Benchmark Email vs Constant Contact
We give Benchmark Email a 2.2 GPA and Constant Contact a 2.6, out of 4.0. Benchmark Email grades higher on value for money. Constant Contact grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Benchmark Email
Straightforward email campaigns with every feature on every plan
Constant Contact
Email, SMS and social marketing for small businesses
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABenchmark EmailFair | 2.6GPAConstant ContactGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $16 a month for 1,000 contacts on yearly billing, or $19 monthly, between the middle and the dearer quarter of email tools. It's $93 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts, and each extra user costs $15 a month. | DLite is $10.20 a month on yearly billing, which looks cheap. But it can't schedule a send and has 1 automation template. Scheduling and subject-line tests need Standard at $29.75, more than twice what a typical email tool charges, and custom automations need Premium at $68. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, with every feature, 1 user and 150 AI credits. Fair for trying it out, but 500 contacts is a cap you'll hit, and emails and forms carry Benchmark's branding. | CNo free plan. There's a 30-day trial with up to 100 email sends, and it ends on its own rather than rolling into a plan. Enough to try the editor, not to run a real campaign to your list. |
| Features | CA drag-and-drop editor with a brand kit, an AI assistant, sign-up forms and pop-ups, lists and tags, reports and list checking on Pro. It sends good newsletters, but its pricing page lists no automated email workflows, which most rivals include. | BEmail with AI writing help, automations, segments, landing pages, sign-up forms, surveys, event pages and posting to Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. That's the whole job and a bit more. SMS is a separate monthly add-on. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record and no phone app. With no workflows there's less to build, but you'll still set up lists, forms and templates in the web app. | A4.76 from 10,653 App Store ratings for its iPhone and iPad app, the top band. You can check campaigns, contacts and reports from your phone. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with an API and native links to Zapier and Playable. Everything else, WordPress and Shopify included, goes through Zapier or the API. No desktop or phone app, so a B at most. | BWeb plus an iPhone and iPad app, and it posts straight to Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. No Android or desktop app, though, and no API or other integrations on record. |
| Best for | simple newsletters with every feature free | email, social posts and events for a small business |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Benchmark Email and Constant Contact. How we grade
Price against what you get
Benchmark Email starts at $16 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Constant Contact starts at $10.20 a month and scores 3.3.
Constant Contact scores higher and starts $5.80 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 12 score higher than Benchmark Email for less, and none scores higher than Constant Contact for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Benchmark Email starts at $16 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually. Constant Contact starts at $10.20 per month and up by contact count, billed annually (Lite).
- Benchmark Email has a free plan. Constant Contact does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Constant Contact lists an iOS app.
- Constant Contact also covers marketing automation and business texting.
At a glance
| Benchmark Email | Constant Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $16 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually | $10.20 per month and up by contact count, billed annually (Lite) |
| Free plan | Up to 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, 1 user, 1 domain and 150 AI credits a month, with Benchmark branding on emails and forms. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial with up to 100 email sends; it ends on its own |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Polaris Software, LLC | Constant Contact, Inc. |
| Price read from | benchmarkemail.com | constantcontact.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Benchmark Email
- Small businesses sending regular newsletters to a modest list
- People who want to try every feature on a free plan first
- Teams that need sign-up forms and pop-ups more than automation
Constant Contact
- Small businesses that want email, social posts and events in one account
- Owners who want phone support from a live person
- Agencies managing marketing for several small clients
Worth knowing
Benchmark Email
- Each plan includes 1 user; extra users cost $15 a month each and need a paid plan.
- The pricing page lists no automated email workflows among its features.
- Free sends are capped at 2,500 emails a month and carry Benchmark branding.
- Native integrations are limited to Zapier and Playable; other tools connect through Zapier or the API.
Constant Contact
- The US pricing page shows yearly-billed prices, 15% below paying monthly; the monthly figures and the contacts each starting price covers were not shown.
- Monthly sends are capped at 10 to 24 times the contact tier, by plan; extra emails cost $0.002 each.
- The bill follows the highest contact tier reached; once you send at a higher tier, it cannot be lowered.
- SMS marketing is sold as a separate monthly add-on to an email plan.
Key features
Benchmark Email
- Drag-and-drop editor and brand kit
- Templates, blank layouts, saved blocks and an HTML editor, with your logo, colors and fonts stored in a brand kit.
- AI Assistant
- Writes copy and creates images inside the email and form builders, paid for with AI credits: 150 a month free, 1,000 on Pro.
- Sign-up forms and pop-ups
- A drag-and-drop form builder with templates, pop-ups, hosted form pages, automatic tagging and built-in reCAPTCHA.
- Contacts, lists and tags
- Store contact details and custom fields, group contacts by list or tag, filter them and send to targeted lists.
- Reports
- Contact activity feed, email reports, link activity and an engagement timeline showing when contacts respond.
- List verification
- Pro includes verification of one list up to the plan's size, to clear bad addresses before sending.
Constant Contact
- Email campaigns with AI
- Branded templates and AI content generation for newsletters and promotions, with actionable blocks for RSVPs, social follows and feedback.
- Automations and Campaign Builder
- Lite includes a welcome automation; Standard adds Campaign Builder for AI-made multi-channel campaigns; Premium adds custom automations.
- Segments and testing
- Standard and above add automated segments based on campaign engagement, scheduled sending and A/B subject line tests.
- Landing pages, surveys and events
- Build landing pages, sign-up forms, survey pages and event pages to collect contacts and registrations.
- Social posting
- Post to Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn at once and track engagement next to email results.
- Ads and SEO on Premium
- Premium adds advanced reporting, Facebook lookalike targeting, Google ad management and SEO recommendations.
Plans
Benchmark Email
Free$0
500 contacts, 2,500 emails a month, 1 user, 1 domain, 2 API keys and 150 AI credits, with Benchmark branding.
Pro$16
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($19 monthly)
Sends 10 times the list, 1 user, 10 domains, 1,000 AI credits, list verification, no branding. $93 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts.
EnterpriseCustom
For more than 100,000 contacts, with premium support for large senders.
Constant Contact
Lite$10.20
per month and up by contacts, billed annually
Email and social posting, 1 automation template, basic reports and 1 custom segment. The price rises with contacts and sends.
Standard$29.75
per month and up by contacts, billed annually
Adds scheduling, subject-line tests, 3 automation templates, an AI campaign builder and open and click reports. Marked recommended.
Premium$68
per month and up by contacts, billed annually
Adds dynamic content, unlimited and custom automations, SEO tips, Google ads, priority support and 500 text messages.
Multi-AccountCustom
For teams that need 5 or more accounts across locations. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Benchmark Email
- Annual discount
Lower monthly price with annual billing
Benchmark's pricing page shows Pro at 1,000 contacts for $16 a month billed annually against $19 billed monthly.
Constant Contact
- Annual discount
Save 15% with yearly billing
Constant Contact's pricing page says prepaying for 12 months saves up to 15%, and nonprofits that prepay save up to 30%.
