Constant Contact vs Mailchimp: 2026 Email Marketing Comparison
Constant Contact vs Mailchimp for small businesses in 2026. Side-by-side pricing, features, cancellation policies, and real user complaints compared.
EmailTool™ Score
How we scoreComposite score based on features, pricing, deliverability, and reported friction severity.
Cost Calculator
Estimated monthly cost based on your contact list size.
Constant Contact
$42/mo
Mailchimp
$46/mo
Constant Contact saves you ~$4/mo at 5,000 contacts.
Estimates based on published starting prices with proportional contact scaling. Actual pricing varies by plan tier and billing cycle. Check vendor sites for exact quotes.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Constant Contact | Mailchimp | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | No free plan (60-day trial only) | Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo | MC |
| Starting Price | $12/mo (Lite, 500 contacts) | $13/mo (Essentials, 500 contacts) | Constant |
| Email Builder | Drag-and-drop with event templates | Polished drag-and-drop with 100+ templates | MC |
| Event Marketing | Built-in event invitations & RSVPs | Via third-party integrations only | Constant |
| Social Media Posting | Built-in social scheduler | Basic social posting | Constant |
| Marketing Automation | Basic on Lite; better on Standard ($35/mo) | Customer Journey Builder (Standard+ $20/mo) | MC |
| A/B Testing | Subject line only | Subject line, content, send time | MC |
| Integrations | ~300 integrations | 300+ native integrations | |
| SMS Marketing | Add-on from $10/mo (US only) | Add-on (US/UK only) | |
| Cancellation Policy | Must call to cancel (phone only) | Cancel online anytime | MC |
| Price at 5K Contacts | $80/mo (Standard) | $75/mo (Essentials) | MC |
| Nonprofit Discount | 30% off (with verification) | 15% off (with verification) | Constant |
Real Friction Points
Manually researched issues reported by actual users. Not AI-generated.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact requires a phone call to cancel your subscription — you cannot cancel online. Users on BBB, Trustpilot, and Reddit report long hold times, difficulty reaching agents, unauthorized charges after attempting to cancel, and inadequate refunds. Pricing is expensive compared to competitors: the Lite plan at $12/month for 500 contacts offers only 1 user seat, and automation and segmentation are basic even on the $35/month Standard plan.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp's free plan was cut to just 250 contacts and 500 sends/month in January 2026, with automation removed entirely. Users on Reddit report deliverability drops once lists hit 20K contacts due to shared servers, and customer support has become increasingly frustrating — free plan users lost email support after 30 days. Pricing feels like a bait-and-switch: generous free tier hooks you in, then costs scale aggressively.
The Verdict
Mailchimp beats Constant Contact on almost every front — better automation, superior A/B testing, a free tier, and no phone-call-to-cancel trap. Constant Contact's only real advantages are built-in event marketing tools and a larger nonprofit discount. Unless you specifically need event RSVP management, Mailchimp is the modern choice and Constant Contact feels like a legacy platform charging premium prices.
Affiliate disclosure: Links below may earn us a commission. This does not affect our EmailTool scores or friction points. Full policy.