Quick answer: Constant Contact is a recognizable, beginner-friendly tool with strong event-marketing features and phone support — but EmailTooltester’s team rates its plans as “on the expensive side” given a feature set limited to autoresponders rather than deep automation (EmailTooltester). Its Lite plan starts at $12/mo for 500 contacts and climbs steeply as your list grows. Ranked by need: Bluey Email (best all-inclusive send-based value), Brevo (cheapest, EmailTooltester’s own top pick), MailerLite (best for simplicity), GetResponse (best automation + funnels), EngageBay (cheapest all-in-one CRM), and HubSpot (deepest CRM if budget allows). Full disclosure: Bluey is my own product; I’ve kept this honest, including where Constant Contact itself is the better keep.
Most people don’t leave Constant Contact because it can’t send email — it sends fine. They leave because they’re paying premium, per-contact prices for autoresponders and dated templates when cheaper tools do more. Here’s the honest map of where to go instead.
Why look for a Constant Contact alternative
Constant Contact has been around since 1995 and is genuinely good at a few things — event and survey marketing, a large 400+ integration library, and real phone support that most rivals don’t offer. But EmailTooltester’s Inka Wibowo and Charlotte Evans, who have tested dozens of email platforms, list consistent drawbacks: it has no deep automations, only autoresponders, its email templates are a little dated and the editor “lacks some flexibility,” its registration forms are basic and hard to customize, and — considering that limited feature set — their plans are on the expensive side (EmailTooltester).
The pricing is the clincher for most switchers. Constant Contact bills per contact: Lite starts at $12/mo for 500 contacts, Standard at $35/mo, and Premium at $80/mo, all at that same 500-contact floor — and the numbers rise sharply into the hundreds of dollars a month as your list grows into the tens of thousands (Constant Contact pricing). If you rely on its event tools and want a phone to call, staying can be reasonable. If not, you’re likely overpaying.
The 6 best Constant Contact alternatives
1. Bluey Email — best all-inclusive send-based value
Best for: teams that want more automation and a real CRM than Constant Contact offers, without per-contact bills. Price: free plan (500 contacts / 500 sends); ~$14/mo to email 10,000 contacts; Grow $30/mo with unlimited contacts. Why over Constant Contact: Bluey is send-based, so storing contacts is free — you pay for activity, not list size — and every plan bundles automation, a built-in CRM, landing pages, and transactional email on one bill, going well beyond autoresponders. Trade-off: Constant Contact’s event-marketing tools, 400+ integrations, and phone support are more established.
2. Brevo — cheapest, and EmailTooltester’s top pick
Best for: budget teams that want email plus SMS and unlimited stored contacts. Brevo is EmailTooltester’s #1 Constant Contact alternative because it charges per email, not per contact — “you can have unlimited contacts in your database without being charged extra” (EmailTooltester). Price: free plan (up to 300 emails/day); paid from ~$9/mo. Trade-off: fewer integrations than Constant Contact’s 400+; see Brevo alternatives.
3. MailerLite — best for simplicity and value
Best for: small businesses and creators who want a cleaner, cheaper tool. EmailTooltester calls it their “favorite, most affordable newsletter service,” with cheaper plans than Constant Contact and an excellent interface. Price: free plan; ~$73/mo at 10,000 contacts. Trade-off: shallower automation and reporting; see Mailchimp alternatives for more comparisons.
4. GetResponse — best automation + sales funnels
Best for: those who want stronger automation plus built-in landing pages, funnels, and webinars. Price: free up to 500 contacts; from $19/mo, ~$79/mo at 10,000 contacts. Trade-off: the best automation sits on higher tiers, and EmailTooltester says deliverability could be better.
5. EngageBay — cheapest all-in-one CRM
Best for: SMBs on a tight budget that want marketing automation plus a unified CRM. EmailTooltester notes it costs less than Constant Contact and is loved by over 30,000 businesses. Price: free plan; ~$12.99/mo (1,000 contacts), ~$24.99/mo (20,000). Trade-off: fewer native integrations, and no automation on the free plan.
6. HubSpot — deepest CRM (if budget allows)
Best for: established teams that want a true CRM + marketing suite. Price: free plan (2,000 sends/mo); Starter $20/mo, ~$176/mo at 10,000 contacts. Trade-off: costs climb fast at scale, and EmailTooltester flags that its deliverability ranked low in testing.
How to choose your Constant Contact alternative
- Is per-contact pricing the problem? Bluey (send-based) or Brevo (per-email) both stop billing you for stored contacts.
- Do you want the simplest, cheapest switch? MailerLite.
- Do you need real automation and funnels? GetResponse.
- Do you want a CRM bundled in cheaply? EngageBay or Bluey.
- Do you have budget for a full CRM suite? HubSpot.
Frequently asked questions
Is Constant Contact worth it? For event-driven small businesses that value phone support and its survey/event tools, it can be. But for straight email marketing, EmailTooltester rates its plans as expensive relative to the features, and per-contact billing makes it pricier than send-based tools as your list grows.
What’s the cheapest Constant Contact alternative? Send-based and per-email tools undercut it most: Brevo (from ~$9/mo, unlimited contacts) and Bluey (~$14/mo at 10,000). EngageBay is the cheapest full CRM option.
What’s the closest all-in-one alternative? Bluey Email and HubSpot both bundle CRM, automation, and landing pages — Bluey on predictable send-based pricing, HubSpot with a deeper (and pricier) enterprise ceiling.
Does Constant Contact charge for unsubscribed contacts? Its billing is based on your active contact count; because pricing scales per contact, growing lists get expensive regardless of how often you send — which is why switchers move to send-based tools.
The verdict
Constant Contact is a fair keep if you lean on its event marketing, integrations, and phone support and don’t mind premium per-contact pricing. If your real problem is cost or thin automation, Bluey Email gives you send-based pricing with automation, a CRM, and landing pages included; Brevo is the cheapest swap and EmailTooltester’s own top pick, while MailerLite wins on simplicity. New to the basics? Start with the complete email marketing guide; comparing the whole field? See Best Email Marketing Software in 2026 and Bluey vs Constant Contact.
— Shivam