# Constant Contact — Email Marketing & Newsletter

Constant Contact by Constant Contact Inc. holds a panel rating of 1.5/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 2/5), as of 2026-10-27. Provenance: provenance unknown; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: Constant Contact Inc. (https://www.constantcontact.com)
- Category: [Email Marketing & Newsletter](https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): provenance unknown
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing/constant-contact
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing/constant-contact/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing/constant-contact/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-10-27 · evaluated 2026-10-27 · oldest source captured 2026-10-26

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: Constant Contact Inc.
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 26 Oct 2026
- Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 26 Oct 2026
- Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 26 Oct 2026

## The panel's verdict

Constant Contact's documentation shows a platform whose strength is list control: exports cover all contact fields including custom fields by default, with opt-in and opt-out source, date and reason attached; imports take up to 40,000 contacts per call; and dynamic segments re-evaluate on tracked opens, clicks, tags and list membership. The bench scored list and data control at 5 to 6 and integrations at 4 to 6, crediting a versioned REST API with per-endpoint scopes and open-source SDKs. Deliverability scores cluster at 2: bounce reporting is the only documented infrastructure, and judges found no public information on SPF, DKIM, DMARC, sending domains or complaint handling. Sovereignty scores range 0 to 1 — the record carries no sovereignty attributes, and the judges found no public information on hosting, contracting entity or subprocessors. Campaign and automation clusters at 4: segmentation is documented, but the judges found no public information on journey builders or triggered sequences, and A/B testing covers subject line only, winners chosen on raw opens. The captured pages state no prices; pricing transparency is reported but not counted.

**Speaks for it:**
- Contact export covers all contact fields including custom fields by default, carrying opt-in and opt-out source, date and reason.
- Imports accept CSV or JSON payloads of up to 40,000 contacts, with partial updates for existing contacts.
- Dynamic segments combine tracked sends, opens and clicks with contact details, list membership and tags through eight documented operators.
- The v3 REST API is documented with per-endpoint scopes and privileges, backed by open-source SDKs on GitHub.
- Bounce reports classify seven codes from non-existent to blocked and are filterable per campaign through the reporting API.

**Held against it:**
- Deliverability scores cluster at 2, with the judges finding no public information on SPF, DKIM, DMARC, custom sending domains or complaint handling.
- Sovereignty scores range 0 to 1: no sovereignty attributes are on record, and the judges found no public information on hosting location, contracting entity or subprocessors.
- Imported contacts land with permission set to Implicit by default, and the judges found no public information on double opt-in or on switching off open and click tracking.
- The judges found no public information on a journey builder, triggered sequences or a campaign editor, and A/B tests support subject line only, with the winner picked on the highest number of contact opens.
- The captured pages state no prices, the only pricing signal being partner webhook events for billing-tier changes.

**Best for:**
- You need a documented way in and out for your contact data — full-fidelity CSV export with consent provenance and imports of up to 40,000 contacts per call.
- Your developers build and maintain custom tooling against a versioned REST API with documented scopes and open-source SDKs.
- You target recipients with dynamic segments built from tracked opens, clicks, tags and list membership, rather than pre-built lifecycle flows.

**Avoid if:**
- You need multi-step automation such as abandoned-cart or post-purchase journeys — campaign and automation tops out at 4, and the judges found no public information on a journey builder or triggered sequences.
- Your procurement requires documented data residency, a contracting entity or a subprocessor list — ask the vendor: the public pages we read do not show it
- You must verify email authentication before signing — deliverability scores cluster at 2 and the only documented infrastructure there is bounce reporting.
- Your compliance process assumes explicit consent at import — the documented default permission for newly imported contacts is Implicit.

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price.

| Criterion | The CRM Manager | The Deliverability Engineer | The Data Protection Officer | The Shop Owner | The Integrator | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Campaigns & automation | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Deliverability infrastructure | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| Consent, proof & tracking limits | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 2/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 |
| List ownership, import & exit | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Integrations & API | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 |
| European sovereignty | 0.5/5 | 0/5 | 0.5/5 | 0/5 | 0/5 | 0.5/5 |
| Pricing transparency | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r |
| **Weighted verdict** | **2/5** | **1.5/5** | **1.5/5** | **2/5** | **2/5** | **1.5/5** |

### The judges

- **The CRM Manager** (v1.0): Owns the lifecycle programme and measures it. Wants segmentation on real behaviour, journeys that branch, and testing that reports significance rather than a bigger number. Treats a tool that can only broadcast as a mailing list with invoicing.
- **The Deliverability Engineer** (v1.0): Cares about one number nobody publishes honestly: what reaches the inbox. Reads for authentication, IP and domain reputation, bounce discipline and sunsetting. Ignores every advertised delivery rate on principle — the infrastructure either is documented or it is not.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Signs off the tool that holds named people and records what each of them opened. Wants double opt-in with a proof that survives a complaint, tracking that can be switched off, and an answer to where the behavioural data lives that does not require a Schrems II argument.
- **The Shop Owner** (v1.0): Runs a shop where the newsletter is a revenue channel. Wants the shop connected properly — orders, carts, products flowing in, abandoned-cart and post-purchase flows out — and revenue attributed per campaign. Judges price against contribution, not against a competitor's tier.
- **The Integrator** (v1.0): Has to wire this into a stack that already exists. Wants a documented API with rate limits, webhooks that retry, a sandbox and a deprecation policy. Treats a partner-form integration page as a missing API, and reads "Zapier supported" as an outsourced one.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Has seen every vendor claim 99% deliverability and GDPR compliance on the same page. Reads for the contact-tier staircase, the overage rate, the feature that begins two tiers up, and whether "EU hosting" covers the sending infrastructure or only the database.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

No sovereignty finding yet.

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- Tls requirement: AES or better · 1.2 [S6]

**Data**
- Export async two step: yes [S4]
- Export auth scope: contact_data · contacts:write [S4]
- Export contact ids limit: 500 [S4]
- Export endpoint: csv · /activities/contact_exports [S4]
- Export exclude limit: 50 [S4]
- Export field selection: all_fields_including_custom · yes [S4]
- Export list ids limit: 50 [S4]
- Export new subscribers filter: 30 [S4]
- Export required field dependency: yes [S4]
- Export scope: all_contacts · yes [S4]
- Export segment filter: 1 [S4]
- Export status filter: active · unsubscribed · removed [S4]

**Integrations**
- Ab test delete endpoint: revert campaign type AB_TEST to NEWSLETTER · DELETE emails/activities/{campaign_activity_id}/abtest [S1]
- Ab test endpoints: POST emails/activities/{campaign_activity_id}/abtest [S1]
- Ab test get endpoint: GET emails/activities/{campaign_activity_id}/abtest [S1]
- Ab test schedule send: POST /emails/activities/{campaign_activity_id}/schedules · campaign send user privileges [S1]
- API base URL: https://api.cc.email/v3 [S4]
- API base URL: https://api.cc.email/v3 · v3 [S3]
- API base URL: https://api.cc.email/v3 [S5]
- API version: Constant Contact V3 API [S7]
- Bounce code filter: yes [S3]
- Bounce codes: F · X · Z · S · B · D · V [S3]
- Bounces report empty response: 200 with empty tracking_activities array [S3]
- Bounces report limit param: yes · campaign_activity_id [S3]
- Bounces report no time filter: no [S3]
- Bounces report role restriction: primary_email · resend [S3]
- Bounces report sort order: most recent first [S3]
- Code examples: java · curl · php [S4]
- Code samples: Java · cURL · PHP [S3]
- Dotnet package: NuGet Package: ConstantContactApi [S7]
- Inbound network config: yes [S6]
- Partner webhooks purpose: billing event notifications via webhooks instead of polling [S6]
- Php package: Packagist: constant-contact-v3api-client-php [S7]
- Python package: Python: constant-contact-api-client [S7]
- Retry policy: 1 · 3600 [S6]
- Ruby package: RubyGems Org.: constant_contact_client [S7]
- Sdks open source: GitHub · yes [S7]
- Segments contact results: GET contacts/?{segment_id} [S2]
- Segments email campaign limit: yes · 1 [S2]
- Segments export import: POST /activities/contact_exports · POST /activities/contacts_json_import · POST /activities/contacts_file_import [S2]
- Segments sort order: date descending · name · date [S2]
- Subscription workflow: identify topic · PUT to subscribe · test subscription [S6]
- Typescript package: Node Package Manager: ctct-api-client [S7]
- Webhook requirements: yes · yes · yes [S6]
- Webhook topics: billing tier upgrade (tier.increase) · billing tier downgrade (tier.decrease) · account cancelled (account.cancel) · account disabled (account.disable) [S6]

**Product**
- Ab test auto send winner: yes [S1]
- Ab test scope: subject_line · no [S1]
- Ab test size range: 50 · 5 [S1]
- Ab test target: maximize contact open rates · draft primary email campaign [S1]
- Ab test winner metric: highest_number_of_contact_opens [S1]
- Ab test winner wait duration: winner_wait_duration property · hours [S1]
- CSV list ids limit: 50 · 1 · yes [S5]
- CSV required content type: multipart/form-data · unspecified [S5]
- CSV required headers: either one · email · sms_number [S5]
- CSV sms permission param: explicit · not_set · yes [S5]
- Custom fields preexist required: yes [S5]
- Import contact identifier: yes · email_address or sms_number [S5]
- Import custom fields limit: 25 [S5]
- Import default permission: Implicit · no [S5]
- Import endpoints: csv · json · /activities/contacts_file_import · /activities/contacts_json_import [S5]
- Import permission compliance: yes [S5]
- Import row limit: 40000 · 40000 [S5]
- Import size limit: megabytes · 4 [S5]
- Import update behavior: yes [S5]
- Json endpoint requirements: contacts:write · contact_data [S5]
- Json list ids limit: 50 · 1 · yes [S5]
- Segment data sources: tracking activities · contact details · list memberships · tags [S2]
- Segment endpoints: GET /segments/{segment_id} · GET /segments · POST /segments · DELETE /segments/{segment_id} · PATCH /segments/{segment_id}/name · PUT /segments/{segment_id} [S2]
- Segments contact data types: standard contact fields · custom contact fields · system defined fields [S2]
- Segments dynamic: yes [S2]
- Segments grouping rules: or only · or only · and only [S2]
- Segments list membership default: all account contacts [S2]
- Segments operators: eq · ne · starts-with · contains-string · eq blank · ne blank · contains-all · contains-any · yes [S2]
- Segments purpose: Segments identify and target a subset of contacts meeting specified criteria [S2]
- Segments soft delete: yes · yes [S2]
- Segments tracking fields: sent · not_sent · opened · not_opened · clicked · not_clicked [S2]
- Segments tracking limit: 1825 · 500 [S2]
- Segments UI max campaigns: 5 [S2]
- Segments update requirements: yes [S2]
- Sms number format: 1231231234 · 123-123-1234 · 16 [S5]
- Status check endpoint: /activities/{activity_id} · GET [S5]

**Support**
- Segments authorization: contacts:lists:read · contacts:lists:write · Account Owner · Account Manager · contact_data [S2]

## Questions

### Is Constant Contact European?

Not determined: the vendor’s pages as captured do not say where Constant Contact is based.

### Where does Constant Contact store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 26 Oct 2026.

### Does Constant Contact have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 26 Oct 2026.

### What are the best alternatives to Constant Contact?

As of 26 Oct 2026, the panel rates [Brevo (3/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing/brevo), [CleverReach (3/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing/cleverreach) and [Mailchimp (3/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing/mailchimp) highest among the other 28 Email Marketing & Newsletter products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [Brevo](https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing/brevo) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [Constant Contact alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing/constant-contact/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- We found no public information on pricing on the pages we read (v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/email-campaigns-a-b-tests/ab-tests-overview, v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/segments/segments-overview, v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/email-reporting/email-reporting-bounces, v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/bulk-activity-endpoints/bulk-activities-export-contacts, v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/bulk-activity-endpoints/bulk-activities-import-contacts, v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/technology-partner-webhooks/webhooks-overview and 1 more). If the vendor publishes it somewhere else, send us the page.
- 1 integrations fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.

## Sources

- [S1] Campaigns & automation — found from sitemap: https://v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/email-campaigns-a-b-tests/ab-tests-overview (checked 2026-10-26)
- [S2] Campaigns & automation — found from sitemap: https://v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/segments/segments-overview (checked 2026-10-26)
- [S3] Deliverability infrastructure — found from sitemap: https://v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/email-reporting/email-reporting-bounces (checked 2026-10-26)
- [S4] List ownership, import & exit — found from sitemap: https://v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/bulk-activity-endpoints/bulk-activities-export-contacts (checked 2026-10-26)
- [S5] List ownership, import & exit — found from sitemap: https://v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/bulk-activity-endpoints/bulk-activities-import-contacts (checked 2026-10-26)
- [S6] Integrations & API — found from sitemap: https://v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/technology-partner-webhooks/webhooks-overview (checked 2026-10-26)
- [S7] Integrations & API — found from sitemap: https://v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/sdks/sdks-overview (checked 2026-10-26)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "Constant Contact — Email Marketing & Newsletter", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-10-27. https://whats-best.ai/software/email-marketing/constant-contact

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/705?target=page