mo	~£110/mo

Mailchimp is cheaper at every tier. The free tier also allows more sends (1,000/month vs Klaviyo’s 500). On pure price, Mailchimp wins.

The question is whether the price saving is worth the integration limitation and the GDPR compromise. For Shopify stores, it usually is not.

GDPR comparison

Mailchimp: US data storage only. No EU or UK residency option. Standard contractual clauses required for UK GDPR compliance.

Klaviyo: EU data residency available — must be selected at account creation. Once selected, satisfies UK GDPR transfer requirements via the EU–UK adequacy decision.

This is a real difference. Klaviyo gives UK stores a path to EU data residency at standard pricing. Mailchimp does not.

When to switch from Mailchimp to Klaviyo

You are probably ready to switch when:

• Your Shopify store has 500+ contacts and you want to build flows based on purchase behaviour (not just signup date)
• You are frustrated by the ShopSync integration — sync delays, missing data, or unreliable abandoned cart triggers
• You have received advice that your current US data storage situation needs to be addressed
• You are spending time manually exporting segments from Shopify and importing them to Mailchimp

You do not need to switch if:

• Your store has under 200 contacts and you are just starting email marketing
• You use Mailchimp primarily for a newsletter and your primary sales channel is not Shopify
• You have specifically evaluated the alternative tools and prefer Mailchimp’s interface

How to migrate

1. Export your Mailchimp audience as a CSV (Audience → Manage Audience → Export Audience)
2. Note your active automations — they must be rebuilt in Klaviyo from scratch
3. Create a Klaviyo account — select EU data region at setup
4. Import your CSV into Klaviyo (Klaviyo maps standard Mailchimp fields automatically)
5. Set up Klaviyo’s Shopify integration from the Shopify App Store
6. Rebuild your key automations — Klaviyo’s pre-built templates cover welcome, abandoned cart, and post-purchase
7. Run both platforms in parallel for 30 days (keep Mailchimp active until you confirm deliverability in Klaviyo)
8. Cancel Mailchimp billing once Klaviyo is confirmed working

The full migration takes approximately 3–4 hours for a store with standard flows. See our Migrating from Mailchimp guide for the detailed step-by-step process.

Our verdict

For UK Shopify stores, the case for switching from Mailchimp to Klaviyo is clear once a store has grown beyond the early stage. The native Shopify integration that Mailchimp lost in 2019 is what drives most switches — it is the difference between real-time purchase behaviour automation and a third-party connector that sometimes works and sometimes does not.

If your store is growing, Klaviyo is the right direction of travel. If budget is the constraint right now, Omnisend is cheaper than Klaviyo and also has native Shopify integration and EU data residency by default.