Brevo vs Constant Contact – Which is better? (October 2023)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you’ll know the importance of email marketing, not only to keep in touch with your customers but also to increase transactions and ultimately make more money.

Let’s start by looking at this from an e-commerce POV as it’s more often than not the main reason for email marketing generally.

In the world of ecommerce, finding the right marketing software is crucial for your business if you’re seeking to optimize your marketing campaigns, drive conversions, and maximize your ROI.

As I’m sure you’re aware, there are many options out there but two notable platforms, Brevo (formally Sendinblue) and Constant Contact are two of the biggest kids on the block. They both offer robust and powerful email marketing software with automation features, CRM integration, easy-to-use navigation and UI’s and much more.

In this article, we’ll compare Brevo vs Constant Contact, examining the price differences, how they integrate with ecommerce platforms like Shopify, their automation capabilities, email list management, spam prevention, and the potential for optimizing marketing campaigns.

Already, the differences are pretty distinct.

Pricing

If you’re like us, this is usually the biggest factor, and it’s why so many people have moved away from Mailchimp in recent years.

Straight out of the gate, Brevo takes a huge lead in having a very powerful Free Plan. Constant Contact on the other hand, does not have a free plan at all.

Not only that, but Brevo’s Free Plan comes with Unlimited contacts, something even Constant Contact’s highest paid plans don’t have. You can sign up for Brevo’s Free Plan with no credit card too, sign up here.

Constant Contact uses a Mailchimp-type pricing structure whereby you pay for the number of contacts you have in your list and your sending allowance is assigned off that.

The only time Constant Contact is “cheaper” than Brevo is if you have 0-500 contacts, where their Lite plan is $12 per month. However, it’s obviously worth noting the Brevo’s Free Plan give you more contacts than this.

You do however get 10x your contact list in email sends, which is good, but again, Brevo’s free plan gives you 300 emails per day, which, if you have a contact list of 0-500, will most likely be more than enough.

So let’s look at bigger list numbers, comparing say a list of 3,000.

It’s worth noting that unlike the likes of Mailchimp where you pay for a certain number of subscribers and get all of the premium features for that package, Constant Contact works a bit differently. Not only do you pay for the subscribers, the packages are also tiered too.

For example, using the 3,000 subscriber example. You’ll pay $80 per month (£67) for the Lite Plan, $110 per month (£92) for the Standard Plan and a whopping $200 per month (£166) for the Premium Plan, yikes.

The differences include more storage, a live on-boarding call, subject line A/B testing, campaign scheduling, resends to non-openers and a few others.

That said, a lot of the premium features you’re paying $200 for at Constant Contact, you’re getting at Brevo, for a fraction of the price. Let’s have a look and compare the Lite Plan with Brevo’s Starter Plan.

So, it’s hard to see where Constant Contact’s base plan’s true value comes from compared to Brevo, other than the superior sends. That being said, the price difference still doesn’t make it worth it. Brevo’s email sends go up in increments of 20k but even with that, you can get up to 60,000 sends with Brevo’s starter plan for just $44 per month.

Ecommerce Integration and Automation Capabilities

Brevo

Brevo seamlessly integrates with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, enabling small businesses to automate marketing tasks and efficiently manage their customer data. With Brevo’s automation features, you can set up triggered emails for abandoned cart reminders, welcome emails for new signups, and even personalized messaging based on customer behavior. This integration empowers ecommerce businesses to create targeted campaigns, nurture potential customers, and increase conversions throughout the sales funnel.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact also offers integration with Shopify and other ecommerce platforms, allowing businesses to automate their email marketing efforts. Through its automation capabilities, Constant Contact enables you to send personalized emails triggered by specific customer actions, such as abandoned carts or completed purchases. By harnessing the power of automation, businesses can streamline their marketing processes, deliver timely messages, and effectively engage with their audience.

Email List Management and Spam Prevention

Brevo provides comprehensive email list management features, allowing you to segment your email list based on various criteria such as demographics, purchase history, or engagement level. This segmentation enables targeted messaging and ensures that your campaigns reach the right audience. Brevo also emphasizes spam prevention, providing built-in tools to help maintain deliverability and comply with email regulations. By managing your email list effectively and avoiding spam filters, you can improve the chances of your emails reaching potential customers’ inboxes.

Constant Contact offers user-friendly email list management tools, enabling you to organize your contacts and create segmented lists for more personalized marketing campaigns. With Constant Contact, you can easily import contacts from various sources and maintain an up-to-date email list. The platform also prioritizes spam prevention measures to protect your email deliverability. By adhering to industry best practices, Constant Contact helps businesses maintain a positive sender reputation and maximize the impact of their email marketing efforts.

Optimizing Marketing Campaigns and ROI

Brevo

Brevo integrates with Google Analytics, providing businesses with valuable insights into the performance of their email marketing campaigns. By tracking metrics such as clicks, conversions, and ROI, you can measure the effectiveness of your campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimize future marketing efforts. Brevo’s automation features, combined with its analytics integration, help businesses continually refine their strategies and improve the ROI of their email marketing initiatives.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact offers reporting and analytics tools that provide valuable data on email campaign performance. By monitoring metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, businesses can gain insights into the success of their campaigns and identify areas for improvement. While Constant Contact does not have a direct integration with Google Analytics, its reporting features offer a comprehensive overview of campaign results, enabling businesses to gauge the effectiveness of their email marketing endeavours.

Summary

When it comes to email marketing software for ecommerce businesses, both Brevo and Constant Contact are both great platforms, there’s no doubt.

In terms of value though, there’s really little comparison between the two. Brevo has more features for less money, and that’s really it.

With these comparisons, there’s usually something one has the over the other that might suit some use cases over others but with these two, we can’t find it.

Further reading –

• Full Brevo Review