Our Verdict
Constant Contact has been around since 1995 and has outlasted most of its original competitors. That longevity reflects genuine reliability and broad name recognition among small business owners – particularly in the nonprofit sector, where its event management and donation tracking tools have a strong following. On pure feature-per-dollar grounds, MailerLite or Brevo deliver more capability at lower cost. But Constant Contact’s 60-day free trial, strong customer support, and $105 flat affiliate payout per paid signup make it a notable option for both users and publishers.
Who Constant Contact Is Best For
- Small business owners who need a beginner-friendly email platform with hundreds of ready-made templates and no design experience required
- Nonprofit organizations that qualify for Constant Contact's discounted pricing and need donor communication tools built into their workflow
- Event organizers who need native event registration and ticketing features tightly integrated with their email marketing campaigns
- Affiliate marketers and bloggers seeking a flat $105 payout per referral regardless of the plan the referred customer selects
- Local retailers and service businesses wanting SMS and email marketing combined in a single platform without juggling multiple subscriptions
Who Should Look Elsewhere
- Cost-conscious businesses - MailerLite and Brevo offer more features at lower price
- Teams that need deep behavioral automation - ActiveCampaign is in a different league
- E-commerce brands - Klaviyo's store integrations and revenue attribution are far superior
- Growing businesses with large lists - Constant Contact's per-contact pricing scales quickly
Features Breakdown
Email Campaigns
Constant Contact’s email builder has one of the largest template libraries in the category – hundreds of pre-designed templates organized by industry and campaign type. The drag-and-drop editor is accessible to non-designers. Subject line A/B testing is available from Standard. Click tracking and open rate reporting are standard across all plans. The email experience is polished without requiring design skills.
Event Management
Built-in event management lets you create registration pages for in-person and online events, collect RSVPs, sell tickets via Stripe, and send automated event reminders and follow-ups. Event data connects to your contact list – registrants are added automatically as subscribers. For nonprofits, associations, and small businesses that run regular events alongside email marketing, having both in one platform eliminates a Eventbrite subscription.
Marketing Automation
Constant Contact’s automation handles welcome emails, birthday messages, and basic behavioral sequences triggered by email engagement. The automation builder is simpler than ActiveCampaign or even Brevo – conditional branching is limited. Premium plan expands automation options. For businesses with straightforward nurture needs – welcome series, re-engagement – it covers the basics without requiring technical expertise.
Social & Advertising
Premium plan includes Facebook and Instagram ad creation and management from within Constant Contact. Google Ads integration lets you create search campaigns targeting keywords. Social posting schedules content across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For small businesses that want email and basic social advertising managed from one platform, Premium bundles these without adding separate ad management tools.
Constant Contact Pricing (Verified June 2026)
Prices verified June 2026. Always confirm on the vendor's site before purchasing.
| Plan | Type | Starting Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | Entry | $12/mo | 500 contacts, basic email, templates, 1 user, 10x contact sends/mo |
| Standard | Small Business | $35/mo | 5,000 contacts, scheduling, polls, 3 users, A/B subject line testing |
| Premium | Growth | $80/mo | Unlimited contacts, SEO tools, advanced automations, custom branding, Google Ads |
| Pricing scales with contacts - check constantcontact.com for your list size |
What We Like
- 60-day free trial - one of the longest in email marketing
- Strong phone and live chat support - accessible for non-technical users
- Event management built in - useful for nonprofits, associations, and event-based businesses
- Large library of pre-designed templates
- $105 flat affiliate payout with 90-day cookie - one of the best affiliate economics in email marketing
- Well-established brand with strong SMB name recognition
Watch Out For
- Expensive relative to feature set - Brevo or MailerLite offer more per dollar
- Automation depth is limited compared to ActiveCampaign or even Brevo
- No free plan - only a time-limited trial
- Contact list limits and per-contact pricing add up at scale
- Interface feels dated compared to newer email platforms
Frequently Asked Questions
Before You Buy — Know This
- The 60-day trial is one of the most generous in email marketing. Use it fully - send real campaigns to your actual list before committing to a paid plan.
- Constant Contact's pricing scales with contact count. Check constantcontact.com for your specific list size - the rates above are entry-level and may not reflect your actual cost.
- Event management (online event registration, paid ticketing, event reporting) is built in at all tiers. If events are part of your business model, this is a genuine differentiator versus Mailchimp or MailerLite.
- The $105 flat affiliate payout via Impact.com doesn't scale with plan value - a referred Premium customer generates the same commission as a Lite customer. Volume of referrals matters more than plan tier for affiliate income.
Learn More and Try Out Constant Contact
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