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2026-11-07 21:05 Tool comparisons

Mailchimp vs Constant Contact (2027): Free Plan vs Free Trial, Prices, Automation, Events and SMS for Small Businesses

Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: Which Newsletter and Automation Tool Fits a Small Business in 2027?

Mailchimp and Constant Contact are the two names most small businesses meet first when they look for a newsletter tool. Both let you build a list, design emails from templates, send campaigns and automate a welcome series, and both now add AI writing help and SMS. The differences that matter for a founder are elsewhere: Mailchimp (part of Intuit) has a permanent free plan and monthly plans with several seats, while Constant Contact has no free plan but adds event registration, social posting and live phone support to every plan. We checked both pricing pages in their default view in November 2026, so the prices, limits and trial terms below are current for 2027, whether you search for Mailchimp vs Constant Contact or Constant Contact vs Mailchimp.
Quick answer: start on Mailchimp if you have fewer than 250 contacts (Free) or want a cheap monthly plan with 3 to 5 logins: Essentials started at EUR 11.74 ($13) and Standard, with up to 200 automation flows and generative AI, at EUR 18.06 ($20) a month for up to 500 contacts. Choose Constant Contact if you run events, post to social media from the same tool, text US customers or want to call a person when you are stuck: Lite started at $10.20 a month billed annually ($12 monthly), with a free trial and no credit card.
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Mailchimp vs Constant Contact at a Glance

MailchimpConstant Contact
What it isEmail and SMS marketing with automation flows and AI, part of IntuitEmail, social, SMS and event marketing for small businesses, with live support
Free optionFree plan: up to 250 contacts, 500 sends a month (max 250 a day), 1 seat; 14-day trial of Essentials or Standard with payment detailsNo free plan; free trial with no credit card; 30-day money-back guarantee on new plans
Prices (default view)EUR, 0 to 500 contacts, monthly: Essentials from EUR 11.74, Standard from EUR 18.06, Premium from EUR 316.05 (USD: $13, $20, $350)USD, billed annually: Lite from $10.20, Standard from $29.75, Premium from $68 a month ($12, $35, $80 monthly); Multi-Account on quote
Email sends10x (Essentials), 12x (Standard), 15x (Premium) your contacts a month10x (Lite), 12x (Standard), 24x (Premium) your contacts; extra sends $2 per 1,000
Users1 (Free), 3 (Essentials), 5 (Standard), unlimited (Premium)1 (Lite, per the FAQ), 3 (Standard), unlimited (Premium)
AutomationNone on Free; flows of up to 4 steps (Essentials); up to 200 flows (Standard, Premium)1 template (Lite); 3 templates, AI campaign builder and resend to non-openers (Standard); unlimited and custom automations (Premium)
Events and socialNo event tool listed on the pricing pagesEvent registration, payments and social posting to Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn on every plan
SMSPaid add-on in select countries; MMS on Standard and Premium for US and CanadaUS customers only: add-on from $10 a month for 500 messages on Lite and Standard; 500 a month included in Premium
SupportEmail support for 30 days on Free; 24/7 email and chat (Essentials, Standard); phone and priority (Premium)Live phone and chat and live 1:1 onboarding on every plan; priority team on Premium
Integrations300+300+, including Shopify, Eventbrite, Canva and Zapier
Sources: mailchimp.com marketing pricing and compare-plans pages (default view in EUR, plus the USD view of the same page) and constantcontact.com/pricing (default view, annual billing), checked 7 November 2026. Both prices rise with your number of contacts.

Mailchimp: A Free Plan and Cheap Monthly Seats

Mailchimp is now Intuit Mailchimp, and its homepage pitches emails and SMS with Mailchimp with Intuit Intelligence, an AI layer that suggests campaigns such as winning back customers who have gone quiet. Every paid plan includes popup forms, pre-built templates, scheduling and removal of the Mailchimp logo, and the tool connects to 300+ apps, from Shopify and WooCommerce to Canva and Stripe.
On the Mailchimp pricing page the default view from Europe showed euros for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly (November 2026):
  • Free: EUR 0 for up to 250 contacts, a maximum of 500 sends a month or 250 a day, 1 seat and 1 audience. No automation flows, no generative AI, no scheduling, limited templates, Mailchimp branding in your emails and email support only for the first 30 days. Sending pauses when you hit a limit.
  • Essentials: 14 days free, then from EUR 11.74 a month ($13 in the USD view): sends of 10 times your contacts, 3 seats, 3 audiences, automation flows of up to 4 steps, scheduling and 24/7 email and chat support. Goes up to 50,000 contacts.
  • Standard: 14 days free, then from EUR 18.06 a month ($20): up to 6,000 emails a month at this tier, 5 seats, up to 200 automation flows, generative AI at no additional cost, custom reports, dynamic content, branded templates and one onboarding session. Goes up to 100,000 contacts.
  • Premium: from EUR 316.05 a month ($350), shown with a first-year offer of 15% off for 10,000+ contacts; unlimited seats and audiences, phone and priority support, enterprise single sign-on and 4 onboarding sessions.
Trial and billing rules: the 14-day trial of Essentials or Standard is for new customers (or Free accounts younger than 90 days) in select countries, and you must enter payment details at sign-up. Paid plans are monthly; annual plans exist only for Premium and for Standard above 10,000 contacts, through sales. If you go over a paid plan's contact or send limit, Mailchimp bills overages. Infrequent senders can buy Pay As You Go email credits instead, and nonprofits get 15% off. The full limits are on Mailchimp's plan comparison page.
Best for: founders with a small list who want to start free, small teams that need several logins on a cheap monthly plan, and online shops that want automation flows tied to their store.
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Constant Contact: Email, Events, Social and SMS With a Person on the Phone

Constant Contact describes itself as AI-powered email, social, SMS and more for small businesses. Every plan includes the drag-and-drop editor, an AI copy generator, templates, sign-up forms, social posting to Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, event registration with payments, and live phone and chat support with live one-to-one onboarding. It lists 300+ integrations, including Google, Microsoft, Canva, Zapier, Shopify and Eventbrite.
On the Constant Contact pricing page the default view showed US dollars with annual billing switched on (November 2026):
  • Lite: from $10.20 a month billed annually ($12 monthly): sends up to 10 times your contacts, 1 automation template, 1 custom segment, basic reporting and social posting. The FAQ says one user; the plan table shows two.
  • Standard: from $29.75 a month billed annually ($35 monthly): 3 users, 12 times your contacts in sends, 3 automation templates, an AI campaign builder, automatic resend to non-openers, scheduling, subject line A/B testing, 10 segments and reports on who opens and clicks.
  • Premium: from $68 a month billed annually ($80 monthly): unlimited users, 24 times your contacts in sends, unlimited and custom automations, ecommerce automation templates, dynamic content, revenue reporting, Google Ads Manager, SEO recommendations, a priority support team and 500 SMS a month.
  • Multi-Account: for teams that need 5 or more accounts; talk to sales.
  • Extras: sends above your allowance cost $0.002 each ($2 per 1,000); SMS is for paid US customers only, from $10 a month for up to 500 messages on Lite and Standard; inbox preview is a $10 monthly add-on.
Trial and guarantee: Constant Contact is a paid platform with no free plan. Its free trial needs no credit card (Constant Contact's own pages call it a 30-day trial), and every new paid plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Prepaying 12 months saves up to 15%, and nonprofits save up to 30%. For a developer-first pairing, see SendGrid vs Constant Contact; for a cheaper tool with a free plan, Constant Contact vs MailerLite.
Best for: shops, studios, venues, consultants and community organisers who run events, post to social media and text US customers, and who would rather phone support than read help articles.
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Head-to-Head: Where Each Tool Wins

Price at a small list size

Mailchimp wins below 250 contacts, because its Free plan costs nothing. Between 250 and 500 contacts the entry plans are close: Mailchimp Essentials from EUR 11.74 ($13) a month, paid monthly, versus Constant Contact Lite from $10.20 billed annually or $12 monthly. Mailchimp's 14-day trial asks for payment details; Constant Contact's trial does not.

Automation

Mailchimp gives more automation for less money. Standard (EUR 18.06, $20) allows up to 200 automation flows; on Constant Contact, custom automations come only with Premium ($68 billed annually). On the entry plans, Mailchimp Essentials allows flows of up to 4 steps and Constant Contact Lite 1 automation template, so a welcome series of five emails needs Mailchimp Standard or Constant Contact Standard.

Events, social and SMS

Constant Contact wins for local and community businesses: event registration, payments and social posting are on every plan, and Premium includes 500 SMS a month for US contacts. Mailchimp's pricing pages list no event tool, and its SMS is a paid add-on in selected countries; check both if you text customers outside the US. Our guide to SMS marketing for startups helps you plan the messages.

Support and onboarding

Constant Contact wins: live phone and chat support and live one-to-one onboarding on every plan. Mailchimp gives 24/7 email and chat support on Essentials and Standard, one onboarding session on Standard, and phone support only on Premium; on Free, email support ends after 30 days.

Seats and AI

Mailchimp includes 3 seats on Essentials and 5 on Standard, and generative AI at no extra cost from Standard, with Intuit Assist in beta on some plans. Constant Contact includes an AI copy generator on every plan and an AI campaign builder from Standard, with 3 users on Standard and unlimited users only on Premium.

Mailchimp or Constant Contact: Which Should You Choose?

  • Under 250 contacts, no budget: Mailchimp Free. If 500 sends a month is too tight, compare bigger free plans in our free Mailchimp alternatives.
  • A newsletter plus a welcome series on a small budget: Mailchimp Standard, the cheapest plan here with up to 200 automation flows.
  • You run workshops, classes or local events: Constant Contact, with event registration and payments on every plan.
  • You want someone to call: Constant Contact, with live phone support from Lite.
  • You need deep, behaviour-based automation or a sales pipeline: neither is the strongest pick; read Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign and HubSpot vs ActiveCampaign.
  • You sell to businesses with a sales team: enterprise B2B platforms work differently; see Marketo vs Omnisend.
  • You want to own your data and server: look at open-source Mailchimp alternatives you can self-host.
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What Changed Since the Old Version of This Comparison

  • Mailchimp's Free plan is smaller: the old article said under 500 contacts and 1,000 sends; the plan now covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, with no automation flows.
  • Mailchimp renamed its automation builder: Customer Journey Builder became Marketing Automation Flows in June 2025, limited to 4 steps on Essentials and up to 200 flows on Standard and Premium.
  • Constant Contact's plans are Lite, Standard and Premium, priced by contacts and sends, with a 15% discount for annual billing and SMS for US customers.
  • Removed: unsourced statistics such as "63% higher lead conversions" and "84% improvement in open rates", vendor ROI and inbox-rate claims, and links to third-party review sites.

How Founders Use Mailchimp, Constant Contact and the Rest of Their Marketing Stack

Most small businesses need three emails before anything else: a welcome email for new subscribers, a regular newsletter and a reminder before an offer or event ends. Our mean.ceo guides explain how to build an email list, how to automate email marketing and which startup newsletters are worth copying. If you are still pre-launch, start with our guide to building a waitlist of 1,000 customers.
Comparing more email tools? Read Omnisend vs Brevo and Omnisend vs SendGrid for online stores, Autopilot (now Ortto) vs MailerLite, and our older Mailchimp vs Klaviyo and Mailchimp vs ConvertKit comparisons. List your business in free directories with F/MS Marketing Directories, plan your tool spend with the marketing budget calculator, and turn your best newsletters into search traffic with the F/MS AI SEO Tool and the tips on our AI SEO blog.

FAQ About Mailchimp vs Constant Contact

What is the main difference between Mailchimp and Constant Contact?

Mailchimp has a permanent free plan, monthly paid plans with several seats and up to 200 automation flows from Standard. Constant Contact has no free plan, but every plan includes event registration, social posting and live phone and chat support.

Constant Contact vs Mailchimp: which is cheaper?

Below 250 contacts, Mailchimp, because its Free plan costs nothing. For up to 500 contacts, the November 2026 default views showed Mailchimp Essentials from EUR 11.74 ($13) a month and Constant Contact Lite from $10.20 billed annually or $12 monthly. Both prices rise with your contacts.

Does Mailchimp still have a free plan?

Yes. It covers up to 250 contacts, 500 sends a month with a maximum of 250 a day, 1 seat and 1 audience, without automation flows, scheduling or generative AI, and with Mailchimp branding in your emails.

Does Constant Contact have a free plan?

No. Constant Contact offers a free trial with no credit card, which its own pages describe as 30 days, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on new paid plans.

How much does Mailchimp cost in 2027?

In November 2026 the default view in EUR for up to 500 contacts showed Essentials from EUR 11.74, Standard from EUR 18.06 and Premium from EUR 316.05 a month; the USD view showed $13, $20 and $350. Essentials and Standard start with a 14-day free trial.

How much does Constant Contact cost in 2027?

In November 2026 the default view showed Lite from $10.20, Standard from $29.75 and Premium from $68 a month billed annually, or $12, $35 and $80 paid monthly. Your price depends on your contacts and email sends.

Which one has better email automation?

Mailchimp offers more for less: up to 200 automation flows on Standard. Constant Contact has 1 automation template on Lite, 3 on Standard and unlimited custom automations only on Premium.

Which tool is better for events and SMS?

Constant Contact: event registration and payments are on every plan, and Premium includes 500 SMS a month for US customers. Mailchimp lists no event tool on its pricing pages and sells SMS as a paid add-on in selected countries.

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Can I use AI to write SEO articles that bring newsletter subscribers?

Yes. The F/MS AI SEO Tool turns a keyword into an article built to rank on Google and to be cited by AI assistants, so more readers reach your signup form.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.