MailChimp and Constant Contact are two of the most popular email marketing programs. I have a pretty solid knowledge of Constant Contact, but I have dabbled with MailChimp. In my experience, b0th are reliable, affordable, easy to learn, and share most of the same features. I found that most experts agree with me. But you must choose one over the other, so which one should you pick? It all depends on your budget and preferences.

Pricing

MailChimp

MailChimp’s “Forever Free” package allows you to have up to 2,000 subscribers and send up to 12,000 emails a month. Upgrading to paid packages lets you send an unlimited number of emails, access additional features, and remove MailChimp’s badge from your emails’ footers.

Here are monthly charges for the cheapest paid packages:

• 0-500 subscribers: $10/month
• 501-1,000 subscribers: $15/month
• 1,001-1,050 subscribers: $20/month

Prices increase about $5/month for every 100-200 subscribers you add. Nonprofits get a 15% discount on all packages.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact offers a free 60 day trial, but no free packages. All their packages allow you to send unlimited emails. These are their monthly charges:

• 0-500 subscribers: $15/month
• 501-2,500 subscribers: $30/month
• 2,501-5,000 subscribers: $50/month
• 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $75/month

For more than 10,000 subscribers, you need to call Constant Contact and work out an individualized pricing plan. Nonprofits get a 30% discount on all packages.

Tech Support

MailChimp has no telephone support, but does offer email and chat support 24/7. Constant Contact has telephone, chat, and email support that is available Monday through Friday during business hours. Email support is available on weekends.

The Differences

As I said before, MailChimp and Constant Contact are very similar. But each of them do have their advantages, highlighted in teal, on this chart:

Click for a larger image

What The Experts Say

• MailChimp vs Constant Contact: Which Email Marketing Software Reigns Supreme for Small Businesses? by Katie Hollar
• Constant Contact vs. Mail Chimp by Craig McConnel
• MailChimp vs. Constant Contact: Which Email Solution is Better? by Gloria Rand
• MailChimp vs. Constant Contact: Which is the Better Email Marketing Service? by Karanpreet Bindra
• MailChimp vs. Constant Contact: Which one is better? by Martin Zhel

Image Credits:

• http://blog.capterra.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/MailChimp-vs.-Constant-Contact-Feature-Comparison1.png