When deciding which email marketing to use, you might think they're all the same. The email marketing software industry is fiercely competitive. Rushing through comparisons can make you miss critical differences in features that could impact your decision. Consider tips when comparing key elements to help you decide whether Constant Contact vs. MailChimp suits your business.
Constant Contact vs Mailchimp Overview Founded in 1995, Constant Contact is a popular marketing tool made to help small businesses formulate effective marketing strategies. With 600,000+ customers, Constant Contact helps its users create websites, online stores, branded email marketing campaigns, and more.
Constant Contact has almost 600,000 customers, and its software provides various tools, including eCommerce, SEO, and logo design. The platform continuously improves its services to help small business owners simplify complex marketing tasks and achieve better results.
Mailchimp began as a bootstrapped side project in 2001 and has now evolved into an email marketing service with over 12 million customers and counting. Likewise, the company has expanded to a complete marketing platform for creating landing pages, automation, social media scheduling, and more.
Pricing Comparison Both Constant Contact and Mailchimp offer several pricing plans and discounts for nonprofits. At first, Mailchimp is a better deal than Constant Contact, but that depends on the number of emails you send and your list size.
Mailchimp pricing Mailchimp offers a free plan that includes a few essential tools. The free option lets you send 10,000 emails monthly to a list of up to 2,000 people.
Remember that the Mailchimp rates above are based on a limited number of contacts and emails sent per month. For example, their Standard plan costs $10 monthly for 6,000 emails and up to 500 contacts. The same plan jumps to $175 monthly for 60,000 emails and 5,000 contacts.
Constant Contact pricing Constant Contact has a free 60-day trial for any plan, except Pro, for up to 100 contacts. Although 100 contacts may seem small, you can send unlimited emails and test drive all of the platform's features, such as A/B testing subject lines and email tracking.
Like Mailchimp, prices vary according to list size. However, every Constant Contact plan includes unlimited emails, which can change which email marketing software has the pricing advantage for your business. Remember, being tied to a certain amount of monthly emails can restrict your growth.
However, the cost depends on your needs. Mailchimp might be cheaper starting out, but Constant Contact can be more affordable for larger lists. Focus on features you need first, then compare pricing.
Integrations You can turn an email marketing tool into a marketing hub by connecting the email marketing software to your existing business apps. This saves you from bouncing back and forth between tools to see what's happening with each customer and the business.
Integrating apps can also automate workflows, enabling you to respond to customers faster and take some repetitive tasks off your plate. For example, you could connect an email marketing tool to your booking tool so that when customers book an event from your website, they're automatically added to the appropriate email series that prepares them for the event and follows up afterward.
Here are some of the integration options with Mailchimp:
Mailchimp offers 294 integrations from analytics and point of sale to developer tools. Constant Contact provides 349 integrations. Although both email marketing software offer various popular integrations, it's worth verifying they can connect with the tools you're using or plan to use as your business grows.
Need to win back shoppers who leave items in their carts? Many email tools connect with Shopify to send automated "abandoned cart" emails. But be careful! Mailchimp doesn't integrate with Shopify, while Constant Contact does.
Reporting and Analytics Constant Contact and Mailchimp provide all the fundamental analytics such as open, deliverability, and bounce rates. Each offers a well-rounded list of reports that include other areas of marketing, such as social media and website analytics.
In the end, Mailchimp provides more reports. They are laid out in a way that's easy to understand so you can determine what your next marketing step should be.
Constant Contact reports include:
Engagement Campaign comparison Click-tracking heat map (to see how much each link was clicked compared to others in the same email) Click segmentation Mobile, open rate Website statistics eCommerce statistics Mailchimp reports include:
Email campaign Automation Landing page Click Map Industry comparison Sales tracking Ads Technical Support Both Constant Contact and Mailchimp offer a variety of support channels. Still, one platform may be better than the other depending on how you like to get your support—talking to an actual human or looking up the answers yourself.
Constant Contact provides live chat and phone support Monday through Friday, from roughly 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST. If you have questions outside those hours, check out their community site, knowledge center, video tutorials, YouTube channel, and blog articles.
Mailchimp offers 24/7 email and phone support for paid customers only. You can only access email and phone support for the first 30 days if you're on the free plan. After that, you must rely on their knowledge base and blog articles.
Conclusion While both Constant Contact and Mailchimp offer automation, marketing features, and reporting, they have different strengths. Picking the right one depends on your specific needs.
A platform that integrates with user's existing marketing tools or offers features tailored to your industry could save you time. Don't worry, switching is possible! But focusing on the right fit initially can save you a headache.
The key takeaway: Get started building your email list , but take some time to research which platform best suits your business goals.
