E-mail marketing is growing in importance and spending among SMBs. Two of the top e-mail marketing services to consider are MailChimp and AWeber.
How do they compare? As usual, their appeal depends on your size, budget, and sophistication. Each has a devoted following that values particular features and capabilities.
MailChimp is low-cost and easy to use and has a strong reputation among small businesses and startups. AWeber has more powerful tracking and autorespond features and has a strong reputation among more sophisticated e-mail marketers. AWeber reportedly has forged close relationships with ISPs to ensure delivery, and users attest to its 99% to 100% delivery rates.
MailChimp has more basic autorespond and tracking features, but excellent spam filters that boost its deliverability rates. As our user reviews show, SMB customers value MailChimp’s ease of use and pricing.
Users also tend to find MailChimp to be more “fun” and cite its clean and modern user interface and quick learning curve. MailChimp has a host of modern features (merge tags, comments, inbox inspector, A/B split testing), and users find its social media features, API, and overall integration capabilities to be richer.
AWeber offers more support options, including phone support, which MailChimp lacks. MailChimp provides mobile support (iPhone and Android), which AWeber lacks.
With its service free for up to 2,000 subscribers and 1,200 e-mails per month, MailChimp has the edge in cost for a startup or small business with smaller e-mail lists and transmission requirements.
Beyond 2,000 subscribers and for unlimited e-mails, the pricing of MailChimp and AWeber is fairly close.
AWeber’s pricing starts at $19 per month, with a $1 special price for the first month, for up to 500 subscribers and unlimited e-mails. Beyond 500 subscribers, you pay extra per month, from $10 per month for up to 2,500 subscribers, to $130 per month for up to 25,000 subscribers.
Bottom Line: MailChimp and AWeber have solid reputations and devoted followers who appreciate the strengths of each product—MailChimp for ease of use, customization, “fun” factor, host of modern features, and free entry-level cost, and AWeber for more sophisticated management, tracking, and deliverability capabilities. Try both for virtually free, and choose the one that matches your needs and tastes.
