Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: Which Email Platform Is Right for Your Organization?

Mailchimp and Constant Contact are the two most recognized names in email marketing. When someone decides to "get serious" about newsletters, they usually end up asking: Mailchimp or Constant Contact?

Most comparison articles focus on which SaaS platform is better. But for WordPress users, especially nonprofits and professional associations, the real question might be whether you need either.

Let me give you both: the head-to-head comparison you're looking for, and the perspective on when WordPress-native alternatives or different approaches make more sense.

Mailchimp vs Constant Contact: Quick Comparison

Pricing: The Real Numbers

Pricing is typically the first question, so let's address it directly.

Mailchimp Pricing

Important: Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts toward billing (since 2019). If you've been building lists for years, you're paying for people who can't receive your emails.

Constant Contact Pricing

Important: Constant Contact includes monthly sending limits at each tier. If you're a frequent sender, check these limits.

Nonprofit Discounts Compared

For a nonprofit with 10,000 contacts:

Mailchimp Standard with 15% discount: ~$115/month ($1,380/year) Constant Contact Standard with 30% discount: ~$77/month ($924/year annual prepay)

The annual savings for Constant Contact are meaningful if you're comfortable with prepayment.

Automation: Where They Diverge

This is where the platforms differ most significantly.

Mailchimp's Automation

Mailchimp has invested heavily in automation:

• 100+ pre-built automations
• Customer journey builder with branching logic
• Behavioral triggers based on site activity
• Predictive segmentation
• Advanced if/then logic

The automation builder is visual and allows for sophisticated sequences. If you're planning behavior-triggered campaigns, Mailchimp offers more depth.

Constant Contact's Automation

Constant Contact's automation is more basic:

• Welcome emails
• Birthday and anniversary emails
• Resend to non-openers
• Anniversary automations

For newsletters and simple welcome sequences, this is sufficient. For complex marketing automation, it's limiting.

The Reality Check:

Before assuming you need sophisticated automation, ask what you're actually planning to do.

"If you're doing a commercial campaign, you're doing email marketing to get services and products in front of as many people as possible. Lots of segmentation for sales targeting. Flash. Driving traffic that turns into transactions."

"If you're doing nonprofit or association email, you're doing communications for the sake of communications and proving value to people. Regular, consistent, less flashy communications. You're not looking for immediate traffic spikes."

Many organizations pay for advanced automation they never use. If you're sending monthly newsletters and occasional event reminders, Constant Contact's simpler approach might be exactly what you need.

Support: A Genuine Differentiator

Here's where Constant Contact genuinely stands out: phone support at all pricing tiers.

This is increasingly rare in SaaS. Most platforms, including Mailchimp, limit phone support to enterprise tiers or eliminate it.

For organizations with limited technical staff who value being able to call someone when something goes wrong, this matters.

Constant Contact has built its reputation on customer support and onboarding. If your team prefers phone conversations to email tickets and documentation, the higher price may be justified.

Mailchimp's support is chat- and email-based, except at the Premium tier. The quality is generally good, but it's not the same as being able to pick up the phone.

Templates and Design

Mailchimp: Modern and Sophisticated

• 100+ templates
• Modern, clean design aesthetic
• Strong customization in the builder
• Better for brands wanting polished, contemporary looks

Constant Contact: More Options, Traditional Style

• 200+ templates
• More templates, but some feel dated
• Easier for beginners
• Better for those prioritizing the quantity of options

If brand appearance matters (and for organizations that have invested in branding, it does), Mailchimp's templates tend to look more contemporary.

WordPress Integration

Both platforms integrate with WordPress, but through different approaches.

Mailchimp WordPress Integration

Mailchimp deprecated its official WordPress plugin. The ecosystem now relies on third-party solutions:

• MC4WP (Mailchimp for WordPress): The most popular option, free, well-maintained
• Form plugin integrations: WPForms, Ninja Forms, Gravity Forms
• WooCommerce integration: Official, handles ecommerce data sync

The third-party plugin ecosystem works well, but it's fragmented. If something goes wrong, you're troubleshooting between Mailchimp and a plugin developer.

Constant Contact WordPress Integration

Constant Contact maintains an official plugin:

• Constant Contact Forms: Official plugin for signup forms
• WPForms: Built into free version
• WP Fusion: For bidirectional sync

We've seen clients report connection drops requiring reconnection every few months. Not catastrophic, but worth knowing about.

Integration Quality Reality

Here's something the feature comparisons don't tell you:

Both integrations "work." Neither is seamless.

"We work with some large companies and associations that have literally spent a ton of money on their branding and their brand strategy. To have a third-party link with wrong fonts or wrong colors, even though they seem like minor details, doesn't really fly."

For these clients, we often end up doing API integrations regardless of which platform they choose. "For those situations, you're going to want to make sure that all forms and everything are matching exactly to the brand, and that's where it gets a little bit more complicated."

The "integration" ratings are about whether connection is possible, not whether the out-of-the-box styling matches your brand.

Event Marketing: Constant Contact's Advantage

If your organization runs events (meetings, conferences, webinars), Constant Contact has a built-in advantage.

Their event marketing features are native to the platform:

• Event registration pages
• RSVP tracking
• Event reminders
• Post-event follow-ups

Mailchimp can do events through integrations, but it's not built in.

For professional associations that run regular conferences and networking events, this integration matters.

Deliverability

Both platforms maintain good deliverability through:

• IP reputation management
• Bounce handling
• Unsubscribe management
• Authentication guidance (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

Constant Contact claims 97% deliverability. Mailchimp doesn't publish specific numbers but is generally well-regarded.

Neither will guarantee your emails land in inboxes. Deliverability depends as much on your list hygiene and sending practices as on platform infrastructure.

The Spam Button Problem

Here's one of the most frustrating things we see: members don't know the difference between removing a message and marking it as spam.

An association sends event reminders every few days. A member has zero interest. Instead of clicking unsubscribe, they click "spam."

What they don't realize is that they've hurt your deliverability score. By marking it as spam, they've hurt your ability to send to other people.

The three keys to good deliverability:

1. Organized lists
2. Relevant content to the right segments
3. Reasonable sending rate

This matters more than which platform you choose.

When Mailchimp Is the Right Choice

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You need sophisticated automation
• Modern design aesthetic matters
• You're comfortable with email/chat support
• You want a free tier to start
• WordPress integration via MC4WP is acceptable
• You're planning to grow into advanced features

We typically recommend Mailchimp as our default. Why? Integration flexibility.

They offer widgets, plugins, and a relatively robust API. Their API is incredibly well-documented. We can meet client challenges, wishes, and budget at almost any level with that one platform.

When Constant Contact Is the Right Choice

Choose Constant Contact if:

• Phone support is important
• Event marketing is core to your operation
• Simpler automation is sufficient
• Your team prefers guided onboarding
• You're comfortable with prepayment for a better nonprofit discount

For organizations that prioritize support and accessibility over advanced features, Constant Contact is genuinely the better fit.

When Neither Is the Right Answer

Here's the perspective most comparison articles miss.

Consider WordPress-native alternatives if:

• Budget is the primary constraint
• You have very simple needs
• Data ownership matters
• You're deeply WordPress-centric

MailPoet runs inside WordPress with no external platform. For small organizations with straightforward newsletter needs, it's worth considering.

Consider you've outgrown both if:

• You need true marketing automation
• Behavioral triggers are essential
• CRM integration is required
• You're hitting platform limitations

ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, or enterprise solutions like Iterable become relevant when you've outgrown newsletter tools that added marketing features.

The Realistic Recommendation

When clients ask me to compare Mailchimp vs Constant Contact, I ask different questions:

What are your automation needs?

• Complex sequences: Mailchimp
• Simple newsletters: Either works

How important is support?

• Phone support critical: Constant Contact
• Self-service acceptable: Mailchimp

Do you run events?

• Event-heavy: Constant Contact
• Occasional or none: Either works

What's your WordPress integration complexity?

• Need custom branding: Expect API work regardless
• Basic forms acceptable: Either works

What's your budget?

• Tight budget, need free tier: Mailchimp
• Can prepay for a discount: Constant Contact might be cheaper

In the Constant Contact vs Mailchimp debate, we recommend Mailchimp for most of our clients. But "most" isn't "all." Some organizations genuinely benefit from Constant Contact's support model and event features.

The platform matters less than what you do with it. Organized lists, relevant content, and reasonable sending frequency determine success more than which logo is on your email dashboard.

For a deeper understanding of how these platforms integrate with WordPress and why external services typically outperform native solutions, see our guide to WordPress email marketing. If you need help integrating Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or any email platform with your WordPress site, our website support services handle implementations at every complexity level.