Mailchimp vs Constant Contact (2026): An Honest 1v1 Comparison
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact is the classic “famous vs friendly” matchup in email marketing. Mailchimp is the design-forward giant with a free plan and contact-based pricing. Constant Contact is the beginner’s champion — famous for real human phone support on every plan and a generous 60-day trial, with no free tier at all.
We rate Constant Contact 4.4/5 and Mailchimp 4.1/5 (Mailchimp review). This comparison explains where each wins, where each stumbles, and which one deserves your business. For the three-way view, see Constant Contact vs Brevo vs Mailchimp.
Mailchimp Vs Constant Contact: The one-paragraph verdict
Choose Constant Contact if you’re a beginner or non-technical owner who wants a human to call when stuck, plus the longest trial in the business. Choose Mailchimp if you want a free plan to start, the industry’s best templates, and deeper ecommerce and automation features — and your list is small enough that contact pricing stays sane.
Pricing: free plan vs free trial
The pricing philosophies couldn’t be more different:
- Mailchimp: Free ($0 — 250 contacts, 500 sends/month, with branding), Essentials from $13/mo, Standard from $20/mo, Premium from $350/mo. Contact-based: costs climb steeply as your list grows.
- Constant Contact: No free plan. Lite $12/mo, Standard $35/mo, Premium $80/mo (at 500 contacts), with a 60-day free trial — no credit card required — plus a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Mailchimp lets you start free and pay as you grow; Constant Contact asks you to commit but gives you two full months to evaluate. At small list sizes the entry prices are comparable ($12–13/month). The difference: Mailchimp’s pricing punishes growth harder at large scale, while Constant Contact’s pricing is simpler to predict but offers no free tier to fall back on. Full breakdown in our Mailchimp pricing guide.
Winner: depends. Mailchimp for starting free; Constant Contact for trial length and pricing predictability.
Ease of use
Both target beginners, and both succeed — this is the closest-fought category. Constant Contact’s interface is deliberately simple, arguably the easiest in the industry for a non-technical owner, and every plan includes real phone support, which is a superpower for beginners. Mailchimp’s interface is more modern and its campaign builder more guided, but it’s also a bigger product with more corners to get lost in.
The tiebreaker: when you’re stuck, Constant Contact lets you call a human. Mailchimp offers no phone support on lower tiers. For a true beginner, that alone can decide it.
Winner: Constant Contact, on support as much as software.
Templates and design
Mailchimp wins this outright. Its templates are the most polished in the industry, the builder is genuinely enjoyable, and the AI Creative Assistant generates on-brand assets. Constant Contact’s templates are clean and professional — perfectly fine for newsletters and event promotion — but they don’t make designers smile the way Mailchimp’s do.
If your emails are a brand statement, Mailchimp. If they’re a utility (newsletters, announcements, event invites), Constant Contact’s templates are more than good enough.
Winner: Mailchimp, clearly.
Automation
Mailchimp’s Customer Journeys is a proper visual automation builder — welcome series, abandoned carts, branching win-back flows. It’s one of the best automation experiences at this price (see our automation guide). Constant Contact’s automation exists but is more basic, with the more capable features gated behind higher tiers — a legitimate weakness we call out in its review.
If “set it and forget it” revenue flows matter to you, Mailchimp is the stronger platform.
Winner: Mailchimp.
Automation matters to you? Try Mailchimp free and test the Customer Journeys builder yourself.
Ecommerce
Mailchimp’s ecommerce integrations run deeper: product recommendations, purchase-based segmentation, abandoned-cart flows, and integrations with major store platforms. Constant Contact handles basic ecommerce needs and shines instead at event management — invitations, registrations, and event promotion are first-class features, not afterthoughts.
Winner: Mailchimp for online stores; Constant Contact for events and nonprofits. Mailchimp vs Constant Contact is the rare matchup where the ‘beginner’ pick (Constant Contact) also wins on support.
Deliverability and support
Constant Contact publishes around 97% deliverability and pairs it with phone support on every plan — a combination nobody else offers at this price. Mailchimp’s deliverability is solid in practice, but support on cheap plans is the weak spot: no phone support down low, so you’re reliant on docs and chat.
For a small business owner who wants to know a human will pick up the phone, Constant Contact’s support story is the best in the industry, full stop.
Winner: Constant Contact, decisively on support.
Side-by-side summary
- Our rating: Mailchimp 4.1/5 · Constant Contact 4.4/5
- Free option: Mailchimp free plan (250 contacts/500 sends) · Constant Contact 60-day trial (no free plan)
- Entry price: Mailchimp Essentials from $13/mo · Constant Contact Lite $12/mo
- Easiest for beginners: Constant Contact (plus phone support)
- Best templates: Mailchimp
- Best automation: Mailchimp (Customer Journeys)
- Best for ecommerce: Mailchimp
- Best for events/nonprofits: Constant Contact
- Support: Constant Contact (phone on every plan)
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: Who Should Choose Which
Scenario 1: The solo founder sending their first newsletter
→ Constant Contact. You’ll have questions, and a human on the phone at 2pm on a Tuesday is worth more than any feature. The 60-day trial gives you room to learn without pressure.
Scenario 2: The boutique clothing brand
→ Mailchimp. Your emails are visual marketing. Mailchimp’s templates and Creative Assistant will make every send look expensive, and your list is small enough that contact pricing stays reasonable.
Scenario 3: The nonprofit running events
→ Constant Contact. Event management is first-class, nonprofits are a core audience, and volunteers can learn the simple interface fast. Phone support matters when your “marketing team” is whoever showed up.
Scenario 4: The growing online store
→ Mailchimp. Abandoned carts, product recommendations, and purchase segmentation are revenue tools, not nice-to-haves. Just model the pricing at your future list size first — and read our ecommerce guide.
Scenario 5: The freelancer with 300 subscribers
→ Mailchimp (free plan). At this size, free wins. Send your monthly update, learn the ropes, and upgrade when the business justifies it. Constant Contact has no free tier to compete here.
Migration considerations
Switching between these two is easier than most migrations because both are mainstream tools with clean CSV export: Mastering mailchimp vs constant contact is less about tools and more about consistency — the fundamentals above cover 90% of what matters.
- Mailchimp → Constant Contact: straightforward for lists and basic campaigns. You’ll rebuild automations (Constant Contact’s are simpler anyway) and lose some template polish. Gain: phone support and simplicity.
- Constant Contact → Mailchimp: also straightforward, but audit your automations first — anything beyond basics will need rebuilding in Customer Journeys, which is more capable but more complex.
Either direction, the rule from our Brevo comparison applies: clean your list during migration. It’s free, it lowers your bill on arrival, and there’s never a better moment.
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact FAQs
Which is cheaper?
At entry level they’re close: Mailchimp Essentials from $13/month vs Constant Contact Lite $12/month (at 500 contacts). Mailchimp can be free (tight free plan); Constant Contact can’t — but its 60-day trial is the longest in the business. At large list sizes, both get expensive; that’s when Brevo enters the conversation.
Which is easier for a non-technical person?
Constant Contact, and it’s not particularly close — simpler interface plus phone support on every plan. Mailchimp is beginner-friendly for software, but Constant Contact is beginner-friendly for humans.
Which is better for automation?
Mailchimp, clearly. Customer Journeys is a proper visual automation builder; Constant Contact’s automation is more basic with advanced features gated higher. If “set it and forget it” flows matter, Mailchimp wins.
Can I try both before deciding?
Yes — and you should. Mailchimp’s free plan (no credit card) and Constant Contact’s 60-day trial (no credit card) let you test-drive both for $0. Build one real campaign in each; the interface that feels obvious is your answer.
The bottom line on price
Strip away the feature lists and the decision is about money and help: Mailchimp charges you for growth but gives you better creative tools; Constant Contact charges you for simplicity but gives you a human on the phone. Neither is cheap at scale — that’s what Brevo is for (see the three-way comparison). In mailchimp vs constant contact, the free plan versus free trial distinction matters most.
Our advice: if you’re choosing between these two specifically, you’re choosing between design power with self-service (Mailchimp) and simplicity with human backup (Constant Contact). Pick the one whose strength covers your weakness, and you’ll be happy. Either way, you’re getting one of the two most proven email tools in the industry — there’s no wrong answer here, only a better fit. Price mailchimp vs constant contact at your actual contact count — both get expensive, just at different speeds.
Our Verdict
Constant Contact wins for beginners, nonprofits, and event-driven businesses — the phone support, simplicity, and 60-day trial make it the safest first email tool you can buy. That’s why it outscores Mailchimp in our ratings. Mailchimp vs Constant Contact ends in a split decision — design and ecommerce go to Mailchimp, ease and events to Constant Contact.
Mailchimp wins for design-led brands, online stores, and anyone who wants a free plan plus deeper automation. If you’re comfortable learning software and your list is modest, Mailchimp gives you more creative and automation firepower per dollar.
Ask yourself one question: “Will I ever want to call someone for help?” If yes — Constant Contact, no contest. If you’re happy with docs and chat and want the prettiest emails in the business — Mailchimp.
Try Mailchimp free — or read our full Mailchimp review for the complete picture.
