Constant Contact

• Best for: Small businesses, local services, nonprofits, and solo founders sending their first campaigns.
• Standout feature: 24/7 live phone support and a 60-day free trial — almost unheard of in 2026.
• Pricing: Three tiers starting around $12/month for the Lite plan (verify current pricing on the site).
• Watch out for: Higher entry price than Mailchimp or Brevo, and a contact-based pricing model that scales up fast.
• Bottom line: Buy if you want guidance and templates; skip if you need deep automation or a free forever plan.

What is Constant Contact?

Constant Contact is one of the original email marketing services, founded in 1995 in Waltham, Massachusetts, and now used by more than 600,000 small businesses, nonprofits, and creators worldwide. The company went public on NASDAQ under the ticker CTCT in 2007, and was acquired in 2016 by Endurance International Group — now operating as Newfold Digital — a private company that also owns Bluehost, HostGator, and Web.com.

While the SaaS email marketing space has exploded with newer tools like ConvertKit, Brevo, and MailerLite, Constant Contact has doubled down on its original thesis: most customers are not marketers. They are bakers, plumbers, yoga teachers, and PTA organizers who need to send a newsletter, fill a class, or sell tickets to a fundraiser. Every screen, template, and onboarding email is built for that person.

That focus is the product. The trade-off is a higher price and fewer deep automation features than competitors like ActiveCampaign. Whether that is the right trade depends entirely on who is logging in.

Key features in 2026

Constant Contact's feature set has expanded well beyond email in the last few years. Here is what you actually get in 2026.

Constant Contact pricing in 2026

Constant Contact uses a contact-based pricing model in three tiers, billed monthly or with a discount when prepaid. The company is upfront that prices have shifted several times in the last two years, so the figures below should be treated as a starting point — always confirm on the pricing page before you buy.

The three main tiers are roughly:

• Lite — email marketing, signup forms, basic templates, and the AI subject line tool. Best for senders under 500 contacts.
• Core — adds marketing automation, A/B testing, surveys, and the social posting scheduler. The most popular tier.
• Premium — adds advanced segmentation, dynamic content, deliverability tools, and dedicated support. Geared toward senders with 5,000+ contacts.

The 60-day free trial is the headline offer. It is one of the longest in the industry and, historically, requires a credit card to activate. After the trial you can downgrade to a free plan, but free plan features are limited to a small list size — most users upgrade within the first month.

Constant Contact vs the alternatives

Constant Contact rarely wins on raw feature count. It wins on getting a beginner from zero to a sent, delivered, opened campaign without a tutorial video. Here is how it stacks up against the most common 2026 alternatives.

How to start a Constant Contact account

1. Go to constantcontact.com

   Click "Get Started" or "Start Free Trial" to land on the sign-up flow. You can also call the sales line directly — an actual human will walk you through the plans.

2. Enter your business basics

   Constant Contact asks what kind of business you run, your list size, and your main goal (sell, inform, register attendees). These answers personalize the dashboard.

3. Import or build your contact list

   Upload a CSV, connect a CRM, or use a signup form. Lists over 500 contacts will likely push you to the Core tier — worth knowing upfront.

4. Pick a template and send your first campaign

   Use the AI subject line tool and the drag-and-drop editor to assemble a first email. The dashboard shows a recommended-send time based on your audience.

5. Decide whether to upgrade before day 60

   Set a calendar reminder for the end of the trial. Cancel inside the dashboard to avoid being charged, or pick a plan if you want to keep automation, surveys, and event tools.

Who should — and shouldn't — use Constant Contact

Final verdict

Constant Contact is not the cheapest, the flashiest, or the most technically advanced email marketing platform. It does not have to be. It has carved out a durable niche as the platform you can hand to a non-technical owner and walk away from, knowing that the next 60 days will produce a sent, delivered, opened campaign without a single support ticket.

If you are a beginner, run a small business, organize events, or run a nonprofit, that is exactly the trade you want. The 60-day free trial removes the risk, the phone support removes the panic, and the AI subject line and copy tools have closed most of the gap with younger competitors.

If you are an experienced marketer who needs deep automation, lead scoring, and aggressive pricing, look at ActiveCampaign or Brevo instead. For everyone else, Constant Contact remains a confident Buy in 2026.