Constant Contact vs Direct Mail

Brevo

MailerLite

ActiveCampaign

Cloud-based marketing platform offering email, SMS, WhatsApp, automation, and CRM tools for businesses of all sizes.

From newsletters to automated customer journeys—join 1 million businesses scaling the easy way with MailerLite. 

ActiveCampaign is a cloud-based marketing and sales automation platform combining email, SMS, WhatsApp, CRM, and AI-driven automation.

Sr. Account Manager

Also lacks responsive customer service - we have gotten the run around several times through automated support responses that just drive to the online FAQ we already checked.

IT Director

Some of the automation and advanced segmentation features are not as deep as some higher-end marketing platforms.

IT Manager

I found constant contact's automation, audience segmentation, and campaign personalization capabilities to be somewhat limited for more sophisticated marketing initiatives.

Ops Coordinator

Additionally, the platform provides reliable templates and helpful guidance for users without marketing experience, like me!

Cloud-based digital marketing platform for small businesses and nonprofits, covering email, SMS, social media, and event management.

A/B Testing

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

Attendance Management

Audience Targeting

Automated Publishing

Automated Responses

Automated Scheduling

Autoresponders

Calendar Management

Campaign Analytics

Campaign Management

Campaign Planning

Campaign Scheduling

Campaign Segmentation

CAN-SPAM Compliance

Channel Management

Click Tracking

Commenting/Notes

Contact Database

Contact Management

Content Management

Conversion Tracking

Customer Database

Customer Engagement

Customer Segmentation

Customer Surveys

Customizable Branding

Customizable CTAs

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Questions

Customizable Templates

Customization

Data Analysis Tools

Data Import/Export

Design Management

Drag & Drop

Drip Campaigns

Dynamic Content

Electronic Payments

Email Campaign Management

Email Distribution

Email Management

Email Marketing

Email Monitoring

Email Reminders

Email Templates

Email Tracking

Employee Management

Engagement Tracking

Event Calendar

Event Management

Event Marketing

Event Scheduling

Event Ticketing

Event Triggered Actions

Feedback Management

Form Builder

Forms Management

Image Library

Inbox Management

Interaction Tracking

Keyword Filtering

Landing Pages/Web Forms

Lead Capture

Lead Generation

Lead Management

Lead Nurturing

Lead Qualification

List Management

Live Chat

Location Tracking

Mailing List Management

Marketing Automation

Marketing Calendar

Mass Texting

Media Library

Meeting Management

@mentions

Message Personalization

Mobile Access

Mobile Optimization

Mobile Survey

Monitoring

Multi-Account Management

Multi-Campaign

Multi-Channel Distribution

Multi-Channel Management

Multi-Channel Marketing

Multi-Language

Multiple User Accounts

Multivariate Testing

Newsletter Management

Performance Metrics

Post Scheduling

The Constant Contact integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: WordPress (a website builder product rated 4.6 out of 5 for its integration with Constant Contact), DonorPerfect (a fundraising product, 4.7), and Canva (a graphic design product, 4.4).

Integrations

Reviews for Constant Contact come from a wide variety of industries, including non-profit organization management (11% of reviewers), marketing and advertising (9%), and health, wellness and fitness (5%). The most frequent use case for Constant Contact cited by reviewers is email marketing (84% of reviewers).

Constant Contact

iPad

Android

iPhone

Web-based

Emma by Marigold

HubSpot Marketing Hub

SendGrid

SurveyMonkey

Campaign Monitor by Marigold

GetResponse

Acumbamail

Moosend

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

SendPulse

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Flodesk

Lite

Standard

Premium

Teams

Account management frustrations

Blogger

We are a no refund company". Since constant contact only allows cancellations by phone, and they refused send a cancellation email until the following month, I could not dispute the charge with my credit card company.

Manager

The account was not used for over close to a year, as the entire company was shut down from covid, with all employees furloughed.   When we went to cancel the account upon reopening, they would not work with us at all to find a middle ground for a refund.  

71% of reviewers feel negative about account and unsubscribe management in Constant Contact. Users report difficulties with canceling accounts, requiring phone calls and lengthy processes. Reviewers mention that unsubscribing contacts or managing inactive users is cumbersome, and re-subscribing accidentally removed contacts is challenging. Some users express frustration with unexpected charges for inactive accounts and the inability to easily remove branding or manage multiple users without extra fees. Many find the overall account management process inefficient and time-consuming.

Deliverability and spam concerns

President

Your account gets flagged if import a lot of contacts at once or get more than 0.1% spam reports on a blast.   Once we uploaded a list of contacts and they weren't satisfied with our explanation of how we got them so they blacklisted the contacts and made us unable to ever contact those people again.   If you get more than 0.1% spam reports your account can be suspended or you may get a little scolding.  

Editor

This happened enough times, with just 2-3 people (out of thousands) using the Gmail spam report, that CC began to throttle and limit our service.  

74% of reviewers feel negative about Constant Contact’s email spam and deliverability issues. Users indicate that emails often end up in recipients’ spam folders or are blocked by firewalls, reducing campaign reach. Reviewers mention that even a small number of spam reports can lead to account suspension or throttling, which disrupts marketing efforts. Some users feel the platform’s spam policies are overly strict and customer support is unhelpful in resolving related problems. Many find managing bounces and list hygiene to be difficult and critical for avoiding deliverability issues.

Image handling limitations

Founder, Owner

You can't resize images within blocks, for example, and when you create a new block yourself, you can't copy and paste them into a new template or save them as a content block for reuse.

Ast Project Manager

We use it for a newsletter mostly and contact management, it doesn't allow you to edit the pictures to fit, which is annoying.

48% of reviewers feel negative about Constant Contact’s image and photo management. Users report that resizing, positioning, and editing images within templates is cumbersome and lacks flexibility. Reviewers mention upload limits, quality loss when resizing, and difficulties with importing or linking external images. Some users find that managing the image library is tedious due to storage restrictions and broken links when deleting images. Many say that adding or formatting images can be time-consuming, especially when creating visually rich campaigns.

Formatting and editor challenges

68% of reviewers feel negative about Constant Contact’s text and formatting options. Users say the editor is limited, with few font choices and basic layout controls. Reviewers report glitches where formatting changes unexpectedly, fonts display inconsistently, and editing text can be unintuitive or buggy. Many mention that customizing templates or achieving precise layouts is difficult, especially when switching between devices or email clients. Some users express frustration with the lack of advanced formatting features and the removal of HTML editing capabilities.

Frequent glitches and instability

Program Manager

Additionally, landing pages are often glitchy when you want it to be slightly more sophisticated than a simple page. Despite requesting help from Constant Contact two times on the glitches, they did not respond to me with a solution.

67% of reviewers feel negative about bugs and issues in Constant Contact. Users report experiencing frequent glitches, slow load times, and occasional crashes that disrupt their workflow. Reviewers mention that editing can be lost due to unexpected reloads, and some features may not work consistently across browsers or devices. Many say that technical problems sometimes require repeated support requests, and some feel that longstanding bugs are not promptly addressed. Users find these interruptions frustrating, especially when working on time-sensitive campaigns.

Effective client relationship management

Web Developer

We love how versatile CC is with being able to manage different lists for different clients and accounts.

94% of reviewers feel positive about Constant Contact’s client support features. Users say the platform helps them maintain consistent communication with clients, prospects, and partners. Reviewers indicate that managing client lists, sending targeted updates, and tracking engagement is straightforward. Many appreciate the built-in CRM capabilities and the ability to personalize outreach. Some users mention that the platform is especially helpful for small businesses and agencies managing multiple client accounts, as it streamlines communication and supports lead generation.

Detailed performance analytics

Marketing specialist

It includes powerful tools for tracking email opens, clicks, and bounces, so you can see how your campaigns are performing.

95% of reviewers feel positive about Constant Contact’s email tracking and analytics. Users report that they can easily monitor open rates, click-throughs, bounces, and unsubscribes, which helps them assess campaign effectiveness. Reviewers value the ability to segment audiences and analyze engagement data to optimize future emails. Many mention that the reporting tools are intuitive and provide actionable insights, enabling them to refine subject lines, content, and targeting. Some users appreciate automated reports and the convenience of tracking metrics in real time.

Integrated communication channels

Owner, Editor, Publisher

Constant Contact revolutionized the way we communicate with our clients to let them know what's coming up in our issues and how they can participate (our magazine is 100 percent supported by advertising) and our readers (each month we create an email "alert" with Constant Contact which lets our readership know that our free digital issue is now available online).

91% of reviewers feel positive about Constant Contact’s communication and social media features. Users indicate that they can efficiently manage communications with various groups and broadcast messages to large audiences. Reviewers appreciate the automation tools for targeted messaging and the ability to share content across social media platforms. Some users mention that analytics help them understand engagement and optimize outreach. Many find the platform useful for building relationships, promoting events, and maintaining a professional brand presence across multiple channels, all from a single interface.

Flexible campaign management tools

Founder

It has a versatile email template library to help us get started and with the A/B testing feature we can tune the campaigns to beter resonate with our audience.

95% of reviewers feel positive about Constant Contact’s email campaign capabilities. Users say they value the wide variety of customizable templates, easy segmentation of contact lists, and the ability to schedule and automate campaigns. Reviewers appreciate the platform’s robust analytics, which help them track performance and refine strategies. Some users mention that managing recurring and drip campaigns is straightforward, and they like being able to duplicate or reuse previous campaigns. Many note that the campaign creation process is user-friendly, saving them time and effort when communicating with different audience segments.

Comprehensive email marketing suite

ASSISTANT MANAGER

Constant Contact integrates with a wide range of third-party tools and services, including CRM software, social media platforms, and eCommerce platforms, making it easy for businesses to integrate email marketing into their existing workflows.

91% of reviewers feel positive about Constant Contact’s email marketing functionality. Reviewers appreciate the platform’s user-friendly interface, reliable deliverability, and extensive integrations with other tools. Users say they benefit from features like segmentation, automation, and tracking, which help them engage audiences and personalize messaging. Many note that the platform supports both simple and more advanced marketing needs, making it suitable for businesses of different sizes. Some users highlight the ability to create professional-looking emails and manage campaigns efficiently as key advantages.

Constant Contact helped simplify email marketing and communication with customers by centralizing contact lists, campaign creation, scheduling, and reporting into one platform.

Sales Marketing Coordinator

It provides an intuitive platform for creating professional email campaigns, managing contact lists, and tracking campaign performance without a steep learning curve.

Senior Manager, Infrastructure Engineering

It handles the practical machinery of email marketing: contact storage, list management, templates, campaign creation, sending, and basic reporting, without turning every campaign into an engineering project.

It gives us a reliable place to manage contacts, organize lists, build template-based campaigns, send emails, and review basic results without making the process feel like a technical expedition.

Digital Media Specialist

It’s a dependable platform that allows you to quickly create, schedule, and distribute professional-looking emails, making it especially effective for newsletters, event promotion, and routine organizational updates.

Artist and Tour Manager

I also appreciate the built-in event management tools that allow me to handle invitations and registrations directly from the platform, which is a real plus compared to pure email tools.

Account ownership, subaccounts, and recovery could be cleaner, especially for organizations with multiple teams under one umbrella. But for short-lived campaigns, seasonal messages, one-off updates, and focused communications, Constant Contact has been dependable and easy to work with.

It is a reliable and user-friendly platform that is well-suited for consistent email communication and basic marketing needs. Although it may lack some advanced features found in more complex systems, it is an excellent choice for organizations looking for a straightforward and effective solution without a steep learning curve.

Client Services Director

One of the great factors is that we can have open rates and click-through metrics, which ultimately help us refine our engagement strategy.

Overall, my experience is positive. While I'd like to be more creative with the layout and design, the platform's functionality, detailed data collection, and the overall package are good value. Whenever I've had an issue, the CC Customer Service Team has always been quick to respond and help me resolve the issue.

It is an extremely reassuring tool, notably thanks to its excellent deliverability rate: I know that my emails land directly in my recipients' inboxes and not in their spam folders.

Legal Assistant

It offers reliable performance and helpful reporting tools, though it can feel somewhat limited in customization and advanced automation as needs grow.

Foundation Manager

Easy contacts and mailing list management, and enables tracking opens and interactions with minimal lag times.

Constant Contact vs Direct Mail Comparison (2026)

Constant Contact

Direct Mail

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives