Mailchimp and Constant Contact are the two most recognizable names in email marketing for small organizations. Both have been around for 20+ years. Both advertise heavily to small businesses and nonprofits. But they’re built for different things, and picking the wrong one means paying for features you don’t need or missing ones you do.

Here’s the straight comparison for churches, nonprofits, and small businesses.

The Short Version

• Choose Mailchimp if you want the most templates and integrations, a free plan to start, and a platform that scales with you.
• Choose Constant Contact if you’re a nonprofit (30% discount), run regular events, or want stronger phone support and list management out of the box.

At a Glance

When to Choose Mailchimp

Pick Mailchimp if any of these describe you:

• You want to start free. Mailchimp’s free plan covers 500 contacts with basic email sending, templates, and a landing page. No credit card required. For a small church or nonprofit just getting started with email, that’s a real free tier — not a 60-day trial.
• You value templates and design flexibility. Mailchimp has more templates (300+) and a more flexible drag-and-drop editor. If your newsletters need to look polished, Mailchimp gives you more starting points.
• You rely on integrations. Mailchimp connects to more tools — 300+ integrations including Shopify, WordPress, Eventbrite, Canva, and most CRMs. If your tech stack matters, Mailchimp is more likely to plug in without custom work.
• You’re planning to scale. Mailchimp handles small lists well but also scales to enterprise-level sending. If you expect significant growth, you won’t outgrow Mailchimp.
• You want AI-assisted content tools. Mailchimp’s built-in AI helps write subject lines, email copy, and send-time optimization. Useful if you’re a one-person team wearing all the hats.

Biggest downside: The free plan is limited — no automation workflows, no A/B testing, no custom branding. And Mailchimp’s pricing jumps faster than Constant Contact as your list grows above 2,500 contacts. Phone support isn’t available on any plan.

When to Choose Constant Contact

Pick Constant Contact if any of these describe you:

• You’re a nonprofit. The 30% nonprofit discount applies to all plans. At 500 contacts, that drops Lite from $12/mo to about $8/mo. At larger list sizes, the savings are significant. Mailchimp’s 15% nonprofit discount doesn’t come close.
• You run regular events. Constant Contact’s event management is built into the platform — invitations, RSVPs, ticketing, event registration pages, and follow-up emails. No third-party integration needed. For churches running services, nonprofits hosting fundraisers, or small businesses doing workshops, this is a killer feature.
• You want phone support. Constant Contact offers phone support on all paid plans. Mailchimp offers email support only (phone is available on Premium, $350/mo). If you’re not technical and want to call someone when something breaks, this matters.
• You want simple list management. Constant Contact’s list tools are straightforward — imports, segmentation, and bounce handling are easier to manage than Mailchimp’s more complex audience system.
• You send surveys and feedback forms. Constant Contact includes survey tools that integrate with your email campaigns. Mailchimp requires a third-party integration for surveys.

Biggest downside: No permanent free plan — just a 60-day trial. Constant Contact’s template editor feels dated compared to Mailchimp. And at larger list sizes (2,500+ contacts), Constant Contact gets expensive faster than Mailchimp.

Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

Templates and Design — Mailchimp Wins

Mailchimp has more templates (300+ vs. 200+) and a more flexible drag-and-drop editor. You can customize layouts more freely, and the AI content assistant helps generate copy. Constant Contact’s editor works fine but feels a generation behind — less flexibility, more rigid layouts.

Winner: Mailchimp, especially if design quality matters to your brand.

Automation — Tie

Both platforms offer visual automation builders on their mid-tier plans and above. Mailchimp’s Customer Journey builder is more flexible (branching logic, conditional splits), but Constant Contact’s automation is easier to set up for common workflows like welcome series, abandoned cart reminders, and re-engagement campaigns.

For most small organizations, both are sufficient. Power users who want complex multi-step journeys will prefer Mailchimp. Teams who want to set up a welcome series in 10 minutes will prefer Constant Contact.

Winner: Tie. Mailchimp for complexity, Constant Contact for simplicity.

Event Management — Constant Contact Wins (By a Lot)

This isn’t close. Constant Contact has full event management built in: custom registration pages, RSVP tracking, ticket sales, event reminders, and post-event follow-up sequences. You can manage your entire event lifecycle inside Constant Contact.

Mailchimp has basic event features but relies on integrations (Eventbrite, etc.) for anything beyond simple email invitations. If events are central to your organization, Constant Contact is the clear choice.

Winner: Constant Contact.

Pricing — Depends on List Size

Small lists (under 500 contacts): Mailchimp wins with its free plan. Constant Contact starts at $12/mo.

Medium lists (500–2,500 contacts): Roughly comparable. Mailchimp Essentials at $13/mo vs. Constant Contact Lite at $12/mo. With the nonprofit discount, Constant Contact drops to ~$8/mo and wins for nonprofits.

Larger lists (2,500+ contacts): Mailchimp wins. Constant Contact’s pricing escalates faster than Mailchimp’s at larger list sizes. At 10,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard ($95/mo) is cheaper than Constant Contact Standard ($100+/mo).

Nonprofit pricing: Constant Contact wins with a 30% discount vs. Mailchimp’s 15%.

Winner: Mailchimp for free/large lists. Constant Contact for nonprofits. Roughly equal in the middle.

Integrations — Mailchimp Wins

Mailchimp integrates with 300+ tools including Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, Eventbrite, Canva, QuickBooks, and most major CRMs. Constant Contact has about 200 integrations and covers the basics, but has gaps in e-commerce and CRM categories.

Winner: Mailchimp, though Constant Contact covers the essentials most small organizations need.

Support — Constant Contact Wins

Constant Contact offers phone, email, and chat support on all paid plans. Mailchimp offers email support on free and Essentials plans, with phone support only on Premium ($350/mo). For small organizations without a dedicated marketing person, being able to call someone is valuable.

Winner: Constant Contact.

Deliverability — Tie

Both platforms maintain strong deliverability rates (95%+ for most senders). Both handle authentication (DKIM, SPF, DMARC), bounce management, and compliance. Neither has a meaningful advantage here.

Winner: Tie.

Pricing Comparison (2026)

Prices are approximate and may vary. Check current pricing on each platform’s website.

Nonprofit Pricing (After Discount)

Constant Contact’s 30% discount makes it cheaper for nonprofits at smaller list sizes. At 2,500+ contacts, Mailchimp’s lower base pricing narrows the gap even with the smaller discount.

The Decision Framework

Answer these three questions:

1. Are you a nonprofit? Yes → Constant Contact (30% discount + event tools). No → keep reading.

2. Do you run regular events (services, fundraisers, workshops)? Yes → Constant Contact. No → keep reading.

3. How big is your list? Under 500 → Mailchimp (free plan). Over 2,500 → Mailchimp (better pricing at scale). In between → either works, choose based on features.

Still unsure? Start with Mailchimp’s free plan. It costs nothing, you’ll learn the basics of email marketing, and you can switch to Constant Contact later if events or nonprofit pricing become the deciding factor.

Our Verdict

• Churches with regular events → Constant Contact (event management + nonprofit discount)
• Nonprofits under 2,500 contacts → Constant Contact (30% discount)
• Nonprofits over 2,500 contacts → Mailchimp (better pricing at scale, even with smaller nonprofit discount)
• Small businesses just starting → Mailchimp (free plan)
• Small businesses running events/workshops → Constant Contact
• Organizations that want phone support → Constant Contact
• Organizations that want the most integrations → Mailchimp
• Anyone who just wants to try email marketing for free → Mailchimp

SoftDecide helps churches, nonprofits, and small organizations find the right software. Our comparisons are independently researched. We may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page — at no extra cost to you.