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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Constant Contact

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AConstant Contact is a full-featured email marketing solution with capabilities such as social media integration, drag-and-drop editing, and real-time reporting. It is a bulk email tool designed for SMB customers. Since 2019, Constant Contact also offers marketing automation features, a website and landing page builder, and other tools to support midsize businesses.

    $12

    per month

    Visual Studio

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AVisual Studio (now in the 2022 edition) is a 64-bit IDE that makes it easier to work with bigger projects and complex workloads, boasting a fluid and responsive experience for users. The IDE features IntelliCode, its automatic code completion tools that understand code context and that can complete up to a whole line at once to drive accurate and confident coding.

    $45

    per month

    Pricing
    Constant ContactVisual Studio
    Editions & Modules
    Lite
    Starting at $12.00
    per month
    Standard
    Starting at $35.00
    per month
    Premium
    Starting at $80.00
    per month
    Professional
    $45.00
    per month
    Enterprise
    $250.00
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Constant ContactVisual Studio
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsThe SMS Marketing tool can be added to any Standard or Premium Constant Contact account. SMS is only available in the US for Standard and Premium paid plans. SMS can be added when logged in to an account after purchase. Plans start at $10/month for up to 500 messages.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Constant ContactVisual Studio
    Considered Both Products
    Constant Contact
    No answer on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    85%
    Would buy again
    61 Answers
    98%
    Would buy again
    40 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    61 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    40 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    85%
    Happy with the feature set
    61 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    41 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    91%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    42 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    32 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    90%
    Implementation went as expected
    46 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    36 Answers
    Features
    Constant ContactVisual Studio
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Constant Contact and Microsoft Visual Studio
    Feature
    Constant Contact
    9.0
    120 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    -
    Ratings
    WYSIWYG email editor9.7102 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dynamic content9.7104 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content8.582 Ratings00 Ratings
    Landing pages9.378 Ratings00 Ratings
    A/B testing8.473 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile optimization8.686 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting9.9116 Ratings00 Ratings
    List management9.3118 Ratings00 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences8.062 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Constant Contact and Microsoft Visual Studio
    Feature
    Constant Contact
    8.5
    117 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    -
    Ratings
    Dashboards8.488 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standard reports9.8115 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom reports7.558 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pre-Send Testing
    Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of Constant Contact and Microsoft Visual Studio
    Feature
    Constant Contact
    8.4
    69 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    -
    Ratings
    URL Validation8.231 Ratings00 Ratings
    Link Tracking7.934 Ratings00 Ratings
    Image Validation8.932 Ratings00 Ratings
    Inbox Display8.635 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email Accessibility Tools7.928 Ratings00 Ratings
    Spelling and Grammar Check9.856 Ratings00 Ratings
    Spam Testing6.026 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email Previews9.968 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Constant ContactVisual Studio
    Small Businesses
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    IntelliJ IDEA
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Campaign Monitor by Marigold
    Score9 out of 10
    PyCharm
    Score9.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Emma by Marigold
    Score8.5 out of 10
    WebStorm
    Score9.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Constant ContactVisual Studio
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.8
    (135 ratings)
    9.1
    (118 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.9
    (23 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (12 ratings)
    9.2
    (15 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (9 ratings)
    8.8
    (15 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Constant ContactVisual Studio
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Constant Contact
    Constant Contact is an excellent tool for sending out flyers and newsletters. However, I feel the content's appearance is typically all the same. When I receive an email from Constant Contact, I can immediately identify it - the templates usually all look the same. When sending out communications with images, it is easy to use Constant Contact and link webpages. However, the email layout is always vertical and can get very lengthy. I prefer a more flip-book approach with options to flip the page.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    When working with base C# code for desktop and web projects, then Microsoft Visual Studio is ideal as it provides the libraries and interfaces needed to quickly create, test and deploy solutions. It is when slightly more complex scenarios are required that issues can arise. The built-in integration for things like PowerBI Paginated Reports and dashboards is far from ideal.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Constant Contact
    • Market segmentation is great: my main segmentation is by region because that's how our sales team is divided.
    • Lists: making customized email lists is easy and intuitive; the custom fields allow some flexibility in case our fields don't exactly line up with Constant Contact's.
    • Campaigns: creating campaigns is quick and simple. I especially appreciate the 'resend to non-openers' option. I am constantly using this feature.
    • Subject line generator: I like using the recommended subject lines. I'm able to plug in their recommended ideas, or sometimes, this feature helps me generate my own ideas.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • I like how the tabs and panels are organized; everything is gathered together so you can find what you're looking for quickly.
    • If you can't find something, there's a thorough search engine that searches all of Visual Studio's features.
    • The Team Foundation Server feature is fantastic since it allows us to easily deploy and roll back changes on the server.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Constant Contact
    • It would be nice if we had more customizable options for emails - like moving around pictures and text boxes, rather than a set spot for everything to go.
    • I would like it if multiple people could work on a document at one time. So if I'm in charge of graphics, I can get those updated while someone else is entering content, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Would be great if there was a better way to save and restore open tabs.
    • The built-in test runner can be improved, for example, by adding the ability to save a set of commonly run tests, etc.
    • Better integration for Microsoft SQL server would be great.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Constant Contact
    There is no doubt that we are going to renew Constant Contact. We have not just invested a lot of time in learning and creating a great looking product but we have developed a strong database of information that allows us to track how we are doing for each newsletter. This supports our goals of creating products that residents desire and are excited to receive.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    VS is the best and is required for building Microsoft applications. The quality and usefulness of the product far out-weight the licensing costs associated with it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Constant Contact
    There is always room for improvement. I don't know how they test their systems, but they should invite not-so computer savvy people to test it. If I, as an expert have problems, they need to think like the technophobe. Since I've used Constant Contact in the past as part of my former employment, I have not viewed any of the tutorials and just jumped in to work on my client's newsletter. With that said, I found some areas easy and some a bit cumbersome
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    I love the overall usability of Microsoft Visual Studio. I’ve been using this IDE for more than 20 years, and I’ve seen it evolve by leaps and bounds. Today, with AI and code-suggestion/completion features, developers no longer need to remember countless libraries, methods, or language syntax, or invest a huge amount of programming effort to complete a project. It truly offers everything a developer needs to program, debug, test, and deploy in a single IDE.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Constant Contact
    No major problems in sending out the email campaigns and accessing the analytics
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Constant Contact
    The system seemed quite slow sometimes. Specifically, there was sometimes a delay in sends if it was during a high traffic period. There were time-outs when uploading new code for an email, and a lag in reporting analytics which was sometimes as long as 72 hours
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Constant Contact
    I think the overall support for Constant Contact has always been incredible; I have nothing negative to say. Our customer support representative was attentive, easy to understand, and very knowledgeable. I never felt like I wasn't a priority of his and my issues, while very small, were fixed in a very short time frame.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    There are many resources available supporting Visual Studio IDE. Microsoft whitepapers, forum posts, and online Visual Studio documentation. There are countless demonstration videos available, as well. If users are having issues, they can call Microsoft Support, but depending on the company's agreement with Microsoft, the number of included support calls will vary from organization to organization. I've found that Microsoft support calls can be hit or miss depending on who you get, but they can usually get you with the right support person for your issue.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Constant Contact
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    IT is very complicated to understand all the functions that the environment has if you are not familiar with this type of development environments. It is important to select a good in-person training to achieve to understand all the possibilities and the capacity of the application. In this case, you will be able to develop a lot type of different applications.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Constant Contact
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    If you are not accustomed to develop in this type of development environments it would be complicated to follow all the parts of the course because if the course does not include a great tour with all the concepts to develop you will not have the option to understand all the functions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Constant Contact
    Implementation is very easy for someone who wants to send out the “batch and blast” type newsletters. If you want to use their templates with no customizations, the product works fine. However, the more customizations you get into involving link color, etc, that’s where things can get tricky for someone who may not be familiar with coding
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Constant Contact
    Constant Contact is much more intuitive for people who are not tech-savvy. Also, while sendgrid offered more options in it's drag and drop interface, it displayed differently across different email clients, which made it very cumbersome to use. It also took much longer to upload contact lists and it was harder to manage existing contacts. Performance in sendgrid was much slower as well, and the Preview feature was quite buggy. Our team initially chose sendgrid because of the integration options that it's API offered, but we ultimately switched to Constant Contact because it was much easier to build campaigns and better suited our requirements.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    I personally feel Visual Studio IDE has [a] better interface and [is more] user friendly than other IDEs. It has better code maintainability and intellisense. Its inbuilt team foundation server help coders to check on their code then and go. Better nugget package management, quality testing and gives features to extract TRX file as result of testing which includes all the summary of each test case.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Constant Contact
    Very reliable in sending email campaigns and controlling the recipients so that no contact is sent the same email more than once, even if they are on a resent list
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Constant Contact
    • I have had nothing but positive impacts from using Constant Contact.
    • The church is large, and there are many subgroups and axillary groups within the church. Setting up specific groups based on responsibility, interest, member goals, and service needs allows me to send information quickly, saving valuable time for other tasks.
    • Constant Contact allows leadership to stay personally engaged with the members I work with, without over-taxing my time. It feels so seamless.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Using the integration between Visual Studio and our source control service, the cost of re-work and losing code is drastically reduced.
    • Paid versions of Visual Studio enable developers to be so much more productive than hacked-together open source solutions that it's hard to imagine developing in Windows without it.
    • When combined with support subscriptions and the vast array of free online help options available, Visual Studio saves our developers time by keeping them coding and testing, not wasting their time trying to guess their way out of problems or spend endless hours online hoping to find answers.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Constant Contact Screenshots

    Screenshot of the AI Content Generator that can be used to create content for emails, social posts, or SMS.Screenshot of an example automation workflow. These help to ensure a business's marketing is always on.Screenshot of some of the available pre-built email templates, that can be edited with the included drag-and-drop email editor.Screenshot of the Social Posting tool, used to plan and post social media messaging across platforms.Screenshot of the SMS Marketing feature.Screenshot of some of Constant Contact's available integrations.