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Constant Contact vs Mailchimp: 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: Mailchimp is cheaper at every size we checked.
- With automations: Mailchimp is cheaper at every size we checked.
- Paid newsletter: neither platform offers this in our verified data.
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Cost at 1k, 5k, 10k and 25k subscribers
Basic newsletter (no automations)
| Subscribers | Constant Contact | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $30 (Lite) | $26.50 (Essentials) | Mailchimp by $3.50/mo |
| 5,000 | $80 (Lite) | $75 (Essentials) | Mailchimp by $5/mo |
| 10,000 | $120 (Lite) | $110 (Essentials) | Mailchimp by $10/mo |
| 25,000 | $280 (Lite) | $270 (Essentials) | Mailchimp by $10/mo |
With automations (welcome sequences, drips)
| Subscribers | Constant Contact | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $30 (Lite, limited) | $26.50 (Essentials, limited) | Mailchimp by $3.50/mo |
| 5,000 | $80 (Lite, limited) | $75 (Essentials, limited) | Mailchimp by $5/mo |
| 10,000 | $120 (Lite, limited) | $110 (Essentials, limited) | Mailchimp by $10/mo |
| 25,000 | $280 (Lite, limited) | $270 (Essentials, limited) | Mailchimp by $10/mo |
Paid newsletter (5% of subscribers pay $8/mo)
| Subscribers | Constant Contact | Mailchimp | 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? Constant Contact → Mailchimp cost · Mailchimp → Constant Contact cost · Best platform for your needs
Cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and required features. Paid-newsletter totals include the plan, any platform cut and estimated card processing (Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 per payment; Kit's all-in fee instead). "limited" = feature is capped on that plan. Run your exact numbers →
Key differences
| Constant Contact | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | no free plan | free up to 250 subscribers |
| 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 | Premium (from $80/mo) | Standard (from $20/mo) |
| Cheapest plan with own domain | not verified | not verified |
| Cheapest plan without platform branding | not verified | Essentials (from $13/mo) |
| Plans | Lite, Standard, Premium | Free, Essentials, Standard, Premium |
| Prices verified | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-20 |
Who each is best for
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
Mailchimp is best for
Small businesses that want an all-round email marketing tool with automation flows (Standard and up) and are fine with contact-based pricing and overage billing.
- Priced by stored contacts (the peak in each billing period); each tier includes a monthly send limit of 10× (Essentials), 12× (Standard) or 15× (Premium) your contacts. source
- Going over the contact or send limit on a paid plan adds overage charges rather than pausing sending. source
- Free plan: 250 contacts and 500 emails/month (250/day), no automation flows, Mailchimp branding stays. source
- Annual billing is only available through sales (Standard and Premium, 10,000+ contacts). On 2026-10-20 the page offered 15% off the first 12 months at 10,000+ contacts. source
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FAQ
Is Constant Contact cheaper than Mailchimp?
It depends on your list and needs. In our data (monthly billing, 1,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / 25,000 subscribers): basic newsletter — Mailchimp is cheaper at every size we checked. With automations — Mailchimp is cheaper at every size we checked. Paid newsletter — neither platform offers this in our verified data. Prices verified 2026-10-20.
Which has the bigger free plan, Constant Contact or Mailchimp?
Constant Contact: no free plan. Mailchimp: free up to 250 subscribers. Free plans have feature limits — see the comparison table.
Do Constant Contact and Mailchimp take a cut of paid subscriptions?
Constant Contact: not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages). Mailchimp: not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages).
What do Constant Contact and Mailchimp cost at 10,000 subscribers?
On monthly billing, a basic newsletter costs $120/mo on Constant Contact Lite and $110/mo on Mailchimp Essentials. With automations: $120/mo (Constant Contact Lite) vs $110/mo (Mailchimp Essentials).
Sources
- 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
- Mailchimp pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Mailchimp: mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/compare-plans/
- Mailchimp: mailchimp.com/help/about-additional-charges/
- Stripe pricing (card-fee estimate)
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