Mailchimp vs Constant Contact (2026): Pricing and Features for Small Stores

Short answer: On regular list prices Mailchimp costs less than Constant Contact at most list sizes, and it has a free plan for up to 250 contacts. Constant Contact has no permanent free plan, but it offers a free trial, a 30-day money-back guarantee and phone and chat support even on its entry plan. If you sell products online and want cart recovery and unlimited sending, look at a store-first tool as well.

Constant Contact prices were read from the tier table on its pricing page on November 5, 2026. Mailchimp’s tier prices come from our Mailchimp pricing guide, last checked October 29, 2026; the $13 and $20 starting prices were re-read on Mailchimp’s pricing page on November 5. All prices are regular month-to-month list prices in US dollars. This comparison is based on published information, not a hands-on test.

Monthly price at common list sizes

Constant Contact: monthly billing, tiers 0–500, 501–1,000, 1,001–2,500, 2,501–5,000 and 5,001–10,000 contacts. Mailchimp: last checked October 29, 2026; tiers 0–500, 501–1,500, 1,501–2,500, 2,501–5,000 and 5,001–10,000 contacts, so the 1,000-contact row uses Mailchimp’s 501–1,500 tier. Constant Contact says plan price is based on number of contacts and email sends and overage fees may apply.

Reading the table: at 500 contacts the two entry plans are within a dollar of each other. From 2,500 contacts, Mailchimp Essentials runs $5 to $10 below Constant Contact Lite, and Mailchimp Standard runs $10 to $25 below Constant Contact Standard. At 1,000 contacts the Mailchimp tier is wider, so you may pay Mailchimp’s 1,500-contact price on a list of 1,000.

Both vendors discount in some situations. Constant Contact says prepaying for 12 months saves up to 15% (Lite $10.20 a month at the starting tier, Standard $29.75, Premium $68). Mailchimp showed 15% off the first 12 months on 5,000+ contacts when we checked on October 29.

Premium plans. Constant Contact Premium is $80 at 500 contacts and $275 at 10,000. Mailchimp Premium is listed at $350 a month and, per our pricing guide, starts at 10,000 contacts.

Send limits, free plan and trial

A 2,500-contact list on a 12x plan can send 30,000 emails a month on either tool, roughly 12 campaigns. The difference shows at the top: Constant Contact Premium allows 24x, Mailchimp Premium 15x.

Automation, SMS and integrations

Automation. Constant Contact Lite includes one automation template, Standard three templates plus an AI campaign builder and automatic resend to non-openers, and Premium adds unlimited templates, custom automations and ecommerce templates. Mailchimp’s Essentials plan allows up to 4 flow steps, and Standard and Premium up to 200 flows. Mailchimp’s compare page also lists pre-built SMS automation including abandoned cart on its paid plans. If you need cart recovery on Constant Contact, check that your plan includes the ecommerce templates before you buy.

SMS. Constant Contact Premium includes 500 SMS messages a month; on Lite and Standard, SMS is an add-on starting at $10 a month for up to 500 messages. Constant Contact says SMS is currently available to paid-plan customers in the US only. Mailchimp sells SMS as an add-on on its paid plans.

Shopify. Both tools list a Shopify integration. Neither is built around online stores the way Omnisend is, so check which store events (orders, carts, product views) each plan can use in automations.

Support. Constant Contact lists live phone and chat with marketing experts on Lite and a dedicated priority support team on Premium. Mailchimp lists 24/7 email and chat on Essentials and Standard, and phone and priority support on Premium.

How each tool counts contacts

Mailchimp counts contacts across all audiences in your account. Subscribed, non-subscribed and unsubscribed contacts all count toward your limit; cleaned and archived contacts do not. If your list has many old unsubscribes, archiving them can lower your tier. Constant Contact says plan price is based on number of contacts and email sends, so confirm its counting rules in its help pages before importing a large list.

Which should you choose?

Choose Mailchimp if:

• your list is under 250 contacts and you want to start free;
• you want the lower regular price at 2,500 contacts and above;
• you want 24/7 email and chat support on the entry paid plan.

Choose Constant Contact if:

• you want live phone and chat support included on the entry plan;
• you want a free trial plus a 30-day money-back guarantee instead of a free plan;
• you send often and want the 24x send allowance on Premium.

Look further if your main job is store revenue. Cart abandonment, product recommendations and unlimited sending are easier to find in tools built for ecommerce.

If neither fits: two alternatives

GetResponse

Unlimited sends

Best for: Growing lists that email often or add webinars and funnels

Pros

• Unlimited monthly email sends on every paid plan
• Abandoned cart recovery on Marketer, Creator and Enterprise
• 14-day free trial

Cons

• Starter has no abandoned cart trigger
• No permanent free plan on its pricing page

Visit GetResponse

Omnisend

Store-first

Best for: Online stores that want cart abandonment workflows from day one

Pros

• Free plan with up to 500 emails per month
• Pre-built cart abandonment workflows on all plans
• SMS on the Pro plan

Cons

• Smaller free sending allowance than a newsletter tool
• SMS credits are billed separately

Visit Omnisend

GetResponse’s entry plans on its pricing page are Starter $19, Marketer $59 and Creator $69 per month, with unlimited monthly email sends on every paid tier. Omnisend lists a Free plan at $0 that sends up to 500 emails per month. For direct comparisons see GetResponse vs Mailchimp, Omnisend vs Mailchimp and our best email marketing for Shopify roundup.

Bottom line

Mailchimp is the lower-priced option at most list sizes and the only one with a free plan; Constant Contact trades a higher price for a free trial, a 30-day refund window and included phone and chat support. Confirm the price for your exact list size on each pricing page before you commit.

See GetResponse plans