Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: Email Marketing Software Compared (2026)
Mailchimp and Constant Contact are two widely compared email marketing platforms. Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform from Intuit, sold in Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium plans priced by the number of contacts you store. Constant Contact is an email marketing platform for small businesses and nonprofits, sold in Lite, Standard and Premium plans priced by contact count.
- Verified 10 Nov 2026Sources are dated on this page
- 5 sourcesLinked, typed and dated
- No winner declaredFit depends on your criteria
- Not tested by Stack18Editorial summary of documented facts
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: the short answer
Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform from Intuit, sold in Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium plans priced by the number of contacts you store. Constant Contact is an email marketing platform for small businesses and nonprofits, sold in Lite, Standard and Premium plans priced by contact count. Both are email marketing platforms, but they differ in pricing model, target team size and focus.
On pricing, Mailchimp is described as: monthly subscription priced by stored contacts, with send caps per plan and add-on contact blocks for overages; Constant Contact as: monthly subscription priced by contact count, with discounts for prepaying and for nonprofits. Mailchimp lists a free plan. Constant Contact does not document a permanent free plan. Mailchimp is positioned for small businesses that want a well-known all-round email tool, and Constant Contact for small businesses and nonprofits that want guided, all-in-one email.
Everything below is drawn from the two sourced profiles and the 5 dated sources listed at the end. Where a source does not document something it is marked Unknown, and third-party estimates are labelled. No winner is declared: the better fit depends on your size, budget and requirements.
Mailchimp and Constant Contact at a glance.
One card per product, drawn from each full profile. Open a profile for features, pricing plans, limits and sources.
Mailchimp
Intuit Mailchimp · Email Marketing Software
Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform from Intuit, sold in Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium plans priced by the number of contacts you store.
- Pricing
- Free for up to 250 contacts; paid plans reported from $13 per month (Essentials, 500 contacts).
- Best for
- Small businesses that want a well-known all-round email tool
Constant Contact
Constant Contact · Email Marketing Software
Constant Contact is an email marketing platform for small businesses and nonprofits, sold in Lite, Standard and Premium plans priced by contact count.
- Pricing
- No free plan; plans reported from $12 per month (Lite, up to 500 contacts).
- Best for
- Small businesses and nonprofits that want guided, all-in-one email
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: feature-by-feature comparison.
Every row is drawn from the sources listed below. Rows that differ are marked, and you can filter the table to show only those.
- YesDocumented
- PartialAvailable with limits or on some plans
- NoDocumented as unavailable
- UnknownNot documented in the sources reviewed
| Dimension |  Mailchimp |  Constant Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Product | ||
| Product type | YesEmail marketing platform (SaaS) | YesEmail marketing platform (SaaS) |
| VendorDiffers | YesIntuit Mailchimp | YesConstant Contact |
| Best forDiffers | YesSmall businesses that want a well-known all-round email tool | YesSmall businesses and nonprofits that want guided, all-in-one email |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing modelDiffers | YesMonthly subscription priced by stored contacts, with send caps per plan and add-on contact blocks for overages. | YesMonthly subscription priced by contact count, with discounts for prepaying and for nonprofits. |
| Pricing summaryDiffers | PartialFree for up to 250 contacts; paid plans reported from $13 per month (Essentials, 500 contacts). | PartialNo free plan; plans reported from $12 per month (Lite, up to 500 contacts). |
| Free planDiffers | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free trialDiffers | YesYes (14-day trial on paid plans) | YesYes (14 days) |
| Email Marketing Software criteria | ||
| Pricing model | YesBy contacts; send caps per plan | YesBy contacts; send caps per plan |
| AutomationDiffers | PartialJourneys limited on Essentials; full from Standard | YesTemplates; custom flows on Premium |
| Ecommerce focusDiffers | YesGeneral purpose | YesGeneral purpose; events |
| AI featuresDiffers | UnknownNot reviewed | YesAI copy generator, AI campaign builder |
| Fit and platform | ||
| Team size | YesSmall teams, Mid-size teams | YesSmall teams, Mid-size teams |
| Platforms | YesWeb | YesWeb |
| IntegrationsDiffers | Partial300+ integrations (reported on all plans), Transactional email add-on, Marketing API | YesAbout 300 integrations, including Shopify and Eventbrite |
| APIDiffers | YesA Marketing API is available; it allows 10 simultaneous connections per user and a 120-second timeout, and no plan raises those limits. | UnknownNot reviewed for this profile. |
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact pricing.
Plan names, prices and billing terms as reported in each profile's sources. Taxes, add-ons and discounts are excluded unless stated.
Mailchimp pricing
Monthly subscription priced by stored contacts, with send caps per plan and add-on contact blocks for overages.
- Free$0 for up to 250 contacts · Free
- EssentialsFrom $13 per month at 500 contacts · Monthly
- StandardFrom $20 per month at 500 contacts · Monthly
- PremiumFrom $350 per month at 10,000 contacts · Monthly
Prices from independent sources; treat as reported. Prices rise with contact count, and the guides reviewed publish only entry-tier figures. Annual plans for larger lists are sales-led. Mailchimp's own pricing page was not reviewed directly, so confirm current rates for your list size. Currency: USD. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
All Mailchimp plans and sources
Constant Contact pricing
Monthly subscription priced by contact count, with discounts for prepaying and for nonprofits.
- Lite$12 per month (up to 500 contacts) · Monthly or prepaid
- Standard$35 per month (up to 500 contacts) · Monthly or prepaid
- Premium$80 per month (up to 500 contacts) · Monthly or prepaid
Prices from independent sources; treat as reported. At 10,000 contacts guides report roughly $80 to $120 (Lite), $110 to $160 (Standard) and $200 to $275 (Premium), depending on source. Extra sends cost $0.002 each. Constant Contact's own pricing page was not reviewed directly. Currency: USD. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
All Constant Contact plans and sourcesMailchimp vs Constant Contact: pricing model, ecosystem and fit.
Pricing model and cost drivers
Mailchimp: monthly subscription priced by stored contacts, with send caps per plan and add-on contact blocks for overages. Prices rise with contact count, and the guides reviewed publish only entry-tier figures. Annual plans for larger lists are sales-led. Mailchimp's own pricing page was not reviewed directly, so confirm current rates for your list size. Constant Contact: monthly subscription priced by contact count, with discounts for prepaying and for nonprofits. At 10,000 contacts guides report roughly $80 to $120 (Lite), $110 to $160 (Standard) and $200 to $275 (Premium), depending on source. Extra sends cost $0.002 each. Constant Contact's own pricing page was not reviewed directly. Model costs at your real seat count, usage and contract term before comparing headline prices.
What sets each apart
The Mailchimp profile highlights: contact-based pricing with send caps set as a multiple of the contact limit; a free plan, now limited to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month; multivariate testing, send-time optimisation and dynamic content from Standard. The Constant Contact profile highlights: built-in event management and selling; live call and chat support on every plan; automated emails do not count toward monthly send limits.
Integrations and ecosystem
Mailchimp integrations named in its sources: 300+ integrations (reported on all plans), Transactional email add-on and Marketing API. Constant Contact: About 300 integrations, including Shopify and Eventbrite. Check that the connectors you rely on exist on the plan you would buy.
Deployment and team fit
Mailchimp runs on Web and is documented for small teams and mid-size teams. Constant Contact runs on Web and is documented for small teams and mid-size teams. We did not test setup or migration.
Mailchimp and Constant Contact: each option, in balance.
Each point is linked to a dated source on the product's profile.
Mailchimp
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- A free plan lets very small lists start at no cost.
- Standard adds full journeys, multivariate testing, dynamic content and send-time optimisation at a low entry price.
- Premium includes unlimited seats and audiences with phone support.
- The free plan was cut to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, which limits real use.
- Pricing scales with stored contacts, and billing uses the peak contact total in the cycle.
- Essentials caps journeys at 4 steps and leaves out advanced segmentation.
- Premium jumps to about $350 a month, a large step up from Standard.
Constant Contact
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- Event management, selling and payments are built in on every plan.
- Live call and chat support is reported on all plans.
- Automated emails do not count toward the monthly send limit.
- There is no free plan, and the trial was cut from 30 to 14 days.
- Lite is single-user with one automation template and one custom segment.
- Prices scale steeply with contacts, to $575 a month for Premium at 50,000.
- Premium is described as having a complex interface for less experienced users.
Mailchimp or Constant Contact: which fits which situation?
No overall winner is declared. The better choice depends on the criteria that matter most to you, so test both against your own requirements.
Choose Mailchimp if you are…
- Small businesses that want a well-known all-round email tool
- Teams that want journeys and testing at a modest entry price on Standard
- Organisations that need many audiences and seats on Premium
Less suited to: senders with large but low-engagement lists, since every stored contact counts; teams that need advanced automation on the cheapest paid plan.
See the Mailchimp profile
Choose Constant Contact if you are…
- Small businesses and nonprofits that want guided, all-in-one email
- Organisations that run events
- Teams that value phone and chat support
Less suited to: businesses that want a free plan; teams that need advanced automation without paying for Premium.
See the Constant Contact profileSwitching between Mailchimp and Constant Contact.
Moving off Mailchimp or Constant Contact usually means exporting subscribers with their tags, segments and consent records, rebuilding automations and sign-up forms, recreating templates, and authenticating your sending domain on the new platform. Warm up sending gradually and keep the old account until the first campaigns land well. Send one real campaign and build one real automation in each shortlisted platform, then compare inbox placement and reporting.
- Export a sample of your data and test an import into the other product.
- List the automations, integrations and permissions you would need to rebuild.
- Compare total cost at your real volume, including add-ons and services.
- Pilot with one team before a full cut-over.
- Check contract terms and notice periods with both vendors.
General guidance, not specific to either vendor. Confirm migration options with the vendors.
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: questions and answers
What is the difference between Mailchimp and Constant Contact?
Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform from Intuit, sold in Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium plans priced by the number of contacts you store. Constant Contact is an email marketing platform for small businesses and nonprofits, sold in Lite, Standard and Premium plans priced by contact count. Both are email marketing platforms, but they differ in pricing model, target team size and focus. Mailchimp is positioned for small businesses that want a well-known all-round email tool; Constant Contact for small businesses and nonprofits that want guided, all-in-one email.
Is Mailchimp cheaper than Constant Contact?
It depends on your volume and plan. Mailchimp: Free for up to 250 contacts; paid plans reported from $13 per month (Essentials, 500 contacts). Constant Contact: No free plan; plans reported from $12 per month (Lite, up to 500 contacts). Compare both at your real seat count, usage and contract term.
Do Mailchimp or Constant Contact have a free plan?
Mailchimp lists a free plan. Constant Contact does not document a permanent free plan. Mailchimp free trial: Yes (14-day trial on paid plans). Constant Contact free trial: Yes (14 days).
Mailchimp or Constant Contact: which is better for small teams?
Mailchimp and Constant Contact are both documented for small teams. Mailchimp suits small businesses that want a well-known all-round email tool; Constant Contact suits small businesses and nonprofits that want guided, all-in-one email. Neither is best for everyone.
What are the main limitations of Mailchimp and Constant Contact?
Mailchimp: The free plan was cut to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, which limits real use. Constant Contact: There is no free plan, and the trial was cut from 30 to 14 days.
How much does Mailchimp cost?
Independent guides report Free for up to 250 contacts, Essentials from $13 a month and Standard from $20 a month at 500 contacts, and Premium from $350 a month at 10,000 contacts. Prices rise with contact count.
How much does Constant Contact cost?
Guides report Lite at $12, Standard at $35 and Premium at $80 a month for up to 500 contacts, rising with list size.
What are the alternatives to Mailchimp and Constant Contact?
Stack18 has alternatives guides for both: Mailchimp alternatives and Constant Contact alternatives, each comparing at least four other email marketing platforms on pricing, free plan, features and fit. The Email Marketing Software category lists every profile.
Where this comparison comes from.
- Mailchimp Pricing 2026: Full Guide to Selecting the Right Plan SaaS CRM Review Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- Mailchimp Pricing Explained (2026): You Pay for the List, Not the Sends TinyCommand (competing vendor) Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- All Mailchimp Plans & Pricing Costbench Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- Constant Contact Pricing 2026: Short Summary with Overview Flowium Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
- How much does Constant Contact cost in 2026? Pricing breakdown Automation Atlas Third-party Accessed 10 Nov 2026
This comparison summarises the Mailchimp and Constant Contact profiles and their sources. Third-party figures are labelled; confirm current pricing and terms with each vendor. Stack18 has not tested these products.
Ready to test Mailchimp and Constant Contact?
Check each vendor's current pricing and terms, run both against a real scenario from your business, or talk to Stack18 if off-the-shelf software is not the answer.
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