Small-business and nonprofit senders look past Constant Contact when a list is small enough for someone else's free plan, when automation limits bite, or when contact-based tiers cost more than a rival's for the same list. Most go to MailerLite, Brevo or Kit, or to Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign.
Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within
the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. How it works:
placement disclosure · editorial process.
What each alternative does differently
1. MailerLite
Straightforward newsletters, forms and automations at a fair price · Lithuania
The usual first stop for a cheaper tool. Its Free plan covers 250 subscribers, 2 seats and 2,500 emails a month with automations, a website and a landing page included. Comfort and Power are the paid tiers, and data is stored in the European Union.
Switch from Constant Contact if you want a modern editor, automations and a free start for a small list.
Pricing: Free plan for small lists, then paid plans priced by subscriber count with automation and landing pages included. (free plan)
Full review: #1 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit MailerLite →
2. Brevo
Send-volume pricing with transactional email and SMS built in · France
Email, SMS and WhatsApp in one account. The Free plan has no card requirement, Standard adds unlimited multi-step workflows and A/B testing, and Professional includes phone support and 10 seats. SMS credit is sold separately, and Starter support is by email only.
Switch from Constant Contact if you want unlimited workflows on a mid tier and phone support on a higher one.
Pricing: Free plan with a daily sending cap, then paid plans priced mainly by monthly email volume; SMS and WhatsApp credits bought separately. (free plan)
Full review: #2 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit Brevo →
3. Mailchimp
The familiar email platform, now part of Intuit · United States
The best-known alternative, with a Free plan up to 250 contacts where sending pauses when the contact or send limit is exceeded. Essentials, Standard and Premium are the paid tiers, and businesses with 10,000 or more contacts get 15 percent off the first 12 months of Standard.
Switch from Constant Contact if you want the largest template and integration ecosystem and your list is still modest.
Pricing: Limited free plan, then Essentials, Standard and Premium priced by audience contacts; overages apply above the plan limit. (free plan)
Full review: #4 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit Mailchimp →
4. Kit
Email platform for creators and newsletter businesses · United States
Aimed at creators and newsletter writers. The Free plan allows up to 10,000 subscribers, and Creator adds unlimited visual automations, sequences and SMS marketing. Free migrations are offered. Event registration is not part of the pitch, so organizers of fundraisers look elsewhere.
Switch from Constant Contact if you publish a newsletter or sell digital products and want a large free tier.
Pricing: Free newsletter plan, then paid plans priced by subscriber count; automations and integrations on paid tiers. (free plan)
Full review: #3 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit Kit →
5. ActiveCampaign
Email campaigns wrapped around a deep automation engine · United States
Automation-led, with a free 14-day trial and no free plan. Starter limits each automation to 5 actions, while Plus and above lift the cap. Users are 1 on Starter and Plus, 3 on Pro and 5 on Enterprise. Pricing scales with contact bands, and lead scoring sits in a CRM add-on.
Switch from Constant Contact if your follow-up sequences branch on behavior and you have outgrown simple paths.
Pricing: Published plans billed by contact band, with a low-cost Starter tier and the stronger automation and reporting reserved for Plus and above. (free trial)
Full review: #13 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit ActiveCampaign →
6. GetResponse
Email, webinars and funnels from one platform · Poland
Adds webinars and funnels to email. Creator includes webinars, a website builder, a course creator for up to 500 students and premium newsletters, and Marketer adds unlimited workflows and abandoned cart recovery. It is sold on a 14-day trial with no permanent free plan.
Switch from Constant Contact if you run webinars or courses and want them in the same account as your email.
Pricing: Free plan up to 500 contacts, then plans priced by list size, with webinars and the course creator on the Creator tier and above. (free plan)
Full review: #8 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit GetResponse →
7. AWeber
Veteran autoresponder with round-the-clock support · United States
A veteran list sender with 24/7 support, a free account migration service and a 14-day trial. Lite allows 1 email list, 3 landing pages, 3 automations and 3 users, and Plus removes those caps. Done For You setup is a paid, one-time service.
Switch from Constant Contact if you want round-the-clock support and a vendor that will move your list for you.
Pricing: Plans priced by subscriber count, with trial access before paying. (free trial)
Full review: #11 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit AWeber →
8. Omnisend
Ecommerce email and SMS for smaller online stores · Lithuania
Ecommerce-focused. The Free plan allows 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, and 24/7 live chat and email support apply to every plan including free. Pro adds SMS. The team migrates contacts, data and segments at no charge, but it targets stores, not events.
Switch from Constant Contact if you sell products online and want support on every plan, free tier included.
Pricing: Free plan for small stores, then plans priced by contact count, with SMS credits included on higher tiers. (free plan)
Full review: #7 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit Omnisend →
9. EmailOctopus
Low-cost newsletters without the extras · United Kingdom
A bare-bones sender. Free allows 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month with EmailOctopus branding, and Pro removes branding and allows unlimited users. All nonprofits get a 20 percent lifetime discount. Free allows one landing page and one form, and there is no free trial.
Switch from Constant Contact if you are a nonprofit or small shop and want the lowest bill for plain campaigns.
Pricing: Generous free plan, then low-cost plans priced by subscriber count. (free plan)
Full review: #9 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit EmailOctopus →
10. Campaign Monitor
Design-led email with agency client management · United States
Design-led email with a Free plan below Lite. Lite sends five times the subscriber count a month and adds drip campaigns, transactional emails and AI writing, and the tier above removes send limits and adds priority support. Unlimited users sign in with their own logins.
Switch from Constant Contact if you value branded templates and a team of several people sharing the account.
Pricing: Plans priced by contact count, with client billing options for agencies. (free trial)
Full review: #12 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit Campaign Monitor →
11. beehiiv
Newsletter publishing with growth and ad tools · United States
A publishing platform, free forever with unlimited email sends, landing pages and a recommendation network. Lite adds automations, polls, A/B testing and paid subscriptions with a 0 percent take rate. It has no events or local-business tools, so it fits writers more than shops.
Switch from Constant Contact if your list is an audience you want to grow, monetize and write for.
Pricing: Free plan up to a subscriber cap, then plans priced by subscriber count with monetization features on higher tiers. (free plan)
Full review: #10 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit beehiiv →
12. Klaviyo
Ecommerce email and SMS built on store data · United States
Built for online stores, with a Free plan of 250 active profiles and 500 email sends a month plus $5 of mobile messages. Paid tiers follow active profiles, and email and SMS are separate plans. It is the wrong shape for a restaurant, church or charity newsletter.
Switch from Constant Contact if your sales happen on a web store and you want flows driven by orders.
Pricing: Free plan for small stores, then plans priced by active profiles, with SMS billed separately by credit. (free plan)
Full review: #5 of 13 in our ranking ·
Visit Klaviyo →
Questions and answers
Can I export my contacts from Constant Contact?
Yes, its API documentation describes a CSV export of all contacts or a filtered set by list, segment or tag. We could not load its in-app help pages, so check the current screen path before you start.
Which alternatives offer free migration?
Omnisend says its team moves contacts, data and segments, Kit lists free migrations, and AWeber lists a free account migration service. Each pricing page describes what is covered, so ask before you sign.
Which alternatives have a permanent free plan?
MailerLite, Brevo, Kit, Mailchimp, Omnisend, Klaviyo, EmailOctopus, beehiiv and Campaign Monitor list free plans on their own pages, with different caps. GetResponse, AWeber and ActiveCampaign list trials.
Does anyone else offer phone support?
Brevo lists phone support on its Professional plan. Omnisend lists 24/7 live chat and email on every plan, Kit lists 24/7 email and chat on Creator, and AWeber lists 24/7 support. Check which tier carries it.
Is there a nonprofit discount elsewhere?
EmailOctopus says all nonprofits get a 20 percent lifetime discount. Ask other vendors directly, as their pricing pages did not state one when we checked.
Will my automations transfer?
No, plan to rebuild them. The API export covers contact data, so welcome series and event reminders are recreated in the new tool and tested before the old account closes.
