Last Updated: March 19, 2026 | Quick Answer: ActiveCampaign is best for SMBs, course creators, ecommerce brands, and B2B teams that rely on email automation, while Constant Contact excels for Small businesses, nonprofits, and local organizations new to email marketing. Both are strong email marketing options — your choice depends on your specific needs and budget.
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At a Glance
| ActiveCampaign | Constant Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | SMBs, course creators, ecommerce brands, and B2B teams that rely on email automation | Small businesses, nonprofits, and local organizations new to email marketing |
| Starting Price | Starter from $15/mo; Plus from $49/mo; Pro from $79/mo (1,000 contacts, billed annually) | $12/mo (Lite, 500 contacts) / $35/mo (Standard) / $80/mo (Premium) |
| Free Plan | Check website | Check website |
| Our Rating | 8.5/10 | 7/10 |
| Key Strength | Most powerful automation builder in its price range, with built-in CRM | Easiest onboarding experience in email marketing — genuinely beginner-friendly with live coaching |
ActiveCampaign Overview
ActiveCampaign is a customer experience automation (CXA) platform that combines email marketing, marketing automation, CRM, and sales tools in a single platform. Founded in 2003 by Jason VandeBoom in Chicago, the company bootstrapped for over a decade before raising $100 million from Silversmith Cap
Top Features:
- Email Marketing and Designer
- Automation Builder
- CRM and Sales Automation
- Lead Scoring
Read our full ActiveCampaign review
Constant Contact Overview
Constant Contact is an email marketing and digital marketing platform founded in 1995. It’s one of the oldest email marketing companies in the industry, serving over 600,000 customers — primarily small businesses, nonprofits, and local organizations.
Top Features:
- Email Editor
- Contact Management
- Automation
- Event Management
Read our full Constant Contact review
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Constant Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing and Designer | Yes | Similar |
| Automation Builder | Yes | Similar |
| CRM and Sales Automation | Yes | Similar |
| Lead Scoring | Yes | Similar |
| Site and Event Tracking | Yes | Similar |
| What We Like | Yes | Similar |
| Email Editor | Similar | Yes |
| Contact Management | Similar | Yes |
Pricing Comparison
| ActiveCampaign | Constant Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Starter from $15/mo; Plus from $49/mo; Pro from $79/mo (1,000 contacts, billed annually) | $12/mo (Lite, 500 contacts) / $35/mo (Standard) / $80/mo (Premium) |
| Free Plan/Trial | Check website | Check website |
Pros and Cons
ActiveCampaign
Pros:
- The most powerful visual automation builder available below enterprise price points
- Built-in CRM removes the need for a separate tool for many SMBs
- Lead scoring, site tracking, and event tracking enable sophisticated behavioral marketing
- Strong email deliverability — consistently outperforms Mailchimp in delivery benchmarks
Cons:
- 900+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, Salesforce, Stripe, and Zapier
- Excellent customer support reputation and comprehensive onboarding resources
Constant Contact
Pros:
- Easiest email marketing platform to learn — true beginner-friendly UX
- Live phone support (rare in this category) plus chat and email
- Built-in event management with registration, ticketing, and payments
- 200+ email templates that look professional on mobile
Cons:
- Expensive for the feature set — ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp offer more for less
- Automation is basic — no conditional branching, lead scoring, or complex workflows
- Contact pricing scales steeply — gets very expensive above 10,000 contacts
When to Choose ActiveCampaign
- You need most powerful automation builder in its price range, with built-in crm
- Your primary focus is smbs, course creators, ecommerce brands, and b2b teams that rely on email automation
- You want a platform rated 8.5/10 by our team
When to Choose Constant Contact
- You need easiest onboarding experience in email marketing — genuinely beginner-friendly with live coaching
- Your primary focus is small businesses, nonprofits, and local organizations new to email marketing
- You want a platform rated 7/10 by our team
FAQ
Is ActiveCampaign better than Constant Contact?
It depends on your needs. ActiveCampaign is better for smbs, course creators, ecommerce brands, and b2b teams that rely on email automation, while Constant Contact is stronger for small businesses, nonprofits, and local organizations new to email marketing. We rated ActiveCampaign 8.5/10 and Constant Contact 7/10.
Can I use both ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact?
Yes, many teams use both tools together. ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact can complement each other depending on your workflow requirements.
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or Constant Contact?
ActiveCampaign starts at Starter from $15/mo; Plus from $49/mo; Pro from $79/mo (1,000 contacts, billed annually), while Constant Contact starts at $12/mo (Lite, 500 contacts) / $35/mo (Standard) / $80/mo (Premium). Both offer different tiers, so compare plans based on the features you actually need.
Our Verdict
Both ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact are solid choices in their respective categories. Choose ActiveCampaign if you prioritize most powerful automation builder in its price range, with built-in crm. Choose Constant Contact if easiest onboarding experience in email marketing — genuinely beginner-friendly with live coaching matters more to your workflow. Either way, both tools offer free trials or plans so you can test before committing.
Read our full ActiveCampaign review | Read our full Constant Contact review
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