Constant Contact vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Constant Contact and Salesforce Marketing Cloud are both popular choices in the all-in-one marketing platform space. Constant Contact has been around since 1995, giving it a 4-year head start over Salesforce Marketing Cloud (founded 1999). Constant Contact starts at $12/mo versus custom pricing for Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Quick Verdict
It's a close call — your choice depends on your specific needs.
Constant Contact
Small business marketing made easy
Constant Contact is one of the most established email marketing platforms, particularly strong for small businesses and nonprofits. Its event marketing capabilities and social media integration set it apart, though its automation features lag behind newer competitors.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Personalize every moment with the #1 AI CRM for marketing
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is the enterprise marketing automation suite within the Salesforce ecosystem, offering email, SMS, social, advertising, and journey orchestration at massive scale. Powered by Einstein AI, it is the platform of choice for large organizations already invested in Salesforce.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Constant Contact | Salesforce Marketing Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Starting Price | $12/mo | Custom |
| Free Plan | No free plan | No free plan |
| Founded | 1995 | 1999 |
| Email Templates | 300 | 200 |
| Integrations | 300 | 300 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97% | 97% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| A/B Testing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS Marketing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✓ | ✓ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✕ | ✓ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✕ | ✓ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
Constant Contact: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Longest 60-day free trial in the industry
- +Excellent event marketing features
- +300+ templates and integrations
- +Strong brand recognition and trust
- +Social media posting included
Cons
- −No free plan
- −Automation is basic on lower tiers
- −Gets expensive with larger lists
- −Interface feels outdated in places
- −Limited advanced features
Salesforce Marketing Cloud: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Deepest integration with Salesforce CRM and the entire Salesforce ecosystem
- +Enterprise-grade cross-channel capabilities across email, SMS, push, social, and ads
- +Einstein AI provides predictive scoring and send time optimization
- +300+ integrations through AppExchange
- +Native Salesforce CRM integration eliminates data sync issues
Cons
- −Starts at $1,250/month with most features requiring higher tiers
- −Steep learning curve requiring certified specialists
- −No free plan or self-serve trial
- −Impractical for SMBs; value is mainly realized by large Salesforce organizations
- −Admin overhead is high — often requires a dedicated specialist
The Verdict
Constant Contact and Salesforce Marketing Cloud are closely matched — both score within 0.0 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality.
| Criterion | Weight | Constant Contact | Salesforce Marketing Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $12/mo | $1250/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97% | 97% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.1/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 300 | 300 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | No |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Constant Contact if…
- + You're a small businesses
- + You're a nonprofits
- + Longest 60-day free trial in the industry
Choose Salesforce Marketing Cloud if…
- + You're a large enterprises
- + You're a Salesforce CRM users
- + Deepest integration with Salesforce CRM and the entire Salesforce ecosystem