Constant Contact Review: 5 Honest Truths Worth Knowing
This constant contact review is the one I wish existed when I first started evaluating email platforms. I’ve been in email marketing for years, and I’ve watched Constant Contact evolve from a basic email tool into something more comprehensive. But reliability and features don’t always equal value — and this constant contact review will tell you exactly where the gaps are.
In this constant contact review, I’m cutting through the marketing noise and telling you exactly what Constant Contact does well, where it stumbles, and whether it’s worth your money. I’m comparing it head-to-head against MailerLite, Brevo, Mailchimp, and Automated Sales Machine to help you make a real decision.
Constant Contact Review at a Glance
| Feature | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of Use | 8/10 |
| Email Builder | 8/10 |
| Automations | 6/10 |
| Deliverability | 8/10 (92%) |
| Pricing Value | 5/10 |
| Customer Support | 6/10 |
| Integrations | 8/10 (7,800+) |
Bottom line: Constant Contact is reliable and loaded with integrations. But you’ll pay for it — especially as your subscriber count climbs.
Constant Contact Pricing — What You Actually Pay
This is where Constant Contact gets real. Their pricing scales fast, and if you’re not paying attention, you’ll have sticker shock within six months.
Constant Contact’s Lite plan starts at $12/month for up to 500 subscribers. Sounds reasonable, right? Then watch what happens:
| Subscribers | Constant Contact Lite | MailerLite Growing Business | Brevo Starter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $12/mo | $10/mo | $9/mo |
| 1,000 | $30/mo | $10/mo | $9/mo |
| 10,000 | ~$110/mo | $73/mo | ~$25/mo |
| 50,000 | ~$340/mo | $289/mo | ~$65/mo |
At 10,000 subscribers, Constant Contact runs about $110/month. MailerLite is $73. Brevo is $25. You’re paying 35–76% more for the same subscriber count.
Also note: Constant Contact doesn’t have a free plan. They offer a 60-day trial. After that, you’re paying. No room to test the waters indefinitely.
Core Features
Email Builder: Constant Contact’s email editor is solid. Drag-and-drop interface, pre-built templates, good customization. Nothing revolutionary, but it gets the job done without friction.
Automations: Lower plans get basic automation workflows. Higher tiers unlock more advanced sequences. It’s functional, but limited compared to platforms like the Automated Sales Machine’s automation engine, which offers deeper conditional logic and multi-channel workflows out of the box.
Deliverability: Constant Contact achieves a 92% average inbox placement rate. That puts it among the top performers in the email marketing space. They handle bounce management and list hygiene automatically, which reduces the risk of sender reputation damage over time.
Integrations: 7,800+ integrations. If you use Zapier, tools like Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, and most CRM platforms integrate with Constant Contact. That breadth is real.
Over-Resend Feature: Constant Contact lets you re-send to unopened subscribers. They report that this feature can reach an additional 30% of your audience. It’s a feature that actually works if your list is engaged enough to tolerate the extra message.
What This Constant Contact Review Found: Strengths
- Established Reliability: Constant Contact has been around since 1995. They have 650,000+ users and proven infrastructure. They won’t disappear next month.
- Integrations at Scale: 7,800+ integrations is not a marketing number — it’s legitimately comprehensive.
- Solid Email Editor: The interface is clean, templates are modern, and there’s no steep learning curve.
- Good Deliverability: A 92% delivery rate is respectable. Bounce handling is automated and straightforward.
- Decent Customer Support: They offer phone and email support on paid plans. Response times are reasonable.
Where Constant Contact Review Uncovers Weaknesses
Price at Scale: This is the elephant in the room. At 10,000 subscribers and beyond, Constant Contact is expensive. You’re paying 35–76% more than MailerLite or Brevo for the same features.
Limited A/B Testing: Constant Contact’s split-testing capabilities are basic. You can test subject lines, but detailed segment testing and multivariate testing are limited. Competitors like Mailchimp and Brevo offer more robust testing frameworks.
Automation Tiering: Automations are locked behind higher-tier plans. If you’re on a budget plan, you get minimal automation capability.
No Free Plan: The 60-day trial is generous, but there’s no free forever tier. If you’re evaluating email platforms and want to test before committing, you’re on a clock.
How Constant Contact Compares
| Platform | Price (10K subs) | Automations | A/B Testing | Free Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constant Contact | ~$110/mo | Basic | Limited | No (60-day trial) |
| Mailchimp | ~$80/mo | Advanced | Robust | Yes |
| MailerLite | $73/mo | Advanced | Good | Yes |
| Brevo | ~$25/mo | Advanced | Good | Yes |
| Automated Sales Machine | Custom | Advanced (Multi-channel) | Built-in | No |
vs. MailerLite: MailerLite is $37/month cheaper at 10,000 subscribers and offers more advanced automations with a cleaner interface. MailerLite also includes a free plan.
vs. Brevo: Brevo is aggressively priced at $25/month for the same subscriber tier. You’re paying 4x more with Constant Contact for comparable features.
vs. Mailchimp: Mailchimp undercuts Constant Contact by about $30/month and offers more automation depth. Head-to-head, Mailchimp is often the better value.
vs. Automated Sales Machine: ASM is an all-in-one sales and marketing system with email, SMS, CRM, automations, and funnels built in. If you need multi-channel marketing automation, ASM moves beyond email into integrated customer engagement.
Who Should Use Constant Contact?
Good fit:
- Small teams (under 500 subscribers) who prioritize simplicity over cost and are willing to pay for established reliability.
- Enterprises already integrated into Constant Contact’s ecosystem who can leverage their 7,800+ integrations.
- Businesses where 92% deliverability is critical and they’ve already optimized their sender reputation.
Poor fit:
- Growth-stage startups managing 5,000+ subscribers on a tight budget. You’ll bleed money.
- Teams requiring advanced, multi-step automation sequences. Other platforms offer more flexibility.
- Marketers who want a free tier to experiment. Constant Contact won’t give you one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Constant Contact Have a Free Plan?
No. Constant Contact offers a 60-day free trial, after which you must pay. If you want email marketing software with a forever-free option, look at MailerLite or Brevo instead.
What is Constant Contact’s Deliverability Rate?
Constant Contact maintains a 92% average deliverability rate. That’s solid and competitive. However, deliverability also depends on your sender reputation, list hygiene, and email content.
Can You Do Automations in Constant Contact?
Yes, but automations are tiered by plan. Lower-tier plans have basic automation. Higher plans unlock more complex workflows. If advanced marketing automation is your priority, Constant Contact’s limitations might frustrate you compared to dedicated automation platforms.
How Many Integrations Does Constant Contact Support?
Constant Contact connects with 7,800+ third-party tools via Zapier and native integrations. That covers most popular CRMs, ecommerce platforms, and productivity tools. You can review a broader comparison of email marketing platforms to see how Constant Contact’s integration depth stacks up.
My Final Constant Contact Review Verdict
Constant Contact is a reliable, feature-rich email marketing platform built for businesses that prioritize stability and integration breadth over price. It’s been around for nearly 30 years and has the infrastructure to prove it.
But here’s my honest take: Constant Contact is expensive. At 10,000 subscribers, you’re paying $110/month when MailerLite charges $73 and Brevo charges $25. That gap only widens as your list grows.
I’d recommend Constant Contact if you have under 1,000 subscribers and value simplicity, or if you need 7,800+ integrations and your tech stack demands it.
For everyone else — especially growing businesses — you’ll find better value in MailerLite, Brevo, or Brevo’s broader platform.
If you’re looking for something more comprehensive that handles email, SMS, CRM, and multi-channel automations together, explore the Automated Sales Machine. It’s a different category of tool, but for teams building full sales funnels, it might be worth comparing.
Bottom line: Constant Contact works. But you’ll pay for the privilege. Make sure the features justify the cost before you commit.
