Mailchimp vs Constant Contact Pricing: The Band Is the Comparison

Mailchimp vs Constant Contact pricing is usually compared as $13 against $12 — and that comparison misses the band tables that lift a 2,500-contact bill to $45 on one side and $63.75 on the other, and the discount rules that treat a 9,000-contact list and a 12,000-contact list completely differently. Run your list through our free Mailchimp vs Constant Contact Cost Calculator: on 2,500 contacts at Essentials vs Standard, annual billing, Mailchimp costs $540 in year 1 and Constant Contact costs $765 — but at 12,000 contacts Mailchimp Standard costs $195.50 a month (15% off $230) against Constant Contact Premium at $276.25, and at 500 contacts the smallest paid comparison flips to Constant Contact Lite at $10.20 against Mailchimp Essentials at $13.

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Why Plan Prices Lie

Mailchimp Essentials lists from $13 a month; Constant Contact Lite from $12. A plan-price comparison reports a $1 gap and stops there. But $13 buys a band (0–500 contacts) and $12 buys a different band (0–500 contacts on a different table): at 2,500 contacts Mailchimp Essentials bills $45 while Constant Contact Standard bills $63.75, and at 2,501 contacts both bills jump a tier — Mailchimp to $75, Constant Contact to $93.50. The band table, not the starting price, is the line to check — and it is invisible in every $13-vs-$12 headline.

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Mailchimp's Pricing, Line by Line

Mailchimp on monthly list prices, November 2026, by contact band: 0–500 Essentials $13, Standard $20, Premium $350; 501–1,500 $26.50/$45/$350; 1,501–2,500 $45/$60/$350; 2,501–5,000 $75/$100/$350; 5,001–10,000 $110/$135/$350; 10,001–15,000 $180/$230/$465; 15,001–20,000 $230/$285/$535; 20,001–25,000 $270/$310/$620. Annual billing discounts those rates by 15% only at 10,000+ contacts — below that, annual costs the monthly rate × 12. Free fits 250 contacts with 500 sends a month and 1 seat. Mailchimp's strength is its band granularity at small lists; its weakness is the discount cliff — a 9,999-contact list gets no annual discount and a 10,001-contact list gets 15% off.

Constant Contact's Pricing, Line by Line

Constant Contact on annual $/mo (billed annually, 15% off monthly at all bands), November 2026: 0–500 Lite $10.20, Standard $29.75, Premium $68.00; 501–1,000 $21.25/$46.75/$93.50; 1,001–2,500 $34.00/$63.75/$127.50; 2,501–5,000 $51.00/$93.50/$170.00; 5,001–10,000 $76.50/$136.00/$233.75; 10,001–15,000 $102.00/$178.50/$276.25; 15,001–20,000 $127.50/$221.00/$318.75; 20,001–25,000 $153.00/$263.50/$361.25. Monthly billing is the annual rate / 0.85 (at 0–500: Lite $12, Standard $35, Premium $80). There is no permanent free plan — a 60-day trial at 100 contacts only. Constant Contact's strength is a real annual discount at every band; its weakness is that its Standard band rate runs higher than Mailchimp Essentials at most list sizes, so the discount often fails to close the gap.

The Contact-Band Table

The table every buyer should check before signing, Essentials vs Standard on annual billing: 500 contacts → Mailchimp $13 (or Free, which does not fit 500) vs Constant Contact $29.75; 1,000 → $26.50 vs $46.75; 2,500 → $45 vs $63.75; 5,000 → $75 vs $93.50; 10,000 → $110 vs $136; 15,000 → $180 vs $178.50 (Constant Contact wins by $1.50 — the one band where Standard undercuts Essentials); 20,000 → $230 vs $221 (Constant Contact wins by $9); 25,000 → $270 vs $263.50 (Constant Contact wins by $6.50). The story flips at the top: Mailchimp wins the small and mid bands, Constant Contact wins the 15,000+ Essentials-vs-Standard bands — and the Standard-vs-Premium comparison at 12,000 contacts ($195.50 vs $276.25) is a different pair entirely. Compare the same tier, not the same plan name.

The 10,000-Contact Discount Threshold

Mailchimp's 15% annual discount starts at 10,000 contacts, and the threshold is worth real money: a 12,000-contact Standard list costs $195.50 a month annual against $230 monthly — $414 a year saved by the discount alone. A 9,000-contact list gets no discount at all ($135 Standard, annual or monthly). If your list sits near 10,000, the discount is a reason to count contacts carefully: growing from 9,900 to 10,001 contacts moves Standard from $135 to $195.50 (a new band) but unlocks the 15% rate — the net bill rises, but the per-contact cost falls. Constant Contact has no threshold — its 15% applies at every band, so its annual-vs-monthly gap exists even at 500 contacts ($29.75 vs $35 on Standard).

Hidden Costs Beyond the Subscription

Neither column includes send overages, dedicated IPs, or enterprise quotes — those sit on higher tiers or separate quotes. The page's 15%-off first-12-months figures at 5,001+ bands (for example Essentials $93.50 at 5,001–10,000) are a promotion, not the standing annual rule, and this comparison does not use them — a buyer who budgets the promo rate past month 12 will under-budget year 2. Both vendors run promos, so the rates here are list prices, not your negotiated quote. The most expensive Mailchimp mistake is budgeting the 15% discount below 10,000 contacts; the most expensive Constant Contact mistake is budgeting the trial as a free plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mailchimp or Constant Contact cheaper? Mailchimp, at the defaults: 2,500 contacts, Essentials vs Standard are $45 against $63.75 a month, $540 against $765 in year 1. How does Mailchimp's annual discount work? 15% off monthly, only at 10,000+ contacts — below that, annual costs the monthly rate × 12. How does Constant Contact's annual discount work? 15% off at every band, so monthly is always annual / 0.85. Does Mailchimp Free fit my list? Only up to 250 contacts; at 500 the fitting path is Essentials at $13. Does Constant Contact have a free plan? No — a 60-day trial at 100 contacts only. What happens past 25,000 contacts? The band tables end there; both vendors price larger lists by quote, not by extrapolating this comparison. Verify at checkout before signing.