Most small teams should compare Constant Contact against MailerLite, Brevo, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and Klaviyo before signing up. Constant Contact is easy to use, especially for newsletters, local events, and basic list growth. Still, many competitors offer stronger automation, cleaner pricing, better ecommerce tools, or more flexible reporting.
TLDR: Constant Contact works well for simple campaigns, but it is not always the best value once a team needs advanced automation or deeper segmentation. For example, a small retailer with 8,000 contacts may pay less with Brevo because pricing is based more on email volume than contact count. A creator sending four newsletters per month may prefer MailerLite for its clean editor and lower entry cost. An online store that earns 25% or more of revenue from email will usually get more from Klaviyo or Omnisend.
How Constant Contact compares at a glance
Constant Contact is best known for simple email creation, event marketing, surveys, forms, and basic social posting. It suits charities, clubs, local service businesses, and small retailers that want to send polished emails without heavy setup.
The catch is that its automation can feel limited when compared with tools built for behavior-based campaigns. Teams that want branching customer journeys, predictive ecommerce data, or detailed lead scoring may hit a wall sooner than expected.
- Best for ease of use: Constant Contact, MailerLite
- Best for ecommerce: Klaviyo, Omnisend
- Best for automation: ActiveCampaign, HubSpot
- Best for budget sending: Brevo, MailerLite
- Best for creators: Kit, MailerLite
- Best for broad brand recognition: Mailchimp
1. Mailchimp: best for familiar branding and general marketing
Mailchimp is one of the most common Constant Contact competitors. It offers email templates, landing pages, customer journeys, surveys, basic CRM features, and creative tools. Many small businesses choose it because staff members have used it before.
Compared with Constant Contact, Mailchimp usually has stronger audience segmentation and more polished campaign testing. Its automation builder is also better for simple behavior triggers. A welcome series, abandoned cart email, or re engagement flow is easier to map out.
Honestly, it feels like Mailchimp sometimes hides the simple stuff behind too many menus. Tasks that should take 20 seconds can take a minute when a user has to jump between audience settings and campaign tools.
Best use case: a small brand that wants newsletters, signup forms, landing pages, and light automation in one known platform.
2. MailerLite: best for simple newsletters and low-cost growth
MailerLite is a strong choice for teams that want a clean email editor without paying for unused extras. It includes automation, forms, landing pages, websites, surveys, and paid newsletter features.
Its interface is calmer than Constant Contact’s and often faster for setting up a campaign. Bloggers, coaches, podcasters, and small nonprofits often like it because it keeps the workflow clear.
MailerLite can be less ideal for larger sales teams. Its CRM features are light, and complex reporting is not its strongest area. Still, for regular email newsletters, it is one of the best value picks.
Best use case: a creator or small organization sending weekly updates, lead magnets, and simple automated sequences.
3. Brevo: best for budget-conscious teams and transactional email
Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, is different because pricing often depends on email send volume rather than only contact count. That can matter a lot. A company with 20,000 contacts but only two monthly campaigns may save money compared with contact-based plans.
Brevo also includes SMS, WhatsApp campaigns, live chat, sales pipeline tools, transactional email, and automation. This makes it useful for businesses that need more than newsletters but do not want a large marketing suite.
Its editor and template library may not feel as polished as some rivals. Expect to spend time cleaning up design spacing on certain campaigns. Still, the feature mix is strong for the price.
Best use case: a service business, SaaS startup, or online shop that needs email marketing plus transactional messages.
4. ActiveCampaign: best for advanced automation and sales funnels
ActiveCampaign is a major step up from Constant Contact for automation. It supports deep segmentation, conditional logic, lead scoring, CRM pipelines, site tracking, and sales follow-ups.
This tool fits businesses with longer sales cycles. Agencies, consultants, B2B services, online course sellers, and high-ticket ecommerce brands can build detailed workflows based on clicks, page visits, purchases, tags, and deal stages.
The downside is setup time. ActiveCampaign is powerful, but it asks for planning. A team that only wants a monthly newsletter may find it too much.
Best use case: a company that needs automated follow-up across email, CRM activity, and sales tasks.
5. Klaviyo: best for ecommerce revenue
Klaviyo is one of the strongest Constant Contact alternatives for ecommerce. It connects deeply with platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. Store owners can build campaigns based on product views, cart activity, purchase history, average order value, and customer lifetime value.
Klaviyo’s reporting focuses on revenue. That makes it easier for a retailer to see whether a campaign produced $500 or $5,000. Its segmentation is also excellent. A store can target VIP buyers, lapsed customers, discount shoppers, or people who viewed a product but did not buy.
It costs more as the list grows, and the interface can feel intense for beginners. Yet ecommerce teams often accept that because the revenue tracking is so clear.
Best use case: a growing online store that wants abandoned cart flows, post purchase campaigns, product recommendations, and revenue reports.
6. Omnisend: best for ecommerce email plus SMS
Omnisend also targets ecommerce brands. It combines email, SMS, push notifications, automation, product blocks, discount codes, and prebuilt customer journeys.
Compared with Klaviyo, Omnisend can feel easier to start with. Its preset workflows are useful for cart recovery, order confirmation, customer win back, and birthday messages. Brands that want multichannel campaigns without heavy setup may prefer it.
Klaviyo still wins for deeper data work. Omnisend wins for simpler ecommerce execution.
Best use case: a small to mid sized store that wants fast ecommerce automation across email and SMS.
7. HubSpot: best for CRM-first teams
HubSpot is not just an email marketing tool. It is a CRM, sales platform, service platform, content system, and marketing suite. That makes it a strong Constant Contact competitor for companies that need email tied to lead records and sales activity.
HubSpot’s email tools are clean, and its reporting connects marketing campaigns to contacts, deals, and revenue. A sales manager can see which emails helped generate leads, book meetings, or close deals.
The weakness is cost. HubSpot can become expensive when a business needs advanced marketing features. It is best when the CRM value justifies the spend.
Best use case: a B2B company that wants marketing email, forms, CRM, sales tracking, and lead management in one place.
8. Kit: best for creators and audience monetization
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is built for creators. Writers, newsletter publishers, coaches, musicians, and course sellers use it to grow audiences and sell digital products.
Its strengths are tags, simple automations, forms, landing pages, paid subscriptions, and creator-friendly commerce features. It is less focused on glossy templates and more focused on sending plain, personal emails that drive replies and sales.
Best use case: an independent creator selling courses, memberships, downloads, or sponsorship-based newsletters.
Feature comparison by need
- Newsletter simplicity: Constant Contact and MailerLite are the easiest picks.
- Low send cost: Brevo is often strong for larger lists with modest sending frequency.
- Sales automation: ActiveCampaign and HubSpot are better than Constant Contact.
- Retail revenue tracking: Klaviyo is usually the strongest option.
- Email and SMS for stores: Omnisend gives quick wins with less setup.
- Creator business tools: Kit focuses on audience building and monetization.
Which Constant Contact competitor should different teams choose?
A local nonprofit that sends event invites, donation updates, and volunteer news can stay with Constant Contact or move to MailerLite for savings. A restaurant group that wants email and SMS offers may compare Brevo and Omnisend.
An ecommerce brand should test Klaviyo first if revenue reporting matters most. If the store owner wants easier email and SMS setup, Omnisend may be better.
A consultant or B2B service firm should consider ActiveCampaign when follow-up rules are complex. If CRM and sales reporting are central, HubSpot is the better fit.
FAQ
What is the best Constant Contact alternative overall?
MailerLite is often the best general alternative for simple newsletters and lower costs. ActiveCampaign is better for automation, while Klaviyo is better for ecommerce.
Is Mailchimp better than Constant Contact?
Mailchimp is often stronger for segmentation and testing. Constant Contact can feel easier for basic newsletters, event emails, and small local campaigns.
Which competitor is best for ecommerce?
Klaviyo is usually the top ecommerce choice because of its product data, segmentation, and revenue reporting. Omnisend is a strong option for stores that want simpler email and SMS workflows.
Which tool is cheapest for large contact lists?
Brevo can be cheaper for large lists because its pricing often focuses on email volume. MailerLite is also cost friendly for smaller and mid sized lists.
Should a business switch away from Constant Contact?
A switch makes sense when the business needs advanced automation, detailed ecommerce tracking, stronger CRM features, or lower pricing. If it only sends simple newsletters and event updates, Constant Contact may still be enough.