Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: How to Choose Between the Two

Did you know that email marketing has the highest ROI of any tactic? You can get up to $44 for every $1 invested in email marketing! Of course, there is no guarantee — your email marketing still has to be efficient. And efficiency starts with choosing the right platform.

This is why today we’re talking about Mailchimp versus Constant Contact — what’s the best solution for you?

Fair warning: there is no straight answer. It all depends on your goals, budget, and needs. But we have a way to get that sorted out for you, pinky promise!

Mailchimp versus Constant Contact: The Basics

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll compare Mailchimp vs Constant Contact, looking at their features, pricing, pros and cons, and real-world user reviews. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of which platform is best suited for your business, whether you’re just starting out or looking for advanced tools to power your marketing strategy.

First, let’s start with a quick primer about both solutions.

What Is Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is a cloud-based email marketing platform that began as an email marketing tool and has since evolved into a full-featured marketing automation platform. It was founded in 2001 and quickly gained popularity due to its ease of use and robust set of features. 

Today, Mailchimp offers far more than just email marketing, providing users with tools for social media management, audience segmentation, CRM integration, and even eCommerce support.

Mailchimp has positioned itself as an all-in-one marketing platform that is particularly well-suited to small businesses and startups, though larger organizations also find value in its more advanced features.

Key Features of Mailchimp

• Email campaigns: design and send customized emails using drag-and-drop builders or HTML coding.
• Advanced automation: automate customer journeys, from welcoming new subscribers to post-purchase follow-ups.
• Comprehensive reporting: track campaign performance with detailed analytics, including open rates, click-through rates, and ROI tracking.
• CRM capabilities: segment and target your audience using Mailchimp’s built-in customer relationship management (CRM) tools.
• Multichannel marketing: in addition to email, you can manage social media ads, retargeting ads, and landing pages from within the platform.

Who Should Use Mailchimp? 

Mailchimp is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that need a scalable solution for managing email marketing, automation, and customer engagement. Its extensive range of integrations also makes it suitable for e-commerce businesses that rely on data-driven marketing strategies.

What Is Constant Contact?

Constant Contact is one of the oldest email marketing platforms, established in 1995. Unlike Mailchimp, Constant Contact primarily focuses on email marketing and event management, catering to small and medium-sized businesses that prioritize simplicity and ease of use over advanced features.

While it may not offer the extensive range of features that Mailchimp does, Constant Contact has carved out a niche for itself by providing excellent customer support, user-friendly interfaces, and a variety of email marketing templates.

Key Features of Constant Contact

• Email campaigns: create and manage email campaigns with hundreds of pre-designed templates.
• Event management: unique tools for promoting, managing, and marketing events directly from the platform.
• Surveys and polls: easily gather customer feedback with built-in survey tools.
• List segmentation: organize and segment contacts based on user data, including past interactions and engagement levels.
• Marketing calendar: plan, schedule, and execute email campaigns in a visual calendar format.

Who Should Use Constant Contact? 

Constant Contact is best suited for small businesses and organizations that are new to email marketing or prefer a simpler tool that doesn’t overwhelm users with advanced features. Its event marketing tools make it particularly useful for nonprofits, local organizations, and businesses that host frequent events.

Feature Comparison: Mailchimp vs Constant Contact

Let’s break down the key features both platforms offer and how they stack up against each other.

1. Ease of Use

• Mailchimp: while Mailchimp offers a range of advanced features, it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners. Navigating the platform and finding the right tools requires some learning, but the effort pays off for businesses that want more control over their marketing.
• Constant Contact: Constant Contact shines in its simplicity. Users often praise how easy it is to set up and send their first campaign. Its user interface is clean and intuitive, making it an excellent choice for first-time users or those without much technical expertise.

2. Email Templates

• Mailchimp: Mailchimp offers over 100 customizable email templates, and users can also create custom HTML templates. The drag-and-drop editor allows for extensive customization, but some users report that the editor can be a bit clunky.
• Constant Contact: Constant Contact also provides hundreds of email templates, though they are slightly simpler in design compared to Mailchimp’s. The drag-and-drop editor is straightforward, which is ideal for beginners who don’t want to spend too much time customizing.

3. Automation

• Mailchimp: Mailchimp leads the way in email marketing automation, offering a variety of customizable workflows. Users can automate welcome sequences, abandoned cart emails, re-engagement campaigns, and more. The platform also allows for conditional logic, giving you control over how contacts move through your funnels.
• Constant Contact: while Constant Contact offers some automation, it is much more limited compared to Mailchimp. Automation workflows are more basic, usually limited to welcome emails and simple autoresponders. For businesses that need more sophisticated automation, Mailchimp is the better choice.

4. A/B Testing

• Mailchimp: Mailchimp’s A/B testing tools are robust, allowing users to test subject lines, content, send times, and more. Advanced users can even run multivariate tests to optimize campaign performance.
• Constant Contact: A/B testing in Constant Contact is basic, focusing mostly on subject lines. This limitation can be a drawback for businesses that want to dive deep into performance optimization.

5. List Segmentation

• Mailchimp: Mailchimp excels in list segmentation, offering users the ability to segment based on a wide variety of data points, including past behavior, demographics, and engagement levels. The platform’s CRM integration also makes it easy to track and manage customer data across multiple channels.
• Constant Contact: Constant Contact offers decent list segmentation, but it’s not as advanced as Mailchimp’s. While users can create segments based on engagement, the criteria for segmentation are more limited.

6. CRM Integration

• Mailchimp: Mailchimp comes with built-in CRM tools, making it a more complete marketing platform. This feature is particularly useful for businesses that want to manage both email marketing and customer relationships in one place. Using a different CRM? Check out available integrations for Mailchimp to Salesforce, NetSuite, and others. 
• Constant Contact: Constant Contact doesn’t include a built-in CRM, but it does offer integrations with external CRM platforms. Check out available integrations for Constant Contact and external tools. 

7. Event Marketing

• Mailchimp: Event marketing isn’t a core feature in Mailchimp, though users can create landing pages and forms to promote events. It lacks the built-in tools needed to manage RSVPs, ticketing, and attendee tracking.
• Constant Contact: Constant Contact stands out for its event marketing tools, which allow users to create and promote events, manage registrations, and send event reminders. This makes it an ideal choice for businesses that host frequent events, like nonprofits or local organizations.

8. Analytics and Reporting

• Mailchimp: Mailchimp provides detailed reports on email performance, offering insights into open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and conversion tracking. The platform also integrates with Google Analytics, giving businesses a full picture of how their email campaigns are contributing to website traffic and sales.
• Constant Contact: Constant Contact’s reporting features are more basic, providing standard metrics like open and click rates. While these reports are sufficient for small businesses, those looking for more detailed insights may find the platform lacking compared to Mailchimp.

Feature	Mailchimp	Constant Contact
Ease of use	Intuitive but offers many advanced features	Simple interface, ideal for beginners
Email templates	100+ templates, customizable with drag-and-drop	Hundreds of templates, easy to edit
Automation	Advanced workflows and triggers	Limited automation compared to Mailchimp
A/B testing	Extensive A/B testing options	Basic A/B testing
CRM	Built-in CRM, robust segmentation	No built-in CRM
Event management	Not a core feature	Built-in event management tools
Support	Email & chat support, phone for higher tiers	Phone, email, chat support on all plans

Pricing Comparison: Mailchimp vs Constant Contact

Pricing is often a key factor when choosing between email marketing platforms. Both Mailchimp and Constant Contact offer tiered pricing based on the number of contacts you have, but their pricing models differ significantly in terms of what’s included in each plan.

Mailchimp Pricing

1. Free plan: available for up to 500 contacts, with access to basic features like email campaigns and limited automation.
2. Essentials plan: starts at $13/month for 500 contacts, offering additional features like A/B testing and more templates.
3. Standard Plan: starts at $20/month for 500 contacts, adding advanced automation, behavioral targeting, and advanced analytics. This is ideal for businesses that want to scale their marketing efforts without the high costs of the premium tiers.
4. Premium plan: starts at $350/month for 10,000 contacts, offering multivariate testing, comparative reporting, and advanced segmentation. This plan is best suited for larger enterprises or businesses with complex marketing needs.

Constant Contact Pricing

1. Lite plan: starts at $12/month for up to 500 contacts. This plan includes basic features such as email campaigns, contact management, and limited automation.
2. Standard plan: starts at $35/month and includes basic automation options.
3. Premium plan: starts at $80/month for up to 500 contacts, offering access to more advanced features such as event marketing, surveys, and additional automation capabilities. This plan is designed for businesses looking for more robust marketing tools, especially for those that host events or need surveys.

One of the key differences in pricing between the two platforms is that Mailchimp offers a free tier, which is perfect for startups and small businesses with limited budgets. Constant Contact, on the other hand, does not have a free plan but offers a 30-day free trial to new users.

Mailchimp versus Constant Contact Customer Support: Who Has Your Back?

When it comes to customer support, both Mailchimp and Constant Contact offer various forms of assistance, but there are distinct differences in the quality and accessibility of that support.

• Mailchimp: while Mailchimp offers comprehensive knowledge bases, tutorials, and forums, its live support options are somewhat limited. Free plan users only have access to email support, while paying customers can also access live chat and phone support. Some users have reported slower response times for live support compared to competitors.
• Constant Contact: Constant Contact excels in customer service, offering phone support, live chat, and email support across all of its paid plans. Their support team is highly rated for being knowledgeable, helpful, and readily available. For businesses that may need extra assistance when setting up or troubleshooting, Constant Contact may be the better choice.

Pros and Cons: Mailchimp vs Constant Contact

Mailchimp Pros

1. Free plan: a highly popular option for small businesses just starting out.
2. Advanced automation: perfect for businesses that need customizable workflows.
3. Multichannel marketing: beyond emails, manage social media ads, SMS marketing, and landing pages in one platform.
4. In-depth analytics: offers more detailed reporting compared to Constant Contact.
5. Scalability: as businesses grow, Mailchimp’s robust feature set can accommodate their needs.

Mailchimp Cons

1. Learning curve: the advanced features come with a steeper learning curve.
2. Limited customer support: live support is only available on paid plans, and even then, it’s not as accessible as Constant Contact’s.

Constant Contact Pros

1. Simplicity: easy-to-use platform, making it ideal for beginners.
2. Excellent customer support: high-rated support team, available across all plans.
3. Event marketing tools: unique features that are perfect for organizations hosting events.
4. Surveys and polls: an easy way to gather feedback directly from your audience.

Constant Contact Cons

1. No free plan: lacks a free option for businesses on a tight budget.
2. Limited automation: the automation tools are not as robust as Mailchimp’s.
3. Basic analytics: reporting features are more simplistic, which may not be enough for businesses looking to scale or analyze detailed performance metrics.

Mailchimp and Constant Contact Through the Eyes of Their Customers (G2.com Reviews)

When evaluating software, it’s essential to consider the experiences of real users. G2.com, a popular review platform, offers a wealth of feedback on both Mailchimp and Constant Contact. Here’s what users have to say:

Mailchimp Reviews on G2.com

• Overall rating: 4.3/5 stars from over 15,000 reviews.
• Pros (from users):
  • Users consistently praise Mailchimp for its automation features and flexibility. Many mention how easy it is to set up email sequences and manage contacts.
  • The analytics and reporting features are often mentioned as a significant advantage, providing detailed insights into campaign performance.
  • Mailchimp’s free plan is frequently highlighted as a strong selling point, especially for startups or small businesses.
• Cons (from users):
  • Some users express frustration with the complexity of the platform. As powerful as Mailchimp is, the learning curve can be steep for beginners or non-technical users.
  • Customer support is another common point of criticism, with users on the free plan finding it difficult to get timely assistance.
  • The drag-and-drop email editor, while feature-rich, is often described as “clunky” and not as user-friendly as it could be.

Constant Contact Reviews on G2.com

• Overall rating: 4.2/5 stars from over 6,000 reviews.
• Pros (from users):
  • Constant Contact’s ease of use is consistently praised, particularly by small business owners and nonprofits. The platform’s simplicity makes it easy to set up campaigns quickly.
  • The event marketing tools are a standout feature for many users, especially those who run regular events and need a built-in solution for invitations and RSVPs.
  • Customer support receives high marks, with users commenting on the helpfulness and availability of the support team.
• Cons (from users):
  • Several users note that Constant Contact’s automation features are too basic, limiting their ability to create complex workflows.
  • Pricing is another point of concern, especially since Constant Contact lacks a free plan. Some users feel that they don’t get enough value for the price compared to other platforms like Mailchimp.
  • The platform’s analytics tools are often described as being too simplistic, with many users wishing for more in-depth reporting capabilities.

User Experience: Mailchimp vs Constant Contact

When it comes to user experience, both Mailchimp and Constant Contact have their strengths and weaknesses, depending on your specific needs and level of expertise.

Mailchimp User Experience

Mailchimp’s interface is modern, but its vast feature set can make it overwhelming, especially for new users. The dashboard provides access to all tools, but navigating through settings and features can be challenging without prior experience. 

The drag-and-drop email editor, while feature-packed, can feel clunky at times. However, for users willing to spend time learning, Mailchimp offers an incredibly versatile and powerful platform.

Constant Contact User Experience

In contrast, Constant Contact offers a more streamlined, beginner-friendly experience. Its intuitive interface and step-by-step setup process make it easier to create campaigns quickly.

The drag-and-drop editor is less powerful than Mailchimp’s but far easier to use. Constant Contact’s simplicity is one of its biggest selling points, especially for users who don’t need advanced features or want to avoid a steep learning curve.

How to Choose Between Mailchimp and Constant Contact for Your Business

Choosing between Mailchimp and Constant Contact depends largely on your business needs, marketing goals, and technical expertise.

• If you’re a beginner or have a small business that prioritizes simplicity and top-notch customer support, Constant Contact may be the better option. Its easy-to-use interface, event marketing tools, and excellent support make it a solid choice for businesses that want to hit the ground running with minimal setup.
• On the other hand, if you’re looking for a platform with more advanced features, including robust automation, multichannel marketing, and detailed analytics, Mailchimp is the more powerful option. It’s particularly suitable for businesses that plan to scale their email marketing efforts and need a platform that can grow with them.

Seamless Integration for Mailchimp and Constant Contact with Salesforce, NetSuite, and More

Both Mailchimp and Constant Contact can become even more powerful when integrated with your existing CRM, e-commerce, and marketing automation systems. That’s where we come in.

At SyncApps, we offer seamless integration solutions for both Mailchimp and Constant Contact with platforms like Salesforce, NetSuite, and others. 

By using SyncApps, you can:

• Effortlessly sync customer data
• Automate workflows
• Ensure that your marketing campaigns are backed by real-time insights from your CRM or ERP systems.
• Avoid time-intensive and error-prone manual data migration.
• Gather data-driven insights that you can use to fuel hyper-targeted campaigns
• Align sales and marketing ops

Whether you’re using Mailchimp to manage sophisticated customer journeys or Constant Contact to promote local events, SyncApps ensures that your marketing tools are working together, providing you with a unified view of your customer data.

All with 24/7 support from real humans!

Want to get more out of Constant Contact or Mailchimp? Start here, completely free:

Mailchimp or Constant Contact — Wrapping Things Up

Both Mailchimp and Constant Contact are strong contenders in the email marketing space, but they cater to different audiences. Mailchimp offers advanced features and a broader range of marketing tools, making it ideal for businesses that want to scale. Constant Contact, with its focus on ease of use and event marketing, is perfect for smaller businesses, nonprofits, and organizations that prioritize simplicity.

At the end of the day, the choice between Mailchimp vs Constant Contact comes down to what your business needs most: advanced marketing automation and analytics, or simplicity and excellent customer support. 

And with SyncApps, integrating either platform with your existing systems is easier than ever, ensuring that no matter which tool you choose, you’ll be able to maximize your marketing efforts.

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