Mailchimp vs. Constant Contact
Mailchimp and Constant Contact help businesses create email campaigns, automate customer communications, and manage audience lists. Users often compare them for their marketing features, approachable tools, and options for businesses of different sizes.
The best fit depends on your needs and budget. Compare their automation and campaign features, pricing, ease of use, integrations, and customer support to decide which platform suits your business.
Mailchimp VS Constant Contact: Which tool is the most popular?
| Tool | Reviews | Average rating | Positive | Neutral | Negative | Popularity summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | 748 | 2.76/5 | 332 (44.4%) | 25 (3.3%) | 391 (52.3%) | Most reviewed and higher-rated of the two |
| Constant Contact | 247 | 2.21/5 | 73 (29.6%) | 2 (0.8%) | 172 (69.6%) | Least reviewed and lower-rated of the two |
Mailchimp is the more popular option by review volume, with about three times as many reviews as Constant Contact. It also has the higher average rating, though both tools have more negative than positive reviews.
Mailchimp and Constant Contact: Quick Comparison Overview
I can’t perform a live web search in this chat, so this overview reflects established product positioning; features and plan limits may change.
| Ahrefs | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary features | Backlink and competitor analysis; keyword research; site audits; rank tracking; content research. | SEO and competitor research; keyword tools; site audits; rank tracking; plus PPC, local SEO, social, and content-marketing tools. |
| Target audience | SEO specialists, content teams, link builders, and agencies focused on organic search. | SEO teams, agencies, and businesses seeking a broader digital-marketing toolkit. |
| Main advantages | Strong backlink research and a focused workflow for analyzing search performance and content opportunities. | Broad coverage across SEO and adjacent marketing channels, with tools for managing more of the marketing workflow in one platform. |
| Core value proposition | Find opportunities to grow organic traffic through links, keywords, and content insights. | Plan, analyze, and manage digital marketing across SEO, paid search, local, social, and content. |
| Ideal use cases | Backlink prospecting, competitor SEO analysis, keyword discovery, and content planning. | Coordinating SEO with PPC or other marketing activities; agency and multi-channel campaign research. |
Most liked vs most disliked features of Mailchimp and Constant Contact
| Platform | Overall user sentiment | Most appreciated | Main sources of dissatisfaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | Generally positive about campaign creation and management, with frustration around support, pricing, and some limitations. | Easy-to-use interface; audience segmentation; useful analytics; attractive templates; integrations with other tools. | Customer service, especially phone support; pricing and trial terms; limited long-term scheduling; desire for more template customization and additional integrations. |
| Constant Contact | Mixed and often shaped by customer-support experiences: some users value helpful service and long-term consistency, while others report serious service and account-management frustrations. | Helpful support representatives; an intuitive platform once users are familiar with it; responsive technical assistance; consistent service for long-term customers; follow-up on feedback. | Long waits and unhelpful support; phone-only cancellation; high costs; technical issues with email sending and subscriber management; unclear billing and account-status communication. |
Key Features of Mailchimp vs Constant Contact
Mailchimp
| Key feature | How it benefits users |
|---|---|
| Customer Journey Builder and automated workflows | Lets users create sequences triggered by actions such as signing up or making a purchase, so follow-up messages can be sent without manual work. |
| Audience segmentation and personalization | Helps tailor messages to groups based on audience data and behavior, making campaigns more relevant. |
| Email templates and design tools | Makes it easier to build professional-looking emails without starting from scratch or needing design skills. |
| Campaign testing and reporting | Testing tools help users compare campaign approaches; reporting helps them see how emails perform and improve future sends. |
| Signup forms and landing pages | Gives users ways to collect subscribers and direct visitors toward a sign-up or other marketing action. |
| Integrations and e-commerce connections | Connects email campaigns with other tools and store data, which can support more targeted, purchase-related communications. |
Distinctive aspect: Mailchimp’s Customer Journey Builder is a prominent feature for mapping multi-step, behavior-based marketing journeys. Its broader marketing toolkit also brings email together with audience, landing-page, and integration features.
Constant Contact
| Key feature | How it benefits users |
|---|---|
| Automated email campaigns | Helps users send timely messages—such as welcome or follow-up emails—based on subscriber actions or campaign rules. |
| Email templates and editor | Makes campaign creation accessible to users who want to build emails without coding. |
| Contact management and segmentation | Helps organize subscribers and send more relevant messages to different groups. |
| Signup and list-growth tools | Supports collecting new contacts through forms and other promotional tools. |
| Campaign analytics | Shows how campaigns are performing, helping users make informed adjustments. |
| Social and event marketing tools | Can help users coordinate email with other promotional activities; event tools are useful for invitations, registrations, and attendee communications. |
Distinctive aspect: Constant Contact stands out for combining email marketing with event-marketing capabilities, making it a natural fit for organizations that promote events alongside regular campaigns. It also emphasizes support and guidance for small businesses.
In short: Mailchimp is especially notable for its visual customer-journey automation and broad integrations. Constant Contact is notable for pairing email marketing with event promotion and small-business support.
Features and availability can vary by plan, region, and connected services. See Mailchimp’s features page and Constant Contact for current details.
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact Pricing Comparison
U.S. starting prices in USD; paid-plan prices depend on contact count and may vary by region or promotion. Prices below are before tax.
| Brand and tier | Monthly price | Annual price or billing | Main offerings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp Free | $0 | No subscription | Up to 250 contacts and 500 email sends per month. Includes basic email tools, forms and landing pages, with limited features and support. |
| Mailchimp Essentials | From $13/month | No standard annual subscription price listed; paid plans are generally billed monthly. | Starts at 500 contacts. Adds email templates, A/B testing, basic automation, email support and up to three audiences. |
| Mailchimp Standard | From $20/month | No standard annual subscription price listed; paid plans are generally billed monthly. | Starts at 500 contacts. Adds more advanced automation and segmentation, customer journey tools and up to five audiences. |
| Mailchimp Premium | From $350/month | No standard annual subscription price listed; paid plans are generally billed monthly. | Starts at a higher contact level than the other paid plans. Includes advanced segmentation and testing, unlimited audiences and priority support options, including phone support. |
| Constant Contact Lite | From $12/month | Annual prepayment may reduce the effective monthly price; at a 15% discount, the starting equivalent is about $10.20/month or $122.40/year. | Starts at 500 contacts. Covers core email marketing, signup forms, landing pages, templates, social tools and basic reporting. |
| Constant Contact Standard | From $35/month | With a 15% annual prepayment discount: about $29.75/month, or $357/year. | Starts at 500 contacts. Adds more automation, audience segmentation, subject-line A/B testing and expanded marketing tools. |
| Constant Contact Premium | From $80/month | With a 15% annual prepayment discount: about $68/month, or $816/year. | Starts at 500 contacts. Adds advanced automation and segmentation, plus expanded reporting and account features. |
| Pricing consideration | Mailchimp | Constant Contact |
|---|---|---|
| How prices scale | Pricing rises with the number of contacts. Contact limits and monthly send allowances vary by plan. | Pricing also rises with contact count; the listed prices are entry-level rates. |
| Free access or trial | Offers a free plan rather than a time-limited trial. | Offers a free trial; its length and terms can vary by promotion or region. |
| Discounts | A general annual subscription discount is not listed. Eligible nonprofits and charities may qualify for a discount. | Annual prepayment may qualify for a discount; the effective prices above use a 15% reduction from the listed starting rates. Promotional offers may differ. |
The main pricing difference is that Mailchimp has a permanent free tier and separates features across four plans, while Constant Contact’s paid lineup begins with Lite and advertises annual prepayment savings. For either service, the final price depends on the number of contacts and any applicable promotion. (Mailchimp pricing; Constant Contact pricing)
Support Options Comparison: Mailchimp vs Constant Contact
| Support option | Mailchimp | Constant Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat | Available to paid-plan users; Mailchimp lists 24/7 chat support for eligible plans. Access and options depend on the account’s plan. | Live chat is offered through the support center. Availability may depend on the support team’s posted hours. |
| Phone support | Phone support is reserved for Premium plan customers. | Phone support is available through the support center; check its current hours before calling. |
| Documentation | Offers searchable help articles and guides covering account setup, campaigns, audience management, and troubleshooting. | Offers a searchable support center with how-to articles and troubleshooting guidance. |
| Webinars, tutorials, and other resources | Provides tutorials and learning resources, including Mailchimp Academy courses and marketing guidance. | Provides tutorials, video resources, webinars, and other marketing education materials. |
| Overall | Support is more plan-dependent: chat and email are available on paid plans, while phone support is limited to Premium. | Offers phone and chat as direct support options, alongside a broad collection of self-service and learning resources. |
Sources: Mailchimp support and Constant Contact support.
Unique Features of Mailchimp Vs Constant Contact
| Brand | Less-common feature | Added value | Why it may decide the choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | A broader marketing toolkit alongside email, including tools for landing pages, websites, social campaigns and digital advertising. | Lets a small team create and coordinate several types of marketing activity from one platform, rather than assembling separate tools for each channel. | A good fit when the priority is an all-in-one setup and the business wants to expand beyond email without adding multiple vendors. |
| Mailchimp | Customer Journey Builder and audience targeting. Mailchimp supports automated customer journeys and audience segmentation, so messages can respond to customer actions and characteristics. | Makes it easier to tailor follow-up across a customer lifecycle instead of sending the same campaign to everyone. | Valuable for teams that want behavior-based campaigns but do not have the resources to build complex workflows across separate systems. |
| Mailchimp | Built-in campaign design and content tools, including templates and AI-assisted creative features. | Helps users produce and refine campaign content without relying as heavily on designers or separate writing tools. | May matter most to lean teams that need to create campaigns quickly and maintain a consistent look. |
| Constant Contact | Event marketing tools, including event promotion and registration or ticketing capabilities. | Connects event promotion with audience outreach, making it easier to invite contacts and manage responses without relying entirely on a separate event platform. | A strong differentiator for organizations that run workshops, classes, fundraisers or other events as a regular part of their marketing. |
These capabilities are not exclusive to either brand, and availability can depend on plan or region. Event-marketing functionality is the clearest distinction from typical email automation software; Mailchimp’s standout is the breadth of its surrounding marketing toolkit.
Most frequently asked questions about Mailchimp vs Constant Contact
Which is easier to use for email automation: Constant Contact or Mailchimp?
Both are designed for nontechnical users, but reviewer feedback often describes Constant Contact as especially straightforward for getting a basic campaign up and running. Mailchimp is also approachable, though reviewers note that its wider feature set can make the interface feel busier. In short: Constant Contact may suit teams prioritizing simplicity; Mailchimp offers more options to explore.
Which platform has more powerful email automation features?
Reviewers commonly give Mailchimp the edge for automation flexibility, particularly when building customer journeys with branching paths, behavioral triggers, or audience segments. Constant Contact covers common needs such as welcome and follow-up emails, but reviewers may find its automation less customizable for complex workflows. Available features depend on the plan.
Which is better for audience segmentation and personalization?
Mailchimp is often praised in reviews for its audience management and targeting options, which can help marketers tailor messages to customer attributes and activity. Constant Contact provides useful list and contact-management tools, but feedback suggests it may be less suited to intricate segmentation needs. The better choice depends on how much targeting your campaigns require.
Which platform is better for small businesses?
Review feedback suggests either can work well for a small business. Constant Contact is often appreciated by organizations that want an approachable email-marketing tool and hands-on assistance. Mailchimp is frequently favored by businesses looking for a broader marketing toolkit and more room to build sophisticated campaigns. Compare the specific features and limits in each plan before deciding.
How do Constant Contact and Mailchimp compare on pricing and value?
There is no universal winner: reviewers’ value assessments depend on audience size, plan tier, and which features they actually use. Mailchimp’s entry-level options can be appealing for smaller or simpler needs, while costs and feature access can change as lists grow or requirements become more advanced. Constant Contact’s value is often linked to ease of use and support. Check current plan details, contact limits, and included automation features.
Which has better customer support?
Review feedback commonly highlights Constant Contact’s accessible support as a plus, particularly for users who want help getting started or resolving setup questions. Mailchimp users may find that support access varies by plan and situation. Since support channels and eligibility can change, verify what is included in the plan you are considering.
Which offers better email templates and design tools?
Both provide templates and visual editors for creating campaigns without coding. Reviewers often find Constant Contact’s tools easy to use for standard newsletters, while Mailchimp offers broader design and customization possibilities. Some users in both camps want more flexibility than the editors provide, so testing each with a representative campaign is a practical way to compare.
Which platform has better reporting and analytics?
Mailchimp is often recognized in reviews for offering a broad set of campaign and audience insights, which can be useful for optimizing more involved marketing programs. Constant Contact provides the core reporting many small teams need to monitor campaign results. The meaningful difference depends on whether you need basic performance tracking or deeper analysis tied to customer behavior.
Which one integrates better with other business tools?
Reviewers generally find that both connect with common business and marketing tools, while Mailchimp is often chosen for its wider ecosystem and marketing integrations. Constant Contact also supports integrations useful to small businesses and organizations. Check that your specific CRM, ecommerce platform, event tool, or other essential service is supported—and whether the connection requires an add-on or third-party connector.
Should I choose Constant Contact or Mailchimp for email automation?
Choose Constant Contact if straightforward campaign creation, approachable support, and common email-marketing tasks matter most. Choose Mailchimp if you want more room for segmentation, behavioral targeting, and complex customer journeys. Reviewers’ experiences differ by business size and plan, so compare the automation you actually need, test the workflow in each product, and confirm current pricing and feature availability.
