How to Cancel Your
Mailchimp Subscription
Breaking up with the email chimp? Whether your list outgrew their pricing or you found a better platform, here is how to cancel Mailchimp -- and save your precious contact list before you go.
Quick Overview
Difficulty
EasyTime
~5 minutes
Cost
$13 - $350/mo
Refund
Generally none
Cancel Mailchimp on the Website
Log in to Mailchimp
Head to mailchimp.com and sign in with the account owner credentials. Only the account owner (not managers or authors) can cancel or pause a Mailchimp account. If you are not the owner, you will need to track them down first.
Go to Account Settings
Click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner (or top-right, depending on the current layout) and select Account & billing. Then navigate to the Settings tab.
Find Pause or Cancel
Look for the Pause or cancel your account option in the Settings page. Mailchimp gives you two choices here: you can pause your account (keeping all your data) or permanently cancel it. Choose wisely.
Choose Cancel or Pause
If you select Cancel, Mailchimp will ask why you are leaving and try to talk you out of it with offers or suggestions. If you just need a break, Pause is genuinely worth considering -- it stops billing while keeping your data intact.
Confirm Your Decision
If canceling permanently, you will need to type your account name to confirm. Mailchimp will warn you that data deletion begins after 30 days. You will receive a confirmation email. Your account stays accessible for those 30 days in case you change your mind.
Export Your Contacts First!
Before canceling, export your entire audience. Go to Audience > All contacts > Export Audience to download a CSV with all subscriber data. Also export any campaign reports you need from the Reports section. After the 30-day grace period, all data is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. Do not skip this step.
Cancel Mailchimp via App Store or Google Play
If you subscribed to Mailchimp through the mobile app, you may need to cancel through your app store. However, most Mailchimp subscriptions are managed directly through their website.
Apple App Store
- 1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad
- 2. Tap your name at the top
- 3. Tap Subscriptions
- 4. Find and tap Mailchimp
- 5. Tap Cancel Subscription
Google Play Store
- 1. Open the Google Play Store app
- 2. Tap your profile icon
- 3. Tap Payments & subscriptions
- 4. Tap Subscriptions
- 5. Find Mailchimp and tap Cancel
What Happens After You Cancel Mailchimp?
30-day grace period
After canceling, your account data is retained for 30 days. During this window, you can still log in, export data, and even reactivate your account. After 30 days, everything is permanently deleted.
Scheduled campaigns get canceled
Any campaigns or automations that are scheduled or running will stop immediately. Your subscribers will not receive any more emails from your Mailchimp account. Make sure to finish any active campaigns before pulling the trigger.
Contact list deleted after 30 days
Your entire audience -- every email address, tag, segment, and subscriber detail -- is permanently wiped after the 30-day grace period. This is why exporting your contacts before canceling is absolutely critical.
Connected integrations stop working
Any apps or services connected to your Mailchimp account (Shopify, WordPress, Zapier, etc.) will lose their connection. Forms on your website that feed into Mailchimp will stop collecting subscribers. Update those integrations before canceling.
Alternatives to Mailchimp
ConvertKit
Built for creators with powerful automation and a free tier up to 10,000 subscribers. Clean, simple interface.
Brevo (Sendinblue)
Generous free tier with 300 emails/day. Great for transactional emails and SMS marketing too.
Beehiiv
Newsletter-focused platform with built-in monetization. Free tier available with generous limits for growing newsletters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I export my Mailchimp contacts?
Go to Audience > All contacts, then click the Export Audience button. Mailchimp generates a CSV file that includes email addresses, names, subscription dates, tags, and other subscriber data. You can also export specific segments if needed. Always download this before canceling -- once the 30-day grace period ends, the data is gone forever.
Should I pause or cancel Mailchimp?
If you think you might come back, pause is the way to go. Pausing stops billing while keeping all your contacts, templates, automations, and campaign history intact. You can unpause at any time and pick up right where you left off. Cancel is permanent -- after 30 days, everything is deleted.
Can I get a refund from Mailchimp?
Mailchimp generally does not issue refunds for monthly plans. However, if you were recently charged or are experiencing a billing issue, contact their support team. Pay-as-you-go credits and annual plans may have different refund terms. It never hurts to ask.
Can I downgrade to the free plan instead?
Yes. Mailchimp's Free plan supports up to 500 contacts and 1,000 email sends per month. If that covers your needs, downgrading is a great middle ground -- you keep your data, contacts, and templates without paying anything. Go to Account > Billing > Change Plan to make the switch.
What happens to forms on my website?
Any Mailchimp signup forms embedded on your website will stop working after your account is fully canceled. They will still appear visually, but new submissions will fail silently. Replace them with your new email platform's forms before or shortly after canceling to avoid missing new subscribers.
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