How much does Constant Contact cost in 2026?
Constant Contact starts at $12/mo on the Lite plan for up to 500 contacts — the entry price is competitive, but the plan lacks automation and A/B testing which most SMBs need immediately. Standard at $35/mo is the realistic starting point for growing businesses; Premium at $80/mo unlocks advanced automations, dynamic content, and custom reporting. No free plan — only a 30-day free trial without credit card. Contact-based pricing scales aggressively: at 10K contacts, Standard runs $150/mo, versus MailerLite Comfort $75/mo. Constant Contact justifies the premium with 30+ years of small-business ESP experience, best-in-class event marketing (Eventbrite integration), and phone support — rare among ESPs.
All three plans at a glance
Constant Contact organizes its offering into three main tiers plus custom Enterprise arrangements. Prices below are for the entry tier (500 contacts, month-to-month billing, USD). Annual billing offers approximately 10-15% off.
Entry: 500 contacts, 24× contact count in monthly sends. Basic email templates, drag-drop editor, list management, 3 signup forms, Facebook + Instagram post scheduling, chat + email support. Missing: A/B testing, automation flows (only a single welcome message), custom reporting, dynamic content, real ecommerce integrations. Suitable only for very simple newsletter setups. Most SMBs outgrow Lite within 3 months.
Entry: 500 contacts, 12× contact count in monthly sends. Adds pre-built automation templates (abandoned cart, welcome series, birthday), A/B subject line testing, resend to non-openers, hundreds of templates, Canva integration, 40+ Constant Contact integrations. This is the realistic starting point for real SMB email marketing. Phone support included (rare among ESPs at this price point).
Entry: 500 contacts, 24× contact count in monthly sends. Unlocks advanced automations (custom flow builder, multi-branch conditional logic), dynamic content, custom reporting, SEO recommendations, unlimited users, priority support. Worth it for marketing teams (3+ seats) or agencies managing multi-client campaigns. Below 3K contacts, the price premium over Standard is hard to justify unless you specifically need dynamic content.
Starts around 50,000 contacts. Custom pricing, dedicated account manager, priority deliverability support, advanced service-level agreements. Realistic starting point around $500-1,000/mo based on public community reports for 50K-tier accounts.
Hidden costs and pricing gotchas
- No free plan — only a 30-day trial. Unlike MailerLite (Free 250 subs forever), Mailchimp (Free 500 contacts forever), or Brevo (Free 300/day forever), Constant Contact does not offer an indefinite free tier. You get a 30-day trial without credit card, then must upgrade to any paid plan. This makes long-term testing or hobby projects impractical.
- Lite is severely feature-limited. The $12/mo Lite plan lacks A/B testing, automation flows (only a single welcome message), custom reporting, and real ecommerce integrations. Most SMBs need Standard ($35/mo) to actually run marketing — treat the Lite advertised price as misleading and budget for Standard.
- Auto-upgrade at contact tier boundary. Cross your contact tier and Constant Contact bumps you to the next tier at the next billing cycle. If you were at 490 contacts on the 500-cap tier ($12/mo Lite) and imported 20 contacts pushing you to 510, next month bills at the 2,500-contact tier ($40/mo Lite, $52/mo Standard). Delete inactive contacts before the billing cycle closes.
- Non-profit discount requires manual application. Constant Contact offers 20-30% off for verified 501(c)(3) non-profits, but the discount is NOT auto-applied. Apply via support with your non-profit documentation — processing takes 5-7 business days. Missing this discount because you did not know to apply is a common oversight.
- SMS is a separate paid add-on (US only). Constant Contact SMS launched recently and is billed separately from Email plans, US recipients only, per-credit pricing. Bundle discounts vary. If you need email + SMS from one platform, Klaviyo or Brevo bundle the two more cleanly at similar overall cost.
How Constant Contact pricing scales with your contact count
Constant Contact scales pricing primarily by contact count. Here is the monthly bill at each tier for Lite, Standard, and Premium (USD, month-to-month, verified Aug 2026).
| Contacts | Lite monthly | Standard monthly | Premium monthly |
| 500 | $12 | $35 | $80 |
| 1,000 | $30 | $45 | $110 |
| 2,500 | $50 | $70 | $150 |
| 5,000 | $80 | $110 | $200 |
| 10,000 | $120 | $150 | $275 |
| 25,000 | $275 | $310 | $450 |
| 50,000 | Enterprise | Enterprise | Enterprise |
Key inflection: Standard becomes the value plan past 1,000 contacts — the $10-15/mo premium over Lite unlocks automations, A/B testing, and 40+ integrations that Lite lacks. Premium’s $200/mo at 5K contacts is only worth it if you need advanced flow branching and dynamic content. Above 25K contacts, Constant Contact stops being cost-competitive vs MailerLite, Brevo, or Mailchimp.
Quick cost estimator: what will you actually pay?
| Your profile | Contacts | Best plan | Monthly cost | Cheaper alternative |
| Solo local business, first list | <500 | Trial then Standard | $0 (30d) then $35 | MailerLite Free (250 subs forever) |
| Growing local retail / restaurant | 500-2,500 | Standard | $35-70 | MailerLite Comfort ($12-21/mo) |
| Event-driven small business | 2,500-10,000 | Standard or Premium | $70-275 | Constant Contact wins on Eventbrite depth |
| SMB with multi-channel needs | 5,000-25,000 | Premium | $200-450 | Brevo Business (~$65-180/mo) |
| Non-profit organization | 1,000-15,000 | Standard (with 20-30% off) | $35-150 discounted | MailerLite non-profit (30% off) |
| Enterprise / large chain | 50,000+ | Enterprise (custom) | $500-1,000+ | GetResponse MA Enterprise |
Free trial versus free plan
Constant Contact does not offer a permanent free plan — only a time-limited trial.
30-day free trial. No credit card required. Full feature access to Standard plan features during trial period. After 30 days, must upgrade to any paid plan or lose access to your account and contact data. This is more restrictive than MailerLite (Free 250 subs forever) or Mailchimp (Free 500 contacts forever).
Non-profit discount: 20-30% off ongoing for verified 501(c)(3) non-profits. Requires manual application via support with documentation. Processing 5-7 business days. Missing this discount because you did not know to apply is a common oversight.
Pricing versus the top 4 Constant Contact alternatives at 5,000 contacts
| Platform | 5K contacts monthly | Annual discount | Verdict |
| Constant Contact Standard | $110 | 10-15% off annual | Reference — best event marketing depth, phone support included |
| MailerLite Comfort | $39 | 10% off annual | -65%, better automation depth, no event marketing |
| Mailchimp Standard | $75 | None (no annual discount) | -32%, weaker event integration but better cross-channel |
| Brevo Business | $45-65 (send-based) | 10% off annual | -40-60% depending on send frequency, bundles SMTP + transactional |
| ActiveCampaign Plus | $99 | 15% off annual | Similar cost, deeper B2B automation, weaker on retail SMB |
Bottom line at 5K contacts: Constant Contact’s $110/mo Standard is defensible only for event-driven or retail SMBs that value phone support and Eventbrite depth. For pure email marketing without event needs, MailerLite Comfort at $39/mo delivers equivalent automation for 65% less. See our full Constant Contact alternatives comparison.
Discount codes and exclusive deals
- Annual billing discount: 10-15% off Standard and Premium when paying yearly. Auto-applied at checkout.
- Non-profit discount: 20-30% off ongoing after 501(c)(3) verification. Apply via support with documentation. 5-7 business days processing.
- Educational discount: Available case-by-case for accredited educational institutions. Contact sales.
- Multi-year commit: Enterprise contracts (50K+ contacts) can negotiate multi-year commit discounts. Ask account manager.
We do not currently have an exclusive SMTPedia discount code for Constant Contact.
Should you pay for Constant Contact? Decision framework by contact tier
Under 500 contacts
- Try the 30-day trial if you specifically need event marketing (Eventbrite integration) or want phone support. Then upgrade to Standard.
- Skip Constant Contact and use MailerLite Free for most other cases — 250 subscribers free forever with real automation, vs Constant Contact’s paid-only model.
500 to 5,000 contacts
- Pay for Constant Contact Standard ($35-110/mo) if you host events regularly (Eventbrite depth), value phone support, or run a retail/restaurant SMB where Constant Contact’s UI is well-designed for.
- Skip Constant Contact for cost sensitivity. MailerLite Comfort at 5K contacts costs $39/mo vs Constant Contact $110/mo — a 65% delta with equivalent automation.
5,000 to 25,000 contacts
- Pay for Constant Contact Standard or Premium if event marketing or phone support are critical.
- Consider Premium at 10K+ contacts only if you need advanced flow branching or dynamic content. Otherwise Standard suffices.
- Consider a switch to MailerLite or Brevo if you have no event marketing needs — cost savings compound at this scale.
25,000+ contacts
- Negotiate Enterprise pricing above 50K contacts. Custom pricing, dedicated account manager, priority deliverability. Ask about multi-year commit discounts.
- Skip Constant Contact for cost-optimized scale. GetResponse Marketing Automation or ActiveCampaign Enterprise deliver equivalent automation at significantly lower cost above 25K contacts.
Constant Contact pricing FAQ
Is Constant Contact free in 2026?
No permanent free plan. Only a 30-day free trial without credit card. After 30 days, must upgrade to any paid plan (Lite $12/mo, Standard $35/mo, Premium $80/mo) or lose account access. More restrictive than MailerLite (Free 250 subs forever) or Mailchimp (Free 500 contacts forever).
How much does Constant Contact cost at 10,000 contacts?
Standard at 10K = $150/mo. Premium at 10K = $275/mo. Lite at 10K = $120/mo but Lite lacks automations and A/B testing so most SMBs need Standard. Compare to MailerLite Comfort at 10K ($75/mo) or Brevo Business (~$65-100/mo).
Does Constant Contact offer an annual billing discount?
Yes, 10-15% off Standard and Premium when paying yearly. Auto-applied at checkout. Similar to MailerLite (10%) and ActiveCampaign (15%) but less generous than some annual discounts elsewhere.
What is the difference between Lite, Standard, and Premium?
Lite ($12/mo entry) has basic email + drag-drop editor + list management but NO automations (only a single welcome email), NO A/B testing, NO custom reporting. Standard ($35/mo entry) adds pre-built automations, A/B testing, 40+ integrations, phone support, hundreds of templates. Premium ($80/mo entry) adds advanced flow branching, dynamic content, custom reporting, SEO recommendations, unlimited users, priority support. Standard is the realistic starting point for actual marketing.
What happens if I exceed my Constant Contact contact limit?
Automatic upgrade to the next contact tier at the next billing cycle, without confirmation email. Delete inactive contacts before the cycle closes to avoid the auto-upgrade. Unlike MailerLite where subscribers-only count, Constant Contact counts all contacts regardless of engagement status.
Is there a Constant Contact nonprofit discount?
Yes, 20-30% off ongoing for verified 501(c)(3) non-profits. NOT auto-applied — you must apply via support with your non-profit documentation. Processing 5-7 business days. Missing this discount because you did not know to apply is a common oversight.
Can I get a refund from Constant Contact?
Yes. Constant Contact offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first paid billing. Contact support within 30 days to request a full refund. Beyond 30 days, refunds are handled case-by-case.
This review follows our email infrastructure testing methodology. We disclose affiliate relationships in our editorial independence policy.
