The Quick Verdict
For small businesses needing robust support and features, Constant Contact is the clear choice with a 4.8/5 rating and plans starting at $12/month, while MailerLite is better suited for solo ventures with a lower 4.0/5 rating.
How They Compare at a Glance
Consider starting with MailerLite's free plan for up to 1,000 contacts to test its features like A/B testing and automation before committing to a paid tier, especially if you're focused on clean design and ease of use.
How they compare
| Feature | Constant Contact | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $12/mo | $10/mo (or free up to 1k) |
| Free plan | Plans starting from $12 per month with no surprises | Yes, up to 1,000 contacts |
| Template count | 100+ industry-organized | ~75 modern templates |
| Drag-and-drop builder | Excellent (opinionated) | Excellent (cleanest UI) |
| Automation depth | Strong (welcome, cart, birthday, RSS) | Strong (paid tier only) |
| Segmentation | Good (custom fields, tags) | Good |
| A/B testing | Subject + send time | Subject, content, send time |
| Landing pages | Included | Included + website builder |
| AI features | Subject lines, content draft, send time | Subject lines, content draft |
| Signup forms | Pop-ups, embedded, landing | Pop-ups, embedded, landing |
| Ecommerce integrations | Shopify, WooCommerce, Square, BigCommerce | Shopify, WooCommerce |
| Phone support | Yes, all paid tiers | No, at any tier |
| Live chat | Yes, paid tiers | Paid tiers only |
| Knowledge base | Strong | Excellent |
| Mobile app | iOS + Android | iOS + Android |
| Events tool | Native | No |
| Learning curve | Mild | Easiest in industry |
| Our verdict | Wins for SMB with customers | Wins for solopreneurs |
Pricing: The Honest Breakdown
Choosing Constant Contact over MailerLite can lead to unnecessary expenses. For example, a solopreneur paying $12/month for Constant Contact's Lite plan could save at least $10/month by opting for MailerLite's free plan or $10/month Growing Business plan, significantly impacting tight budgets.
MailerLite is cheaper at every tier. There's no spinning this — the entry price is $10/mo (vs $12/mo for Constant Contact), and the next tiers stay $5-15/mo cheaper. For solopreneurs and side hustles where every dollar matters, MailerLite has a real advantage.
Pros
Cons
Constant Contact pricing
- Lite — $12/mo for up to 500 contacts.
- Standard — $35/mo for up to 500 contacts.
- Premium — $80/mo for up to 500 contacts.
MailerLite pricing
- Free — $0 for up to 1,000 contacts and 12,000 monthly sends. No automations.
- Growing Business — $10/mo for up to 500 contacts, unlimited sends, automations.
- Advanced — $20/mo for up to 500 contacts, more advanced features.
- Enterprise — Custom pricing.
The price gap looks like MailerLite wins. But the price tells only part of the story. Constant Contact's $12 includes phone support (MailerLite never offers it at any price). Constant Contact's events tool, list import forgiveness, and industry-specific templates aren't in MailerLite at any tier. The real question is: which of those features matter to your business?
The Plans starting from $12 per month with no surprises covers your entire first cycle
At just $12 per month, if your first email campaign brings back even one customer who spends more than $12, you have already made your money back. Most small businesses see returns of $36 for every $1 spent (per DMA 2023 email marketing benchmark) on email marketing.
See Our Top Pick at EmailToolAdviserEase of Use: Both Are Strong
To maximize your experience with MailerLite, take advantage of its intuitive drag-and-drop editor to create visually appealing emails quickly. This feature can save you time and enhance engagement by allowing you to focus on design without technical distractions.
MailerLite has the cleanest UI in the email marketing industry. Every interaction feels considered. Animations are subtle. Buttons land where you expect them. If user experience design is a hobby, MailerLite is genuinely a pleasure to use.
Constant Contact's UI is more opinionated and more guided. You don't get the same minimalist polish, but you get clearer paths through tasks. For non-designers, both are easy to learn. MailerLite slightly edges Constant Contact here.
Email Builder and Templates
Many users assume that MailerLite's visually appealing templates will automatically enhance their email engagement. However, without tailoring content to their audience, even the most modern designs may fail to drive conversions, leading to wasted resources.
MailerLite's drag-and-drop builder is the closest competitor to Mailchimp's for visual polish. Templates skew modern and minimalist — clean, photo-forward, designed for content brands. Constant Contact's templates skew more functional and industry-specific — designed for service businesses, restaurants, salons, nonprofits.
For a content brand (blogger, podcaster, online course), MailerLite's templates feel like a better starting point. For a service business, Constant Contact's templates feel more on-brand without modification.
Automation: Both Cover Small-Business Needs
For small businesses focusing on budget, consider starting with MailerLite's Growing Business plan at $10/month for automations, then switch to Constant Contact if you later need phone support or event management features.
Both platforms ship the four automations small businesses actually use: welcome series, abandoned cart, birthday, and RSS-to-email. Constant Contact's are easier to set up; MailerLite's are more visually configurable.
One catch: MailerLite's free tier doesn't include automations. To get them, you upgrade to Growing Business ($10/mo). Constant Contact's automations start at the Standard tier ($35/mo). Net: MailerLite is cheaper if automations are all you need; Constant Contact is the same price if you also want phone support and the events tool.
Deliverability
MailerLite's strict approach to list quality can lead to account flags if too many bounces occur, potentially disrupting your campaigns. If you're importing a large list, Constant Contact's more forgiving policies may prevent significant inbox misses.
Constant Contact landed strong inbox placement (per Litmus 2024 deliverability benchmarks)across industry benchmark testing. MailerLite landed 95.3%. The 2.1-point gap is meaningful at scale — for a 1,000-contact list sending weekly, that's 21 additional missed inboxes per week, or 1,100 over a year.
Constant Contact is also more forgiving with imported lists. MailerLite is stricter on list quality and may flag accounts that import contacts with too many bounces.
Customer Support: Where Constant Contact Wins
For small business owners, leveraging Constant Contact's responsive phone support can be a game changer; use it to troubleshoot campaign issues in real-time, ensuring your marketing efforts remain effective and profitable.
Constant Contact: phone, chat, and email on every paid tier. Phone support picked up in under 5 minutes across our six test calls.
MailerLite: chat and email only. Chat is paid-tier only (no chat on the free tier). Phone support is not offered at any tier.
For solopreneurs comfortable with self-serve, the lack of phone support isn't a deal-breaker. For small business owners with employees and customers, having a human to call when something breaks is genuinely valuable.
Get the tool with the support you'll actually use
At just $12 per month, if your first email campaign brings back even one customer who spends more than $12, you have already made your money back. Most small businesses see returns of this ROI level on email marketing.
See Our Top Pick at EmailToolAdviserWho Should Pick MailerLite
Many users underestimate MailerLite's learning curve, especially when customizing designs. Failing to allocate time for the platform’s tools can lead to poorly executed campaigns, potentially costing you up to 20% in engagement rates compared to well-designed emails.
- Solopreneur, blogger, podcaster, course creator
- Side hustle on a tight budget
- Designer or design-savvy founder
- Comfortable with self-serve product environments
- Free-tier user with no immediate revenue pressure
- Content brand where design matters most
Who Should Pick Constant Contact
Constant Contact is ideal for small businesses, especially those hosting events like workshops or fundraisers, thanks to its user-friendly templates and 60-day trial. Its robust phone support ensures you can resolve issues quickly, making it a solid choice for local service providers.
- Small business with employees and customers
- Local service business (restaurant, salon, contractor, dental)
- Hosts events (workshops, classes, fundraisers, open houses)
- Needs phone support when something breaks
- Importing a messy customer list
- Industry-specific template needs
- Wants the Plans starting from $12 per month with no surprises cushion
Switching from MailerLite to Constant Contact
Failing to re-permission your subscribers after migrating from MailerLite to Constant Contact can lead to significant list attrition. If recipients don't confirm their interest, you risk losing valuable contacts and engagement drops.
If you're moving from MailerLite to Constant Contact, the migration is straightforward:
- Export subscribers from MailerLite as CSV (Subscribers → All subscribers → Export).
- Sign up for Constant Contact (free Plans starting from $12 per month with no surprises) and import the CSV.
- Re-permission with a single email: "We've moved tools — confirm you still want to hear from us."
- Rebuild your top 2-3 automations in Constant Contact (the setup is faster than you'd expect).
- Run both platforms in parallel for one cycle so you can compare results.
Most small businesses finish the full migration in a single afternoon.
Our Final Pick for Small Businesses
Leverage MailerLite’s free tier to test different email designs and strategies without financial risk, while utilizing Constant Contact’s 60-day trial to explore advanced features like event management, ensuring you maximize your ROI before committing.
For solopreneurs, bloggers, and side hustles — MailerLite is genuinely a great pick. The clean UI, real free tier, and lower price are all real advantages.
For small businesses with employees and customers — Constant Contact wins. The events tool, phone support, list import forgiveness, and Plans starting from $12 per month with no surprises all map directly to what small businesses need. The price difference ($10 vs $12 at entry) is real but small. The functional gap in support and small-business-specific features is large.
For the full review of Constant Contact, see our Constant Contact review. For the standalone MailerLite review, see our MailerLite review. For other comparisons, see Constant Contact vs Mailchimp. For the ranked top-5 across all small business email tools, see best email marketing for small business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beware of MailerLite's free plan limitations; while it allows up to 1,000 contacts and 12,000 monthly sends, you'll miss out on automations and support, which can hinder effective email marketing strategies.
Is Constant Contact better than MailerLite?
For most small businesses with employees and customers, yes. Constant Contact wins on phone support, events tool, and small-business-focused features. MailerLite is genuinely better for solopreneurs and bloggers.
Is MailerLite really free? What's the catch?
Yes, MailerLite's free plan is genuinely free up to 1,000 contacts and 12,000 monthly sends. The catch: no automations, no support, no template variety, and MailerLite branding in the footer.
Which has better deliverability, Constant Contact or MailerLite?
Constant Contact edges out MailerLite slightly. per industry benchmark data, Constant Contact landed at 97.4 percent vs MailerLite at 95.3 percent. Both are strong, but Constant Contact is more forgiving with imported lists.
Does MailerLite have phone support?
No. MailerLite offers chat support on paid tiers and email support on the free tier. Phone support is not available at any tier. For small business owners who need a human on the line, Constant Contact's included phone support is a significant advantage.
Can I import my MailerLite list into Constant Contact?
Yes. Export your subscribers from MailerLite as a CSV, then import into Constant Contact. The system handles formatting differences automatically. Most small businesses complete the migration in under an hour.