A Belgian alternative to Mailchimp
Yes. For businesses sending from Belgium or the EU that want to keep customer data inside the EU, 2Mail is a full alternative to Mailchimp: campaigns, transactional email over SMTP and a REST API on one platform, with phone support in your language. If you need a free entry tier or rely heavily on Mailchimp's marketing automation and integrations, you are probably better off staying.
Mailchimp is a US email marketing platform for newsletters and campaigns: the company newsletter, the announcement of a new collection, the invitation to the open day. As the list grows and the web shop or the CRM start sending mail too, the question grows with it: where is that data processed, and does everything still fit in one campaign tool?
That is when people type "Mailchimp alternative". Not because Mailchimp works badly, but because their situation has changed: a Belgian SME with a processing register, an accountant asking where customer data is stored, a developer who would rather have one SMTP login per application than a marketing tool that treats transactional email as an add-on.
Why companies switch from Mailchimp to 2Mail
Your data stays in the EU
Mailchimp is a US company; according to its own documentation, data is processed in the United States. 2Mail runs on its own servers in Belgium: sending, storage, statistics and open and click tracking all stay inside the EU. A data processing agreement is available on request, and there is no transfer outside the EU for you to document.
Priced per sending domain, not per contact
With a price per contact, you also pay for the addresses you rarely write to. 2Mail charges per volume tier (from 1,000 to 250,000 emails per month) and per sending domain, with no price per email and no setup fee. A list of 20,000 addresses you mail four times a year does not cost you twelve months of a 20,000-contact rate. The current tiers are on the pricing page.
Campaigns, SMTP and API on one platform
Your newsletter goes out from the campaign module with its drag and drop template builder; your shop's order confirmations and your accounting package's invoices go through the SMTP relay or the REST API. Every application gets its own SMTP login or API key that you can revoke separately. One dashboard per domain, with the same SPF, DKIM and DMARC settings.
Someone on the phone who knows your domain
Support in English, Dutch and French on +32 9 328 03 83, from Zelzate. IP warm-up and personal follow-up are part of the service, and for every message the log shows whether it was delivered, bounced or rejected. Useful when a customer calls to say the invoice never arrived.
Mailchimp and 2Mail side by side
Mailchimp is a email marketing platform based in United States. Below are the points on which an email platform really differs in practice. The Mailchimp column only reflects what the brand publishes itself; always check the current terms on its own website.
| Criterion | Mailchimp | 2Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters and data location | United States; processing in the US according to its own documentation | Belgium (JAAN bv, Zelzate); own servers in Belgium, processing and storage inside the EU |
| Pricing model | Subscription based on the number of contacts, according to its website | Per volume tier and per sending domain; no price per email, no setup fee |
| Sending channel (SMTP, API, campaigns) | Campaigns; transactional email through a separate service according to its website | Campaigns, SMTP relay (port 587) and REST API with signed webhooks, on one platform |
| Support and language | Mainly in English, via chat or email according to its website | Phone and email in EN, NL and FR; IP warm-up and personal follow-up included |
| Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) | SPF and DKIM configurable according to its documentation | SPF, DKIM and DMARC in one click from the dashboard |
| Per-message visibility | Reporting per campaign according to its website | Per-message log: delivery, bounce, rejection, open and click; real-time dashboard per domain |
Information about Mailchimp is general and may change; 2Mail is not affiliated with this brand. Brand names belong to their respective owners.
Switching from Mailchimp to 2Mail
A migration is not a big bang. These three steps keep your deliverability intact while you move.
Set up your domain and authentication
Add your sending domain in the 2Mail dashboard and publish the SPF, DKIM and DMARC records it gives you. Leave the Mailchimp records in place until your last campaign has gone out there; two senders side by side in SPF is not a problem.
Export and import your list, with opt-in proof
Export your contacts from Mailchimp, including the date and source of each subscription. Only take active, confirmed addresses: anyone who unsubscribed or has been bouncing for months stays behind. Your proof of consent moves with you and you start with a clean list.
Build up sending gradually
A new sending route starts with no reputation at Gmail and Outlook. Start with your most engaged segment and build volume over a few sends. 2Mail guides the IP warm-up and follows up personally during the first weeks.
Who is 2Mail the better choice for — and who isn't it for?
2Mail suits you if…
- Belgian and European SMEs that want to keep customer data inside the EU and be able to prove it in writing
- Web shops and businesses that send order confirmations, invoices or CRM email alongside a newsletter and would rather do it from one platform
- Anyone with a large list who does not mail weekly and prefers paying per sending volume and domain rather than per contact
Stay with Mailchimp if…
- Anyone who needs a free entry tier: 2Mail works with a subscription per volume tier and a minimum term of 12 months
- Anyone who relies heavily on Mailchimp's advanced marketing automation and its range of integrations
Other comparisons
Looking for an alternative to another platform? Same exercise, always with the facts side by side.