Choosing an email marketing platform feels harder than it should be. Every provider claims to be the best. Every pricing page hides the real cost until you scroll three screens down. And once you pick wrong, switching later means rebuilding lists, automations, and templates from scratch.
AWeber and Constant Contact are two of the oldest names in email marketing. Both have survived two decades of competition from newer, flashier tools. That alone tells you something. But surviving isn't the same as being the right fit for your business today.
This comparison breaks down pricing, features, deliverability, ease of use, and support so you can make a confident decision in 2026. No fluff. No vague "it depends" answers where they aren't needed.
If you already know you want a platform that keeps things simple without sacrificing power, you can check AWeber's current plans here.
Quick Answer: Which One Should You Choose?
You don't always have time to read a full comparison. Here's the short version.
Choose AWeber if:
- You want lower costs, especially at smaller list sizes
- You need a straightforward setup process
- You value phone support that's actually included
- You're a solo entrepreneur, coach, blogger, or small business owner
- You want the option to have experts build your system for you
Choose Constant Contact if:
- You run local events and need built-in event marketing tools
- You want social media posting bundled with email
- You need a longer free trial to test everything first
- Your business relies heavily on nonprofit-specific features
Neither platform is objectively "bad." But for most small businesses focused purely on email marketing ROI, one option pulls ahead. Keep reading to see why.
AWeber vs Constant Contact: Pricing Breakdown for 2026
Pricing is usually the deciding factor, so let's start here.
AWeber Pricing in 2026
AWeber restructured its pricing in recent years, and the current lineup has three paid tiers:
- Lite Plan – Starts around $12.49/month (annual billing) for up to 500 subscribers. Covers core tools like email automation, landing pages, and sign-up forms.
- Plus Plan – Starts around $19.99/month (annual billing) for up to 500 subscribers. Includes advanced features like split automation paths, behavioral triggers, analytics, A/B testing, ecommerce tools, and custom branding.
- Done For You Plan – A one-time setup fee (often discounted from $599 down to a promotional price) where AWeber's team builds your entire email system, including templates, landing pages, forms, and a welcome series.
Here's what makes AWeber attractive for growing lists:
- Annual billing saves 17% on Lite and up to 33% on Plus.
- At 5,000 subscribers, the Plus plan runs about $50/month on annual billing, which is comparable to GetResponse and cheaper than Mailchimp Standard at the same list size.
- A 14-day free trial is available on paid plans with no credit card required.
There are some costs to watch:
- Ecommerce transaction fees apply if you sell products directly through AWeber: 1% per transaction on Lite, 0.6% on Plus.
- Pricing scales steeply at very large list sizes, with the Plus plan jumping from $20/month at 500 subscribers to $1,050/month at 150,000 subscribers.
If you want to see exact pricing for your list size, it's worth checking directly on AWeber's site.
Constant Contact Pricing in 2026
Constant Contact also runs three paid tiers, priced by contact count and monthly email volume:
- Lite Plan – $12/month for up to 500 contacts.
- Standard Plan – $35/month for up to 500 contacts.
- Premium Plan – $80/month for up to 500 contacts.
A few important details:
- A 15% discount applies when you prepay for 12 months, and nonprofits get up to 30% off.
- Prepaying for 12 months can bring Lite down to about $10.20/month, Standard to $29.75/month, and Premium to $68/month.
- Every plan includes a monthly email send limit tied to contact count: 10 times your contacts on Lite, 12 times on Standard, and 24 times on Premium.
- If you exceed your monthly send allowance, Constant Contact charges an overage fee of $0.002 per extra email.
Here's the catch that trips people up:
- Constant Contact has no free plan, only a free trial, and that trial has been getting shorter over time.
- Pricing scales steeply, reaching as much as $425/month at 25,000 contacts.
- Your subscription can automatically bump to a higher pricing tier when you cross specific subscriber thresholds, so your monthly spend can increase without much warning.
Pricing Winner: AWeber
Comparing entry-level Lite plans, the two platforms look similar at 500 contacts. But the gap widens fast once you look at actual usable features per dollar. Constant Contact's Lite plan is stripped down significantly compared to its Standard tier, meaning many small businesses end up needing to upgrade to Standard just to get automation and segmentation. AWeber includes automation even at its lower tier, and its Plus plan stays more competitive as your list grows.
If keeping costs predictable matters to you, AWeber generally wins here.
Features Comparison: What Do You Actually Get?
Pricing only tells half the story. Let's look at the tools themselves.
Email Automation
Automation is what separates a modern email platform from a basic newsletter tool.
- AWeber: Plus plan includes split automation paths and behavioral triggers, letting you build sequences that respond to how subscribers actually interact with your emails.
- Constant Contact: Automation is available starting on the Standard plan, with more advanced triggers on Premium.
Both platforms offer visual automation builders. AWeber's tends to feel more approachable for beginners, while Constant Contact's automation options expand significantly once you're on a higher tier.
Landing Pages and Sign-Up Forms
- AWeber: Landing pages and sign-up forms are included even on the Lite plan.
- Constant Contact: Landing pages are available, but some advanced customization options are reserved for higher tiers.
If you're just starting out and need to build a lead capture page quickly, AWeber gives you that ability without an upgrade.
Templates and Design
- AWeber offers over 700 email templates, giving you a wide starting point regardless of industry.
- Constant Contact also offers a large template library, with strong options for event invitations and newsletters specifically.
Design quality is close between the two. Neither will feel outdated, but AWeber's template variety edges ahead slightly.
AI Tools
- AWeber includes an AI Writing Assistant even on its Lite plan, helping you draft subject lines and email copy faster.
- Constant Contact has been rolling out AI-assisted content tools as well, though availability varies by plan.
Ecommerce Features
- AWeber's Plus plan supports ecommerce functionality, letting you sell digital products or services directly through email.
- Constant Contact offers ecommerce integrations, particularly useful if you're running a Shopify store, since it connects with 300 integrations including Shopify.
If ecommerce is central to your business, both platforms can support it, but you'll want to check transaction fees carefully before committing.
Event Marketing
This is where Constant Contact pulls ahead.
- Constant Contact was built with local businesses in mind, and it includes event promotion tools, RSVP tracking, and social sharing for events.
- AWeber does not offer dedicated event marketing features in the same way.
If you regularly host webinars, workshops, or in-person events and want that built into your email tool, Constant Contact has an edge here.
Web Push Notifications
AWeber includes web push notifications, letting you re-engage website visitors even after they've left your site without needing their email address first. This is a feature Constant Contact doesn't emphasize as heavily.
Deliverability: Which Platform Gets Your Emails Into Inboxes?
Deliverability is the metric that matters most and gets talked about the least. A beautiful email that lands in spam is worthless.
Both AWeber and Constant Contact have been in the industry long enough to have established sender reputations with major inbox providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo. Neither platform has widespread, ongoing deliverability complaints in 2026.
That said, a few practical notes:
- Both platforms enforce authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to keep sender reputation strong across their user base.
- List hygiene tools, meaning automatic removal of bounced or inactive addresses, are available on both platforms and directly impact your deliverability over time.
- Neither platform guarantees inbox placement, because that also depends on your content, sending frequency, and list engagement.
In practice, most users report similar deliverability experiences between the two. This category is close enough that it shouldn't be your deciding factor unless you have specific past experience with one platform's reputation.
Ease of Use: Which Platform Is Easier to Learn?
If you're not a technical person, this matters more than any feature list.
AWeber's Learning Curve
AWeber has been in the market since 1998, and that experience shows in how refined its interface has become. Setting up your first campaign involves:
- Creating a list
- Choosing a template
- Building your email in the drag-and-drop editor
- Setting up a basic automation, like a welcome sequence
Most new users can send their first campaign within an hour of signing up. The Done For You plan takes this even further, since a professional team builds your entire system, including templates, landing pages, forms, and a welcome series, typically within about 7 days.
That's a genuinely useful option if setting things up yourself feels overwhelming.
Constant Contact's Learning Curve
Constant Contact's interface is also beginner-friendly, with a strong emphasis on guided setup wizards. Where it can get confusing is the plan structure itself. Because pricing and feature availability shift depending on contact count and plan tier, some users find themselves unsure which features they currently have access to.
Ease of Use Winner: Tie, Leaning AWeber
Both platforms are approachable for beginners. AWeber's Done For You option gives it a slight edge for anyone who wants a completely hands-off setup experience.
Customer Support Comparison
Support quality becomes critical the moment something breaks during a campaign send.
AWeber support includes:
- Phone support included on paid plans
- Live chat
- Email support
- A large library of tutorials and guides
Constant Contact support includes:
- Phone support
- Live chat
- Email support
- Access to marketing advisors through self-service video tutorials, phone calls, and messages
Both platforms take support seriously, which makes sense given their target audience of small business owners who often need more hand-holding than enterprise marketing teams. AWeber has a reputation for fast phone response times, which matters if you're dealing with a time-sensitive campaign issue.
Free Trial and Risk-Free Testing
Testing before you commit reduces buyer's remorse significantly.
- AWeber: Offers a 14-day free trial on all paid plans, with no credit card required.
- Constant Contact: Offers up to a 60-day trial with no credit card required, along with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
On paper, Constant Contact's trial window looks more generous. But recent signups report shorter trials of 14 to 30 days with a 100-email send cap, so the actual experience may not match the advertised length. Always confirm current trial terms directly on the provider's site before assuming.
If you want to start with AWeber's trial and compare it for yourself, you can begin here.
Who Should Choose AWeber?
AWeber makes the most sense if you fall into one of these groups:
- Solo entrepreneurs and coaches who want a simple, cost-effective platform without a steep learning curve
- Content creators and bloggers who need reliable automation to nurture an audience over time
- Small businesses on a budget who want automation included even at lower-tier pricing
- Non-technical business owners who prefer the option of a Done For You setup instead of building everything themselves
- Anyone selling digital products who wants ecommerce tools without needing a separate platform
AWeber's straightforward pricing structure and inclusion of automation at lower tiers make it a strong fit for businesses trying to keep monthly software costs predictable while still accessing modern marketing tools.
Who Should Choose Constant Contact?
Constant Contact is the better fit if:
- You run local events regularly and want built-in event promotion tools
- You need social media management bundled alongside email marketing
- You're a nonprofit looking to take advantage of steep prepay discounts
- You want the longest possible trial window to test extensively before paying
If event marketing is central to how you engage your audience, Constant Contact's dedicated tools for RSVPs and event promotion give it a genuine advantage that AWeber doesn't match.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Either Platform
Before you commit to either tool, watch out for these pitfalls:
- Underestimating list growth costs. Both platforms scale pricing with your subscriber count, and the jump between tiers can be steep. Calculate what your costs look like at double or triple your current list size, not just today.
- Ignoring email send limits. Constant Contact ties your monthly send allowance to your contact count, which can catch frequent senders off guard.
- Skipping the annual billing math. Both platforms offer meaningful discounts for annual commitments. If you're confident you'll stick with a platform, paying annually can save you hundreds of dollars per year.
- Forgetting about ecommerce transaction fees. AWeber charges 1% on Lite and 0.6% on Plus for direct ecommerce transactions. Factor this into your margins if you sell through email.
- Not testing the automation builder before committing. Automation is often the single biggest driver of email marketing ROI. Use your free trial specifically to build one real automation sequence before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AWeber cheaper than Constant Contact?
At most list sizes, yes. AWeber's Lite plan starts around $12.49/month annually, and its Plus plan includes more automation features than Constant Contact's comparable tier at a similar price.
Does AWeber have a free plan?
AWeber does not currently have a permanent free plan, though it offers a free trial. Some third-party sources reference a legacy free tier, so confirm current availability directly on AWeber's site.
Does Constant Contact have a free plan?
No, Constant Contact does not offer a free plan, only a free trial period.
Which platform is better for ecommerce?
Both support ecommerce integrations. Constant Contact has broader native integrations with platforms like Shopify, while AWeber offers direct in-platform selling with lower transaction fees on its Plus plan.
Can I switch from Constant Contact to AWeber later?
Yes. Most email platforms, including AWeber, support CSV imports of your existing contact list. You will need to rebuild automations and templates manually, since these typically don't transfer between providers.
Which platform has better customer support?
Both include phone, chat, and email support on paid plans. AWeber has a reputation for fast phone response times, which matters most when you're troubleshooting a live campaign issue.
Is AWeber good for beginners?
Yes. AWeber's Done For You plan is specifically designed for beginners who want a professionally built system without doing the setup themselves.
Final Verdict
Both AWeber and Constant Contact are established, reliable platforms with two decades of experience behind them. Neither will let you down in terms of basic reliability.
But for most small businesses, solo entrepreneurs, and content creators focused on maximizing ROI from their email marketing spend, AWeber comes out ahead in 2026. It offers automation at lower price tiers, more transparent scaling costs, a wide template library, and the unique option of a Done For You setup for anyone who wants expert help getting started.
Constant Contact remains a solid choice specifically for businesses built around local events and in-person promotion, where its dedicated event marketing tools genuinely add value that AWeber doesn't offer.
If your priority is straightforward email marketing that grows with your business without unpredictable cost jumps, start your AWeber trial here.
Test the automation builder, build one welcome sequence, and see how it feels before making your final decision. The right platform is the one you'll actually use consistently, not just the one with the longest feature list.