Email is still a very powerful tool. A recent study shows that the return on investment for each dollar spent on email marketing ranges from $36 to $42 for most organizations. Nonprofits, in particular, generate an average of $2.63 in email-sourced revenue per subscriber per year. To put it differently, making a mistake in choosing the email marketing platform is not a small mistake – it’s a matter of donations, sales, and staff time.
In comparing Constant Contact with Mailchimp, this guide relies on vendor documentation, independent benchmarks, and the public reviews of nonprofits, financial advisors, local governments, cities, SMBs, and ecommerce brands. Besides, it is implied that some readers might already be using Salesforce, NetSuite, or similar systems, where integrations and data sync can slowly but surely become the costliest ones.
| Factor | Constant Contact | Mailchimp |
| Core focus | A socially responsible and easy-to-use email marketing software with features such as events, surveys, and simple websites. | An adaptable platform for email marketing with customer journeys, ads, and ecommerce. |
| Typical users | Nonprofits, associations, local governments, financial advisors, and small businesses. | Brands of merchants who sell their products online, SaaS, Online publishers, and multi-channel marketers. |
| Pricing model | Tiered by contacts and features – see pricing. | Number of contacts + features – Mailchimp pricing for Essentials, Standard, Premium, and free tier. |
| Standout strengths | Templates, phone support, event management, friendly UX, newsletter, and email campaign tools. | Marketing automation, segmentation, AI, customer journey builder, and detailed ecommerce reporting. |
| Where it can be frustrating | There are not so many advanced automated options; constantly interacting with fees and “which plan includes what” might cause some confusion. | It may feel complicated; Mailchimp’s costs can rise rapidly with list size and feature use. |
A quick way to think about Mailchimp vs Constant Contact:
This guide is a decision map rather than a feature checklist.
Additionally, you may use this as a detailed comparison of Constant Contact vs Mailchimp and any Mailchimp alternative or Constant Contact alternative that you might be considering.
Nonprofits depend on email quite a lot. A benchmark report on more than 1,000 nonprofits revealed that email is the primary source of fundraising, still generating an average of $58 per 1,000 fundraising messages. It is therefore the central tool in digital fundraising plans.
In this situation:
Eventually, some organizations question whether a more advanced Mailchimp alternative could outperform both. However, for most smaller nonprofits, the choice between Constant Contact and Mailchimp is still their first big decision.
In industries with strict regulations, the factor that often determines the choice is not the design but the compliance:
That is the reason why some broker-dealers authorize Constant Contact but not Mailchimp. Advisors, therefore, forgo a few more advanced automation options to reduce compliance risk. A typical Constant Contact review from this segment refers to:
Mailchimp may still be an option for a few companies, but the compliance department, rather than marketing, will usually be the one to decide between Constant Contact and Mailchimp.
Local governments and public agencies usually need:
Constant Contact is great at this because:
Mailchimp can still be used – particularly where there is a need for advanced segmentation – however, the additional framework around journeys and data may seem a bit much for communications teams that only require good email marketing services rather than a full marketing cloud.
Funnels are the main thing that decides the success or failure of ecommerce brands. Flows that are automated, like abandoned cart, post-purchase follow-ups, and product recommendations, are, a lot of times, for each sent message, far more profitable than broadcast campaigns.
In that world:
When ecommerce is the primary source of income, you are most likely to consider Constant Contact either as a temporary stage or as a backup Mailchimp alternative for small side projects.
Coaches, course creators, and small businesses are typically in a situation where they have to choose between keeping things simple and growing their business:
Quite a few professionals in this niche finally decide to add a tool such as a dedicated funnel builder or a more powerful Mailchimp alternative, but the initial decision between Mailchimp and Constant Contact usually determines how much automation and segmentation will be considered “normal” going forward.
Think about your first week:
If your senders are not marketing professionals, the learning curve for Constant Contact will be more favorable than for Mailchimp.
Both products have a visual drag-and-drop builder, but the user experience differs.
Constant Contact:
Mailchimp:
For very few users, these differences matter very little. On the other hand, for users who work extensively with the system, system speed and editor comfort are two of the most important factors affecting their daily experience.
Constant Contact puts the focus on the number of templates and their relevance:
Mailchimp has fewer templates to choose from, but the basic layouts are more polished and work better with its brand kit and website builder tools. The main target for these is trendy designs that can be used not only for landing pages, ads, and email campaigns but also across the whole brand.
Both platforms support:
Studies based on commercial sources indicate that personalization can double interest and conversions. A well-planned personalization application in a tool of your choice will, in most cases, raise your results to a greater extent than simply changing template families.
Mobile opens accounted for roughly 26% to 78% of total email opens, depending on the audience and industry. Consequently, a mobile-ready design is absolutely necessary.
Both tools:
The difference between Constant Contact and Mailchimp editors will matter less to your design discipline and content choices, which will ultimately be the main drivers of your results.
Both Constant Contact and Mailchimp allow:
For example, features such as constant contact import contacts are set up so that a non-technical person can transfer lists without extensive IT support.
Constant Contact:
Mailchimp:
If you intend to have several micro-audiences within one database, Mailchimp’s setup is more flexible over time.
For really small groups, Mailchimp works somewhat like a light CRM. It stores customer data, supports custom fields, and tracks each contact’s behavior.
Constant Contact is often referred to as ‘just email’ and is used alongside a real CRM. Some teams use it alongside Salesforce or a donor system, relying on these tools for the full history while using it for broadcasts, reminders, and events.
If you are willing to use the email tool as your primary customer system, then Mailchimp (or a Mailchimp-heavy CRM alternative) would be the more suitable option.
Both are capable of:
Moreover, by integrating the two platforms correctly, they can also support key flows such as abandoned cart and post-purchase follow-ups, which are very helpful for e-commerce and online programs. These automated sequences are often the primary drivers of additional revenue per subscriber compared to one-off email blasts.
Mailchimp’s customer journey builder:
Mailchimp has additional advanced automation features and detailed reports that become available as you upgrade from the Essentials to the Standard and Premium plan tiers. That is the point at which the cost of Mailchimp and overall Mailchimp pricing may become a strategic budget question rather than just a line item.
Automation is good, but less complicated and more user-friendly:
This level of email automation is sufficient for most nonprofits, advisors, and local orgs.
Advanced journeys are profitable when:
If the majority of your work consists of a monthly Constant Contact newsletter and a few reminder emails, then complicated journeys might increase your costs and risks without delivering significant returns.
In this case, the choice between Constant Contact and Mailchimp would probably favor the simpler tool, or even a different solution altogether (cloud-based) if the budget is limited.
On both platforms, one can get the following:
Generally, Mailchimp offers more flexibility with custom fields and form design, which is very helpful when forms are used for advanced segmentation. Constant Contact is making the process of creating forms quicker and more comfortable for people who are not experts.
You can create targeted landing pages with both Constant Contact and Mailchimp for:
In a few plans, Constant Contact’s website pricing bundles basic site tools with email and event management, whereas Mailchimp’s website builder is mainly about the tight integration with its journeys and segments.
Neither of them is a substitute for a full CMS, but both are ways to have less work when you want to have email campaigns, forms, and pages in one view.
Both tools facilitate:
The multi-channel scenario is becoming more vibrant with the addition of SMS marketing, but it is also becoming more complicated to manage.
Constant Contact:
Mailchimp:
According to research, personalization, segmentation, and timing can significantly increase open and click rates. Mailchimp’s extensive test surface makes it more convenient to implement these results if your team has the time to come up with clear experiments.
Mailchimp includes:
These features are usually more important for worldwide lists or for those who send large volumes. In the case of local or smaller lists, well-defined value propositions and great subject line selections are still the main factors that enhance performance.
To take the tests really value out of the tests of either tool:
Consider tests as continuous email marketing strategy experiments rather than one-off experiments.
Constant Contact and Mailchimp both report on:
Latest benchmark reports show average email open rates of about 40–42% and average click-through rates of around 2% across most industries, with nonprofits usually going a bit higher. These figures provide you with a reference point when reading your reports on any of the platforms.
Constant Contact’s reporting is structured to:
The company does not intend to use its reporting as a full analytics suite. Their main aim is to provide a very brief account of the question “Were the Constant Contact newsletters and appeals effective?” without requiring additional tools.
Mailchimp offers:
These deeper analytics transform the question “what does Mailchimp do for us?” into a quantifiable one, rather than an assumption, for teams that consider email a primary profit source. The detail is also instrumental in explaining the transitions from the Essentials to the Standard and Premium plans, even as Mailchimp pricing increases.
Various sectors have different ways of implementing analytics:
The main thing is to be consistent with the review. In most cases, monthly and quarterly check-ins are more effective than annual audits.
Independent deliverability and ROI studies continue to support email as a highly reliable channel when used properly. The differences between Constant Contact and Mailchimp are less than the differences between good sender practices and bad ones.
Both vendors support:
If your lists are old or poorly consented, neither brand name will save you from the spam folder. If your lists are well-maintained, both can deliver reliably.
Research from both academia and industry on email attention and personalization indicates that relevant content and timing remain the most important factors. By improving your segmentation, consent, and creative, you will make your email marketing better than if you were to switch vendors to chase small deliverability differences.
Both Constant Contact and Mailchimp connect to:
Constant Contact frequently promotes event management and easy stores as included features. Mailchimp highlights its extensive integration ecosystem and its ability to serve as the hub for numerous digital marketing tools.
Such tools as Zapier, Make, or SyncApps:
This is very important if you already have “all the tools” set up, and what ESP just needs is to be part of that web, not replace it.
Deep, two-way synchronization is basically required when:
In such instances, the debate between Constant Contact and Mailchimp should include an in-depth examination of sync rules, field coverage, and each platform’s future approach to contact management.
Both tools have been upgraded with the support of AI:
According to research, personalization and relevance can more than double open and click rates. However, AI will only be of help if it is used to implement a clear strategy.
Mailchimp and Constant Contact are enabling sms marketing for a few countries and plans, thus:
As for the budget, you should be adding SMS costs to the base Mailchimp or Constant Contact pricing when calculating your spending.
Where most of the biggest wins come from in spite of all the new tools:
AI and SMS can be of great help, but only when they are built on firm groundwork.
In pricing conversations regarding Constant Contact and Mailchimp:
The main questions sound like:
Departments also compare Constant Contact with competitors and alternatives. That is, especially when list sizes push into the higher tiers, or when Mailchimp costs increase rapidly with automation and seats.
Nonprofits and small businesses are likely to enjoy the benefits of:
These discounts can alter the apparent winner in Mailchimp vs. Constant Contact comparisons once you have modeled the spend for 12–24 months.
A real cost review should feature:
To answer questions like “how much does Mailchimp cost?” or “what do Constant Contact rates look like at scale?”, one has to add all of these together, not just look at the headline price.
Constant Contact:
Mailchimp:
Support, mostly sought through human interaction and guidance, can often be a deciding factor for those choosing between Constant Contact and Mailchimp.
Constant Contact customers often say that the support team is:
Mailchimp users often praise:
Step one before engaging with any ESP is to know:
Having an exit strategy in place is just another everyday part of the software selection process.
Financial services and RIAs:
Firm-level policy may explain why Constant Contact is preferred over Mailchimp, even if Mailchimp’s advanced features look more attractive from a purely marketing perspective.
Public sector organizations and nonprofits:
Both platforms can support these requirements, but they need to be properly set up. CRM and case-management system integrations are more important than the logo on the login page.
Both tools support:
The extent of legal risk is more dependent on your policies, data retention, and list acquisition methods than on whether you choose Constant Contact or Mailchimp.
Between publicly available reviews and discussions:
These trends are reflected in numerous Constant Contact review records and third-party email marketing roundups.
Some of the common complaints are:
When users look for Constant Contact alternatives or a new Mailchimp alternative, these are usually the pain points that drive the decision.
Power users and agencies normally do the following:
Some agencies also take the liberty of experimenting with other Constant Contact-style platforms or more integrated suites when their clients outgrow basic ESPs.
When you have outgrown the features of Constant Contact vs Mailchimp and want to step up, you might think of:
These usually offer more complex customer journeys, integrated CRM, and more detailed reporting, but they can also increase costs and complicate usage.
When the budget is limited, small ESPs can be a viable alternative to both Mailchimp and Constant Contact. They may take a step back in ecosystem strength or advanced features, but they reduce costs for simple newsletter-driven programs.
If you leave Constant Contact or Mailchimp:
Don’t look at migration as a weekend spare-time task; rather, treat it as a project.
When to choose Mailchimp is most often the case if you:
Typically, it makes sense to go with Constant Contact if you:
From this perspective, Constant Contact vs Mailchimp – and any other Constant Contact Mailchimp alternative you might be considering – is a well-structured, testable decision rather than a guessing game.
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