Constant Contact vs MailerLite (2026)
By Noahlast updated
Constant Contact
Constant ContactEmail marketing platform for small businesses, with tiered plans priced by contact list size.
- Pricing
- From $12/mo
- License
- Paid
Best for small businesses and nonprofits under a few thousand contacts who want phone support and an all-in-one email, social, and landing-page tool
MailerLite
MailerLiteAn email marketing and website-building platform with a free plan up to 250 subscribers and paid plans starting at $12/month, used by over 1 million businesses and creators.
- Pricing
- Free tier · paid from $12/mo
- License
- Freemium
Best for creators and small businesses that want an easy-to-use email marketing platform with a genuinely usable free tier before paying for more subscribers or automations
Which should you choose?
Choose Constant Contact if…
wins 2/5 use cases
- You want phone support on every paid tier, including the $12/month Lite plan
- You want social media posting in the same tool as your email campaigns
- You want SEO tools and custom reporting in one plan (Premium, from $80/month at 500 contacts)
- You can prepay a year and want the larger annual discount: up to 15% off, such as Lite at $10.20/month
- You need A/B testing and list segmentation at a published price ($35/month for Standard at 500 contacts)
Choose MailerLite if…
wins 3/5 use cases
- You want a permanently free plan with up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, and 3 automations
- You want the cheaper top self-serve plan: MailerLite Power from $25/month versus Constant Contact Premium from $80/month
- You need a website builder and digital-product sales, such as ebooks, in the same tool as your email
- You want an AI writing assistant for campaign copy, included from $12/month on the Comfort plan
- You connect email to WordPress, Shopify, or Zapier through MailerLite's 100+ integrations
Constant Contact vs MailerLite: feature comparison
| Feature | Constant Contact | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Yesfrom $12/mo (Lite, 500 contacts) | Yesfree plan; paid from $12/mo (Comfort) |
| Free tier | Noshort trial only | Yesup to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month |
| Top self-serve tier | Yesfrom $80/mo (Premium, 500 contacts) | Yesfrom $25/mo (Power) |
| Annual billing discount | Yesup to 15% when prepaying 12 months (Lite $10.20/mo) | Yes10% on annual billing |
| Platforms | Yesweb, iOS, Android | Yesweb, iOS, Android |
| Support | Yesphone support on every paid tier, including Lite | Partial24/7 live chat from $25/mo (Power); limited on lower tiers |
| Automation | Partialone welcome automation on Lite; pre-built from $35/mo (Standard); advanced paths on Premium | Yes3 on Free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power |
| A/B testing and segmentation | Yesfrom $35/mo (Standard) | Partialsegmentation less advanced than ActiveCampaign; A/B testing not listed |
| Landing pages and website builder | Partiallanding pages from Lite; website builder not listed | Yeswebsite builder and landing pages, 1 of each on Free |
| Social media posting | Yesincluded from Lite | Unknown |
| SEO tools | Yesfrom $80/mo (Premium) | Unknown |
| Digital product sales | Unknown | Yes5 products on Comfort, unlimited on Power |
| AI writing assistant | Unknown | Yesfrom $12/mo (Comfort) |
| Integrations | Unknown | Yes100+, including WordPress, Shopify, and Zapier |
| External rating (Capterra) | Yes4.3/5 from 2,942 reviews | Yes4.7/5 from 2,322 reviews |
Constant Contact vs MailerLite: pricing
Every tier both tools publish, as we last checked them — not just the entry price.
Constant Contact
- LiteBase rate at 500 contacts; basic email campaigns, one welcome automation, social marketing, and landing pages. Scales up with list size; drops to $10.20/month if paid annually.$12/mo
- StandardBase rate at 500 contacts; adds A/B testing, segmentation, pre-built automations, and drill-down reporting. Drops to $29.75/month if paid annually.$35/mo
- PremiumBase rate at 500 contacts; adds advanced automation, custom reporting, and SEO tools. Drops to $68/month if paid annually. Prices for all tiers rise with contact list size, reported up to $425/month at 25,000 contacts.$80/mo
MailerLite
- FreeUp to 250 active subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, 2 user seats, 3 automations, 1 website and 1 landing page, 3 signup forms, 100+ integrations.Free
- ComfortStarting price for the lowest subscriber tier, billed monthly (10% discount available on annual billing); 3 user seats, monthly emails at 10x the subscriber ceiling, unlimited templates, 50 automations, 10 websites/landing pages, 5 digital products, AI writing assistant.$12/mo
- PowerStarting price for the lowest subscriber tier, billed monthly (10% discount available on annual billing); unlimited subscribers, emails, user seats, automations, forms, and digital products, plus 24/7 live chat support.$25/mo
- EnterpriseCustom pricing for 200,000+ subscribers; dedicated success manager, custom sending volume, unlimited seats, dedicated IP add-on, account audits, deliverability support.Custom
Constant Contact vs MailerLite pricing: which costs less?
MailerLite costs less, with a permanently free plan for up to 250 subscribers and a top self-serve Power plan from $25/month, while Constant Contact has no free plan and charges $12, $35, and $80/month for Lite, Standard, and Premium at 500 contacts.
Both price by list size, so costs rise as a list grows. Constant Contact's prices are reported as high as $425/month at 25,000 contacts, and Constant Contact reviewers most often cite those steep increases as a complaint. Constant Contact does have the bigger prepay discount: paying 12 months upfront cuts up to 15%, bringing Lite to $10.20/month, Standard to $29.75/month, and Premium to $68/month. MailerLite takes 10% off for annual billing. MailerLite also gives every new account a 14-day trial of premium features, while Constant Contact offers only a short trial before billing starts.
Which has better support, Constant Contact or MailerLite?
Constant Contact has better support on cheap plans, because phone support is included on every paid tier from the $12/month Lite plan, while MailerLite reserves 24/7 live chat for its Power plan from $25/month.
MailerLite's lower tiers have more limited support access, and its dedicated success manager and deliverability support sit on the custom-quoted Enterprise tier for 200,000+ subscribers. Constant Contact's record is not spotless: its Trustpilot reviews skew lower than its Capterra rating, with recurring complaints about cancellation friction and auto-renewal billing.
Which has more features, Constant Contact or MailerLite?
MailerLite bundles more tools per plan, adding a website builder, digital-product sales, an AI writing assistant, and 100+ integrations, while Constant Contact adds social posting and, on Premium, SEO tools and custom reporting.
Automation limits are clearer on MailerLite: 3 automations on Free, 50 on Comfort, and unlimited on Power. Constant Contact Lite includes only one welcome automation, with pre-built automations on Standard at $35/month and advanced automation paths on Premium at $80/month, both at 500 contacts. Constant Contact puts A/B testing and segmentation on Standard. MailerLite's automation and segmentation are described as less advanced than dedicated marketing-automation platforms like ActiveCampaign.
Which is easier to use, Constant Contact or MailerLite?
Both Constant Contact and MailerLite carry a low learning curve rating, and MailerLite has the higher Capterra score at 4.7/5 from 2,322 reviews against Constant Contact's 4.3/5 from 2,942 reviews.
Strengths and weaknesses
Constant Contact
Pros
- Phone support included on every paid tier, not gated to the top plan.
- Combines email, social posting, landing pages, and automation in one product.
- 12-month prepay discount cuts effective monthly price by up to 15%.
- 4.3/5 rating from nearly 3,000 Capterra reviews reflects a large, established user base.
Cons
- No permanently free plan; only a short trial before billing starts.
- Price scales steeply with contact list size, reported as high as $425/month at 25,000 contacts.
- Trustpilot reviews skew lower than Capterra, with recurring complaints about cancellation friction and auto-renewal billing.
- Basic Lite tier lacks A/B testing and segmentation, which are standard even on entry tiers at some competitors.
MailerLite
Pros
- Free plan supports up to 250 subscribers with real automation and landing-page features, not just a trial.
- Paid tiers start at $12/month, generally undercutting larger platforms like HubSpot or ActiveCampaign at comparable subscriber counts.
- Bundles email, landing pages, website building, and digital-product sales in one product rather than requiring separate tools.
- 100+ integrations including WordPress, Shopify, and Zapier.
Cons
- Pricing scales with subscriber count, so costs rise as a list grows even without needing more advanced features.
- Deliverability tooling like dedicated IPs and account audits is limited to the custom-quoted Enterprise tier.
- Automation and segmentation capabilities are less advanced than dedicated marketing-automation platforms like ActiveCampaign.
- 24/7 live chat support is reserved for the Power plan; lower tiers have more limited support access.
Which fits your use case?
| Use case | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo creator or side project under 250 subscribers | MailerLite | MailerLite Free covers up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, and 3 automations at no cost; Constant Contact has no free plan. |
| Small business owner who wants to call support when a campaign breaks | Constant Contact | Constant Contact includes phone support on every paid tier from the $12/month Lite plan; MailerLite's 24/7 live chat starts on the $25/month Power plan. |
| Creator selling ebooks or other digital products to subscribers | MailerLite | MailerLite sells digital products directly, 5 on Comfort and unlimited on Power; Constant Contact's listing has no digital-product sales. |
| Business that wants email and social posting in one tool | Constant Contact | Constant Contact includes social posting from the Lite plan; MailerLite's listing does not mention social posting. |
| Growing list where the monthly bill matters most | MailerLite | MailerLite Power starts at $25/month against $80/month for Constant Contact Premium at 500 contacts, and Constant Contact is reported as high as $425/month at 25,000 contacts. |
Neither a match?
Both lists carry verified pricing and honest weaknesses for every option.
Popular comparisons
Constant Contact vs MailerLite: migration FAQ
Should I use Constant Contact or MailerLite?
- Use Constant Contact if phone support on every paid plan and built-in social posting matter most. Use MailerLite if you want a free plan for up to 250 subscribers and lower paid prices, with Power from $25/month against Constant Contact Premium from $80/month.
Is Constant Contact cheaper than MailerLite?
- No — Constant Contact has no free plan and starts at $12/month (Lite, 500 contacts), while MailerLite is free up to 250 subscribers and its paid plans start at $12/month (Comfort). At the top self-serve tier, MailerLite Power starts at $25/month and Constant Contact Premium at $80/month.
Can MailerLite replace Constant Contact?
- Yes for most small businesses, since MailerLite covers campaigns, automation, landing pages, and a website builder at lower prices. MailerLite is a weaker fit if you rely on phone support on a low-cost plan or on social posting, both of which Constant Contact includes from Lite.
Does Constant Contact have a free plan?
- No — Constant Contact offers only a short trial before billing starts. MailerLite's Free plan is permanent and covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month.
Which has better reviews, Constant Contact or MailerLite?
- MailerLite rates higher on Capterra at 4.7/5 from 2,322 reviews, against Constant Contact's 4.3/5 from 2,942 reviews. Constant Contact reviewers most often cite steep price increases as lists grow and occasional billing or cancellation friction.