Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: Choosing the right marketing tool

Marketing automation is no longer just about sending newsletters.

Choosing the right tool can redefine how you connect your eCommerce, your ERP, and your customers, especially when your business runs on NetSuite.

At BrokenRubik, we’ve helped clients integrate both Mailchimp and Klaviyo directly with NetSuite ERP and SuiteCommerce, so we’ve seen firsthand how each tool performs when connected to real data, transactions, and customer journeys.

Here’s what you should know before deciding which one fits your marketing strategy best.

1. The essentials: what both do well

Both Mailchimp and Klaviyo allow you to:

Manage audiences and segments

Create automated email flows

Track engagement and conversions

Integrate e-commerce events such as placed orders, abandoned carts, or product views

But how they connect with your ERP and how much control they give you over that data makes all the difference.

2. When Mailchimp makes sense

Mailchimp is a solid option when you want a simple and effective setup that covers the basics: newsletters, campaign tracking, and abandoned cart automations.

In one of our recent project, Mailchimp replaced a previous Klaviyo setup to simplify the stack and reduce cost.

The integration was designed to:

Sync customers, products, and orders from NetSuite and SuiteCommerce

Support embedded and pop-up forms

Track cart data for abandoned cart recovery

Update order status automatically when items are shipped

The result:

A lightweight, API-based integration that keeps marketing data up to date, without overcomplicating the infrastructure.

Mailchimp is ideal for:

Companies with smaller marketing teams

Businesses looking for a straightforward automation tool

Scenarios where simplicity and stability matter more than depth of segmentation

3. When Klaviyo is the right choice

If your marketing team needs granular control, advanced segmentation, or behavior-based flows, Klaviyo offers more depth, especially when paired with SuiteCommerce.

Our Klaviyo integrations are built to sync multiple event types directly from NetSuite, such as:

Placed Orders, Shipped Orders, Cancelled Orders, Credit Memos, and Support Cases

Catalog and customer syncs via custom MapReduce scripts

Real-time tracking of customer behavior on SuiteCommerce (product views, add-to-cart, wishlist, checkout)

In other words, Klaviyo becomes almost a data layer of its own, a true reflection of what’s happening in your ERP and on your site.

Klaviyo is ideal for:

Companies with a dedicated marketing or growth team

Businesses focused on segmentation, personalization, and retention

Brands running high-volume or multi-channel campaigns

4. Integration depth: the BrokenRubik difference

Whether you choose Mailchimp or Klaviyo, the key is how the integration is built.

At BrokenRubik, we handle the process end-to-end:

Connecting NetSuite, SuiteCommerce, and your marketing platform

Managing API authentication, mapping, and automation scripts

Ensuring that the data flows both ways, accurately and securely

You don’t need to purchase or configure any third-party connectors. We make it work, tailored to your business.

5. Pricing and considerations

Mailchimp

Klaviyo

Base monthly cost

Lower (starts free, scales by audience size)

Higher (based on contacts + emails sent)

Integration complexity

Light to moderate

Advanced (requires API-level integration)

Setup time

Faster

Longer (more configuration steps)

Ideal for

Small to mid-size businesses

Mid to large-scale operations

Focus

Email marketing & simplicity

Lifecycle marketing & segmentation depth

BrokenRubik’s integration services adapt to each case, from base setups to full API-driven synchronization.

If you’re unsure where to start, we help you evaluate your marketing goals, data structure, and growth roadmap to find the best fit.

6. So… Klaviyo or Mailchimp?

There’s no single answer, but there is a smarter way to decide.

If your priority is to start fast and keep it simple, go with Mailchimp.

If your strategy is data-driven and you want deep automation, Klaviyo is your best ally.

Whichever you choose, we’ll make sure it works perfectly with your NetSuite.

👉 Talk to our team ›