Constant Contact Alternatives for Nonprofits (2026)

TL;DR: For nonprofits who want simple email without the price tag or complexity, Groupmail offers the best balance of ease-of-use, human support, and nonprofit pricing — with a flat 30% discount on all plans and no prepayment requirements. If you need more automation features, MailerLite matches that 30% discount with a broader feature set. For the tightest budgets, EmailOctopus gives you 2,500 free contacts. But for most organizations that just need to send updates to their members, Groupmail is the clear starting point.

Constant Contact has been a go-to for nonprofits for years, but rising prices, the elimination of their free plan, and a growing emphasis on marketing features have left many organizations looking for something simpler and more affordable. If your nonprofit is paying more than it should for tools it doesn't use, you have better options in 2026.

Disclosure: We're the team behind Groupmail — simple email software for organizations since 1996. We'll be upfront about where we fit and honest about alternatives.

Why Nonprofits Are Leaving Constant Contact

The most common complaint from nonprofits isn't that Constant Contact is bad — it's that it's become expensive for what they actually need. With no free plan, a minimum cost of $12/month just for basic emails, and pricing that climbs steeply as your contact list grows, the math stops working for many organizations.

A nonprofit with 2,500 contacts on Constant Contact's Standard plan pays around $75/month — $900/year before any discounts. Even with the maximum 30% discount (which requires prepaying for a full year upfront), that's still $630/year locked in before you've confirmed the platform fits. For volunteer-run organizations operating on tight budgets, that's a significant commitment for sending monthly newsletters.

Beyond pricing, nonprofits consistently cite three frustrations: the interface has grown cluttered with marketing features they don't use, the support experience has shifted toward chatbots and documentation rather than human help, and the nonprofit discount structure feels unnecessarily complicated. You shouldn't need a spreadsheet to figure out what you'll pay. If you're rethinking your approach entirely, our nonprofit email marketing guide covers the fundamentals.

💡 Tip: Before evaluating any email tool, list what you actually need. For most nonprofits, that's a simple editor, contact management, basic open/click tracking, and reliable delivery. Everything beyond that is a bonus — and often a source of unnecessary complexity.

What to Look For in Nonprofit Email Software

Not every email tool is built for organizations. When evaluating alternatives to Constant Contact, prioritize these criteria:

Meaningful nonprofit discounts. The range across the industry spans from 15% (Mailchimp) to 50% (Buttondown). A 15-point difference compounds over years of use. Check whether the discount applies to all plans or only premium tiers, and whether it requires prepayment.

Transparent contact counting. Some platforms charge for unsubscribed contacts sitting in your database. Others only count active members. This distinction can significantly affect your monthly cost — especially for nonprofits that accumulate inactive contacts over time.

Simplicity over features. Nonprofits sending member updates don't need marketing automation, A/B testing suites, or behavioral triggers. A straightforward editor, reliable delivery, and basic tracking are what matter. Complex tools create training burdens that volunteer-heavy organizations can't absorb.

Real human support. When your annual appeal goes out with a broken link or your donor list won't import correctly, you want to reach a person who can help — not a chatbot pointing you to documentation.

7 Best Constant Contact Alternatives for Nonprofits

1. Groupmail

Best for: Nonprofits wanting simplicity and human support Pricing: Free (500 contacts) | Starter €25/month | Growth €45/month | 30% nonprofit discount Website: groupmail.io

Groupmail takes the opposite approach from platforms that keep adding features. Instead of growing more complex, it stays focused on what organizations actually need: sending updates to their members without the marketing complexity.

Setup genuinely takes about 10 minutes. There's no DNS configuration, no mandatory training videos, no onboarding webinars. You sign up, import your contacts, create an email using the straightforward editor, and send. For organizations where the person managing email might change annually — a new volunteer coordinator, a rotating board member — this simplicity matters.

The 30% nonprofit discount applies to all paid plans with no prepayment requirement and no enterprise-tier gatekeeping. The Starter plan at €25/month (€17.50 after discount, roughly €210/year) stays comfortably under typical €500 board-approval thresholds. And because Groupmail is EU-based, GDPR compliance is built into the platform by design.

When you contact support, you reach real people who know the product. Not chatbots. Not ticket queues with five-day response times. That human connection provides peace of mind that's hard to quantify but easy to appreciate when something goes wrong.

Key Takeaway: Groupmail is purpose-built for organizations that want to send member updates without becoming email marketing experts. The nearly 30-year track record and human support provide reliability that newer tools can't match.

2. MailerLite

Best for: Nonprofits wanting affordable automation features Pricing: Free (500 contacts) | Growing Business $10/month | 30% nonprofit discount Website: mailerlite.com/pricing

MailerLite matches Groupmail's 30% nonprofit discount and offers a solid free plan for up to 500 contacts with 12,000 monthly emails. The interface is clean, modern, and relatively easy to navigate compared to Constant Contact.

Where MailerLite shines is in its balance of simplicity and features. You get landing pages, websites, pop-up forms, and automation workflows that are genuinely useful without being overwhelming. For larger nonprofits with dedicated communications staff who want welcome sequences or anniversary emails, these extras provide real value.

One concern worth noting: MailerLite reduced its free plan from 1,000 to 500 contacts in September 2025, following the broader industry trend of shrinking free tiers. The platform is built for general small business use rather than specifically for organizations, so some features and terminology lean more marketing-oriented than what a church secretary or PTA volunteer might expect.

3. EmailOctopus

Best for: Budget-conscious nonprofits with larger contact lists Pricing: Free (2,500 contacts) | Pro from $9/month | 20% lifetime nonprofit discount Website: emailoctopus.com/pricing

If your primary constraint is cost and you have a larger contact list, EmailOctopus deserves serious consideration. Their free Starter plan supports up to 2,500 contacts with 10,000 monthly emails — far more generous than what most competitors offer.

The platform focuses purely on email, avoiding the feature bloat that makes tools like Constant Contact overwhelming. You get a drag-and-drop editor, basic automation, signup forms, and clean reporting. The 20% lifetime nonprofit discount applies permanently, not just the first year.

The trade-off is fewer features and a less established track record. Reporting and customer support on the free plan are limited to 30 days. If you need advanced segmentation, detailed automation workflows, or extensive integrations, EmailOctopus may feel limiting. But for sending a monthly newsletter to supporters without fuss, it's an excellent choice.

4. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Best for: Nonprofits combining email with SMS or CRM Pricing: Free (300 emails/day, unlimited contacts) | Starter $9/month | 15% nonprofit discount (Enterprise only) Website: brevo.com/pricing

Brevo's pricing model works differently from most email tools — you pay based on emails sent, not contacts stored. For nonprofits with large databases but infrequent sending, this can be significantly cheaper than contact-based platforms like Constant Contact.

The free plan includes unlimited contact storage and 300 emails per day (roughly 9,000/month). You also get a basic CRM, marketing automation, and transactional email capabilities. The multichannel approach — email, SMS, WhatsApp — appeals to nonprofits running varied outreach.

The downside for most nonprofits: Brevo's dedicated nonprofit discount (15%) only applies to Enterprise plans, which are custom-priced for larger organizations. Smaller nonprofits won't benefit from special pricing, though the base plans are already reasonably affordable. The interface is also more complex than simpler alternatives, with features that most organizations won't use.

5. Mailchimp

Best for: Nonprofits needing maximum integrations Pricing: Free (500 contacts, 1,000 emails/month) | Essentials $13/month | 15% nonprofit discount Website: mailchimp.com/pricing

Mailchimp remains the most recognized name in email, and if integration with other tools is your priority, nothing else comes close. Salesforce, Eventbrite, WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify — if you use it, Mailchimp probably connects to it.

That said, Mailchimp has grown considerably more complex and expensive since its early days as a simple newsletter tool. The free plan now limits you to 500 contacts and just 1,000 emails per month. Automation was removed from free accounts in late 2025. And Mailchimp counts all contacts — including unsubscribed — toward your plan limits unless you manually archive them.

The 15% nonprofit discount is the lowest among the tools listed here. You must request it before purchasing and provide documentation. For a nonprofit with 2,500 contacts on the Standard plan, you're looking at roughly $51/month after the discount — not far from what Constant Contact charges.

⚠️ Watch out: Mailchimp counts unsubscribed contacts against your plan limits unless you manually archive them. This means you could be paying for people who can't even receive your emails.

6. Buttondown

Best for: Text-focused newsletters on a minimal budget Pricing: Free (100 contacts) | Basic $9/month | 50% nonprofit discount Website: buttondown.com/pricing

Buttondown offers the highest nonprofit discount in this list — a full 50% off any paid plan. For organizations that primarily send text-based updates without complex formatting, Buttondown strips away everything unnecessary. The editor uses Markdown, the interface is minimal, and the focus is on writing rather than designing.

The platform is built by a small, independent team that prioritizes privacy and ethical practices. It's a refreshing alternative to corporate tools that push you toward complexity. The customer support is personal and responsive.

For most nonprofits, Buttondown may be too minimal. The free plan caps at just 100 contacts, and the lack of visual templates makes it harder to create polished newsletters. But if your needs are genuinely simple — a monthly text update to your supporters — the 50% discount makes this an extremely affordable option.

7. Constant Contact (for comparison)

Best for: Nonprofits needing event management and phone support Pricing: No free plan | Lite $12/month | Standard $35/month | Up to 30% nonprofit discount (12-month prepay) Website: constantcontact.com/pricing

Constant Contact still has genuine strengths. The built-in event management tools — RSVPs, ticket sales, automated reminders — remain useful for nonprofits running galas, fundraisers, or community events. Phone support is available on all plans, which is rare and valuable when something breaks.

However, the pricing puts it at a disadvantage compared to every alternative listed above. No free plan, a minimum cost of $12/month for basic features, and the 30% nonprofit discount requires prepaying for an entire year. The Lite plan lacks essential features like scheduling and segmentation, pushing most nonprofits toward the $35/month Standard plan. At scale, costs climb steeply — 5,000 contacts on Standard runs approximately $110/month before discounts.

For a deeper breakdown, see our Constant Contact pricing guide for nonprofits.

Quick Comparison Table

Which Tool Is Right for Your Nonprofit?

The best email tool depends on what your organization actually needs — not which has the longest feature list.

Choose Groupmail if: You want the simplest possible setup, value human support, and need a tool built for organizations rather than marketers. Ideal for nonprofits where the email person changes regularly and nobody has time to learn a complex platform.

Choose MailerLite if: You want a balance of simplicity and features, particularly if you'll eventually need automation like welcome sequences for new donors or anniversary emails.

Choose EmailOctopus if: Budget is your primary constraint and you have a larger contact list. The 2,500-contact free plan is hard to beat.

Choose Brevo if: You have a large contact database but don't email frequently, or you want built-in CRM capabilities alongside email.

Choose Mailchimp if: You have specific integration requirements that only Mailchimp can meet, or your team is already trained on the platform and switching costs are too high.

Choose Buttondown if: Your newsletters are primarily text-based and you want the highest nonprofit discount with the simplest possible tool.

Stay with Constant Contact if: Event management and phone support are genuinely essential for your organization, and your budget can accommodate the premium pricing.

For most nonprofits, the decision comes down to Groupmail or MailerLite. Both offer 30% nonprofit discounts and free plans for up to 500 contacts. Groupmail edges ahead if you prioritize simplicity and human support; MailerLite wins if you anticipate needing more sophisticated automation down the road. For a broader look at the nonprofit email landscape beyond Constant Contact alternatives, see our full guide to email software for nonprofits.

Conclusion

Constant Contact built its reputation serving nonprofits, but rising prices and growing complexity have pushed it beyond what most organizations need or can afford. The good news: you have more affordable, simpler alternatives in 2026 than ever before — many with better nonprofit discounts and free tiers that Constant Contact no longer offers.

The right tool is the one your team will actually use consistently. A simple platform that gets monthly updates out the door is infinitely more valuable than a complex one that sits unused because nobody has time to figure it out.

Ready to send your first update? Start free with Groupmail — set up in 10 minutes, no credit card required. Built for organizations, not marketers.