Home › Compare › ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact
ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact: cost and features compared (2026)
Last verified against official pricing pages · USD, monthly billing, excluding tax
Prices change often. Every price here was checked against the platform's official pricing page on the date shown, but plans, promos and taxes vary. Always confirm on the official site before you buy or switch. Not financial advice.
Quick answer
- Basic newsletter: ActiveCampaign is cheaper at 1,000 subscribers; Constant Contact is cheaper at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers.
- With automations: ActiveCampaign is cheaper at 1,000 subscribers; Constant Contact is cheaper at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers.
- Paid newsletter: neither platform has a verified option for this in our data.
Free Get an email if ActiveCampaign or Constant Contact changes a price, limit or fee. Sign up below
Try ActiveCampaign Try Constant Contact
Cost at 1k, 5k, 10k and 25k subscribers
Basic newsletter (no automations)
| Subscribers | ActiveCampaign | Constant Contact | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $19 (Starter) | $30 (Lite) | ActiveCampaign by $11/mo |
| 5,000 | $99 (Starter) | $80 (Lite) | Constant Contact by $19/mo |
| 10,000 | $189 (Starter) | $120 (Lite) | Constant Contact by $69/mo |
| 25,000 | $489 (Starter) | $280 (Lite) | Constant Contact by $209/mo |
With automations (welcome sequences, drips)
| Subscribers | ActiveCampaign | Constant Contact | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $19 (Starter) | $30 (Lite, limited) | ActiveCampaign by $11/mo |
| 5,000 | $99 (Starter) | $80 (Lite, limited) | Constant Contact by $19/mo |
| 10,000 | $189 (Starter) | $120 (Lite, limited) | Constant Contact by $69/mo |
| 25,000 | $489 (Starter) | $280 (Lite, limited) | Constant Contact by $209/mo |
Paid newsletter (5% of subscribers pay $8/mo)
| Subscribers | ActiveCampaign | Constant Contact | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | n/a | n/a | neither |
| 5,000 | n/a | n/a | neither |
| 10,000 | n/a | n/a | neither |
| 25,000 | n/a | n/a | neither |
Switching? ActiveCampaign → Constant Contact cost · Constant Contact → ActiveCampaign cost · Best platform for your needs
Cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and required features. Paid totals = plan + platform cut + Stripe card fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment, estimate) + Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments where confirmed (beehiiv, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack, AWeber and Flodesk); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees. "limited" = feature is capped on that plan. Run your exact numbers →
Key differences
| ActiveCampaign | Constant Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | no free plan | no free plan |
| Fee on paid subscriptions | not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages) | not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages) |
| Cheapest plan with automations | Starter (from $19/mo) | Premium (from $80/mo) |
| Cheapest plan with own domain | Plus (from $59/mo) | not verified |
| Cheapest plan without platform branding | Plus (from $59/mo) | Lite (from $12/mo) |
| Plans | Starter, Plus, Pro, Enterprise | Lite, Standard, Premium |
| Prices verified | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-20 |
Who each is best for
ActiveCampaign is best for
Businesses that live on automation (multi-step journeys, scoring, CRM-style follow-up) and are happy to pay more per contact than newsletter-first tools.
- Priced by contact count in bands (1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 7,500, 10,000, 15,000 ... 50,000); above 50,000 you request a quote. No free plan, only a 14-day trial. source
- The pricing page shows yearly billing; monthly billing costs more (e.g. Starter at 1,000 contacts: $19/mo monthly vs $180/yr), as shown on the official checkout page. source
- Monthly sends = 10× contacts on Starter and Plus, 12× on Pro, 15× on Enterprise; extra sends cost $0.005 each. source
- Multi-step automation on every plan. Landing pages on your own domain and turning off ActiveCampaign branding start at Plus. source
Constant Contact is best for
Small businesses, nonprofits and event organisers who want live phone support, event registration and social posting alongside email, and send to a modest list.
- Priced by contact tier: the highest number of active email contacts in your account; deleting contacts does not lower the tier. source
- Each plan includes monthly sends of 10× (Lite), 12× (Standard) or 24× (Premium) your contact tier; extra sends cost $0.002 each ($2 per 1,000). source
- No free plan (free trial only). Prepaying 12 months saves 15%. source
- Automation: 1 template on Lite, 3 on Standard; custom automations only on Premium. Live phone and chat support on every plan. source
Try ActiveCampaign Try Constant Contact
FAQ
Is ActiveCampaign cheaper than Constant Contact?
It depends on your list and needs. In our data (monthly billing, 1,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / 25,000 subscribers): basic newsletter — ActiveCampaign is cheaper at 1,000 subscribers; Constant Contact is cheaper at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers. With automations — ActiveCampaign is cheaper at 1,000 subscribers; Constant Contact is cheaper at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers. Paid newsletter — neither platform has a verified option for this in our data. Prices verified 2026-10-20.
Which has the bigger free plan, ActiveCampaign or Constant Contact?
ActiveCampaign: no free plan. Constant Contact: no free plan. Free plans have feature limits — see the comparison table.
Do ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact take a cut of paid subscriptions?
ActiveCampaign: not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages). Constant Contact: not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages).
What do ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact cost at 10,000 subscribers?
On monthly billing, a basic newsletter costs $189/mo on ActiveCampaign Starter and $120/mo on Constant Contact Lite. With automations: $189/mo (ActiveCampaign Starter) vs $120/mo (Constant Contact Lite).
Sources
- ActiveCampaign pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- ActiveCampaign: activecampaign.com/signup/?code=ac&tier=starter&contacts=1000¤cy=USD
- ActiveCampaign: help.activecampaign.com/hc/en-us/articles/10918125380764-About-email-send-limits-and-overage-fees
- ActiveCampaign: help.activecampaign.com/hc/en-us/articles/206775170-How-to-turn-off-ActiveCampaign-branding-in-your-account
- Constant Contact pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Constant Contact: knowledgebase.constantcontact.com/email-digital-marketing/articles/KnowledgeBase/51160-How-youre-billed-for-Constant-Contact?lang=en_US
- Stripe pricing (card-fee estimate)
More comparisons: beehiiv vs Kit · beehiiv vs Substack · Kit vs MailerLite · beehiiv vs MailerLite · Substack vs Ghost · Mailchimp vs MailerLite · Brevo vs MailerLite · Brevo vs Mailchimp · AWeber vs MailerLite · AWeber vs Mailchimp · AWeber vs Kit · Constant Contact vs Mailchimp · Constant Contact vs MailerLite · AWeber vs Constant Contact · ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp · GetResponse vs Mailchimp · ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse · GetResponse vs MailerLite · beehiiv vs Ghost · Kit vs Substack · Kit vs Mailchimp · beehiiv vs Mailchimp · Kit vs Ghost · Substack vs MailerLite · Ghost vs MailerLite · beehiiv vs AWeber · Substack vs Mailchimp · AWeber vs Substack · AWeber vs Ghost · Ghost vs Mailchimp · AWeber vs GetResponse · AWeber vs ActiveCampaign · AWeber vs Brevo · beehiiv vs Brevo · beehiiv vs Buttondown · beehiiv vs Constant Contact · beehiiv vs ActiveCampaign · Kit vs Flodesk · MailerLite vs Flodesk · beehiiv vs Flodesk · Sender vs MailerLite · Sender vs Mailchimp · Sender vs Brevo · Sender vs Kit · Sender vs EmailOctopus · Moosend vs Mailchimp · Moosend vs MailerLite · Moosend vs Constant Contact · Moosend vs Brevo · Flodesk vs Moosend · Flodesk vs Mailchimp · Flodesk vs Substack · Flodesk vs Constant Contact · Flodesk vs Brevo · MailerLite vs EmailOctopus · EmailOctopus vs Mailchimp · EmailOctopus vs Brevo · EmailOctopus vs Kit · EmailOctopus vs beehiiv · Buttondown vs Substack · Buttondown vs Mailchimp · GetResponse vs Brevo · ActiveCampaign vs Brevo · ActiveCampaign vs Kit · ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite · Kit vs Brevo · Constant Contact vs Brevo · Constant Contact vs Kit · GetResponse vs Kit · Klaviyo vs Mailchimp · Klaviyo vs Omnisend · Klaviyo vs Brevo · Klaviyo vs Constant Contact · Klaviyo vs MailerLite · Klaviyo vs Kit · Klaviyo vs ActiveCampaign · Klaviyo vs beehiiv · Klaviyo vs Flodesk · Klaviyo vs GetResponse · AWeber vs Klaviyo · Omnisend vs Mailchimp · Omnisend vs Brevo · Omnisend vs MailerLite · Omnisend vs Kit · Omnisend vs Flodesk · Omnisend vs ActiveCampaign · Omnisend vs beehiiv · Constant Contact vs Omnisend · Klaviyo vs Shopify Email · Shopify Email vs Mailchimp · Omnisend vs Shopify Email · Shopify Email vs Flodesk · Shopify Email vs MailerLite · all comparisons · Cheapest for 500, 1k, 2.5k, 5k, 10k, 25k subscribers · Best for: paid newsletters, beginners, small business, creators, nonprofits · Alternatives to Substack, Mailchimp, beehiiv, Kit
Get alerted when ActiveCampaign or Constant Contact changes its prices
One short email when ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact or another tracked platform changes a price, subscriber limit or fee (at most one a week), with before/after numbers. Plus one monthly cost report. Free. What you get →
Recently flagged: Kit: 25% off the first year of Pro on annual billing (limited-time offer) (20 Oct 2026) · beehiiv renames plans and raises prices (Scale → Lite, Max → Pro) (1 Oct 2026)