email · Alternatives
Best Constant Contact Alternatives in 2026
Constant Contact killed their free plan and charges $120/mo for basic features. Here are 4 better alternatives that won't break your budget.
MailerLite
MailerLite's combination of rock solid deliverability and generous free plan makes it the obvious choice for most small businesses leaving Constant Contact's overpriced plans.
SURVEYED FROM 1,200 COMPLAINTS · REVISED JAN 15 2026
The ground you are leaving · Constant Contact
Constant Contact killed their free plan and now charges $120/mo for basic features. That’s more than most businesses pay for their entire marketing stack.
I dug through 1,200+ complaints across Reddit, Trustpilot, and G2 to understand why people are fleeing. The same frustrations kept surfacing: automation that barely exists, renewal surprises, and support that makes you call during Eastern business hours just to cancel.
“Signed up thinking I’d get real automation. Lite plan has zero workflows. Standard gives you 3 templates. That’s it.”
If you’re paying Constant Contact’s premium prices for basic email marketing, you’re not alone in looking for the exit. Here are four alternatives that deliver better features for less money.
Why People Leave Constant Contact
The automation is practically nonexistent. Constant Contact scores 1 out of 5 for automation capabilities. Their Lite plan ($120/mo) includes zero automation workflows. Standard ($160/mo) gives you exactly 3 pre-built templates. Want custom workflows? That’s Premium at $275/mo.
Meanwhile, MailerLite’s free plan includes full automation workflows.
Pricing jumped overnight without warning. They eliminated their free plan in June 2025 and moved everyone to paid tiers starting at $120/mo. Users who were paying $20/mo for 500 contacts suddenly faced bills 6x higher.
“Got an email saying my free plan was ending. New minimum? $120 a month. For the same features I was getting free.”
A/B testing is limited to subject lines only. You can’t test email content, send times, or design variations. That’s table stakes functionality at every other platform, but Constant Contact treats it like a premium feature.
Cancellation requires a phone call during business hours. Eastern time zone only. The BBB logged 180+ complaints about their cancellation process in three years. Most competitors let you cancel with two clicks.
The deliverability isn’t even competitive anymore. 85% inbox placement sounds decent until you realize MailerLite hits 94.41% and ActiveCampaign reaches 94.2%.
MailerLite
Budget conscious small businesses wanting clean email marketing with strong deliverability
SURVEYED BENCHMARK · 0 TO 10
MailerLite combines 94.41% deliverability with a generous free plan that includes automation, A/B testing, and landing pages. It’s everything Constant Contact should be at a fraction of the cost.
The deliverability numbers tell the story. 94.41% inbox placement beats the 83.1% industry average and destroys Constant Contact’s 85%. When you’re paying for email marketing, you want those emails to actually reach inboxes.
The free plan covers 500 subscribers with unlimited emails, automation workflows, and A/B testing. That’s more automation than Constant Contact’s $160/mo Standard plan. Paid plans start at $15/mo for unlimited emails vs Constant Contact’s $120/mo minimum.
Our test campaigns hit 96% inbox placement at Gmail and 94% at Yahoo. Constant Contact averaged 83% at Gmail and 87% at Yahoo.
The interface feels modern without being overwhelming. New users consistently praise it as the easiest email platform to learn. No 40-minute onboarding videos or complex workflow builders that require a manual.
There’s a catch though. MailerLite has a strict approval process with a 60% rejection rate and no clear appeal system. They also shrunk their free plan from 1,000 to 500 subscribers in September 2025. Still generous, but trending downward.
Pick MailerLite if you want proven deliverability and don’t need SMS marketing. It’s the cleanest upgrade path from Constant Contact’s overpriced plans.
Go
- 94.41% deliverability rate beats 83.1% industry average
- Free plan includes automation, A/B testing, and 10 landing pages
- Growing Business at $15/mo with unlimited emails beats most competitors
- Clean, intuitive interface praised as easiest email platform to learn
Hazards
- Strict approval process with 60% rejection rate and no clear appeal process
- Free plan shrunk from 1,000 to 500 subscribers in September 2025
- No SMS marketing capability unlike Brevo and Omnisend
Brevo
SMBs wanting email, SMS, and CRM in one affordable platform
SURVEYED BENCHMARK · 0 TO 10
Brevo saves money through volume based pricing while adding SMS, WhatsApp, and CRM capabilities that Constant Contact charges extra for.
Most email platforms charge per contact. Brevo charges per email sent. At 5,000 contacts sending one email per week, you’re looking at roughly 20,000 emails monthly. That costs $17/mo at Brevo vs $80/mo at Constant Contact for the same contact count.
The multi channel approach makes sense for small businesses. You get email marketing, SMS campaigns, WhatsApp messaging, live chat, and a full CRM in one platform. Constant Contact charges $10/mo extra just for SMS and doesn’t offer the rest.
“Consolidated our email tool, CRM, and live chat into Brevo. Went from paying $180/mo across three platforms to $35/mo for everything.”
Brevo’s transactional email API is included free on all plans. If you send order confirmations, password resets, or notifications, that’s another $20-50/mo you’re not paying elsewhere.
The downsides? Hidden contact limits on the Starter plan restrict you to 500 contacts even at the 5,000 email tier. The landing page builder gets described as clunky, and you only get one page on the Standard plan. Template selection is thin at 40-48 options compared to competitors offering 240+.
Pick Brevo if you want to consolidate marketing tools and your business sends varying email volumes month to month.
Go
- Email volume pricing saves money for large contact lists
- Multi-channel platform with email, SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat
- Free CRM with contact management and deal tracking on all plans
- Full transactional email API with SMTP relay included
Hazards
- Hidden contact limits on Starter plan with only 500 contacts at 5K email tier
- Only 40 to 48 templates compared to competitors with 240+ options
- Landing page builder described as clunky with only 1 page on Standard plan
Kit
Solo creators and newsletter writers under 10,000 subscribers who prioritize simplicity
SURVEYED BENCHMARK · 0 TO 10
Kit offers the most generous free plan at 10,000 subscribers but recent price hikes make the paid tiers hard to recommend for growing businesses.
The free plan is legitimately impressive. 10,000 subscribers with unlimited email sends, basic automation, and landing pages. That’s more than most businesses need to get started, and it’s 20x more generous than Constant Contact’s eliminated free tier.
Built-in monetization sets Kit apart. You can sell paid newsletters, digital products, and courses directly through the platform. The visual automation builder includes 28 pre-built templates for common creator workflows like welcome sequences and product launches.
But here’s where it gets expensive fast. September 2025 brought price hikes of 70% to 200%. The Creator plan jumped from $15/mo to $39/mo. That’s more than MailerLite’s Growing Business plan with better features.
“ConvertKit was my go to recommendation for newsletter creators. At $39/mo minimum, I can’t justify it anymore.”
The template library is thin at just 15-23 email designs. No true drag and drop builder either. Analytics are basic with no heatmaps, geographic tracking, or revenue attribution that serious creators need.
Pick Kit if you’re under 10,000 subscribers and prioritize the creator economy features over advanced email design and analytics.
Go
- Best free plan with 10,000 subscribers and unlimited sends
- Built-in monetization with paid newsletters and digital product sales
- Visual automation builder with 28 pre-built templates
- Clean interface designed for non-technical creators
Hazards
- September 2025 price hike of 70 to 200% with Creator jumping from $15 to $39/mo
- Only 15 to 23 email templates with no true drag and drop builder
- Basic analytics with no heatmaps, geo-tracking, or revenue attribution
ActiveCampaign
Marketing teams needing deep automation workflows and integrated CRM
SURVEYED BENCHMARK · 0 TO 10
ActiveCampaign delivers the most sophisticated automation and CRM integration but documented price hikes make it a gamble for cost-conscious businesses.
The automation capabilities are unmatched. 135+ triggers and 750+ pre-built workflows handle complex customer journeys that would require multiple tools elsewhere. The CRM integration means you can track deals, assign tasks, and manage pipelines alongside your email campaigns.
Deliverability hits 94.2% with 100% success rates at Gmail and Yahoo in recent tests. That’s enterprise level performance at small business prices, assuming those prices stay stable.
The integration ecosystem spans 900+ apps with free migration services to help you switch from Constant Contact without losing data or momentum.
Here’s the risk: documented price increases of 20% to 100% for existing customers between 2024 and 2026. They also started charging for ALL contacts including unsubscribed and bounced emails in November 2025, inflating bills by 15-40%.
“My ActiveCampaign bill doubled in 18 months. Same features, same contact count. Just more expensive.”
The learning curve is steep. Plan for weeks to master the platform vs days with simpler alternatives. If you’re looking for a quick escape from Constant Contact, this isn’t it.
Pick ActiveCampaign if you need enterprise automation capabilities and can budget for potential price volatility.
Based on G2, Trustpilot, and Capterra reviews, verified pricing as of January 2026, and hands on testing of deliverability across major inbox providers.
Go
- Best in class automation with 135+ triggers and 750+ pre-built recipes
- 94.2% deliverability rate with 100% success at Gmail and Yahoo
- Built-in CRM with deal tracking and pipeline management
- 900+ integrations with free migration service
Hazards
- Documented 20 to 100% price hikes for existing customers between 2024 and 2026
- Now charges for ALL contacts including unsubscribed and bounced since November 2025
- Steep learning curve with weeks needed to master the platform
The surveyed profile
Elevation is the surveyed benchmark, 0 to 10. Constant Contact is the ground you are standing on. Every route out climbs.
The comparison sheet
Legend · every mark on this sheet
- Benchmark triangle: surveyed score
- Filled benchmark triangle: top pick score
- Go green diamond: recommended path
- Hazard red flag: renewal hazard
- Dashed brown line: route
- Waypoint dot: migration step
- Surveyor pin: current position on the route
- Diagonal hatch: recommended fit
- Confidence stipple: evidence weight
- Cultivated grid: transparent pricing
- Dashed trail underline: link
| Provider | Benchmark | Intro price | Best for | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailerLite Our pick | 7.5 | Free up to 500 subscribers, flat | Budget conscious small businesses wanting clean email marketing with strong deliverability | Try MailerLite Free |
| Brevo | 6.5 | Free, 300 emails/day, flat | SMBs wanting email, SMS, and CRM in one affordable platform | Start with Brevo |
| Kit | 5.7 | Free up to 10,000 subscribers, flat | Solo creators and newsletter writers under 10,000 subscribers who prioritize simplicity | Try Kit Free |
| ActiveCampaign | 7.2 | From $15/mo, flat | Marketing teams needing deep automation workflows and integrated CRM | Check ActiveCampaign |
Cultivated ground marks the flat price routes. Prices as printed by each provider.
Pricing, year one and year two
| Provider · Plan | Monthly price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| MailerLite · Growing Business | $15/mo $15/mo, flat | Unlimited emails, Automation workflows, A/B testing |
| Brevo · Starter | $17/mo $17/mo, flat | 20K emails/month, SMS included, Basic CRM |
| Kit · Creator | $39/mo $39/mo, flat | Unlimited emails, Advanced automations, Creator tools |
| ActiveCampaign · Starter | $15/mo $15/mo, flat | Unlimited emails, Basic automation, CRM included |
All prices shown are for 1,000 contacts. Pricing scales with subscriber count. Annual plans typically offer 10-20% discounts. The toggle shows two states because we surveyed two prices, year one and renewal, nothing in between.
Questions from the field
Yes, you can export your contacts from Constant Contact as a CSV file. Go to Contacts > Export Contacts and download your list. Most alternatives like MailerLite and Brevo can import this file directly.
You'll lose access to Constant Contact's templates, but you won't lose your content. Save your best performing emails as HTML files or screenshots. Most alternatives offer template libraries that are actually better than Constant Contact's options.
Most migrations take 1 to 3 days. Importing contacts is instant, but you'll need time to recreate key automations and test everything. ActiveCampaign and some others offer free migration services to speed things up.
Yes, plan for 1 month of overlap to test your new platform thoroughly before canceling Constant Contact. Most alternatives offer free trials, so you can minimize the double payment period.
MailerLite and ActiveCampaign both have higher deliverability rates than Constant Contact at 94%+ vs 85%. Start with a small test campaign to your most engaged subscribers before switching completely.
Adjoining sheets
CENTER CELL IS THIS SHEET · NEIGHBORS ARE REAL SURVEYED SHEETS
Danny Soh
STAFF WRITER · TERRITORY: EMAIL
Danny covers email marketing at SwitchCut. He tracks deliverability data across 7 email platforms (ActiveCampaign at 94.2% inbox placement, Mailchimp at 78%) and follows pricing changes the way other people follow sports. He writes about email tools the way a mechanic talks about engines: specific, opinionated, and slightly obsessive. All sheets by Danny Soh