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Mailchimp vs Constant Contact 2026 Comparison

Mailchimp offers more advanced automation and better free-tier features with support for up to 500 contacts, while Constant Contact provides superior customer support and simpler interface but requires paid plans for all users. Mailchimp appeals to growth-focused marketers, while Constant Contact suits small businesses prioritizing ease-of-use.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp

Marketing automation platform with visual campaign builders, audience management, and integrated CRM for subscriber-based marketing.

E-commerce businesses, agencies, growth-focused startups, and marketers seeking advanced automation without upfront costs.

Score63%
VS
CC

Constant Contact

User-friendly email marketing platform emphasizing customer support and simple campaign management for small businesses.

Non-technical small business owners, local services, nonprofits, and companies prioritizing hands-on customer support and simplicity.

Score63%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

Mailchimp offers more advanced automation and better free-tier features with support for up to 500 contacts, while Constant Contact provides superior customer support and simpler interface but requires paid plans for all users. Mailchimp appeals to growth-focused marketers, while Constant Contact suits small businesses prioritizing ease-of-use.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose Mailchimp if you want a scalable solution with powerful automation, better free options, and lower costs as you grow—ideal for startups, agencies, and e-commerce businesses. Choose Constant Contact if you prioritize responsive customer support, prefer a simpler interface, and need guided onboarding from day one—best for non-technical small business owners.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

Mailchimp
8.6/10
Constant Contact
6.4/10
C
Mailchimp

Choose Mailchimp if

Best pick

E-commerce businesses, agencies, growth-focused startups, and marketers seeking advanced automation without upfront costs.

C

Choose Constant Contact if

Non-technical small business owners, local services, nonprofits, and companies prioritizing hands-on customer support and simplicity.

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Free Plan Contacts:Mailchimp wins(500 contacts vs No free plan)
  • Starting Monthly Price:Mailchimp wins($0 (free plan available) vs $20/month)
  • Automation Workflows:Mailchimp wins(Unlimited (all plans) vs Limited on basic plans)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

87 numeric metrics compared

MetricMailchimpConstant ContactRatio
Core Marketing Channels(channels)5 channels3 channels
Learning Curve Rating(1-10 scale)7 (moderate to high)3 (very beginner-friendly)
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$0-$20$20+
Free Plan Subscriber Limit(contacts)250
Free Plan Monthly Email Sends(emails/month)500
G2 Aggregate Rating(out of 5)4.3/5
Third-Party Integrations(count)300+ integrations250+
Entry-Level Paid Plan Price(USD/month)$20
Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations)1,200+
Email Templates(count)200+
Starting Price (Entry Tier)(USD/month)$13/month
Cost at 5,000 Contacts/Profiles(USD/month)$50-70/month
Cost at 50,000 Contacts/Profiles(USD/month)$100/month
Monthly Email Send Limit (Entry Plan)(emails/month)1,000-5,000
Monthly Cost (10,000 contacts)(USD)$100$300/month
Setup Time for First Campaign(hours)1-2 hours
Free Plan Subscriber Capacity(contacts/subscribers)250 contacts
Free Plan Monthly Email Limit(emails)1,000 emails/month
Global User Base(millions)13 million users
G2 Review Rating(stars out of 5)4.3/5 stars
Price Scaling Factor at 5,000 Subscribers(relative cost index)Steep 3-4x multiplier
Free Plan Contact Capacity(contacts)500 contacts
Marketing Channels Supported(channels)Email, basic social
Free Plan Contact Limit(contacts)500No free plan
Setup Time for Non-Developers(minutes)10-20 minutes
Maximum Monthly Email Limit(emails)300,000 (based on plan)
Starting Price (Paid Plan)(USD/month)$13/month (Essentials)
Maximum Contact Plan(USD/month)$800/month (100,000 contacts)
G2 Award Count(awards)Transactional email and small business
API Integration Support(integrations)1000+
User-Friendliness Rating(score)3.8/5
Max Contacts (Starter Plan)(contacts)500 (free) / 5,000 (paid)
Average Implementation Time(days)0.08 months (1 hour)
Native CRM Integrations(integrations)3 (Salesforce, HubSpot, custom)
Customer Support Response Time(hours)12-24 hours (business hours)24/7 (phone, email, live chat)
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)$20
Email Template Library(templates)130+
Learning Curve (1=Easy, 5=Difficult)(scale)1 (beginner-friendly)
Starting Monthly Price(USD)$0 (free tier)$20
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (10k subscribers)(USD)$50
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)7.8/10
Pre-built Automation Templates(count)300+
Free Tier Subscriber Limit(subscribers)500 free contactsTrial only (60 days)
Free Monthly Email Volume(emails)Unlimited (with 10k contacts max)
Starter Tier Monthly Cost (50k contacts)(USD/month)$350/month
Campaign Template Library(templates)500+
API Response Time (P95)(milliseconds)250ms
Automation Workflow Steps (Free/Starter Tier)(workflows)Unlimited (standard feature)
Maximum Contacts/Recipients(contacts)Unlimited (with pricing increase)
Entry-Level Monthly Cost(USD)$0$20
Ecommerce Integrations(integrations)13+8+
API Rate Limit(requests/second)10 calls/secondUnlimited (on request)
Free Tier Contact Limit(contacts)500
Cost at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)$50-100
Monetization Revenue Share(percent)0% (you handle payments)
Setup Time for Monetization(minutes)30+ (payment processor + Mailchimp config)
Starting Price(USD/month)$0 (free tier) or $20 (Pro)
Max Free Tier Contacts(contacts)500
Email Deliverability Rate(%)96–98%
Supported Communication Channels(channels)3 (email, SMS via paid add-on, social)
Average Setup Time(days)0.5-2 hours (no code required)
Monthly Cost for 5,000 Subscribers(USD)$70/month
Automation Workflows on Standard Plan(count)Limited (up to 5-10 per plan tier)
SMS Cost Per Message(USD)$0.01-0.05 per SMSNot offered
Pre-Built Email Templates(count)100+ templates
User Onboarding Time (Average)(hours)4-6 weeks
Cost per 1,000 Emails(USD)$2–$7 (plan-dependent)
Free Tier Monthly Email Limit(emails)1,000/month
API Setup Time (Developer Hours)(hours)0.5–1 hour (UI-based)
Monthly Cost at 100K Emails/Month(USD)$200–$350 (based on tier)
Entry-Level Monthly Price(USD)$12$12
Price at 50,000 Contacts(USD)$80$80
Ease of Use Score(/10)99
Max Contacts at Entry Plan(contacts)500 contacts500 contacts
Mid-Tier Plan Price(USD/month)$35/month (Standard)$35/month (Standard)
Starter Plan Monthly Price(USD)$12/month$12/month
Professional/Standard Plan Monthly Price(USD)$80/month$80/month
Cost per User Monthly (Starter Annual)(USD)$12/month$12/month
vs Average SMB Marketing Budget(Percent of $72/user/month)17% of average17% of average
Entry Subscriber Limit(Contacts)500 contacts500 contacts
Mid-Tier Plan (5,000 contacts)(USD/month)$50$50
Email Delivery Speed(minutes)Near-instantaneous (seconds to minutes)Near-instantaneous (seconds to minutes)
Landing Page Templates(templates)50+50+
Automation Workflow Triggers(count)1515
Native Integrations(count)1,000+1,000+
Email Templates Included(templates)500+ templates500+ templates
Annual Cost Savings vs Constant Contact (10K contacts)(USD)Baseline ($3,600/year)Baseline ($3,600/year)

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

Mailchimp
4Mailchimp
Mailchimp leads1 tie
CC
2Constant Contact
  • Free Plan Contacts

    Mailchimp

    500 contacts(winner)

    Constant Contact

    No free plan

  • Starting Monthly Price

    Mailchimp

    $0 (free plan available)(winner)

    Constant Contact

    $20/month

  • Automation Workflows

    Mailchimp

    Unlimited (all plans)(winner)

    Constant Contact

    Limited on basic plans

  • 24/7 Phone Support

    Mailchimp

    Paid plans only

    Constant Contact

    All paid plans included(winner)

  • API Rate Limit

    Mailchimp

    10 calls/second

    Constant Contact

    Unlimited (contact support)(winner)

  • Built-in Landing Pages

    Mailchimp

    Yes, with drag-and-drop

    Constant Contact

    Yes, with templates

  • Ecommerce Integration

    Mailchimp

    13+ platforms supported(winner)

    Constant Contact

    8+ platforms supported

Full Comparison

Mailchimp
CConstant Contact
Core Marketing Channels(channels)
5 channels
3 channels
SMS Marketing Capability
Yes, with international expansion
Yes, core feature
Landing Page Builder Access
Free on all plans
AI Email Generation
Not available
SMS Marketing Capabilities
Full SMS suite with 2026 international expansion
Show 42 more attributes
Email Templates(count)
200+
Free Plan Email Features
Limited core features only
Email Template Design Options(variety level)
Extensive design variety and customization
Segmentation Capabilities(trigger types)
Standard audience segmentation
Customer Data Integration(depth level)
Basic contact data syncing
Native CRM Included
No (API integration only)
SMS Marketing Support
Yes (added 2026, supports international markets)
Built-in CRM
Yes, full CRM suite
No
Multi-Channel Marketing
Email, SMS, landing pages, ads
Automation Features
Advanced automation included
Landing Page Builder
Yes (drag-and-drop, AI-assisted)
Yes (template-based)
CRM Functionality
Full CRM with customer profiles
Lead Scoring Models Available(types)
Behavioral segmentation only
Lead Scoring Sophistication(capability level)
Basic (list segmentation only)
Automation Workflow Complexity
~5 basic automations
12 pre-built templates
Email Template Library(templates)
130+
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Support
No
Pre-built Automation Templates(count)
300+
Campaign Template Library(templates)
500+
Automation Workflow Steps (Free/Starter Tier)(workflows)
Unlimited (standard feature)
Max Contacts (Paid Plan)(contacts)
Unlimited
Unlimited
Automation Workflows(workflows)
Unlimited (all plans)
Limited on basic tiers
Free Tier Contact Limit(contacts)
500
Email Automation Workflows
Advanced (conditional, behavioral triggers)
Built-in Payment Processing
No (third-party required)
A/B Testing Capability
Yes (subject lines, send time)
SMS Marketing
Included in paid plans
Max Free Tier Contacts(contacts)
500
Supported Communication Channels(channels)
3 (email, SMS via paid add-on, social)
Pre-Built Email Templates(count)
100+ templates
A/B Testing Capabilities
Advanced (subject, send time, content)
Bounce Handling & List Cleaning
Manual review required
Subscriber Management Features
Full CRM with segmentation, tagging, custom fields
Personalization Capabilities
Basic segmentation
AI Predictive Features
Not available
Automation Capabilities(features)
Basic automation sequences
CRM Integration Level
Email-centric, limited CRM
Entry Subscriber Limit(Contacts)
500 contacts
Landing Page Templates(templates)
50+
Automation Workflow Triggers(count)
15
Email Templates Included(templates)
500+ templates
CRM Features
Basic contact management only
Free Plan Available
Yes (500 contacts)
No
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$0-$20
$20+
Starting Price (Entry Tier)(USD/month)
$13/month
Cost at 5,000 Contacts/Profiles(USD/month)
$50-70/month
Cost at 50,000 Contacts/Profiles(USD/month)
$100/month
Show 25 more attributes
Monthly Cost (10,000 contacts)(USD)
$100
$300/month
Free Plan Monthly Email Limit(emails)
1,000 emails/month
Free Plan Contact Limit(contacts)
500
No free plan
Starting Price (Paid Plan)(USD/month)
$13/month (Essentials)
Maximum Contact Plan(USD/month)
$800/month (100,000 contacts)
Free Plan Availability
Full-featured free plan
Free Tier Available(yes/no)
Yes (up to 500 contacts)
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)
$20
Starting Monthly Price(USD)
$0 (free tier)
$20
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (10k subscribers)(USD)
$50
Free Tier Subscriber Limit(subscribers)
500 free contacts
Trial only (60 days)
Entry-Level Monthly Cost(USD)
$0
$20
Starting Price(USD/month)
$0 (free tier) or $20 (Pro)
SMS Delivery Cost(USD per message)
Not offered (email-focused)
Voice Call Cost(USD per minute)
Not offered
Cost per 1,000 Emails(USD)
$2–$7 (plan-dependent)
Free Tier Monthly Email Limit(emails)
1,000/month
Monthly Cost at 100K Emails/Month(USD)
$200–$350 (based on tier)
Entry-Level Monthly Price(USD)
$12
Price at 50,000 Contacts(USD)
$80
Mid-Tier Plan Price(USD/month)
$35/month (Standard)
Starter Plan Monthly Price(USD)
$12/month
Professional/Standard Plan Monthly Price(USD)
$80/month
Cost per User Monthly (Starter Annual)(USD)
$12/month
Mid-Tier Plan (5,000 contacts)(USD/month)
$50
Learning Curve Rating(1-10 scale)
7 (moderate to high)
3 (very beginner-friendly)
Segmentation Depth
Sophisticated data-driven rules
Standard list-based segmentation
24/7 Support Availability
Yes, varies by plan
Yes, all plans included
Customer Support Response Time(hours)
12-24 hours (business hours)
24/7 (phone, email, live chat)
Phone Support Availability(hours/day)
Business hours (paid plans)
24/7 (all plans)
Automation Complexity Level
Basic (Customer Journey Builder)
Standard email-based
Email Deliverability Testing
A/B testing and design testing (free)
eCommerce Platform Support(platforms)
More extensive platform coverage
CRM Integration Capabilities
Basic contact management
Third-Party Integrations(count)
300+ integrations
250+
API Integration Support(integrations)
1000+
Native CRM Integrations(integrations)
3 (Salesforce, HubSpot, custom)
Show 3 more attributes
Ecommerce Integrations(integrations)
13+
8+
E-commerce Integration Quality
Limited e-commerce features
Native Integrations(count)
1,000+
User Skill Level Required
Beginner-friendly
Setup Time for First Campaign(hours)
1-2 hours
User Learning Curve(hours)
Minimal (intuitive interface)
User-Friendliness Rating(score)
3.8/5
Learning Curve Difficulty(score (1-10))
2/10 (simple)
Show 3 more attributes
Learning Curve (1=Easy, 5=Difficult)(scale)
1 (beginner-friendly)
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)
7.8/10
User Onboarding Time (Average)(hours)
4-6 weeks
Free Plan Subscriber Limit(contacts)
250
Monthly Cost for 5,000 Subscribers(USD)
$70/month
SMS Cost Per Message(USD)
$0.01-0.05 per SMS
Not offered
Free Plan Monthly Email Sends(emails/month)
500
G2 Aggregate Rating(out of 5)
4.3/5
Built-in E-commerce Features
Limited (abandoned cart via integrations)
Paid Plan Email Sending(sends per month)
Capped by contact tier multipliers
Integrated CRM & Contact Management
Full CRM suite with advanced segmentation
Built-in E-commerce & Monetization
Limited e-commerce via integrations
CRM Type
Basic add-on CRM
Show 1 more attribute
SMS Marketing Included
Add-on ($30-$60/month extra)
Overage Fees on Paid Plans
Yes - charges per contact/send overages
Analytics & Reporting Depth
Comprehensive campaign performance and subscriber insights
Entry-Level Paid Plan Price(USD/month)
$20
Cost at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)
$50-100
Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations)
1,200+
AI Personalization Engine
Basic personalization features
Trigger-Based Automation Workflows
Available but less intuitive setup
Automation Workflows on Standard Plan(count)
Limited (up to 5-10 per plan tier)
User Interface Modernity(rating)
Legacy interface, steep learning curve
Ease of Use Score(/10)
9
Ease of Use(score/10)
Very easy - beginner-friendly
CRM Integration
Full native CRM platform integrated
Monthly Email Send Limit (Entry Plan)(emails/month)
1,000-5,000
Contact List Size Limit (Standard Pricing)(contacts)
Unlimited growth with pro-rated pricing
Maximum Monthly Email Limit(emails)
300,000 (based on plan)
Maximum Contacts/Recipients(contacts)
Unlimited (with pricing increase)
Maximum Subscriber Limit(contacts)
Unlimited
Free Plan Subscriber Capacity(contacts/subscribers)
250 contacts
Price Scaling Factor at 5,000 Subscribers(relative cost index)
Steep 3-4x multiplier
Global User Base(millions)
13 million users
G2 Review Rating(stars out of 5)
4.3/5 stars
Free Plan Contact Capacity(contacts)
500 contacts
Lead Scoring Capability
Manual segmentation only
Marketing Channels Supported(channels)
Email, basic social
2026 Feature Updates(updates)
Standard quarterly updates
API Complexity Level
Moderate, marketing-focused
Setup Time for Non-Developers(minutes)
10-20 minutes
Setup Time for Monetization(minutes)
30+ (payment processor + Mailchimp config)
Average Setup Time(days)
0.5-2 hours (no code required)
Email Template Quality
Modern and professional
Integration Capabilities(/10)
Third-party integrations
Native Salesforce CRM Integration
No (Zapier third-party only)
API Rate Limit(requests/second)
10 calls/second
Unlimited (on request)
G2 Award Count(awards)
Transactional email and small business
A/B Testing
All paid plans
Max Contacts (Starter Plan)(contacts)
500 (free) / 5,000 (paid)
Max Contacts at Entry Plan(contacts)
500 contacts
Average Implementation Time(days)
0.08 months (1 hour)
Built-in Monetization Tools(features)
None (requires third-party solutions)
Free Monthly Email Volume(emails)
Unlimited (with 10k contacts max)
Cost per 1,000 Emails (Pay-as-You-Go)(USD)
Not applicable (subscriber-based)
Starter Tier Monthly Cost (50k contacts)(USD/month)
$350/month
API Response Time (P95)(milliseconds)
250ms
Email Deliverability Rate(%)
96–98%
Email Delivery Speed(minutes)
Near-instantaneous (seconds to minutes)
Monetization Revenue Share(percent)
0% (you handle payments)
API Setup Time (Developer Hours)(hours)
0.5–1 hour (UI-based)
vs Average SMB Marketing Budget(Percent of $72/user/month)
17% of average
Annual Cost Savings vs Constant Contact (10K contacts)(USD)
Baseline ($3,600/year)
Ideal Business Size(GMV)
Solo to small business (1-50 employees)

Pros & Cons

10 pros·6 cons across both

Mailchimp
CC
Mailchimp

Mailchimp

+5-3

Pros

  • Free plan supports up to 500 contacts with unlimited campaigns
  • Unlimited automation workflows across all pricing tiers
  • 13+ ecommerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce)
  • AI-powered content suggestions and send-time optimization
  • Comprehensive API (10 calls/second) for custom integrations

Cons

  • Phone support only available on paid plans ($20+/month)
  • Free plan lacks advanced segmentation and behavioral triggers
  • Steeper learning curve for complex automation workflows
CC

Constant Contact

+5-3

Pros

  • 24/7 phone, email, and chat support on all paid plans
  • Intuitive interface requires minimal training or onboarding
  • Built-in event marketing tools (RSVP forms, event promotion)
  • Unlimited API calls (with proper support request)
  • Compliance-ready templates for multiple industries

Cons

  • No free plan—minimum $20/month required
  • Limited automation workflows on entry-level plans
  • Fewer ecommerce integrations (8 vs Mailchimp's 13+)

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. Mailchimp offers a free plan supporting up to 500 contacts with unlimited campaigns and basic automation. Constant Contact has no free plan; the entry-level tier starts at $20/month. Both free and paid Mailchimp plans include access to core features, making it ideal for bootstrapped businesses.

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