Constant Contact vs EmailOctopus
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on several things that matter more than the monthly price.
Constant Contact
EmailOctopusWhich one, for whom
- Starting out with no budgetEmailOctopusEmailOctopus can run an automated welcome sequence on its free plan. Constant Contact cannot, so a new subscriber hears nothing from you until you pay.Start free on EmailOctopus
- A list already in the thousandsEmailOctopusEmailOctopus stays free to 2,500 subscribers against Constant Contact's nothing.
- Worried about being locked inEmailOctopusConstant Contact's terms cut off access to your contact data when you cancel. EmailOctopus does not do that.
Side by side
| Constant Contact | EmailOctopus | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None | 2,500 subscribers |
| Free sends | 30-day trial only | 10,000 emails/mo |
| Welcome sequence on free | No | Yes |
| Connects to Teachable | Not listed | Through Zapier |
| Connects to Kajabi | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Podia | Not listed | Not listed |
| Connects to Thinkific | Not listed | Not listed |
| Paid from | A$12.75/mo AUD | $9/mo USD |
| The catch | 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. | Fewer features than the others by design. Good if you only need to send, thin if you need funnels. |
| G2 score | 4.1 out of 5, from 7,450 reviews | 4.2 out of 5, from 46 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 4.0 out of 5, from 2,011 reviews | 4.8 out of 5, from 267 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:Constant Contact on G2, Constant Contact on Trustpilot, EmailOctopus on G2, EmailOctopus on Trustpilot.
- EmailOctopus: The G2 score rests on 46 reviews, which is a small enough number that a handful of unhappy or delighted people can move it.
Getting your list back out
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
EmailOctopusHard to leave
Cancelling the paid plan on its own just drops you to the free tier: contacts and lists are retained, though automations pause. Their Terms of Use go further than that, though: "Once terminated, we may permanently delete your account and all the data associated with it, including your Content from our Website." A full, deliberate account deletion is described in their own help article as removing everything, including lists, campaigns and reports, and is irreversible. Export your list before deleting anything, not just before cancelling. Source
Constant Contact vs EmailOctopus, answered
- Is Constant Contact or EmailOctopus better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. EmailOctopus if you are starting out with no budget. EmailOctopus if you are a list already in the thousands. EmailOctopus if you are worried about being locked in.
- Which of Constant Contact and EmailOctopus has the better free plan?
- EmailOctopus 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 Constant Contact to EmailOctopus 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
Constant 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 breakdownEmailOctopusCheapest way to run a plain list
$9/mo USDpaid plans start here. Free up to 2,500. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
Start free on EmailOctopusRead the full EmailOctopus 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.