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Omnisend vs. Constant Contact: Comprehensive comparison

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Omnisend vs. Constant Contact presents a clear choice: advanced ecommerce automation and omnichannel marketing versus basic email tools for small business beginners.

Ecommerce businesses seeking sophisticated marketing automation should choose Omnisend. Its robust feature set, including advanced segmentation and pre-built workflows, makes it ideal for ambitious online retailers of any size.

Constant Contact targets small businesses and nonprofits, offering basic email tools and automation features ideal for teams prioritizing simplicity over advanced capabilities.

Join us below for an in-depth comparison of Constant Contact vs. Omnisend.

Get started with Omnisend to power your email marketing efforts with advanced automations

Omnisend vs. Constant Contact in a nutshell:

Omnisend excels for ecommerce businesses needing advanced automation and omnichannel marketing, while Constant Contact delivers basic email marketing solutions for small businesses seeking entry-level campaign tools.

Omnisend vs. Constant Contact: A quick feature comparison

Here’s a comparison table to help you quickly find and compare the main features necessary for every agile marketing team:

FeaturesOmnisend Constant Contact
G2 rating4.54.0
Free plan
PricingStandard plan from $16/monthLite plan starts from $12/month
Visual email builder
In-depth ecommerce platform integration⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Popups/email capture
Landing pages
Gamification
Campaign resending to non-openers
Automated workflows⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Conditional splits in automation
Customer segmentation⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Analytics and reporting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
SMS/MMS messaging
Web push notifications
Facebook and Google retargeting sync
24/7 support

Omnisend is tailored for ecommerce businesses of all sizes. It offers advanced features on all plans, including its free plan. Omnisend also offers growth-oriented brands robust tools for customer segmentation and email marketing automation.

In contrast, Constant Contact caters to small businesses, nonprofits, and email marketing beginners. While there is no free plan available, the platform does provide a free trial for users to explore its features.

Constant Contact also offers basic signup forms and landing pages, as well as basic reporting. However, users seeking advanced features like automated workflows or audience segmentation must upgrade to higher-priced plans.

After switching from Constant Contact to Omnisend, FiGPiN’s automated emails drive 24% of email revenue from just 9% of total sends. Its three-part welcome series achieves a 22% conversion rate, while its abandoned cart automation delivers an 87% conversion rate — proof that sophisticated automation outperforms basic email broadcasting.

Read the case study

Join Omnisend and drive sales on autopilot with pre-built email + SMS automation workflows

Omnisend vs. Constant Contact: Price comparison

Constant Contact has three plans:

  • Lite: $12/month
  • Standard: $35/month
  • Premium: $80/month

The first month is free for each plan — however, many features are locked until you become a paying customer. Discounts are available for nonprofits and prepaying.

It’s also worth mentioning that the price of Constant Contact can increase quickly as your subscriber base expands. So, this tool is a good option if you’re at the very early stages of building your email list, but you should consider how the cost will change as you grow.

Omnisend also offers three plans — Free, Standard, and Pro:

  • Free plan: Includes the vast majority of features: all templates, advanced automation, segmentation, reporting, and A/B testing
  • Standard plan: Starts at $16/month and allows you to send more messages to an increased number of contacts, and a dedicated Customer Success Manager once your spending reaches $400/month 
  • Pro plan: Starts at $59/month and includes bonus SMS/MMS credits based on your plan’s value advanced reporting, and a dedicated Customer Success Manager once your spending reaches $400/month 

Similar to Constant Contact, Omnisend’s price increases as the number of contacts grows. Here’s a quick price comparison table:

No. of subscribersOmnisend StandardOmnisend Pro
(+ bonus SMS credits)
Constant Contact LiteConstant Contact StandardConstant Contact Premium
499$16$59$12$35$80
501$20$59$30$55$110
5001$88$105$120$160$275
25001$288$425$310$340$455
35001$363$594$370$400$515

Marketing automation

Our research of marketing performance in 2023 found that automated emails accounted for 41% of all email sales from only 2% of email sends.

For instance, 33% of Baking Steel’s revenue comes from automated welcome, cart abandonment, and post-purchase messages. So, if you’re serious about increasing sales, powerful marketing automation should form a significant part of your ecommerce email marketing strategy.

Omnisend offers automation on every tier, even providing pre-built workflows you can use immediately.

In comparison, Constant Contact’s offering is quite limited. The platform offers several options:

  • Welcome email/series
  • Birthday email
  • Anniversary email
  • Cart abandonment email/series (for Shopify, Wix, and WooCommerce only)
  • Order placed/fulfilled emails (for Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, and Squarespace only)
  • Custom email series

However, the Lite plan only offers welcome email automation, while the rest are restricted to the more expensive plans.

Meanwhile, Omnisend provides one of the most sophisticated marketing automation solutions in the market. You can find:

example of automation workflow
Image via Omnisend

The broad opportunities provided by Omnisend’s marketing automation are perhaps the most significant deciding factor when comparing it to Constant Contact. With that said, let’s take a look at other important aspects.

Want automation that goes beyond cart abandonment? Try out one of Omnisend’s pre-built templates now

Email campaigns

Omnisend and Constant Contact both simplify email campaign creation. However, Omnisend serves ecommerce with product-focused tools, while Constant Contact helps traditional businesses maintain customer relationships.

Here are the key differences:

Design philosophy and target user

Omnisend’s templates integrate directly with your product catalog, making every email shoppable. Its design system prioritizes product showcases and visual merchandising in every template.

Constant Contact’s approach suits general business communication. Its templates excel at newsletters and updates but lack the deep product integration that ecommerce demands.

Testing capabilities

Omnisend lets you test multiple things — from product layouts to automation logic. Its testing suite focuses on conversion optimization, understanding that different product presentations impact buying behavior.

Constant Contact keeps testing focused on basics. Its A/B testing primarily covers subject lines, making it ideal for businesses seeking simpler engagement metrics.

Campaign channel integration

Omnisend treats email and SMS as one unified system. Its dashboard lets you coordinate messages across channels, perfect for product launches and time-sensitive promotions.

Constant Contact manages channels separately. Its approach to SMS and email works for general communication but may feel disconnected during coordinated campaigns. In addition, it only supports SMS marketing within the USA.

User experience and workflow

Omnisend’s workflow revolves around your store and products. It automatically pulls product information to create a natural connection between your store and email marketing.

Constant Contact focuses on straightforward business messaging. It excels at maintaining customer relationships rather than driving immediate sales conversions.

Conclusion:

If you sell products online, Omnisend’s specialized ecommerce features will serve you better. Constant Contact’s basic approach makes more sense for traditional businesses focused on customer relationships and general communications.

List building

Both platforms offer very similar email capture functionality: landing pages, popups (exit-intent, time-triggered), in-line forms, and signup boxes.

The main differences are that Omnisend has the following:

  • Highly customizable signup form designs
  • Multi-step popups for collecting more information at once
  • An interactive signup form Wheel of Fortune with a conversion rate of a whopping 10%

Omnisend also allows you to use popups on its free plan, whereas Constant Contact doesn’t offer a free plan.

wheel of fortune popup example from Omnisend
GIF via Omnisend

Customer support

Both platforms have a long list of online resources, as well as a personal touch.

Constant Contact offers live chat and phone support during working hours. However, there’s no self-service to cancel your subscription. The only way to cancel is to call the Constant Contact billing team and ask. 

While inconvenient for most, it might be even more difficult and expensive if you are based outside the US. You also don’t need a credit card to sign up for the free trial.

Omnisend’s award-winning customer support offers 24/7 live chat and email support on every plan, with an average response time of under four minutes. 

Customers spending $400 or more each month are also eligible for a customer success manager dedicated to helping them get the most from Omnisend and their campaigns.

Omnisend also doesn’t require a credit card to sign up for the paid or free plans. You can cancel your subscription anytime via self-service or with the help of the customer service team.

Customer reviews back up that Omnisend provides an exceptional support experience compared to Constant Contact:

Omnisend review on G2
Image via G2

Omnisend vs. Constant Contact final verdict: Which platform is better for ecommerce?

Omnisend is the better platform for ecommerce because it puts your products first, helping you build shoppable emails that showcase products, recover abandoned carts, and target customers based on what they’ve bought.

It automates the entire customer journey, from capturing emails with smart popups to reactivating past buyers with personalized offers, all while measuring exactly how much revenue each campaign generates.

For small businesses that don’t sell online, Constant Contact helps you stay connected with your community through simple newsletters, event updates, and announcements that look professional without needing design skills.

It takes the stress out of email marketing, with AI helping you write engaging content, pre-made templates for every occasion, and tools to track who’s reading your messages.

Conclusion:

Choose Omnisend if you sell products online, or pick Constant Contact if you need simple emails for your local business.

Boost your sales with Omnisend’s pre-built email + SMS marketing automation today

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. Does anyone still use Constant Contact?

Yes, many small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals use Constant Contact. Its user-friendly interface and basic features appeal to email marketing beginners or businesses with simpler needs. Beginners like it because it’s user-friendly and has excellent customer service.

2. What is the best alternative to Constant Contact?

There are several alternatives, but Omnisend stands out as a top choice for ecommerce businesses. It offers advanced automation and segmentation features on all plans, including its free plan.

One key point to consider from this Constant Contact vs. Omnisend comparison is the potential benefits of transitioning to a more advanced platform that encourages growth. You can also read this detailed comparison of some of the best Constant Contact alternatives.

3. Is Omnisend good for email marketing?

Omnisend is perfect for email marketing. It offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, a wide range of attractive, pre-designed templates, and powerful automation features.

It also provides advanced segmentation tools, multichannel marketing capabilities, and robust analytics.

4. Is Omnisend or Mailchimp better?

Both Omnisend and Mailchimp are capable email marketing platforms. Mailchimp caters to a broad audience and offers a limited free plan.

However, Omnisend might be a better choice for ecommerce businesses in need of advanced automation, segmentation, and omnichannel marketing.

Omnisend offers ecommerce-specific features like a product picker and native discount codes. On its free plans, users can access features like abandoned cart emails and SMS marketing, which Mailchimp reserves for paid plans.

Karolina Petraškienė
Article by

Karolina is a content project manager and team lead at Omnisend, where she blends creative strategy with a keen focus on competitive intelligence. Outside of work, Karolina finds balance through her love of gardening, exploring new hiking trails, biking, and raising a bunch of boys.