How Much Does iContact Cost?
The real price of the SMB email marketing platform, plan by plan, tier by tier.
Short answer: iContact starts at $9/month on the Standard plan for 500 contacts, and $16/month on Premium, with a 30-day free trial. But that entry price does not tell the whole story. Pricing is tied to your contact count, unsubscribes keep counting until you delete them, and overage fees apply the moment you cross your tier. We walk through every price tier, both plans, and what you really pay based on your list size.
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iContact, the key numbers
What each iContact plan costs
iContact offers two paid plans, Standard and Premium, with prices that depend on how many contacts you store. Here is the entry price (500 contacts) for each, plus the tier just above. The real-cost table further down breaks out the higher tiers. Prices shown monthly; annual billing saves roughly 15%.
Prices in USD, 500 and 1,000 contact tiers. Checked June 2026.
Standard
To start email marketing
$14/month for 1,000 contacts
- 500 contacts included
- Send limit 10x your contacts/month
- Drag-and-drop editor, ~35 templates
- 1 automation, 1 segment, 1 landing page
- A/B testing, 1 user
Premium
To automate without limits
$27/month for 1,000 contacts
- Everything in Standard, without the caps
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited automations, segments and landing pages
- Send limit 12x your contacts/month
- Social posting, AI Content Assistant
Large list
25,000 contacts and up
$229/month on Premium
- Same product, higher contact tier
- The price tracks list size
- 50,000 contacts: $350 (Standard), $399 (Premium)
- Beyond that, custom quote
Prices checked June 2026 and cross-referenced across several sources (verify on the official icontact.com/pricing page). iContact bills by contact tiers: 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000. Standard runs from $9 to $350/month, Premium from $16 to $399/month depending on the tier. Unsubscribed contacts keep counting toward your total until you delete them.
What makes the bill climb
The advertised $9/month only applies to 500 contacts on the entry plan. Several levers push the price well beyond it. Here are the traps to know before you commit.
Your contact count
This is the main lever. The price climbs in tiers with your list: 500 contacts at $9, but 5,000 at $45 (Standard) and 10,000 at $73/month. Going from 500 to 5,000 contacts multiplies the bill fivefold, for the exact same features.
Unsubscribes still counted
A recurring complaint in reviews: iContact keeps counting unsubscribed contacts in your total until you manually delete them. Since the price depends on contact count, you can end up paying for addresses that no longer receive anything. Clean your list regularly to avoid it.
Overage fees
If you cross your plan's contact tier, overage fees apply, around $8 to $15 per extra 1,000 contacts depending on the plan, sometimes with no clear warning. It is a cost line buyers often underestimate when picking a tier.
Add-ons (SMS, verification)
SMS is not included: it is billed per use, around $0.01 to $0.05 per message. Email verification is an add-on starting at ~$1/month. Add these to your budget if you need them.
- Estimate your true contact count before picking a tier.
- Delete unsubscribes so you stop paying for them.
- Standard is enough if you only need one automation.
- Premium pays off for unlimited automations and users.
- Plan for overage fees if your list grows fast.
How we size the real cost
iContact's advertised price hinges on a single variable: contact count. To size the real cost, we start from each profile's typical list size, pick the right plan (Standard or Premium), and apply annual billing, roughly 15% cheaper than monthly. Here is the logic behind the math.
- List sizeThe only real price lever at iContactContacts
- Plan chosenPremium for unlimited automationStd / Prem
- BillingAnnual lightens the bill-15%
- Extra costsOverages, SMS, email verification+ add-ons
Estimates by list size. Adjust for your real volume and the add-ons you need.
What you actually pay per month
The price hinges mostly on your list size. Four typical profiles, annual billing (-15%), assumptions stated.
Estimates in USD, annual. Overages and add-ons not included.
Solo, small list
500 contacts, Standard
- $9/month listed, ~$7.65 annually
- 1 automation, 1 landing page
- Enough for a simple newsletter
SMB, active list
2,500 contacts, Premium
- $41/month listed, ~$35 annually
- Unlimited automations and segments
- Social posting and AI Content Assistant
Growing list
10,000 contacts, Premium
- $109/month listed, ~$93 annually
- Watch out for tier overages
- Clean unsubscribes to pay less
Large list
25,000 contacts, Premium
- $229/month listed, ~$195 annually
- 50,000 contacts: up to $399/month
- Beyond that, custom quote
Estimates with annual billing (June 2026), based on contact tiers. Adjust for your real list. iContact bills per contact, not per email sent: a growing list pushes the price up even if you mail rarely. Overage fees and add-ons are not included in these estimates.
iContact's price versus the alternatives
iContact's entry plan compared with the other SMB email marketing platforms. They all bill per contact, except Brevo, which bills by email volume sent, a real edge on large, lightly-mailed lists.
Entry prices checked June 2026. Different billing models.
iContact
Billed per contact
- 30-day trial, no free plan
- $16/month on Premium
- Unsubscribes counted, overage fees
Mailchimp
Billed per contact
- Free plan (500 contacts)
- 100+ templates, mature automation
- The bill climbs with the list
Brevo
Billed per email sent
- Free plan (300 emails/day)
- Unlimited contacts on paid plans
- Large, lightly-mailed list = low bill
Entry prices checked June 2026 on the official pages. iContact keeps one of the lowest entry prices in the SMB segment ($9), but bills per contact and counts unsubscribes. Mailchimp offers a free plan and more mature automation. Brevo bills by email volume, which makes it unbeatable on large lists mailed rarely.
So, is iContact expensive?
Our take after testing it: the entry price is low, but the value depends on your profile. Here is when it pays off, and how to pay less.
Good value if…
You have a small list and simple needs. At $9/month for 500 contacts, iContact has one of the lowest entry prices in the SMB market. For a basic newsletter, one automation and a few templates, the Standard plan gets the job done without breaking the bank.
Too expensive if…
Your list is growing or you want modern features. The per-contact price climbs fast, unsubscribes keep counting, and overages sting. Mailchimp offers more mature automation, and Brevo works out far cheaper on large lists thanks to its per-email billing model.
The verdict
iContact is a decent email platform with an aggressive entry price, but dated and pricey at scale. Take it for a small, simple list, clean your unsubscribes, and go annual for the 15% saving. Past a few thousand contacts, compare seriously with Brevo.
- Pay annually: roughly 15% off.
- Delete unsubscribes so you stop paying for them.
- Stay on Standard if one automation is enough.
- Use the 30-day trial to test deliverability.
- Compare with Brevo once your list passes a few thousand contacts.
Frequently asked questions about iContact pricing
How much does iContact cost per month?
iContact starts at $9/month on the Standard plan for 500 contacts, and $16/month on the Premium plan. The price is tied to your contact count and rises in tiers (500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000). For example, 5,000 contacts cost $45/month on Standard and $73/month on Premium. Annual billing saves roughly 15%. Keep in mind the overage fees and SMS add-ons, which are not included in the base price.How much does iContact cost per year?
With annual billing, iContact applies roughly 15% off the monthly rate. The Standard 500-contact plan works out to about $92/year instead of $108, and Premium 500 contacts to about $163/year. For a 2,500-contact list on Premium, expect around $420/year. Annual billing is the main lever to pay iContact less. Always check the exact price on the official page before committing, as the tiers can change.Does iContact have a free plan?
No, iContact does not have a permanent free plan. The platform offers a 30-day free trial on both the Standard and Premium plans, with access to paid features, usually capped at a small number of contacts during the trial. That is enough to test the editor, the templates and deliverability before paying. After 30 days, you need a paid plan to keep sending. If you want a true free plan, look at Mailchimp or Brevo.What is the price difference between Standard and Premium?
At 500 contacts, Standard costs $9/month and Premium $16/month. The gap widens with list size: at 5,000 contacts it is $45 versus $73/month, and at 10,000 contacts $73 versus $109/month. Premium unlocks unlimited users, automations, segments and landing pages, social posting and the AI Content Assistant, plus a send limit of 12x your contacts versus 10x on Standard. If one automation is enough, Standard is the cheaper pick.Does iContact charge for unsubscribed contacts?
Yes, and it is a recurring complaint in reviews. iContact keeps counting unsubscribed contacts in your total until you manually delete them from your list. Since the price depends on contact count, you can end up paying for addresses that no longer receive anything. The fix is to clean your list regularly, removing unsubscribes and inactive contacts, to stay on the lowest possible price tier.What are iContact's overage fees?
When you cross your plan's contact tier, iContact applies overage fees, around $8 to $15 per extra 1,000 contacts depending on the plan. Several users report that these fees trigger with no clear warning. To avoid them, monitor your list growth and move up a tier proactively rather than absorbing overages. These amounts should be verified on the official page, as they can change over time.Is SMS included in iContact's price?
No. iContact's core product is email marketing. SMS is an add-on billed per use, around $0.01 to $0.05 per message, not included in the Standard and Premium plans. If sending SMS is part of your strategy, add that cost to your budget. Email verification is another add-on, starting at about $1/month. Before comparing iContact with a rival, list the add-ons you genuinely need to get the true price.Is iContact cheaper than Mailchimp?
On the entry price, yes: iContact starts at $9/month while Mailchimp Essentials runs around $13/month. But Mailchimp offers a free plan up to 500 contacts, a larger template library (100+ versus ~35) and more mature automation. Both bill per contact, so the bill climbs in either case as the list grows. iContact wins on entry price and support, Mailchimp on features and the free plan.How much does iContact cost for a large list?
The price follows list size in tiers. For 25,000 contacts, expect $180/month on Standard and $229/month on Premium; for 50,000 contacts, $350 (Standard) and $399/month (Premium). Beyond that, pricing moves to a custom quote. At high volume, iContact becomes noticeably pricier than Brevo, which bills by email volume sent rather than contact count. If you have a large list you mail rarely, compare carefully before committing.Is there a discount for paying iContact annually?
Yes. Annual billing saves roughly 15% versus monthly payment, on both plans. For example, a Standard plan at $28/month for 2,500 contacts works out to about $286/year instead of $336. It is the main lever to pay iContact less, alongside regularly cleaning unsubscribes. Be wary of third-party promo codes: the reliable saving stays the annual commitment, taken directly on the official page.
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