beehiiv vs Constant Contact
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on several things that matter more than the monthly price.
beehiiv
Constant ContactWhich one, for whom
- A list already in the thousandsbeehiivbeehiiv stays free to 2,500 subscribers against Constant Contact's nothing.Start free on beehiiv
- Worried about being locked inbeehiivConstant Contact's terms cut off access to your contact data when you cancel. beehiiv does not do that.
- Selling the course from the same toolbeehiivbeehiiv can take the payment itself, so you do not need a separate checkout.
Side by side
| beehiiv | Constant Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 2,500 subscribers | None |
| Free sends | Unlimited sends | 30-day trial only |
| Welcome sequence on free | No | No |
| Connects to Teachable | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Kajabi | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Podia | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Thinkific | Not listed | Not listed |
| Paid from | $43/mo USD | A$12.75/mo AUD |
| At 5,000 subscribers | $78 | Not published |
| At 25,000 subscribers | $149 | Not published |
| The catch | You cannot sell anything from the free plan: paid subscriptions and digital products both need a paid plan. | There is no self-service way to cancel. You have to call their Billing Support line, and the moment the account closes you lose access to your contacts, campaigns and reports immediately, with only a 30-day window before an inactive account's data can be deleted for good. |
| G2 score | 4.5 out of 5, from 40 reviews | 4.1 out of 5, from 7,450 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 4.0 out of 5, from 386 reviews | 4.0 out of 5, from 2,011 reviews |
Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page on 9 September 2026. Where a row says not published, that vendor does not state a price at that list size and we will not invent one.
The last two rows are other people's scores, not ours, read on 6 September 2026. Check them yourself:beehiiv on G2, beehiiv on Trustpilot, Constant Contact on G2, Constant Contact on Trustpilot.
- beehiiv: The G2 score rests on 40 reviews, which is a small enough number that a handful of unhappy or delighted people can move it.
Getting your list back out
beehiivEasy to leave
Cancelling a paid plan alone does not delete anything: downgrading to the free Launch plan "keeps your account and all your content intact," per their own help centre. Data is destroyed only if you take the separate, explicit step of deleting the publication or workspace, which their docs call irreversible and warn will delete any subscribers and segments tied to it. Their terms also disclaim any general duty to preserve data after cancellation, so exporting your list is worth doing as routine practice either way. Source
Constant ContactHard to leave
There is no self-service cancel button. Their own help article says you have to call their Billing Support line, and once the account is cancelled you immediately lose access to your contacts, campaigns and reporting; images go offline and integrations disconnect. They only guarantee to store the account and its data for 30 days afterward, after which an inactive account's contacts and content may be permanently deleted. Source
beehiiv vs Constant Contact, answered
- Is beehiiv or Constant Contact better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. beehiiv if you are a list already in the thousands. beehiiv if you are worried about being locked in. beehiiv if you are selling the course from the same tool.
- Which of beehiiv and Constant Contact has the better free plan?
- beehiiv allows more free subscribers (2,500 against none). A bigger allowance is not automatically the better plan: check the welcome sequence row above, because that is where the two usually part company.
- Can I move from beehiiv to Constant Contact later?
- Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep whatever marks who bought from you. We wrote the whole running order up separately.
Try either one
beehiivBest if the course sits beside a newsletter
$43/mo USDpaid plans start here. Free up to 2,500. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
Start free on beehiivRead the full beehiiv breakdownConstant ContactA well-known name in small-business marketing, built before online courses existed
A$12.75/mo AUDpaid plans start here. No free plan. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
See Constant Contact pricingRead the full Constant Contact breakdownMoving between them? Read the switching guide first, or answer 5 questions to check neither of these is the wrong shortlist.
Neither of these? See all 14, including which ones connect straight to Teachable, Kajabi, Podia or Thinkific, or compare what they cost as your list grows.