Constant Contact Removed Free Plan: 5 Better Alternatives (2026)

TL;DR: Constant Contact eliminated its free plan entirely—now you're looking at $12/month minimum just to send basic emails. For nonprofits wanting simplicity without the price tag, Groupmail offers the best balance: a free plan for up to 500 contacts, human support from real people, and a 30% nonprofit discount when you're ready to grow. If you need a more generous free tier, EmailOctopus supports 2,500 contacts at no cost. But for organizations that value straightforward email without marketing complexity, Groupmail is the clear choice.

If you're a nonprofit that relied on Constant Contact's free tier, you've probably noticed something frustrating: it no longer exists. As of 2025, Constant Contact restructured its pricing and eliminated the free plan entirely. What remains is a 14-day free trial—barely enough time to set up your account, let alone evaluate whether the tool fits your organization.

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 Constant Contact's Pricing Change Hurts Nonprofits

For years, Constant Contact positioned itself as a nonprofit-friendly platform. They still offer discounts—20% off for six-month prepayments, 30% off for annual commitments. But here's the problem: those discounts only matter if you're already paying.

The elimination of the free plan means every nonprofit, regardless of size, now faces a monthly bill. Their Lite plan starts at $12/month for 500 contacts. That's $144/year before any discount kicks in. For a small community organization, church outreach committee, or volunteer-run charity, that's money that could go directly toward the mission.

Even more frustrating is how Constant Contact counts contacts. Unlike some alternatives, you're charged for your total contact count—including people who've unsubscribed but haven't been manually deleted from your system. If you're not vigilant about list hygiene, your bill creeps up for people who can't even receive your emails.

💡 Tip: Before switching email tools, export your contact list as a CSV file. Most platforms make this easy—look for an "Export" option in your audience or contacts settings. This ensures you won't lose any member data during migration.

What to Look For in Nonprofit Email Software

Not every email tool is built with organizations in mind. When evaluating alternatives to Constant Contact, prioritize these factors:

Actual free plans, not trials. A 14-day trial isn't enough. Look for platforms offering genuinely free tiers with reasonable contact limits—500 contacts or more—so you can grow before committing money.

Nonprofit discounts that make a difference. The industry range spans from 15% (Mailchimp) to 30% (Groupmail, MailerLite). That 15-point difference adds up over years of use.

Transparent contact counting. Some platforms charge for unsubscribed contacts. Others count only active members. The difference can significantly affect your monthly cost.

Simplicity over features. Nonprofits sending member updates don't need marketing automation, A/B testing, or behavioral triggers. They need a simple editor, reliable delivery, and basic tracking.

Human support. When something goes wrong—and eventually it will—you want to reach a person, not a chatbot or endless help articles.

5 Best Constant Contact Alternatives for Nonprofits

1. Groupmail

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

Groupmail takes a fundamentally different approach to email. While Constant Contact has grown increasingly complex with marketing automation, social ad management, and CRM features, Groupmail focuses exclusively on what organizations actually need: sending updates to their members.

The platform has been around since 1996—nearly 30 years of helping nonprofits, churches, schools, and associations communicate with their communities. That longevity matters. Startups come and go. Groupmail is still here, still simple, and still run by people who answer support requests personally.

Setup takes about 10 minutes. There's no DNS configuration, no technical prerequisites, no mandatory training videos. You sign up, import your contacts, create an email using the straightforward editor, and send. The Starter plan at €250/year stays comfortably under typical €500 board-approval thresholds, making budget discussions easier.

The 30% nonprofit discount applies to all paid plans—no prepayment games, no enterprise-only restrictions. And because Groupmail is EU-based, GDPR compliance is built into the platform by design rather than bolted on as an afterthought.

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 peace of mind that newer tools can't match.

2. EmailOctopus

Best for: Budget-conscious organizations needing a generous free tier Pricing: Free (2,500 contacts) | Pro from $9/month | 20% nonprofit discount Website: emailoctopus.com

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, automation capabilities, signup forms, and clean reporting. What you don't get is complexity you'll never use.

EmailOctopus offers a 20% lifetime discount for nonprofits—slightly lower than some alternatives, but the generous free tier often makes this irrelevant for smaller organizations. The Pro plan starts at just $9/month, making it one of the most affordable options when you do need to upgrade.

The main limitation is that EmailOctopus is relatively newer and less established than tools like Groupmail or Constant Contact. For organizations that value decades of stability, this might be a consideration.

3. MailerLite

Best for: Organizations wanting automation on a budget Pricing: Free (500 contacts) | Paid from $10/month | 30% nonprofit discount Website: mailerlite.com

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.

Where MailerLite differs from Groupmail is in its broader feature set. You get landing pages, websites, pop-up forms, and more sophisticated automation—features that might appeal to larger nonprofits with dedicated communications staff. For smaller organizations, though, these extras can feel like unnecessary complexity.

One concern: MailerLite has been gradually reducing its free tier limits, following the industry trend. In late 2025, they reduced the free plan from 1,000 to 500 contacts. There's no guarantee further reductions won't follow.

The platform is built for general small business use rather than specifically for organizations, so some features and terminology may feel more marketing-oriented than what a church secretary or PTA volunteer needs.

4. Brevo

Best for: Larger organizations with email volume needs Pricing: Free (300 emails/day) | Starter from $9/month | 15% nonprofit discount (Enterprise) Website: brevo.com

Formerly known as Sendinblue, Brevo takes a unique approach to pricing: instead of charging by contact count, they charge by email volume. This model can work well for nonprofits with large contact lists who send infrequently—say, a monthly newsletter to 10,000 donors rather than weekly updates to 500 members.

The free plan allows 300 emails per day (roughly 9,000 per month) with unlimited contacts. For organizations that fit this sending pattern, it's genuinely useful. The Starter plan begins at just $9/month for 5,000 monthly emails.

However, Brevo's nonprofit discount is less generous than alternatives—15%, and according to some sources, it's only available on their custom Enterprise plan. For smaller nonprofits on standard plans, there may be no discount at all. The platform also includes Brevo branding on emails unless you pay extra ($12/month) to remove it.

Brevo offers more features than most organizations need, including SMS messaging, CRM tools, and transactional email capabilities. If you're looking for simplicity, this feature density might feel overwhelming.

5. Mailchimp

Best for: Organizations already familiar with the platform Pricing: Free (250 contacts) | Essentials from $13/month | 15% nonprofit discount Website: mailchimp.com

Mailchimp remains the most recognized name in email, but recognition doesn't equal recommendation. Over the years, Mailchimp has evolved from a simple email tool into a full marketing platform—with the complexity and pricing to match.

Their free plan now supports just 250 contacts (down from 2,000 in previous years) with 500 monthly emails. That's barely enough for a small book club, let alone a functioning nonprofit. The Essentials plan starts at $13/month for 500 contacts.

Mailchimp's 15% nonprofit discount is the lowest among major competitors. And critically, Mailchimp counts all contacts toward your bill—including unsubscribed contacts still in your system. This billing practice has caught many organizations off guard when their costs increased despite their active member count staying stable.

The platform does offer polished templates and a familiar interface. If your team already knows Mailchimp and switching costs feel high, staying might make sense. But for organizations evaluating options fresh, better alternatives exist.

⚠️ Watch out: Many email platforms count unsubscribed contacts against your plan limits. Before choosing a tool, ask specifically how they handle inactive or unsubscribed contacts—you don't want to pay for people who can't receive your emails.

Quick Comparison Table

Which Tool Is Right for You?

The best choice depends on your organization's specific situation:

Choose Groupmail if you want the simplest possible experience with human support. Ideal for church secretaries, PTA volunteers, association admins, and nonprofit staff who need to send member updates without learning marketing software. The 30-year track record provides stability smaller platforms can't match.

Choose EmailOctopus if you have a larger contact list and budget is your primary constraint. Their 2,500-contact free tier is the most generous option available.

Choose MailerLite if you need some automation capabilities (welcome sequences, scheduled sends) and want a 30% nonprofit discount. Best for organizations with dedicated communications staff who can handle a bit more complexity.

Choose Brevo if you have a large contact list but send emails infrequently. Their volume-based pricing model rewards this pattern.

Reconsider Mailchimp if you're evaluating options fresh. The reduced free tier, contact counting practices, and lower nonprofit discount make it hard to recommend over alternatives—unless your team is already deeply invested in the platform.

Conclusion

Constant Contact's decision to eliminate their free plan pushed many nonprofits to reevaluate their email tools—and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The alternatives available today often offer better value, simpler interfaces, and more generous nonprofit support than what Constant Contact provides.

For most organizations, the question isn't about finding the most feature-rich platform. It's about finding one that lets you communicate with your members without becoming an email marketing expert. That's exactly what tools like Groupmail are designed for.

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