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Mailchimp vs Dynamics 365 Marketing: which fits a company that already runs Dynamics 365?
In the Mailchimp vs Dynamics 365 Marketing choice, Mailchimp is a standalone email marketing tool that is quick to start with, and Dynamics 365 Marketing (now called Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys) is marketing built on the same data as Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service. Pick Mailchimp for simple newsletters and small lists. Pick Customer Insights - Journeys when campaigns must react to CRM events and sales needs to see every touch.
Updated
What happened to Dynamics 365 Marketing?
Microsoft renamed Dynamics 365 Marketing to Dynamics 365 Customer Insights in 2023. The marketing part is now Customer Insights - Journeys, and the customer data platform part is Customer Insights - Data. People still search for Dynamics 365 Marketing, so this page uses both names.
Microsoft has also moved customers from the older outbound marketing features to real-time journeys. If you used Dynamics 365 Marketing a few years ago, the current product works differently, and Microsoft's transition guidance explains the change.
Mailchimp vs Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys at a glance
Where Mailchimp is the better choice
Mailchimp is easy to learn, has a large template library and needs no IT project. A marketing person can build a list, design an email and send it the same day. For a newsletter, event invites or a simple welcome email series, that speed is a big plus.
It becomes harder when marketing and sales need the same view. Mailchimp's audience is a copy of your contacts, so you need a connector to keep it in step with Dynamics 365, and sales sees opens and clicks only if that connector writes them back. Every unsubscribe must also flow back to the CRM, or someone will email a person who opted out.
Where Customer Insights - Journeys is the better choice
Because Journeys works on the same Dataverse records as Dynamics 365 Sales, there is no second list to sync. A journey can start when an opportunity changes stage, a case closes or a form is submitted, and the seller sees each email and score on the contact record. Consent is stored once and respected everywhere.
The trade-off is effort. Someone has to set up domains, consent, templates, segments and journeys, and run it like a system rather than a tool. For a company already invested in Dynamics 365, that effort usually buys better lead handoff and reporting. Our Customer Insights page covers the setup.
Choose Mailchimp if, choose Customer Insights - Journeys if
- ✓Choose Mailchimp if marketing sends newsletters and offers, and sales does not need email activity on the CRM record.
- ✓Choose Mailchimp if you have no Dynamics 365 Sales or Customer Service users, or a small list and no admin time.
- ✓Choose Customer Insights - Journeys if campaigns should react to CRM events such as a new opportunity or a closed case.
- ✓Choose Customer Insights - Journeys if lead scoring and handoff to sales are the main reason you do marketing.
- ✓Choose Customer Insights - Journeys if consent and preferences must be managed in one place across marketing and service.
Can you connect Mailchimp to Dynamics 365?
Yes. Mailchimp does not ship its own Dynamics 365 connector, but third-party connectors on Microsoft AppSource and integration platforms can sync contacts, lists, campaign results and unsubscribes. Power Automate can also handle simple cases. Before choosing one, decide which system owns consent, and test that an unsubscribe in Mailchimp reaches the CRM within minutes, not days.
Questions about Mailchimp vs Dynamics 365 Marketing
Is Dynamics 365 Marketing still available?
The product continues under the name Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys. New features go into real-time journeys, which replaced the older outbound marketing features.
Is Mailchimp cheaper than Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys?
For a small list, usually yes. The two are priced differently: Mailchimp by plan and contact count, Customer Insights by tenant licence with a contact allowance. Compare both providers' current price pages against your contact numbers and add the cost of any connector and admin time.
Can we start with Mailchimp and move later?
Yes. Keep consent and preferences clean in the CRM from the start, so the move to Journeys is a migration of templates and journeys rather than a cleanup of who agreed to what.
Do we need Dynamics 365 Sales to use Customer Insights - Journeys?
No, it runs on Dataverse on its own. Most of its value, though, comes from sharing contacts, leads and activity with Sales or Customer Service.
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