Free Mailchimp vs Constant Contact Cost Calculator

Last updated: November 4, 2026

Quick answer: Mailchimp and Constant Contact look like a $13-against-$12 comparison — until the contact bands change the answer: Mailchimp bills your whole audience in bands and discounts annual billing by 15% only once you pass 10,000 contacts, while Constant Contact bills bands too but discounts annual billing by 15% at every band, so the same list can cost $45 or $63.75 a month depending on which vendor's band table you land in. A 2,500-contact list pays $45 a month on Mailchimp Essentials against $63.75 on Constant Contact Standard — but a 12,000-contact list pays $195.50 on Mailchimp Standard (annual, 15% off $230) against $276.25 on Constant Contact Premium. This free Mailchimp vs Constant Contact cost calculator prices both on your contacts and your plans over year 1 and 3 years. On the defaults (2,500 contacts, Essentials vs Standard, annual billing, 10% yearly growth), Mailchimp costs $45 a month, $540 in year 1 while Constant Contact costs $63.75 a month, $765 in year 1 — an $18.75 monthly gap, $225 a year, $669 over 3 years with growth. Everything runs in your browser; your list size stays private.

Contacts in your audience

Mailchimp plan

Constant Contact plan

Billing

Annual contacts growth (%)

Annual list prices, November 2026, verified on the official pricing pages. Mailchimp monthly "starts at" 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 is 15% off monthly ONLY at 10,000+ contacts (Standard/Premium; the page also shows 15% figures for Essentials at 10,000+), so below 10,000 contacts the annual total is the monthly rate × 12 with no discount. The page also shows 15%-off first-12-months figures at 5,001+ bands (for example Essentials $93.50 at 5,001–10,000) — those are a first-year promotion, noted here only, never used in the math. Mailchimp Free fits 250 contacts (500 sends a month, 1 seat). Constant Contact annual $/mo (billed annually, 15% off monthly at all bands): 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 on Constant Contact is the annual rate / 0.85 (at 0–500: Lite $12, Standard $35, Premium $80). Constant Contact has no permanent free plan — a 60-day trial at 100 contacts only. Worked checks: defaults (2,500 contacts, Essentials vs Standard, annual, 10% growth) — Mailchimp $45 a month, $540 year 1, $2,340 over 3 years (bands $45, then $75, then $75 as the list grows to 2,750 and 3,025); Constant Contact $63.75 a month, $765 year 1, $3,009 over 3 years (bands $63.75, then $93.50, then $93.50). 12,000 contacts, Standard vs Premium, annual — Mailchimp $230 × 0.85 = $195.50 a month against Constant Contact $276.25. 500 contacts, Free vs Lite, annual — Mailchimp Free does not fit 500 contacts, so the main table shows $0 against $10.20 and the warning gives the fitting path: Essentials at $13 a month. 2,500 contacts, Essentials vs Standard, monthly — $45 against $63.75 / 0.85 = $75. 9,000 contacts, Essentials vs Lite, annual, 10% growth — Mailchimp $110 a month, $1,320 year 1, $4,476 over 3 years (bands $110, $110, then $153 at 10,890 contacts with the 15% rule applied); Constant Contact $76.50 a month, $918 year 1, $3,060 over 3 years. Input caps at 25,000 contacts because the band tables end there; growth years past 25,000 hold the top band and are flagged, not quoted as a vendor price. Verify at checkout before signing.

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See the full breakdown

Your result shows the monthly gap and the 3-year totals — the guide explains both band tables, Mailchimp's 10,000-contact discount rule, and the free-plan asymmetry.

Mailchimp vs Constant Contact Pricing: Contact Bands Compared (2026) →

How to Use the Mailchimp vs Constant Contact Cost Calculator

Enter your contacts — everyone in your audience, including unsubscribed contacts Mailchimp still counts. Both vendors bill bands, so the exact count matters less than which band edge you sit on: 2,500 and 2,501 contacts bill different Mailchimp bands.
Pick your Mailchimp plan — Free ($0, fits 250 contacts), Essentials, Standard or Premium. The band rate is the monthly list price; annual billing discounts it by 15% only at 10,000+ contacts, so below that threshold annual and monthly cost the same per month.
Pick your Constant Contact plan — Lite, Standard or Premium. Constant Contact discounts annual billing by 15% at every band, so its monthly-billing price is always the annual rate divided by 0.85 — at 0–500 contacts, Standard is $29.75 annual against $35 monthly.
Pick billing (annual or monthly) and annual contacts growth (default 10%). Growth re-applies both band tables every year, so a list that starts at 9,000 contacts crosses Mailchimp's 10,000-contact discount threshold in year 3.
Press Compare total cost. Read the band line before the totals: if your list sits just past a band edge, trimming or growing it by a few contacts can move the whole bill a tier.

Why Use Our Mailchimp vs Constant Contact Cost Calculator?

Mailchimp's 15% rule is the comparison — annual billing discounts Mailchimp by 15% only at 10,000+ contacts: a 12,000-contact Standard list costs $195.50 a month annual (15% off $230) but $230 monthly, while a 2,500-contact Essentials list costs $45 either way. Any comparison that applies 15% off at every list size understates Mailchimp's small-list bill.
Constant Contact discounts at every band — its annual rates are 15% off monthly at all bands, so the annual-vs-monthly gap exists even at 500 contacts: Lite $10.20 annual against $12 monthly, Standard $29.75 against $35, Premium $68 against $80. At small lists, Constant Contact's annual discount is real while Mailchimp's is not — yet Constant Contact still costs more at the defaults ($63.75 vs $45) because its Standard band rate is higher.
Band edges decide the bill — Mailchimp's bands break at 500, 1,500, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000 contacts; Constant Contact's break at 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000. A 2,500-contact list bills Mailchimp Essentials at $45 and Constant Contact Standard at $63.75; at 2,501 contacts Mailchimp jumps to $75 while Constant Contact jumps to $93.50 — the gap stays near $18.50–$18.75, but both bills jump a full tier on a single contact. Check your exact count against both tables.
Free is not symmetric — Mailchimp Free fits 250 contacts with 500 sends a month and 1 seat, so a 200-contact list pays $0 on Mailchimp while Constant Contact has no free plan at all (a 60-day trial at 100 contacts, then a paid band). A 500-contact list already exceeds Mailchimp Free, and its fitting path is Essentials at $13 a month against Constant Contact Lite at $10.20 — Constant Contact wins the smallest paid comparison.
November 2026 list prices, both vendors — Mailchimp band rates with the 10,000-contact annual rule; Constant Contact annual band rates with monthly = annual / 0.85, annual billing. First-12-months promotional figures are noted in copy only and never used in the math. Verify at checkout.

Common Use Cases

A 2,500-contact list on Essentials vs Standard, annual, 10% growth: Mailchimp $45 against Constant Contact $63.75 a month; year 1 $540 against $765; 3 years $2,340 against $3,009. Mailchimp wins by $669 over 3 years, and the gap grows as the list crosses into the 2,501–5,000 band.
A 12,000-contact list on Standard vs Premium, annual: Mailchimp $195.50 (15% off $230) against Constant Contact $276.25 a month; year 1 $2,346 against $3,315. Mailchimp's discount threshold is doing the work here — below 10,000 contacts the same Standard plan gets no discount.
A 500-contact list on Free vs Lite, annual: Mailchimp Free does not fit 500 contacts, so the honest comparison is Essentials $13 against Lite $10.20 a month — Constant Contact wins the smallest paid comparison by $2.80 a month.

Mailchimp vs Constant Contact Cost Calculator vs Alternatives

Default monthly: Mailchimp Essentials $45 against Constant Contact Standard $63.75 (2,500 contacts, annual).
Annual discount rule: Mailchimp: 15% off only at 10,000+ contacts. Constant Contact: 15% off at every band (monthly = annual / 0.85).
The flip: At 12,000 contacts Mailchimp Standard is $195.50 (discounted) against Constant Contact Premium $276.25; at 500 contacts Constant Contact Lite $10.20 beats Mailchimp Essentials $13.
Free tiers: Mailchimp Free $0 fits 250 contacts (500 sends/mo, 1 seat). Constant Contact has no free plan — 60-day trial at 100 contacts only.
Not priced: First-12-months promotional figures, send overages, and dedicated IPs — noted in copy, never guessed into the math.

The honest summary: Mailchimp wins the mid-size annual comparison ($45 vs $63.75 at 2,500 contacts) and the large-list comparison once its 15% threshold kicks in ($195.50 vs $276.25 at 12,000 contacts), while Constant Contact wins the smallest paid comparison ($10.20 vs $13 at 500 contacts) and offers a real annual discount at every band where Mailchimp offers none below 10,000. The deciding factors in order: your exact contact count against both band tables, whether you bill annually, and whether your list sits above or below Mailchimp's 10,000-contact discount threshold. Buy Mailchimp for band value at 2,500+ contacts, Constant Contact for the small-list annual price; price the band your list actually sits in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mailchimp or Constant Contact cheaper?

Mailchimp, at the default comparison: 2,500 contacts, Essentials vs Standard, annual billing are $45 against $63.75 a month, $540 against $765 in year 1, $2,340 against $3,009 over 3 years with 10% growth. But at 12,000 contacts the same logic gives Mailchimp Standard $195.50 (15% off $230) against Constant Contact Premium $276.25 — and at 500 contacts the smallest paid comparison flips: Mailchimp Essentials $13 against Constant Contact Lite $10.20.

How does Mailchimp's 15% annual discount work?

Only at 10,000+ contacts: the monthly list rate is discounted by 15% on annual billing (Standard at 10,001–15,000 drops from $230 to $195.50). Below 10,000 contacts there is no distinct annual rate, so annual billing costs the monthly rate × 12. The 15%-off first-12-months figures shown at 5,001+ bands are a promotion, not the standing annual rule, and this calculator does not use them.

How does Constant Contact's annual discount work?

At every band: the annual $/mo rate is 15% off the monthly rate, so monthly billing is always annual / 0.85. At 0–500 contacts Lite is $10.20 annual against $12 monthly, Standard $29.75 against $35, Premium $68 against $80. The discount is real at every list size — which is why the monthly-billing comparison ($45 vs $75 at 2,500 contacts) is wider than the annual one ($45 vs $63.75).

Does Mailchimp Free fit my list?

Only up to 250 contacts, with 500 sends a month and 1 seat. A 500-contact list exceeds it, and the fitting path is Essentials at $13 a month. Constant Contact has no free plan — only a 60-day trial at 100 contacts — so any list past the trial needs a paid band on that side.

What happens past 25,000 contacts?

The band tables end at 25,000 contacts, so the input caps there and growth years past 25,000 hold the top band and are flagged as estimates, not vendor quotes. Past that size both vendors price by quote or higher bands not verified here — contact sales rather than extrapolating this calculator.