Constant Contact vs MailerLite
We give Constant Contact and MailerLite the same GPA: 2.6 out of 4.0. Constant Contact grades higher on ease of use. MailerLite grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Constant Contact
Email, SMS and social marketing for small businesses
MailerLite
Email newsletters, automations, sites and paid subscriptions
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAConstant ContactGood | 2.6GPAMailerLiteGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$12 a month for 500 subscribers, just under the middle of what email tools charge, and that already gets you 50 automations, 10 forms and 10 sites. It stays reasonable as you grow, at $89 a month for 10,000 subscribers, and yearly billing takes 10% off. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CFree for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with automations, one website and three forms. A fair start, but 250 people is a cap you'll hit, and then campaigns and automations lock until you pay. There's a 14-day trial of paid features too, no card needed. |
| Features | 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. | BThree email editors, a visual automation builder, websites, landing pages and forms, plus paid newsletters, digital products and bookings through Stripe. That's the whole job. Receipts and other transactional emails live in a separate product, MailerSend. |
| Ease of use | 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. | B4.67 from about 1,100 App Store ratings for its companion app, just under the 4.7 an A needs. The real work still happens in the web app, building emails and automations. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb and an iPhone app, with Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe, Claude and ChatGPT, an API and an MCP server. No desktop app, so it can't go higher than a B. |
| Best for | email, social posts and events for a small business | a newsletter with a simple website on the side |
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: Constant Contact and MailerLite. How we grade
Price against what you get
Constant Contact starts at $10.20 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MailerLite starts at $12 a month and scores 3.0.
Constant Contact scores higher and starts $1.80 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, none scores higher than Constant Contact for less, and 1 scores higher than MailerLite 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
- Constant Contact starts at $10.20 per month and up by contact count, billed annually (Lite). MailerLite starts at $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly.
- MailerLite has a free plan. Constant Contact does not, though it has a free trial.
- Constant Contact also covers business texting.
- MailerLite also covers paid newsletters.
At a glance
| Constant Contact | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10.20 per month and up by contact count, billed annually (Lite) | $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | Up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, automations, 1 website, 1 landing page and 3 forms. No sending through the API. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial with up to 100 email sends; it ends on its own | 14-day free trial of paid features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Constant Contact, Inc. | MailerLite |
| Price read from | constantcontact.com | mailerlite.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
MailerLite
- Creators and small businesses sending a regular newsletter
- People who want a simple website and email list in one tool
- Writers charging for a newsletter through Stripe
Worth knowing
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.
MailerLite
- The Free plan stops at 250 subscribers; above that, campaigns and automations are locked until you upgrade.
- Subscribers count cumulatively through each billing cycle, and passing your tier moves you up and charges the card automatically.
- Comfort caps monthly emails at 10 times the top of your subscriber tier; Power has no monthly cap, subject to fair use.
- Transactional email is not part of these plans; MailerLite points to its separate MailerSend product.
Key features
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.
MailerLite
- Three email editors
- Drag-and-drop, custom HTML and a simple text editor on every plan. Paid plans add the AI writing assistant, multivariate testing and dynamic content.
- Automation builder
- A visual workflow builder with templates, e-commerce triggers, RSS campaigns and auto-resend. Comfort allows 50 active automations; Power has no cap.
- Websites, landing pages and forms
- Build sites with a blog, landing pages, embedded forms and pop-ups. Free allows one site and three forms; an iPad app collects sign-ups offline.
- Paid newsletters and digital products
- Sell one-time or recurring newsletter subscriptions, digital downloads and bookings, with payments taken through Stripe.
- Reports
- Click maps, list growth and comparative reports, e-commerce sales tracking, individual subscriber profiles and custom report exports.
- MCP server and API
- Claude, ChatGPT and other AI tools can manage campaigns through MailerLite's MCP server. Full API and MCP access, including sending, needs a paid plan.
Plans
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.
MailerLite
Free$0
250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, 1 website, 1 landing page and 3 forms. Community support only.
Comfort$12
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Emails up to 10 times the tier (5,000 here), 3 seats, 50 automations, 10 forms and sites. Price rises with the list: $89 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
Power$25
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Unlimited emails, seats, automations, forms and sites, plus 24/7 live chat. Price rises with the list: $129 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
EnterpriseCustom
For more than 200,000 subscribers: custom sending volume, a success manager, account audits and a dedicated IP as an add-on.
Ways to pay less
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%.
MailerLite
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
MailerLite's pricing page takes 10% off paid plans billed yearly: Comfort at 500 subscribers is $10.80 a month instead of $12.
- Nonprofit
30% off paid plans for nonprofits
Nonprofits get 30% off paid plans after sending support a document showing their status, such as an IRS tax exemption certificate.
