Choosing the right email marketing platform can make or break your marketing efforts. Mailchimp and Constant Contact are two of the most popular options, but they serve different needs. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to make the right choice.
Quick Overview
Mailchimp is owned by Intuit and serves over 13 million customers. It offers advanced automation, deep analytics, and a free plan. Constant Contact has been around since the 1990s and focuses on simplicity and excellent customer support. It has hundreds of thousands of customers but no free plan.
With over 4 billion active email users worldwide, email marketing remains one of the most effective channels for reaching customers.
Key Differences at a Glance
Best For
- Mailchimp: Experienced marketers who want automation and analytics
- Constant Contact: Beginners who value simplicity and support
Interface
- Mailchimp: Modern but feature-heavy, steeper learning curve
- Constant Contact: Clean and intuitive, minimal learning curve
Templates
- Mailchimp: 100-130 templates (limited on free plan)
- Constant Contact: 200+ professionally designed templates
Automation
- Mailchimp: Advanced journeys with 40+ pre-built templates, branching logic
- Constant Contact: Basic linear automation only (welcome, birthday emails)
A/B Testing
- Mailchimp: Test subject lines, content, timing (up to 8 variations on Premium)
- Constant Contact: Subject lines only (not available on Lite plan)
Integrations
- Mailchimp: 300+ apps
- Constant Contact: Fewer native integrations
Support
- Mailchimp: Phone support only on Premium ($350+/month)
- Constant Contact: Phone and live chat on ALL plans
Free Plan
- Mailchimp: Yes (500 contacts, 1,000 sends/month)
- Constant Contact: No (30-day trial only)
Pricing Comparison
Mailchimp Pricing
- Free: Up to 500 contacts, 1,000 monthly sends
- Essentials: $13/month for 500 contacts - includes multi-step automation, A/B testing (2 variants), 24/7 chat
- Standard: $20/month for 500 contacts - adds full journey builder with branching, advanced analytics
- Premium: $350+/month for 10,000 contacts - multivariate testing (8 variants), phone support
Constant Contact Pricing
- Lite: $12/month for 500 contacts - basic email, unlimited sends, welcome email automation
- Standard: $35/month for 500 contacts - up to 3 users, subject line A/B testing, birthday emails
- Premium: $80/month for 500 contacts - all features, unlimited users, dynamic content
Price Comparison at Scale
Here is how pricing compares as your list grows:
- 500 contacts: Mailchimp Essentials $13 vs Constant Contact Standard $35
- 2,500 contacts: Mailchimp ~$45 vs Constant Contact ~$50
- 10,000 contacts: Mailchimp ~$110 vs Constant Contact ~$120
- 50,000 contacts: Mailchimp ~$385 vs Constant Contact ~$430
Mailchimp is generally cheaper at smaller scales. Prices become comparable as your list grows.
Email Design and Templates
Template Library
Constant Contact offers 200+ professionally designed templates that are mobile-responsive and need minimal customization. Mailchimp has 100-130 templates, but free plan users get limited access.
Design Tools
- Mailchimp: Inline editor, HTML code editing, AI-powered Creative Assistant for brand-aware designs
- Constant Contact: Drag-and-drop editor, Brand Kit feature for consistency
List Organization and Segmentation
How They Structure Contacts
Mailchimp uses Audiences with tags, segments, and groups. It supports predicted segments and has built-in CRM tools with extensive custom fields, purchase history tracking, and predictive demographics.
Constant Contact uses multiple lists with basic segmentation and a simpler labeling system. It has limited contact record storage compared to Mailchimp.
Important: Unsubscribe Handling and Billing
- Mailchimp: Counts unsubscribed contacts toward billing unless you manually archive or delete them
- Constant Contact: Does NOT count unsubscribed or bounced contacts in your billable total
This difference can significantly impact your costs over time.
Automation Capabilities
Mailchimp Automation
- Multi-step Customer Journeys with visual workflow builder
- Custom triggers, branching logic, if/then conditions
- 40+ pre-built automation templates
- E-commerce triggers: abandoned cart, purchase, product browse
- Behavior-based pathways
Constant Contact Automation
- Linear automation only (no branching)
- Welcome series, birthday and anniversary emails
- Basic e-commerce (cart, purchase reminders)
- No complex multi-step workflows
- Few pre-built templates
Mailchimp's advanced automation sets it apart. Constant Contact only handles basic sequences.
A/B Testing Features
What Mailchimp Lets You Test
- Subject lines, sender name, send time, email content
- Up to 3 variants on Standard plan
- Up to 8 variants on Premium plan
- Automatic winner selection available
- Available on all paid plans
What Constant Contact Lets You Test
- Subject lines only
- Manual review of results
- Not available on Lite plan
Integrations
Mailchimp Integrations
- 300+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Analytics
- Social media ads (Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads)
- API access available
- Postcard mailing service (physical mail add-on)
- No native SMS marketing
Constant Contact Integrations
- Fewer native integrations but covers essentials
- Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, QuickBooks, Salesforce
- Social posting (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter)
- SMS marketing add-on for US users
- API access available
