Constant Contact vs Mailchimp

Constant Contact and Mailchimp have competed for the same customers since the early 2000s. Both started as email marketing tools for small businesses. Both grew into broader marketing platforms. Yet they aged very differently.

Constant Contact kept its focus on simplicity and service. Phone support, event management tools, and a reputation among non-profits defined its identity. Mailchimp chased innovation—adding AI features, ecommerce integrations, and a creative-forward design approach that appeals to younger brands.

I managed email campaigns for a 12,000-person non-profit on Constant Contact for two years before switching part of our communications to Mailchimp. That experience revealed where each platform genuinely shines and where each one stumbles.

The numbers tell an interesting story. Constant Contact serves over 600,000 customers, mostly small businesses and organizations in the US. Mailchimp's 13 million users span globally across every industry. Constant Contact has deeper roots in specific verticals. Mailchimp has broader horizontal reach.

Pricing diverges immediately. Mailchimp offers a free plan (500 contacts, 1,000 sends). Constant Contact eliminated their free trial and starts at $12/month for up to 500 contacts on the Lite plan. Their Standard plan runs $35/month and Premium hits $80/month. Mailchimp Standard costs $20/month for 500 contacts. At 10,000 contacts, Constant Contact Standard reaches $110/month versus Mailchimp Standard at $135/month—Constant Contact becomes slightly cheaper at scale.

What actually differentiates these two goes beyond feature checklists. It comes down to who uses them and why. A church managing event RSVPs needs different tools than a DTC brand running abandoned cart sequences.

This comparison examines five specific areas where your choice between them should become obvious. Spoiler: neither platform is objectively better. They are better for different people.