Constant Contact vs Mailchimp

Quick Overview

Hands-on simplicity vs data-driven automation depth

The biggest difference between Constant Contact and Mailchimp is what they optimize for day-to-day: Constant Contact is built to keep digital marketing straightforward and dependable, while Mailchimp prioritizes turning audience data into more targeted, automated marketing. If you mainly want a clear workflow for creating and sending campaigns across core channels, Constant Contact leans into simplicity; if you want your contact data to actively shape segments, insights, and next-best actions, Mailchimp leans into intelligence.

That tradeoff exists because the two products made different long-term bets as they evolved. Constant Contact started as email marketing and grew into a broader digital marketing solution designed to help small businesses “level the playing field,” which encourages an all-in-one, guided experience. Mailchimp began as an email tool built as an alternative to “oversized” software, then expanded into a marketing automations platform that emphasizes data-backed recommendations, audience dashboards, and segmentation—so the product naturally centers on data flowing in and being acted on.

For buyers, this difference determines what your marketing engine depends on: a simpler campaign-first workflow versus an audience-first system where segmentation and insights drive execution. It also affects how much structure you’ll build around contact organization, how far you can push automation beyond basics, and how your channels and reporting tie back to a single view of your audience. The rest of the comparison unpacks those implications across automation depth, data organization, cross-channel reach, and ongoing operating overhead.

Quick Comparison

At a Glance

Category	Constant Contact	Mailchimp
Best for	Small businesses, franchises	Small businesses, ecommerce
Core strength	Email templates, social posts	Segmentation, CRM tools
Automation depth	Event-based autoresponders	Visual customer journey builder
Pricing model	Tiered contact-based pricing	Plan tiers by contacts
Learning curve	Drag-and-drop email builder	Guided drag-and-drop editor

Vendor Snapshot

Company Snapshot

Background data gathered from our market research (founding year, HQ, team size, specialties, etc.).

Constant Contact

Visit website

C

30+ years operating Team 1001-5000

Founded: 1995
HQ: Waltham, MA, United States
Team: 1001-5000
Industry: Advertising Services

Constant Contact delivers digital marketing tools for small businesses to simplify and amplify marketing, helping drive sales, grow audiences, and build customer connections. What began as email marketing has expanded into a broader digital marketing solution including social media, ecommerce, automation, events, surveys, and SMS.

Specialties

Analytics Contact Management Coupons CRM Customer Engagement E-commerce Marketing Email Automation Email Design

Mailchimp

Visit website

M

24+ years operating Team 1001-5000

Founded: 2001
HQ: Atlanta, GA, United States
Team: 1001-5000
Industry: Software Development

Mailchimp is an email and marketing automations platform for growing businesses, helping customers find and engage audiences across email, social media, landing pages, and advertising with data-backed recommendations and automation. It was founded in Atlanta in 2001 and was acquired by Intuit in 2021.

Specialties

Analytics CRM E-commerce E-commerce Email Marketing Marketing Automation Marketing Platform Small Business Marketing

Why These Platforms Feel So Different

Constant Contact started in 1995 with a mission to help smaller organizations compete, using email as the first wedge. Mailchimp began in 2001 as a side project inside the Rocket Science Group web design agency, built as an alternative to oversized, expensive email software. Those starting conditions pushed Constant Contact toward controlled sending practices, while Mailchimp pushed toward a self-serve product shaped by web workflows.

Because Constant Contact was built around trust and inbox placement, it prioritizes permission-based sending and account-level guardrails. This leads to tighter controls and more process around list quality, which can restrict how quickly teams can import and blast large lists. One concrete example is its explicit requirement that uploaded contacts are consent-based, backed by a dedicated Compliance team that monitors uploads and complaints.

Because Mailchimp was designed as a lighter alternative to enterprise email tools, it prioritizes packaging and scale across many use cases from a single service. This leads to a product that grows by adding layers, which can increase plan complexity and feature gating over time. One concrete example is its tiered plan structure that changes limits and access across items like audiences, reporting depth, and automation flow capacity.

These origin-driven priorities explain why the platforms feel different when you start stress-testing workflows and constraints. The next sections surface how those early tradeoffs show up in day-to-day execution.

Feature Analysis

Feature Explanation: How These Capabilities Differ in Practice

The matrix shows what each platform includes. This section explains how those capabilities typically behave when you’re building real campaigns and automations.

#1 Automation & Flows

Constant Contact positions automation around email plus social and text marketing from one platform. The sources here don’t describe a visual, branching journey builder like Mailchimp’s.

Mailchimp uses Customer Journey Builder with starting points, delays, and branching rules to adapt to customer behavior. It also offers pre-built journeys you can customize.

#2 Customer Segmentation

Constant Contact supports list building and email marketing from one platform, but the sources here don’t spell out its segmentation rule depth. Practical segmentation details are limited in the available material.

Mailchimp supports segmentation from engagement, website/app activity, and purchase behavior, plus predictive segments like likelihood to purchase and customer lifetime value. It also supports advanced segmentation with many conditions.

#3 Multichannel Messaging (Email, SMS, Social)

Constant Contact is designed around email and also highlights social and text marketing in the core platform messaging. It also emphasizes social media tooling as a first-class area of the product.

Mailchimp supports email plus an SMS/MMS add-on that can be used inside automation flows. It also supports social posting features alongside email.

#4 Ecommerce Data & Integrations

Constant Contact highlights ecommerce marketing and shows Shopify and WooCommerce among its integrations. The sources here don’t describe how deeply purchase data drives targeting.

Mailchimp offers integrations that sync store customers, products, and purchase data (e.g., Shopify and WooCommerce). That data can then feed segmentation and automated journeys.

#5 Experimentation / Testing

Constant Contact’s available sources here don’t clearly describe built-in A/B or multivariate testing workflows. Practical testing mechanics aren’t detailed.

Mailchimp supports A/B testing and multivariate testing, including testing up to eight variations. It also supports split testing within automation/journey contexts.

#6 Analytics & Reporting

Constant Contact emphasizes reporting and analytics as a primary use case area in the platform. The sources here don’t detail attribution or comparative analytics mechanics.

Mailchimp offers reporting plus comparative reporting for campaigns and segments over time. With a connected store, it also supports ROI and revenue reporting.

Pricing

Pricing & Plans

Compare tiers, caps, and upgrade paths at a glance.

Constant Contact

Tiered Volume pricing

Public monthly pricing is listed through 50,000 contacts, with larger lists shown as contact-sales/custom pricing.

MailChimp

Tiered Free tier Volume pricing

Tiered pricing by contact count with published tiers through 100,000 contacts and custom pricing at very high volumes; email send limits and overages can apply.

Free contacts: 250

Contact tier

Constant Contact

MailChimp

1,000 contacts

PLAN

$30

per month

What's included

✓ Includes 10,000 emails
✓ Email marketing plan priced by contact tier
✓ Monthly email send allowance is specified per tier
✓ SMS is available (requires setup/purchase depending on program)

Limitations

• Monthly email sends are limited to 10,000 at this tier; higher sending needs require upgrading.

PLAN

$26.50

per month

What's included

✓ Includes 15,000 emails
✓ Tiered email marketing pricing based on contacts
✓ Monthly email send limit included per plan configuration
✓ SMS is available as an add-on to paid plans (US only) with application/approval

Limitations

• Overages can apply if contact or email send limits are exceeded.

10,000 contacts

PLAN

$120

per month

What's included

✓ Includes 100,000 emails
✓ Email marketing plan priced by contact tier
✓ Monthly email send allowance is specified per tier
✓ SMS is available (requires setup/purchase depending on program)

Limitations

• Monthly email sends are limited to 100,000 at this tier; higher sending needs require upgrading.

PLAN

$110

per month

What's included

✓ Includes 100,000 emails
✓ Tiered email marketing pricing based on contacts
✓ Monthly email send limit included per plan configuration
✓ SMS is available as an add-on to paid plans (US only) with application/approval

Limitations

• SMS is an add-on and requires application/approval before use; credits are purchased separately and unused credits expire monthly (no rollover).

50,000 contacts

PLAN

$430

per month

What's included

✓ Includes 500,000 emails
✓ Email marketing plan priced by contact tier
✓ Monthly email send allowance is specified per tier
✓ SMS is available (requires setup/purchase depending on program)

Limitations

• Monthly email sends are limited to 500,000 at this tier; higher sending needs require moving to a custom plan.

PLAN

$385

per month

What's included

✓ Includes 500,000 emails
✓ Tiered email marketing pricing based on contacts
✓ Monthly email send limit included per plan configuration
✓ SMS is available as an add-on to paid plans (US only) with application/approval

Limitations

• Overages can apply if contact or email send limits are exceeded, depending on plan.

100,000 contacts

PLAN

Contact sales

—

What's included

✓ Includes custom emails
✓ Custom-priced plan tier (sales-assisted)
✓ Email sending allowance is negotiated (custom)
✓ SMS is available (requires setup/purchase depending on program)

Limitations

• Pricing is not publicly listed and requires contacting sales and agreeing to a custom quote/terms.

PLAN

$800

per month

What's included

✓ Includes 1,200,000 emails
✓ Tiered email marketing pricing based on contacts
✓ Monthly email send limit included per plan configuration
✓ SMS is available as an add-on to paid plans (US only) with application/approval

Limitations

• At high sending volumes, exceeding contact or email send limits may trigger overages (plan-dependent).

500,000 contacts

PLAN

Contact sales

—

What's included

✓ Includes custom emails
✓ Custom-priced plan tier (sales-assisted)
✓ Email sending allowance is negotiated (custom)
✓ SMS is available (requires setup/purchase depending on program)

Limitations

• Requires a custom agreement/contract (contact sales) and may involve additional onboarding/approval steps.

PLAN

Contact sales

—

What's included

✓ Includes custom emails
✓ Custom-priced tier (sales-assisted) for very large lists
✓ Email send limits are custom/negotiated at this scale
✓ SMS can be added to paid plans (US only) subject to approval

Limitations

• Pricing is contact-sales/custom at this volume, requiring sales engagement and a negotiated agreement.

1,000,000 contacts

PLAN

Contact sales

—

What's included

✓ Includes custom emails
✓ Custom-priced plan tier (sales-assisted)
✓ Email sending allowance is negotiated (custom)
✓ SMS is available (requires setup/purchase depending on program)

Limitations

• Requires sales engagement and custom contracting (pricing and send limits are not self-serve at this volume).

PLAN

Contact sales

—

What's included

✓ Includes custom emails
✓ Custom-priced tier (sales-assisted) for enterprise-scale lists
✓ Email send limits are custom/negotiated at this scale
✓ SMS can be added to paid plans (US only) subject to approval

Limitations

• Requires a custom contract/quote (pricing not publicly listed) and may involve approvals for sending at enterprise scale.

Customer Voices

Reviews & Ratings

See how Constant Contact vs Mailchimp compare based on verified customer reviews (pros, cons, sentiment).

Constant Contact

4.3 / 5.0

Based on 2,889 reviews

Positive sentiment

Top Pros

• Easy drag-and-drop campaign creation
• Scheduling emails is simple and reliable
• Clear reporting on opens and clicks
• Helpful support, easy to reach people

Top Cons

• Formatting tools feel glitchy and limited
• Some emails land in spam or junk
• Contact list editing feels cumbersome
• Canceling and account changes are frustrating

Mailchimp

4.5 / 5.0

Based on 17,490 reviews

Positive sentiment

Top Pros

• Easy for beginners to build emails
• Good templates for professional newsletters
• Strong analytics for opens and clicks
• Segmentation and automation cover common needs

Top Cons

• Pricing jumps as contacts grow
• Editing images and layouts feels restrictive
• Some emails land in spam or promotions
• Security and account controls feel cumbersome

Real-World Scenarios

How key workflows behave in real campaigns

Feature checklists don’t show how work moves day to day. These scenarios translate capabilities into real workflow rhythm, handoffs, and ongoing adjustments.

#1 Campaign planning and send cadence

Constant Contact: Teams map sends quickly, reuse prior layouts, and keep a steady weekly cadence with fewer steps between draft, review, and launch.

Mailchimp: Teams iterate more on variants, adjust timing in ongoing cycles, and spend extra coordination time aligning approvals before recurring sends go out.

#2 List growth and contact organization

Constant Contact: Contacts are managed in straightforward buckets, with occasional cleanups and simple handoffs between staff when new signups arrive daily.

Mailchimp: Teams maintain more nuanced groupings, do recurring hygiene work, and coordinate updates more often as audiences shift across campaigns and channels.

#3 Automated follow-ups and ongoing nurture

Constant Contact: Follow-ups run as simple recurring sequences, with periodic tweaks when messaging changes and minimal day-to-day monitoring for small teams.

Mailchimp: Nurture runs with more branching upkeep, requiring ongoing adjustments as engagement changes and more frequent check-ins to keep sequences aligned.

#4 Multichannel coordination and handoffs

Constant Contact: Teams coordinate email and occasional add-ons in bursts, keeping workflows centralized and reducing weekly handoffs between marketing and operations.

Mailchimp: Teams coordinate more touchpoints in parallel, creating recurring handoffs and more ongoing alignment work to keep messaging consistent across efforts.

#5 Performance visibility and iteration loops

Constant Contact: Reporting supports quick weekly check-ins, leading to simple adjustments and a predictable cadence of small changes rather than constant rework.

Mailchimp: Teams review performance more frequently, run iterative cycles, and make ongoing adjustments that can increase operational tempo during active campaigns.

#6 Template and brand consistency at scale

Constant Contact: Teams keep branding consistent by reusing a few core layouts, updating them occasionally and moving fast when multiple sends happen weekly.

Mailchimp: Teams manage more creative variations, coordinating recurring reviews and adjustments so brand rules stay consistent as campaign volume increases.

Need-to-know

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about comparing these platforms.

How much work is it to migrate my lists, tags, and templates without breaking automations?

Moving contacts and basic fields into Constant Contact or Mailchimp is typically a CSV import plus mapping, but automations and templates don’t transfer 1:1 between platforms.

Expect to recreate journeys, signup forms, and any segmentation rules inside the destination tool, and plan time to validate suppression lists, merge fields, and sending domains before you resume campaigns.

What happens if I switch and then realize I need to go back—can I reverse the decision cleanly?

You can move back from Mailchimp to Constant Contact (or the reverse) by exporting contacts and re-importing, but historical engagement data and automation history won’t rehydrate as native records in the other system.

To reduce “starting over,” export key artifacts before leaving (audience exports, template HTML, reports) and document list logic so it can be rebuilt in the prior platform.

Do I actually own my subscriber data, and can I export everything anytime?

In both Constant Contact and Mailchimp, you can export audiences/contacts and common fields, but exports are typically centered on contact records rather than a complete, portable copy of every internal object (like automation state).

If you need portability, confirm ahead of time which datasets you can export (contacts, segments, campaign reports) and the available formats (CSV) for each platform.

How do Constant Contact and Mailchimp handle GDPR and consent requirements if I operate in multiple regions?

Both Constant Contact and Mailchimp provide tools to collect and store consent-related information (for example via forms and audience fields), but your compliance outcome depends on how you configure consent capture and retention for each region.

If you operate under GDPR or similar rules, set up region-specific signup language, maintain proof of consent where applicable, and ensure unsubscribe handling is enabled for every sending identity in the platform you choose.

I run multiple stores/brands—can I keep audiences separate without mixing reporting or compliance settings?

Mailchimp and Constant Contact can support separation through distinct audiences/lists and account organization, but separation is only as strict as how you structure audiences, permissions, and sender identities.

If brands require hard boundaries (different opt-in language, different domains, different teams), plan your audience architecture up front so suppression and compliance settings don’t bleed across brands.

What if I rely on integrations—are there API limits or constraints that will break my workflow?

Both Mailchimp and Constant Contact offer APIs and app ecosystems, but integration behavior can be constrained by rate limits, available endpoints, and how each platform models audiences and fields.

If you sync large volumes or near-real-time events, test for throttling, batching requirements, and field-mapping differences before committing, especially for custom attributes and unsubscribe status.

If I want to use SMS, what happens with regional rules and message restrictions?

SMS has country-specific requirements (opt-in language, sender rules, quiet hours, and carrier filtering), and both Constant Contact and Mailchimp will require you to follow those rules based on where recipients live.

Before sending, verify supported countries, required disclosures, and whether short code/long code/alphanumeric sender IDs are allowed in your target regions, since these constraints can limit deliverability or block messaging entirely.

What safeguards exist if deliverability drops—can I control sending and protect my domain reputation?

Both Mailchimp and Constant Contact rely on standard deliverability controls like suppression handling, bounce management, and sender authentication (e.g., aligning your domain settings) to protect reputation.

If issues arise, you’ll typically need to pause high-risk sends, tighten list hygiene, and adjust segmentation; the key control is how you authenticate and manage unsubscribes within Mailchimp or Constant Contact rather than “waiting it out.”

What should I expect from support if something breaks right before a campaign send?

Support access and response expectations depend on the support channels available in your Constant Contact or Mailchimp plan and the severity/type of issue (billing, deliverability, account access, or technical setup).

For time-critical sends, build an internal runbook (who can pause campaigns, how to roll back a template, where domain settings live) so you’re not blocked waiting on a ticket response.

Are there scaling ceilings—what happens when my list, segmentation, or send volume grows fast?

As audiences grow, both Constant Contact and Mailchimp can hit operational friction points like longer import times, heavier segmentation queries, or stricter compliance/deliverability review for sudden volume spikes.

If you anticipate rapid growth, plan for staged ramp-ups, consistent list hygiene, and a stable sending cadence, because abrupt changes in volume can trigger filtering or account reviews in either platform.

Final Thoughts

Our Recommendation

This choice is about how your team runs communication work: guided execution with steady routines, or a self-directed system that scales with changing needs.

Choose Constant Contact when your marketing cadence is consistent and you want low coordination overhead across a small team. It fits organizations that prefer clear workflows, repeatable planning, and minimal process variance week to week.

Choose Mailchimp when your operations need flexibility across multiple initiatives and timelines without adding extra handoffs. It works best for teams balancing simple recurring sends with occasional complexity, especially when time and headcount are constrained.

Map the decision to how work moves through your team—who builds, who reviews, and how often priorities shift—and the answer becomes clear. Pick the platform that matches your operating rhythm and run it consistently.

Constant Contact vs Mailchimp

Hands-on simplicity vs data-driven automation depth

At a Glance

Company Snapshot

Constant Contact

Mailchimp

Why These Platforms Feel So Different

Key Differences

Nonprofits and local services vs broad SMBs

Free plan vs trial-first entry

Simpler automations vs journey builder

Core email metrics vs richer insights

More constrained ecosystem vs wider library

Hands-on help vs self-serve leaning

Feature-by-feature comparison

Feature Explanation: How These Capabilities Differ in Practice

#1 Automation & Flows

#2 Customer Segmentation

#3 Multichannel Messaging (Email, SMS, Social)

#4 Ecommerce Data & Integrations

#5 Experimentation / Testing

#6 Analytics & Reporting

Pricing & Plans

Constant Contact

MailChimp

Reviews & Ratings

How key workflows behave in real campaigns

#1 Campaign planning and send cadence

#2 List growth and contact organization

#3 Automated follow-ups and ongoing nurture

#4 Multichannel coordination and handoffs

#5 Performance visibility and iteration loops

#6 Template and brand consistency at scale

Which Platform Should You Choose?

Constant Contact

Mailchimp

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Recommendation