Constant Contact Pricing in 2026: Lite to Premium
Constant Contact sells three contact-priced tiers — Lite from $10.20/month, Standard from $29.75, Premium from $68 on annual billing ($12/$35/$80 month-to-month) — with no free plan, only a trial. Here's how the send multipliers work, where overages bite, and who should pay.
Verify live pricing: figures below reflect the official page at research time. Confirm at constantcontact.com/pricing before purchasing.
TL;DR
- Lite — $12/mo monthly, $10.20 annual: 1 user, 1 automation template, 10× contacts in monthly sends.
- Standard — $35/mo monthly, $29.75 annual: 3 users, 3 automation templates plus AI campaign builder, 12× sends.
- Premium — $80/mo monthly, $68 annual: unlimited users and automations, 24× sends, 500 SMS included.
- No free plan: trial only — budget for paid from month one.
- Model: per-contact tiers with send allowances; overage sends bill automatically per email.
The tiers, explained
Lite — from $10.20/month billed annually ($12 monthly)
Lite is the beginner rung: drag-and-drop editor, AI copy generator, templates, social posting tools, contact management with one custom segment, event hosting basics, and live phone/chat support — which at this price is genuinely rare. The send allowance is 10× your contact count per month: 500 contacts means 5,000 sends, plenty for a monthly or biweekly newsletter plus one welcome automation (Lite includes a single automation template).
The constraints are deliberate: one user, one segment, one automation. A solo workshop host or nonprofit sending a monthly bulletin will never notice. Anyone running launches, carts, or multi-step nurture will outgrow Lite within a quarter.
Standard — from $29.75/month billed annually ($35 monthly)
Standard is the tier Constant Contact wants most customers on: 3 users, 10 custom segments, 3 automation templates plus the AI campaign builder, automatic resend to non-openers, subject-line testing, and a 12× send multiplier. Event tools deepen with registrations and payments. At roughly 2.5× Lite's price it delivers the features that actually grow a list — testing, resends, and segmentation — making it the default recommendation for active senders.
Premium — from $68/month billed annually ($80 monthly)
Premium adds unlimited users, unlimited custom segments and automation templates, custom automations, dynamic content, SEO and Google Ads tooling, and a 24× send multiplier — the highest allowance multiple in the category — plus 500 SMS messages monthly. Teams, multi-location businesses, and heavy automation users live here. The annual rate ($68/mo vs. $80 monthly) saves $12/mo, or $144 over a year (12 × $12). Nonprofits should check the official page for nonprofit pricing, which can change the value equation meaningfully for mission budgets.
Send multipliers and the $0.002 overage
| Tier | Annual price | Send allowance | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $10.20/mo | 10× contacts | Billed per email |
| Standard | $29.75/mo | 12× contacts | Billed per email |
| Premium | $68/mo | 24× contacts | Billed per email |
Two details matter. First, automated emails (welcome messages, cart reminders) don't count against the allowance — only campaigns do — which softens the caps considerably for automation-heavy senders. Second, overage sends are billed automatically per email (check the current per-email rate on the vendor page) rather than blocking your sends. A weekly newsletter plus two automations fits Lite comfortably; a weekly newsletter plus welcome, re-engagement, and event flows wants Standard's headroom. SMS beyond Premium's bundled 500 costs extra as a paid add-on.
Constant Contact vs. the alternatives on price
Against Mailchimp, Constant Contact trades template flash for human support and event depth at comparable prices: Lite at $12/mo monthly against Mailchimp Essentials at $13/mo for 500 contacts. Event organizers who need registrations and payments inside the newsletter tool pick Constant Contact; design-first creators pick Mailchimp.
Against MailerLite, it's simply more expensive at every equivalent list size — you're paying for phone support, events, and hand-holding. Nonprofits should note the nonprofit pricing on the official page, which changes the value equation meaningfully for mission budgets.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Estimated monthly cost | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Solo operator — 500 contacts, biweekly campaign | From $10.20/mo billed annually ($12 month-to-month) | Lite |
| Active sender — 2,500 contacts, weekly campaign plus automations | From $29.75/mo billed annually ($35 month-to-month) | Standard |
| Team sender — 10,000 contacts, heavy campaign calendar | From $68/mo billed annually ($80 month-to-month) | Premium |
Send allowances scale with contacts (10×/12×/24×), so each scenario stays well inside its tier: 500 contacts get 5,000 sends on Lite, 2,500 get 30,000 on Standard. Automated emails sit outside the allowance entirely.
Hidden fees & fine print
- Exceed your monthly send allowance and overage bills automatically per email — sends never stop, the meter just runs. Check the current per-email rate on the vendor page.
- SMS beyond Premium's bundled 500 messages per month costs extra as a paid add-on for every tier.
- The $10.20/$29.75/$68 figures assume annual billing — month-to-month runs $12/$35/$80.
- Contact-count jumps reprice your tier even when features stay identical — check the plan comparison at your exact list size.
- There is no free plan: after the trial ends, every month is a paid month from Lite's floor upward.
- Automation templates and segments gate by tier (Lite 1, Standard 3, Premium unlimited) — confirm your workflow sits on your tier in the plan comparison.
Constant Contact pricing FAQs
Is there a Constant Contact free plan?
No — Constant Contact offers a trial but no permanent free tier. Every serious sender budgets from Lite's $12/month (or $10.20 annually) upward. Free- tier hunters should look at Brevo, MailerLite, or Kit instead.
What does the 10×/12×/24× send multiplier mean?
Your monthly campaign-send allowance equals the multiplier times your contact count: 1,000 contacts on Standard means 12,000 sends. Automated emails don't count. Exceed the allowance and overages bill at $0.002 per email — sends never stop, the meter just runs.
Lite vs. Standard: which should an event organizer pick?
Organizers running more than one event type or any post-event follow-up sequence should take Standard: 3 automation templates, resend-to-non-openers, and testing directly fill more seats. Lite suits a single recurring gathering with a simple announcement rhythm.
How does Premium's $68/mo annual rate compare to competitors?
Premium's annual $68/mo buys unlimited automations, dynamic content, and a 24× send allowance — competitive with Mailchimp Standard ($100/mo at 5,000 contacts) and cheaper than ActiveCampaign's Plus at $49/mo for automation-light teams that need events. Commerce sellers still get more leverage from Drip ($39/mo to 2,500 people).
What happens if I exceed my send allowance?
Sends keep going and overage bills automatically per email — check the current per-email rate on the vendor page. Automated emails (welcome messages, cart reminders) don't count against the allowance, so campaign-heavy months are the ones that trigger it.
Is annual billing required for these prices?
No — annual billing simply saves 15%. Month-to-month costs $12/$35/$80 for Lite/Standard/Premium. Budget monthly if cash flow matters more than the discount, and confirm the current terms on the official page.
Where do I confirm current Constant Contact pricing?
On the official page at constantcontact.com/pricing. Toggle monthly versus annual billing (annual prepayment saves up to 15%) and slide to your contact count — then compare with our pricing hub.