Constant Contact Pricing: Sweet Spot Analysis

I’ve been analyzing email marketing platforms for years, and Constant Contact has always intrigued me with its approach to pricing. While most competitors try to upsell you at every turn, Constant Contact seems to have found that sweet spot between affordability and genuine functionality.

What really caught my attention? Their surprisingly generous free plan. Unlike the “free trials” that barely let you do anything useful, Constant Contact actually gives you room to breathe with 1,000 subscribers and a whopping 12,000 emails per month without spending a dime. That’s practically unheard of in this space.

The paid plans don’t disappoint either. Starting at just $9 monthly, you’ll get access to AI-powered tools like subject line generators – features that companies like Mailchimp and Campaign Monitor typically lock behind their premium tiers. Even their entry-level plan includes multi-user access and approval workflows, which, trust me, you usually have to pay top dollar for elsewhere.

Oh, and they throw in 24/7 email support right from the get-go. When was the last time you got actual human support on an entry-level plan?

Let’s break down what you’re really getting for your money.

Constant Contact Pricing at a Glance

Here’s the quick version if you’re short on time:

• Free Plan: $0/month – Supports 1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails/month. Includes basic features plus those AI tools everyone’s talking about.
• Lite Plan: $9/month – Covers 500 contacts with 10x monthly email sends (that’s 5,000 emails for 500 contacts). Includes AI tools, multi-user access for small teams, and 24/7 support when things go sideways.
• Standard Plan: $35/month – Same 500 contacts but bumps you to 12x monthly email sends. Adds A/B testing and those handy approval workflows that save you from embarrassing email blunders.

Premium Plan: $80/month – Still starts at 500 contacts but with unlimited email sends. Unlocks advanced automation, dynamic content, and SEO tools for the serious marketers among us.

Monthly Pricing Based on Your Contact List Size 

Note: For contact lists exceeding 50,000, Constant Contact offers custom pricing. It’s recommended to contact their sales team for detailed information.

​What I’ve learned About Their Pricing Structure

• The pricing scales pretty reasonably as your list grows. I’ve seen competitors that double or even triple your costs with minimal contact increases, which isn’t the case here.
• Each tier genuinely adds features worth paying for – they’re not just charging more for the same service as your contact list expands.
• If you’re running an enterprise-level operation (75,000+ contacts), you’ll get a custom solution. In my experience, this can be hit or miss depending on your negotiation skills, but at least they’re willing to have the conversation.

Feature Comparison Across Monthly Plans

Deep Dive: What Each Plan Actually Offers

Free Plan: Better Than Most Paid Starter Plans

I’ve tried dozens of “free” email marketing plans, and most of them are practically useless – either they cap you at 100 contacts or slap enormous branding on your emails. Constant Contact’s free plan is genuinely different.

With room for 1,000 contacts and 12,000 monthly emails, you can actually run real campaigns without spending a cent. They’ve even thrown in those AI content and subject line generators that everyone’s raving about these days. The drag-and-drop builder isn’t some stripped-down version either – it’s surprisingly capable.

This plan makes perfect sense for solo creators just getting started, nonprofits on tight budgets, or small businesses testing the email marketing waters. You’ll get basic list management, branded templates, and even landing page creation tools – all for free.

But let’s be honest about the limitations:

• You’re stuck with just one user account (no team collaboration)
• No A/B testing for optimizing your campaigns
• The automation is pretty basic – just welcome emails and simple sequences
• Reporting is minimal – you’ll get opens and clicks but not much more
• When you need help, you’re limited to community forums (no live support)

I’d say the Free Plan is perfect for getting your feet wet, but you’ll feel the constraints once you start getting serious about your email strategy.

Lite Plan: The Sweet Spot for Growing Businesses

At $9/month, the Lite Plan is where Constant Contact starts to shine. This plan supports 500+ contacts and allows 10x email sends each month based on your list size. What I particularly appreciate is that they’ve included multi-user access – up to 3 team members can collaborate on campaigns, which is rare at this price point.

The 24/7 email and live chat support is a game-changer when you’re rushing to fix an email before it goes out. And they’ve kept those AI content tools available even at this tier, which has saved me countless hours of staring at blank screens.

You’ll also get:

• Custom branding options
• Basic contact segmentation
• Signup forms that don’t look like they were designed in 2005
• Mobile-friendly templates that actually work across devices

The limitations aren’t deal-breakers for most small businesses:

• You can’t run A/B tests yet
• There’s no approval workflow (problematic for larger teams)
• Automation is still pretty basic – no complex customer journeys
• Segmentation won’t let you get super-granular
• The reporting won’t blow your mind with insights

I’ve found the Lite Plan hits the sweet spot for small businesses that need more than a hobbyist tool but aren’t ready for enterprise pricing.

Standard Plan: Where Marketing Teams Start Getting Serious

The $35/month Standard Plan is where Constant Contact starts feeling like a proper marketing platform. The email send limit jumps to 12x your contact count, which gives you more flexibility for frequent sending.

What I really value at this tier is the introduction of A/B testing for subject lines and content. If you’re not testing your emails, you’re basically throwing darts blindfolded, so this feature alone can justify the price jump.

The approval workflows are another standout feature – they’ve saved me from countless embarrassing typos and broken links. For marketing teams with multiple people touching the same campaigns, this feature is invaluable.

You’ll also notice:

• More sophisticated automation based on user behavior
• Better segmentation tools for targeting specific audiences
• Enhanced reporting that actually helps you improve your strategy
• Phone support when chat just isn’t cutting it

But there are still some missing pieces:

• No multivariate testing yet (testing multiple elements simultaneously)
• Dynamic content isn’t available (personalizing content blocks based on user data)
• Predictive insights remain locked away
• Phone support is standard-tier, not priority
• SMS marketing costs extra

In my experience, the Standard Plan works brilliantly for small to mid-sized businesses with dedicated marketing resources who want to optimize their email performance without breaking the bank.

Premium Plan: For Those Who Take Email Marketing Seriously

At $80/month, the Premium Plan isn’t cheap – but it delivers capabilities that serious marketers will appreciate. The unlimited email sends immediately remove any concerns about frequency caps, allowing you to communicate as often as your strategy requires.

The multivariate testing is a major upgrade, letting you test multiple elements simultaneously to find the perfect combination. The dynamic content capabilities open up sophisticated personalization opportunities that can dramatically improve engagement.

I’ve been particularly impressed by:

• The advanced segmentation tools that let you slice and dice your audience with surgical precision
• Branching logic in automation workflows for creating truly personalized customer journeys
• SEO tools that help your landing pages perform better in search results
• Priority support that actually feels prioritized
• Included SMS marketing for omnichannel outreach

The downsides are fewer but still worth noting:

• The price point is a significant jump from Standard
• There’s a learning curve with the advanced features
• SMS setup requires some manual configuration
• The predictive insights need sufficient data volume to be useful
• It lacks some advanced CRM features you might expect at this price

The Premium Plan makes the most sense for established marketing teams running sophisticated campaigns where incremental improvements in performance translate to meaningful revenue gains.

Constant Contact SMS Pricing Breakdown

Email isn’t the only game in town anymore, and Constant Contact has added SMS marketing to their toolkit. Here’s how the pricing breaks down:

A few important notes about their SMS offering:

• They’re not transparent about overage costs, which is frustrating. I’ve reached out to support about this multiple times and received vague answers.
• No MMS support is a bummer – you can’t send images or media, just text.
• Each plan comes with a dedicated phone number, which helps with brand consistency.
• The availability is limited to the U.S. right now, which excludes international businesses.
• There’s no information about unused credits rolling over – my guess is they don’t, but you’d need to confirm with Constant Contact directly.

In my testing, the SMS integration works well enough, but it’s clearly not their core focus. If text message marketing is central to your strategy, you might want to look at dedicated SMS platforms alongside Constant Contact.

About author

Emily Austin

Author

Sender

Emily is a content manager who has dipped her toes in almost all fields of marketing, including email marketing, PR, social media, and ecommerce. She loves perfecting digital content, ensuring everything is polished and ready to go live.