Constant Contact Vs Mailchimp: Which Newsletter Provider Is Best?

Email is still one of the most effective ways to stay in touch with customers. You have full control over your database and can reach customers directly with news or sales offers. When you choose a newsletter platform, you have to consider both cost and functionality. Constant Contact vs Mailchimp is one of the most common comparisons. Which of the two works best for small business owners?

Statista estimates around 347.3 billion emails are sent and received every day around the globe. By 2026, the number will reach 392 billion. How professional your emails look depends upon how you send your mails, if you’re consistent and what type of template you use. Here is how the two providers compare with each other.

1. Templates

Constant Contact vs Mailchimp when it comes to templates has a clear winner. One thing about Mailchimp’s free account is that it is extremely limited in the number of templates available. They’ve not been upgraded in years and adding in your own custom templates takes a bit of coding knowledge.

Constant Contact wins in this category because they offer a simple drag-and-drop option to build out your newsletter template and make it look professional. Their templates are also mobile-friendly. Around 41% of emails are opened via mobile devices, so responsiveness is crucial. 

2. Analytics

If you want in-depth analysis of your open rate, which links users click on and other details, Mailchimp wins the race in the Constant Contact vs Mailchimp matchup. You can tap into the power of Google analytics to improve the results of your email marketing campaigns over time. 

Mailchimp also lets you conduct A/B testing so you can see which features your users respond best to. Perhaps moving a new arrival to the top of the newsletter gives you better results. Keep tweaking and trying things until you get the open rates and conversions you want. 

3. Customer Support

It’s hard to verify whether Constant Contact vs Mailchimp is best in this category. Those who’ve used Mailchimp for years swear by it and say the customer experience is stellar. People who like Constant Contact scream it is the better option. 

The truth is likely somewhere in the middle, with customer support being adequate for both providers. Mailchimp may lack for new users with free accounts. The first 30 days, you can only email them and you’ll have to wait for a response. When one lands on the Constant Contact homepage, a live chat feature pings and you can instantly talk to an agent to get answers. 

4. Prices

Let’s talk about Constant Contact vs Mailchimp prices to see what is the better value for most users. The pricing structure is a bit different for the two. 

Constant Contact

Source: https://www.constantcontact.com/pricing

Constant Contact offers three tiers of pricing. The Lite plan starts at $12 per month with one user and one GB storage. The cost varies, based on how many subscribers you have. The next plan up is Standard, which adds in segmentation tools and automation for $35 per month to start and 10 GB storage. The Premium plan runs $80 per month for the lowest tier of subscribers and gives you unlimited users and 25 GB storage. 

Mailchimp

Source: https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/

Mailchimp offers four options for packages. They have a package that is always free until you hit a certain number of subscribers or total emails sent. The three paid tiers are: 

• Essentials: Starts at $13 per month 
• Standard: Starts at $20 per month 
• Premium: Start at $350 per month

All of the paid packages come with email scheduling, ability to remove Mailchimp branding and A/B testing. Essentials and Standard packages offer a one month free trial. 

5. Event Integration

If your brand hosts any type of customer event, you will appreciate Constant Contact’s event integration features. You can even send automated reminders about the event to registrants. 

One example might be a local family farm that grows pumpkins in the fall and has pumpkin decorating or paint classes. You can offer a link to register and then send confirmation emails and reminders all from the Constant Contact platform. 

Utilizing automated tools that reach out to your customers frees up your time and ensures no client falls through the cracks. 

6. Features

When it comes to the number of features, it’s harder to compare Constant Contact vs Mailchimp. If you’re looking for something intuitive and easy to use, Constant Contact has fewer features to master. On the other hand, if you want extensive split testing options and other features, Mailchimp may have a sharper learning curve but offers things you won’t get from the other provider. 

Some of the features Mailchimp has that Constant Contact doesn’t include:

• Segment customers based on preferences
• More templates in pro packages
• A/B testing of up to three variations
• Lower price point

The two platforms have a slightly different feel but do share some features. Both allow you to automated email drips, for example. 

7. Delivery Rates

Hubspot looked at the delivery rates for Constant Contact. They found around 98% of emails sent through the provider arrived compared to only 77% of regular emails. The site shares some additional testing and figures that still show delivery rates fairly high for Constant Compact compared to other options. 

Constant Contact vs Mailchimp seems to point to CC being the better choice in this instance. 

Constant Contact Vs Mailchimp: Which Is Right for You?

It’s a good idea to try out both providers and see which one you like the most. Even a feature-rich newsletter service isn’t going to work well if you have a hard time figuring it out. 

Send a few test emails and pay attention to the features you use most frequently. Which ones can you live without? Deciding between CC and Mailchimp takes time and attention to detail.