Businesses looking to engage with customers, want to promote their products, and drive sales, then email marketing is an essential tool. It can be a challenging task to choose the right email marketing platform according to your need. Constant Contact and Mailchimp are the two most popular email marketing platform. These two platforms are offer a range of features and deigned to manage email campaigns. But how do they compare in terms of ease of use, pricing, features, and overall performance?
In this article, we will see the differences between Constant Contact vs Mailchimp, and give you the informed decision about which platform is best for your business.
Table of Contents
Constant Contact vs Mailchimp: Overview
When you have to choose between Constant Contact vs Mailchimp, the first step you have to understand what each platforms are offering and how they can benefit email marketing strategy.
Constant Contact Overview
Constant Contact is email marketing platform that has been around for over two decades. Constant Contact has a user friendly interface, customer support options, and strong email deliverability. Constant Contact can be a great choice for small businesses or those who are just getting started with email marketing.
This platforms offer a customizable templates, list management tools, and reporting features. Constant Contact offers variety of integrations with other business tools and make the connection between email campaigns and your website, CRM, and social media platforms.
Mailchimp Overview
Mailchimp is also the popular email marketing platform. This platform is known for its ease of use, automations features, and flexible pricing. Mailchimp initially started as a email marketing tool, It has a features like landing pages, social media ads and even e-commerce integrations.
Mailchimp free plan also have the essential features, it is an good option for small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs. The platforms provides reporting and analytics, helping the users to track the success of their campaigns and make data driven decisions.
Constant Contact vs Mailchimp: Features Comparison
When comparing Constant Contact vs Mailchimp features each platform offer is the most important factor. Both the platforms have their strength but depend on the needs. Let’s take a closer look at their core features:
Ease of Use
Both Constant Contact and Mailchimp are designed to be user-friendly, but they approach ease of use in different ways.
- Constant Contact: You can create emails easily with Constant Contact, it has an drag and drop editor. This platform offers a templates. Their interface is simple and straightforward. So, the beginners can easily understand.
- Mailchimp: Mailchimp also offers drag and drop editor like Constant Contact but Mailchimp’s interface are complex then Constant Contact. If you want more control over email designs then you can choose Mailchimp because it provides a lot of flexibility for advanced users.
Email Templates
- Constant Contact: Constant Contact offers professionally designed email templates, which can be easily customized. Mailchimp’s templates can fit to any screen and your emails look great on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices
- Mailchimp: Mailchimp also offers templates with highly customizable options. You can build emails from scratch or you can use pre designed templates on Mailchimp. Their templates also be adapt to different devices.
Automation
- Constant Contact: Constant Contact also offers basic emails like welcome emails, birthday emails and follow up emails. Constant Contact automations features are not much as advanced than Mailchimp. If you are looking for basic automations, then you can go for Constant Contact, because it offers sufficient functionality.
- Mailchimp: Mailchimp also know for its robust automations capabilities. It also offers advanced features like email workflows, automated follow up emails, and behavior based triggers. Those who want to implement complex email strategies, Mailchimp is a better choice.
A/B Testing
- Constant Contact: Constant Contact allows you to run A/B tests on subject lines, email content, and send times. This will help you to determine what is best with your audience and optimize campaigns. Constant Contact are limited compared to Mailchimp’s
- Mailchimp: Mailchimp has a more advanced options in A/B testing, it allow you to test subject lines and email content. This gives more understanding into your email performance.
Reporting and Analytics
- Constant Contact: Constant Contact also offers reporting and analytic tools, like open rates, click through rates and bounce rates. It also provides understanding into audience behavior, which will help to develop your marketing strategy.
- Mailchimp: Mailchimp also provides reporting on open rates, click rates, bounce rates and much more. This platform offers more understanding on sales tracking and ROI calculations, which can be useful or e-commerce businesses.
Constant Contact vs Mailchimp: Pricing Comparison
When you are choosing any email marketing platform, pricing will become the most important factor. comparison on pricing Constant Contact vs Mailchimp both platforms offer free plans, as well as paid plans. Let’ show the pricing structure for each platform:
Constant Contact Pricing
Constant Contact offers two main pricing plans:
- Email Plan: This email plan is ideal for small businesses which includes all the basic email marketing features such as email creation, list management and reporting. The email plan starting at $9.99 per month.
- Email Plus Plan: This plans offers advanced features such as automation, A/B testing and advanced reporting. This plan is suited for those who are looking for more advanced email capabilities. This plan starting at $45 per month.
Constant Contact also offers a 60-day free trial, allowing users to try out the platform before committing to a paid plan.
Mailchimp Pricing
Mailchimp offers several pricing plans based on the size of your email list and the features you need:
- Free Plan: In free plan of Mailchimp’s you can send 500 emails per month to 500 subscribers. This plan includes basic email marketing features, templates, and reporting tools. It is the best plan for small businesses.
- Essentials Plan: This plan offers A/B testing, custom branding and 24/7 customer support. Those who looking for robust email marketing tools, this plan is ideal for them.
- Standard Plan: This plan includes automation, advanced reporting, and retargeting ads for the price at $14.99 per month. This plan is suited for those who wants advanced marketing needs.
- Premium Plan: Starting at $299 per month, the Premium plan offers the most advanced features, including advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, and dedicated support.
Constant Contact vs Mailchimp: Pros and Cons
Let’s summarize the pros and cons of Constant Contact vs Mailchimp to help you make a decision:
Constant Contact Pros
- Easy-to-use interface, ideal for beginners
- Excellent customer support
- Robust list management tools
- 60-day free trial
- Great for small businesses with basic needs
Constant Contact Cons
- Lacks advanced automation features
- Limited A/B testing options
- Pricier than some competitors for higher-tier plans
Mailchimp Pros
- Powerful automation features
- Advanced A/B testing and analytics
- Flexible pricing plans, including a free plan
- Great for businesses with advanced email marketing needs
Mailchimp Cons
- Can be overwhelming for beginners
- Limited customer support on lower-tier plans
- Some users may find the interface complex at first
Constant Contact vs Mailchimp: Which is Right for You?
When deciding between Constant Contact vs Mailchimp, the right choice depends on your business’s needs and goals. Here’s a quick guide to help you decide:
- Choose Constant Contact if: You are a small business or beginner looking for an easy-to-use platform with excellent customer support and basic email marketing features.
- Choose Mailchimp if: You need advanced automation, A/B testing, and reporting tools, and are comfortable with a slightly more complex interface. Mailchimp is also a great option if you’re looking for a free plan or if you have a growing business with more advanced email marketing needs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Constant Contact vs Mailchimp offer strong features and pricing plans for businesses looking to implement an effective email marketing strategy. Constant Contact is best for beginners and small businesses that need basic email marketing tools, while Mailchimp excels in providing advanced features for businesses looking for more flexibility and automation. By carefully considering your needs, budget, and technical expertise, you can choose the platform that will help you achieve your email marketing goals.
