7 Best Constant Contact Alternatives in 2026
Constant Contact has been around since 1995. That longevity comes with baggage: an interface that feels like it was designed in 2012, automation features that lag years behind competitors, and pricing that does not match the value delivered. At $35/month for the Standard plan with just 500 contacts, you are paying premium prices for a mid-tier product.
Whether you are a creator outgrowing Constant Contact's limited automation, a small business tired of overpaying, or a newsletter operator who needs actual growth tools, these 7 alternatives are all stronger options in 2026.
Short Answer
Kit is the best Constant Contact alternative for creators. It has a free tier up to 10,000 subscribers, the best visual automation builder in the industry, and native digital product sales. For e-commerce businesses that need deep store integrations, Mailchimp is the stronger choice despite its own pricing issues, because the integration depth is unmatched.
Why People Leave Constant Contact
- Outdated automation. Constant Contact's automation is basic compared to Kit, ActiveCampaign, or even Mailchimp. You get simple autoresponders and basic trigger emails, but no visual workflow builder, no conditional branching, and no event-based sequences.
- High prices for what you get. The Lite plan starts at $12/month for 500 contacts but limits you to one user and basic features. Standard is $35/month. Premium is $80/month. At every tier, competitors offer more for less.
- No free tier. Constant Contact does not have a free plan. Kit gives you 10,000 subscribers free. Beehiiv gives you 2,500 free. MailerLite gives you 1,000 free. Constant Contact offers only a 14-day trial.
- Limited reporting. Analytics are surface-level: opens, clicks, bounces. No revenue attribution, no subscriber scoring, no engagement-based segmentation. You cannot see which subscribers are most valuable.
- Template quality. The email templates feel dated. While there are hundreds available, most look like they were designed for a different era of email marketing.
1. Kit (ConvertKit) - Best for Creators
Kit is what Constant Contact should have become. The visual automation builder lets you create complex email sequences with conditional logic, time delays, and action-based triggers using a drag-and-drop interface. You can sell digital products, courses, and memberships natively without a third-party tool. The free tier supports 10,000 subscribers, which alone makes it worth trying before committing. Tag-based subscriber management is more flexible than Constant Contact's rigid list system.
- Visual automation builder with conditional branching
- Native digital product and course sales
- Free tier for up to 10,000 subscribers
- Tag-based subscriber organization
- Creator-focused landing pages and forms
2. Beehiiv - Best for Newsletter Growth
If you are using Constant Contact primarily to send a newsletter, Beehiiv is a massive upgrade. It was built specifically for newsletter operators and includes tools that Constant Contact has never offered: a referral program for viral growth, a native ad marketplace for monetization, and a boost network for cross-promoting with other newsletters. The web hosting is SEO-optimized so every issue is searchable. At $39/month for up to 100,000 subscribers, the pricing makes Constant Contact look absurd.
- Built-in referral program, ad network, and boost system
- SEO-optimized web hosting for every issue
- $39/month for up to 100,000 subscribers
- Free tier with 2,500 subscribers
- No revenue cut on paid subscriptions
3. Mailchimp - Best for E-Commerce
Mailchimp is not cheap either, but it offers meaningfully more than Constant Contact at a similar price point. The e-commerce integrations are deeper: native connections to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, and dozens more. Predictive analytics can tell you which subscribers are likely to purchase, churn, or become high-value customers. The customer journey builder is more powerful than Constant Contact's automation. If your email marketing is tied to an online store, Mailchimp's integration depth justifies the cost.
- Deep native e-commerce integrations
- Predictive analytics and purchase likelihood scoring
- Customer journey builder with branching logic
- Advanced A/B and multivariate testing
- Send-time optimization
4. Brevo (Sendinblue) - Best All-in-One Marketing
Brevo combines email marketing, SMS campaigns, WhatsApp messaging, transactional emails, and CRM in a single platform. The pricing model is the key differentiator: Brevo charges by emails sent, not contacts stored. You can have unlimited contacts on every plan, including the free tier. If Constant Contact is charging you based on a large contact list, switching to Brevo can cut your bill dramatically. The free plan includes 300 emails per day with unlimited contacts.
- Unlimited contacts on every plan
- Email, SMS, and WhatsApp from one dashboard
- Built-in CRM with deal pipeline
- Transactional email included
- Free tier with 300 emails/day
5. MailerLite - Best Budget Option
MailerLite does 80% of what Constant Contact does at roughly half the price. The drag-and-drop email editor is modern and clean. Automation workflows cover the fundamentals. Landing pages and a website builder are included. Paid newsletter subscriptions are available if you want to monetize directly. The free plan covers 1,000 subscribers with 12,000 monthly emails. Paid plans start at $9/month. If price is the main reason you are leaving Constant Contact, MailerLite is the simplest swap.
- Free tier with 1,000 subscribers
- Drag-and-drop email editor
- Automation workflows with visual builder
- Landing pages and website builder included
- Paid plans from $9/month
6. ActiveCampaign - Best for Advanced Automation
ActiveCampaign is where you go when you outgrow every other platform's automation capabilities. The visual workflow builder supports conditions, splits, goals, wait steps, and nested automations that can react to subscriber behavior in real time. Site tracking lets you trigger emails based on page visits. Lead scoring prioritizes your most engaged contacts. The CRM includes deal tracking and sales automation. This is not a newsletter tool; it is a full marketing automation platform. Plans start at $29/month for 1,000 contacts.
- Industry-leading automation builder
- Built-in CRM with sales automation
- Site tracking and event-based triggers
- Lead scoring and predictive sending
- From $29/month for 1,000 contacts
7. Buttondown - Best Minimalist Newsletter Tool
Buttondown is the polar opposite of Constant Contact's bloated interface. If you have been using Constant Contact to send a straightforward newsletter and have been annoyed by the complexity, Buttondown strips everything down to the essentials. Markdown editor, subscriber management, paid subscriptions, analytics, and a clean API. No drag-and-drop builder, no template library, no social media tools. Just the newsletter. From $9/month.
- Markdown-first editor
- Paid subscriptions built in
- Clean API and webhooks
- RSS-to-email automation
- From $9/month
How to Migrate From Constant Contact
- Export your contacts. Go to Contacts > Lists, select a list, and click Export. Repeat for each list. You will get CSVs with email addresses, names, and custom fields.
- Download your email templates. Constant Contact does not offer a bulk template export. Open each saved template, copy the content, and save it separately. Custom HTML templates can be copied directly.
- Choose your new platform. For creators, start with Kit. For e-commerce, try Mailchimp. For newsletters, use Beehiiv.
- Import your contacts. Upload the CSVs. Most platforms will map standard fields automatically. Double-check that custom fields transfer correctly.
- Rebuild your automations. Document any active autoresponders or automated series in Constant Contact, then recreate them in your new platform.
- Update signup forms. Replace embedded Constant Contact forms on your website. Update any pop-ups, landing pages, or third-party form integrations.
- Cancel Constant Contact. Do this last, after confirming your new platform is sending correctly. Constant Contact charges for the full billing period, so time your switch to avoid overlap.