Constant Contact vs Brevo vs Mailchimp: Which Email Tool Wins in 2026?
Affiliate disclosure: This comparison contains affiliate links. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never influences our scores — see our testing methodology.
There is no single winner here — and any review that crowns one without asking about you is doing marketing, not reviewing. Constant Contact, Brevo, and Mailchimp each win for a different kind of business. We tested all three hands-on, verified pricing on their official sites in October 2026, and this comparison will help you pick the right one for your situation.
Table of Contents
The Quick Answer
★★★★☆
Easiest for beginners: Constant Contact (4.4/5) — the simplest editor, real phone support on every plan, and a 60-day free trial. If you want email marketing to “just work,” start here.
Best value: Brevo (4.5/5) — volume-based pricing with unlimited contacts, a genuine free plan, and automation + SMS + CRM from $18/mo. Our highest rating, and the cheapest at scale by a wide margin.
Best for ecommerce & design: Mailchimp (4.1/5) — the most polished templates, AI Creative Assistant, and best-in-class Shopify integration. Just watch the contact-based pricing (and archive unsubscribed contacts).
Feature-by-Feature Matrix
Every claim below was verified against the vendors’ official pricing and feature pages in October 2026:
| Feature | Constant Contact | Brevo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | $12/mo (500 contacts) | $9/mo (5,000 emails) | $13/mo (500 contacts) |
| Free plan | ✕ — 60-day trial only | ✓ 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts | ✓ 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo |
| Pricing model | Per contact | Per email volume sent | Per contact (incl. unsubscribed*) |
| Ease of use | ✓ Excellent — simplest here | ✓ Good — slight learning curve | ✓ Good — polished but busier |
| Phone support | ✓ All plans, 6 days/week | ✕ Higher tiers only | ✕ Premium ($350/mo) only |
| Automation depth | Basic–Moderate (gated by tier) | Moderate–Strong (from $18/mo) | Moderate (Customer Journeys on Standard+) |
| SMS marketing | Add-on from $10/mo / Premium bundled | ✓ Built in (pay-per-use) | ✓ Add-on |
| Templates | 200+, professional, conservative | Good library, competent design | ✓ Best in class + AI Creative Assistant |
| Deliverability | 97% | ~98% | ~99% |
| Standout extra | Event management & RSVP tools | Built-in CRM, WhatsApp, live chat | Shopify depth, predictive segmentation |
| Acuizz rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
*Mailchimp bills unsubscribed contacts until you archive them — see our Mailchimp review for details.
Real Cost Comparison
Marketing pages hide the real story — list size is what determines your bill. Here’s what comparable mid-tier plans cost at three list sizes (monthly billing, October 2026 pricing):
| Contacts | Constant Contact (Standard) | Brevo (Standard, equiv. volume) | Mailchimp (Standard) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $35/mo | ~$18/mo | $20/mo |
| 5,000 | $110/mo | ~$18–29/mo | ~$100/mo |
| 25,000 | $310/mo | ~$69/mo | ~$310/mo |
An honest caveat on Brevo’s numbers: Brevo prices by email volume sent, not contacts — so “25,000 contacts” doesn’t map to a Brevo tier directly. The figures above assume typical small-business send volumes at each list size (roughly 1–4 campaigns per month to the full list). If you email daily to a small list, Brevo’s advantage shrinks; if you have a huge list and send occasionally, it grows even larger. Run your own send volume through Brevo’s pricing calculator before deciding.
The pattern is unmistakable: at 500 contacts the three are within $17 of each other, but by 25,000 contacts Brevo costs roughly a quarter of its rivals. Contact-based pricing punishes list growth; volume-based pricing rewards it.
Ideal User Profiles
Choose Constant Contact if you are…
- 🏪 A small business owner who wants the simplest possible tool
- 📞 Someone who values calling a human for help
- 🎟️ Running events, fundraisers, or RSVPs regularly
- ❤️ A nonprofit (discounts up to 30% off)
Read the full Constant Contact review (4.4/5) — and note the 60-day free trial with no credit card required.
Choose Brevo if you are…
- 📈 Growing a list past a few thousand contacts on a budget
- 🇪🇺 An EU business needing GDPR-compliant infrastructure
- 💬 Wanting email + SMS + WhatsApp + CRM in one bill
- 🛒 An ecommerce store needing cart recovery cheaply
Read the full Brevo review (4.5/5) — start free, upgrade to Standard ($18/mo) when you need automation.
Choose Mailchimp if you are…
- 🎨 A design-led brand that lives in its templates
- 🛍️ A Shopify store using product recommendations
- 🌱 Starting tiny (under 250 contacts) on the free plan
- 🔮 Wanting AI predictive segmentation at scale
Read the full Mailchimp review (4.1/5) — and remember to archive unsubscribed contacts so you don’t pay for them.
Our Final Recommendation
If you forced us to pick one tool for the average small business in 2026, it would be Brevo: the pricing model is structurally fairer, the free plan is honest, and $18/mo buys automation that rivals charge far more for. It’s our highest-rated tool at 4.5/5 for a reason.
But “average” isn’t you. Pick Constant Contact if simplicity and phone support outweigh saving money — many non-technical owners happily pay the premium and never regret it. Pick Mailchimp if you’re a Shopify store or a brand where design is the product — its templates and ecommerce depth are genuinely best-in-class.
Whichever you lean toward, do what we did: sign up for the free plan or trial and build one real campaign before paying. Thirty minutes of hands-on testing tells you more than any review — including this one.
Compare them yourself, free
All three offer a free way in: Brevo’s free plan (300 emails/day), Mailchimp’s free plan (250 contacts), and Constant Contact’s 60-day trial. Test the editors side by side.
Try Constant Contact Try Brevo Free Try Mailchimp Free
Pricing checked October 2026 — always confirm current plans on the vendors’ sites.