ActiveCampaign is a more advanced marketing automation platform with CRM, sales automation, and visual workflow builders ideal for growing businesses, while Constant Contact is a simpler, email-focused solution better suited for small businesses and nonprofits prioritizing ease of use.
ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Marketing automation CRM with behavioral AI and advanced email workflows for SMBs.
Beginner-friendly email marketing platform designed for small businesses and nonprofits.
Core Platform Focus. Starting Price (Monthly). Contact Limit (Starter Plan). Automation Workflows. CRM Features Included. Learning Curve. API Rate Limits
Choose ActiveCampaign if you need advanced marketing automation, CRM functionality, complex sales workflows, and are willing to invest in training and higher costs for enterprise-grade features. Choose Constant Contact if you're a small business or nonprofit looking for an affordable, easy-to-use email marketing solution that requires minimal technical expertise and doesn't need advanced automation or CRM capabilities.
ActiveCampaign: Plus plan ($99+/month) and above | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: AI-generated email drafts included | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Advanced (Enterprise-grade automation) | Constant Contact: Standard email-based
ActiveCampaign: A/B testing and spam testing | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Limited platform support | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Native CRM with advanced features | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Experienced marketers preferred | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $15/month | Constant Contact: $12/month
ActiveCampaign: $49/month (Plus) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $145/month | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 2 (Marketing & CRM) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $49/month | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Nearly identical ratings | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 1,000 contacts | Constant Contact: N/A
Average eCommerce Email Revenue Per Send
ActiveCampaign: Not published | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $9 (500 contacts) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $385–$495 | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Full B2B/B2C CRM with lead scoring | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Available (add-on/integration) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Supported via marketplace | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 4,200% ROI (industry average) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Email, SMS, web, social, chat (native) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $15 | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Unlimited | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 1000+ | Constant Contact: 1,000+
ActiveCampaign: No (forms only) | Constant Contact: Yes (template-based)
ActiveCampaign: Full-featured with scoring | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Advanced (conditional logic, multi-branch) | Constant Contact: 12 pre-built templates
ActiveCampaign: 2-4 weeks (with training) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $149 (Pro plan, unlimited) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 1,000 contacts | Constant Contact: 500 contacts
ActiveCampaign: $49/month (Plus) | Constant Contact: $35/month (Standard)
ActiveCampaign: Yes | Constant Contact: No
ActiveCampaign: Predictive sending, lead scoring | Constant Contact: Not available
ActiveCampaign: Unlimited advanced workflows | Constant Contact: Basic automation sequences
ActiveCampaign: Moderate - requires learning | Constant Contact: Very easy - beginner-friendly
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Commitment)
ActiveCampaign: $9 | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Behavioral, manual, predictive (limited AI) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Yes (native) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 2-5 days | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 2-4 hour sync | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $15 | Constant Contact: $20+
ActiveCampaign: 10,000+ | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 4-8 weeks | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Basic (via third-party apps) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 8-12% (varies by setup) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Yes (behavioral, predictive, dynamic) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: None (paid only) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 1000+ | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 4+ (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, native) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 1 week | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 2 (last-click, first-click) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $25-50 | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Advanced predictive with AI priority ranking | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: No (14-day trial only) | Constant Contact: No
ActiveCampaign: 10-300 calls (tier-dependent) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 1000+ | Constant Contact: 250+
ActiveCampaign: 100+ (plan-dependent) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Advanced with A/B testing, dynamic content, behavior triggers | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Predictive send time, contact scoring, revenue attribution | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Unlimited (500 contacts max) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 500+ | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Advanced (deals, pipelines, forecasting) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Yes (all paid plans) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Yes (all plans) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 600 calls/min | Constant Contact: Unlimited (on request)
ActiveCampaign: $9 (Lite tier) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: No free tier | Constant Contact: Trial only (60 days)
ActiveCampaign: 500+ templates | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Full CRM with sales pipelines and deal tracking | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 500+ pre-built workflows | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $229/month | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 3.9/5 | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $299 | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 10,000 | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 2-4 weeks | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 100,000 | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Limited functionality | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 500 | Constant Contact: Unlimited
ActiveCampaign: 500 contacts | Constant Contact: No free plan
ActiveCampaign: Add-on only | Constant Contact: Add-on ($30-$60/month extra)
ActiveCampaign: Advanced AI-powered with predictive scoring | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: Enterprise-grade sales CRM | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 14 days | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: $9/month | Constant Contact: $20
ActiveCampaign: $549 (10 seats @ $35 + contact tier) | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 200+ | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 97.2% | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 1-2 weeks | Constant Contact: N/A
Marketing Automation Workflows (Pre-built)
ActiveCampaign: 500 | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: 20+ | Constant Contact: N/A
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 3 channels
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 3 (very beginner-friendly)
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Standard list-based segmentation
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Yes, all plans included
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Yes, core feature
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: $12
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: $80
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Not offered
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 9
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Limited e-commerce features
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Basic segmentation
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Unlimited
Professional/Standard Plan Monthly Price
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: $80/month
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: $12/month
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 17% of average
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Email-centric, limited CRM
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 500 contacts
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Solo to small business (1-50 employees)
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: $50
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Near-instantaneous (seconds to minutes)
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 50+
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 15
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 24/7 (phone, email, live chat)
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: $300/month
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 500+ templates
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Basic contact management only
Annual Cost Savings vs Constant Contact (10K contacts)
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Baseline ($3,600/year)
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: $20
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: Limited on basic tiers
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 24/7 (all plans)
ActiveCampaign: N/A | Constant Contact: 8+
How to choose between ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact
Compare ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact
ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact. Contains 129 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact.
Which platform is better for small businesses with limited budgets?
Constant Contact is significantly better for budget-conscious small businesses. It offers unlimited contacts on its $20/month starter plan, compared to ActiveCampaign's $49/month plan with only 500 contacts. Constant Contact also includes features like event management and social media posting at lower price points, making it ideal for solopreneurs and small teams under 10 people.
Which platform offers better CRM and sales automation?
ActiveCampaign is the clear winner for CRM and sales automation. It includes a built-in CRM with lead scoring, pipeline management, deal tracking, and sales forecasting. Constant Contact lacks these features entirely, offering only basic contact management. If you need to track sales opportunities and manage customer relationships, ActiveCampaign is essential.
How long does it take to set up each platform?
Constant Contact can be fully operational within 1 hour with its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and pre-built templates. ActiveCampaign typically requires 4-6 weeks of training and setup to leverage its advanced features effectively. If you need immediate deployment, Constant Contact wins by a significant margin.
Which platform integrates better with third-party tools?
ActiveCampaign offers superior integration capabilities with 10,000 API requests/minute compared to Constant Contact's 500 requests/minute. ActiveCampaign connects with 1,000+ apps through native integrations, while Constant Contact supports around 400 integrations. For complex tech stacks requiring heavy API usage, ActiveCampaign is essential.
Can I upgrade from Constant Contact to ActiveCampaign later?
Yes, many businesses start with Constant Contact for email marketing and later migrate to ActiveCampaign as they grow and need CRM and advanced automation. Both platforms offer data export capabilities, though ActiveCampaign requires a setup period. Migration is feasible but should be planned for scaling growth beyond simple email marketing.
How to Choose Between ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact
Core Platform Focus: ActiveCampaign has Marketing automation + CRM + sales tools, while Constant Contact has Email marketing + basic automation.
Starting Price (Monthly): ActiveCampaign has $49/month, while Constant Contact has $20/month.
Contact Limit (Starter Plan): ActiveCampaign has 500 contacts, while Constant Contact has Unlimited contacts.
Automation Workflows: ActiveCampaign has Visual workflow builder, 500+ pre-built automations, while Constant Contact has Basic automation, 100+ templates.
CRM Features Included: ActiveCampaign has Built-in CRM, lead scoring, pipeline management, while Constant Contact has Contact management only, no CRM.
Learning Curve: ActiveCampaign has Steep (advanced features require training), while Constant Contact has Shallow (intuitive interface).
API Rate Limits: ActiveCampaign has 10,000 requests/minute, while Constant Contact has 500 requests/minute.