Genevieve Que

MailChimp vs Campaign Monitor vs AWeber vs GetResponse vs ConstantContact Sending an email to your subscribers is already a tall order, so much more sending it to a prospective customer. For a lot of business owners, especially those who are new in the business, tech-related tools can be daunting. However, these tools are very helpful in growing your online business. One of these tools is an email marketing solution. There are many good email marketing providers in the market but for this review, we have picked up five of the best and most popular in the market. Before making the comparison, it is important to know the common features of these email marketing solutions because we will leave them out in sorting their pros and cons. Two of these common features are anti-spam policy and a relationship with the major ISPs. Here is a closer look at each of these email marketing service: MailChimp MailChimp is one of the popular choices mainly because of their "free forever" plan, which is perhaps the best compared to other email marketing services. It's quite impressive - up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails every month and you're guaranteed a free plan forever. Aside from this, they offer a wide range of features for beginners and those who are on a budget. Some of their advanced features, however, are limited. MailChimp has two basic types of plans with a flexible pricing structure which are either list-based or send-based. For the list-based structure, price starts at $10 for up to 500 subscribers and can increase up to $1,050 for more than 200K subscribers. For the send-based structure, it can go from $.03 per email up to 2 million emails at $2,500. MailChimp Main Features: More than 400 templates to choose from A drag and drop editor for quick and easy email layouts Option to code your email directly with HTML and inline CSS A lot of their templates are optimized for mobile Open API for easy app integration Multi-user accounts Pros Unlimited image hosting Google Analytics integration Easy-to-use HTML templates. You can also use its WYSWIG editor to customize your designs Straightforward contact management as well as easy import of contacts using the cvs file Sign up forms are customizable and mobile responsive Inbox Inspector - an add-on which allows you to have more than 25 screenshots of your email in all major email applications. It enables live tests from all major ISPs to check if spam filters are triggered. It tracks the origin of your sign-ups Live chat Cons Free version has limited features, such as auto-responders It does not allow you to send one campaign to multiple subscribers Email and chat support are only for premium users You have to pay extra for a lot of advanced features on top of the paid account you have. Campaign Monitor Campaign Monitor is another popular email marketing service which was originally designed with graphic designers in mind. One feature that stands out is the full creative control it gives to their users over their campaign designs. In addition, it also allows users to preview screenshots of their email in more than 20 email clients. However, if you are looking for a dedicated support staff or easy template options, this might not be the tool you are looking for. Campaign Monitor pricing options are either per month or by campaign. If you opt for the monthly payment, the most basic plan is at $9, which allows up to 500 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. On the other hand, their $699 plan allows 50,000 subscribers and more than 250,000 emails a month. If you opt for a by-campaign payment option, Campaign Monitor charges at $.01 per subscriber. Campaign Monitor Main Features: Integrates with Shopify, Podio, Unbounce, Enlist, Wufoo, Zapier, and Salesforce ROI responder A/B split testing Re-brandable interface Unlimited image hosting Extensive list segmentation and subscriber management Pros Integrates API with your blog, CMS, and third-party software Screenshot gallery of the best 100 email client designs Personalized email content beyond subscriber's name 10% discount if you want to partner with their services Big, bold hero imagery More customization and control Cons Poor customer service support Training materials and resources are limited Pays extra for spam testing when you have a basic or per-campaign account No even marketing or internal survey support AWeber AWeber started as an auto-responder service and evolved into a full email marketing service. It is continually growing and is considered as one of the major players in the email marketing market. AWeber is one of those companies which offer a 30-day money back guarantee. Although they have no free trial, they have a $1 trial for the first 30 days. If you like the service, pricing starts at $19 for up to 500 email subscribers and unlimited emails. AWeber Main Features: HTML Email Templates - more than 700 mobile-responsive templates Broadcast archive - turns your newsletters into easy-to-use web pages App showcase - lets you integrate more than 50 apps to your account AWeber stats app - gives you up-to-the-minute stats Pros Extensive email marketing tracking and subscriber management Can add attachments of up to 1mb to newsletters Can-SPAM compliant Unlimited image hosting with more than 6,000 stock images Shopping cart integration Good WYSWIG editor Cons Social sharing is limited to Facebook and Twitter only Can't directly import from your email contacts Zero Google Analytics integration No social media tracking and reporting Can't custom build your own email template GetResponse GetResponse is developed by Implix introduced in 1999. It is one of the major players when it comes to email marketing solutions. Its users praise it for providing their marketing campaigns with a professional look. Inside the box, it is also filled with tools that help you reach your intended audience. GetResponse offers a free 30-day trial and if you decide to go on with the service, pricing starts at $15/month good for 1,000 subscribers and can be only used by one user. The most expensive plan is $799/ month and can be used by 10 users and good for more than 100,000 subscribers. Other price plans are $49 and $165. GetResponse Main Features: Dedicated account manager and infrastructure Custom domain Autoresponders More than 500 web templates More than 100 mobile-ready templates A/B Testing Pros Allows you to create landing pages in just a few minutes Reports include graphs which are very helpful in creating effective campaigns Has a webinar marketing solution Cons No 24/7 phone support Company does not give a refund Unable to view individual profiles of the subscriber ConstantContact If ConstantContact were a person, it would be a veteran in the game being one of the oldest email marketing services - it has been on the market since 1996. Despite this, however, it has quite a number of limitations compared to the other email marketing tools in the market. It pretty much covers the basics, but if you are looking for advanced features, such as split A/B testing, then ConstantContact might be a disappointment. ConstantContact offers a 60-day free trial for their first-time customers. After that, pricing is on a monthly basis starting at $20 for a maximum of 500 emails. They also offer discounts if you sign up for 6 or 12 months. ConstantContact Main Features: Quick import - imports and uploads emails from your Gmail, Facebook, Outlook MS and Express accounts. Toolkit - brings your social, mobile, and email together for better customer engagement Autoresponder Social media integration Pros More than 400 email templates Easy to learn interface Thorough key metrics and reporting data Direct sign-up from your Facebook fan page Discounts for non-profits and pre-pay accounts Cons WYSWIG editor can't be used for your own HTML designs There's no A/B split testing 5,000-response monthly limit Stores only 5 free images. You have to upgrade if you want more No Google Analytics reporting The Verdict Overall, MailChimp offers users a lot of features necessary for an email marketing service. Whether you are an experienced or seasoned email marketer, MailChimp provides a pleasant and stress-free experience for your email marketing efforts. In addition, its reporting features are also helpful.