As a business owner, one of the many decisions you’ll need to make is where to spend your marketing budget.
Email marketing is a cost-effective solution to reach prospects directly and build relationships with your target audience.
This marketing strategy also delivers a strong return on investment (ROI). For every $1 spent, you can expect an average return of $42.
In short, email marketing offers immense value to your business.
But if you want email marketing to work, you’ll need software to send those emails, track your campaigns and measure key metrics. And you’ll want software that lets you personalize your marketing efforts. Personalized promotional emails have a 29% higher open rate and 41% higher click rate.
You may have heard about Mailchimp — an email marketing automation platform that lets you manage your email lists and automate your campaigns.
But is the most popular email platform actually the best choice for your business?
Are there Mailchimp alternatives?
In this resource, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the leading Mailchimp alternatives to help you make an informed decision for your business.
Mailchimp Alternatives
Introduction to Mailchimp
What the Vendor Says: “Start with Mailchimp. Our all‑in‑one Marketing Platform has the tools you need to grow — no coding or design skills required.”
About Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing automation platform that enables companies to manage their mailing lists and build targeted marketing campaigns.
What’s Offered by Mailchimp?
Mailchimp offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor that enables businesses to build email campaigns and create new landing pages without any coding or design experience.
The platform offers pre-built templates that users can use to quickly promote their products or services and reach their prospects across different online channels. Mailchimp also offers built-in reporting and analytics, allowing companies to make data-driven decisions for their campaigns. The software integrates with several third-party applications, such as Shopify, Salesforce and Magento.
Additional key features include:
- Advanced list segmentation
- Performance tracking
- Landing page builder
- Social media management
- A/B testing
- Reporting and analytics
Mailchimp dashboard at a glance:
How Much Does Mailchimp Cost?
Mailchimp provides four pricing plans.
The Free plan includes one audience, 500 contacts, 2,500 monthly emails, seven marketing channels, basic templates and email support for the first 30 days.
The Essentials plan offers three audiences, 5,000 monthly emails, email templates, A/B testing, custom branding and 24/7 support. Prices start at $13 per month (500 contacts).
The Standard plan provides five audiences, 6,000 monthly emails, advanced customer journeys, predictive segmentation, send time optimization, custom-coded templates and dynamic content. Prices start at $20 per month (500 contacts).
The Premium plan includes unlimited audiences, 150,000 monthly emails, advanced segmentation, multivariate testing and phone support. The price starts at $350 per month (500 contacts).
Pros and Cons of Mailchimp
Pros: Built-in drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to create new email campaigns. Numerous third-party integrations. Free plan available for new businesses.
Cons: Steep pricing for businesses with a large number of subscribers. Some users note that the reporting could be more intuitive.
Check out our comprehensive review of Mailchimp for more information.
Mailchimp Alternative #1: SharpSpring
What the Vendor Says: “A complete sales & marketing platform.”
Introduction to SharpSpring
SharpSpring is a powerful marketing automation tool that’s built to help small to medium-sized businesses manage their marketing campaigns and convert more leads into sales.
What’s Offered by SharpSpring?
SharpSpring offers a cloud-based solution for businesses and marketing agencies to manage each aspect of their campaigns from one central location.
Users can use the WYSIWYG editors to build their email marketing campaigns and create targeted landing pages or choose from a range of pre-built templates. The Visitor ID feature allows marketers to track visitors on their website and filter specific contacts for follow-up.
Customized reports and integration with Google Ads enable companies to track the performance of paid search campaigns and gain actionable insight. The platform also integrates with a variety of Content Management Systems (CMS) and Custom Relationship Management Systems (CRM) via the App Marketplace.
Additional key features include:
- Behavior-based email automation
- Visual workflow builder
- Custom landing pages
- Campaign tracking
- Blog builder
- Dynamic form builder
- Analytics and reporting
SharpSpring dashboard at a glance:
How Much Does SharpSpring Cost?
SharpSpring offers several pricing plans with full features, unlimited users and free support. For example, companies pay $449 per month for 1,000 contacts, $999 per month for 10,000 contacts or $1,449 per month for 20,000 contacts. There’s also an onboarding fee for $1,999.
There’s also a plan designed for marketing agencies and an Enterprise plan for companies with millions of contacts. The vendor doesn’t publicly provide pricing for those last two plans, so contact them directly for a quote.
Pros and Cons of SharpSpring
Pros: Flexible monthly plans with unlimited support available. Visitor ID feature makes it easy to track and follow-up with visitors.
Cons: Steep learning curve for certain features. Some users have also reported occasional glitches with the software when creating landing pages.
Read our comprehensive review of SharpSpring for more details.
Mailchimp Alternative #2: AWeber
What the Vendor Says: “Build your lists, send emails and connect with your audience faster than ever before.”
Introduction to AWeber
AWeber is a robust email marketing tool that provides businesses with the tools they need to deliver personalized emails and send targeted messages to their audiences.
What’s Offered by AWeber?
AWeber offers an intuitive platform with a drag-and-drop editor that allows businesses to create newsletters and automate their email campaigns easily.
A popular feature is the ability to tag subscribers and trigger campaigns based on the links that prospects click. Businesses can use these features to automate their marketing funnel and nurture their leads. AWeber offers integrations with popular CMS platforms like WordPress, Magento, Drupal and more.
Businesses can import their subscribers with ease from another service and segment their audience based on information like geographical location or actions taken.
Additional key features include:
- Marketing automation
- Responsive email design
- Data segmentation
- Subscriber management
- A/B testing
- HTML email templates
- Reporting and analytics
AWeber dashboard at a glance:
How Much Does AWeber Cost?
AWeber has a free plan for companies that are just starting out. It includes basic features, such as up to 500 email subscribers, landing pages, a drag and drop builder, push notifications, email templates and eCommerce functionality.
Then, there are three paid plans: Lite, Plus and Unlimited. The Lite plan starts at $12.50 per month (billed annually) for up to 500 subscribers and includes all of the features of the free trial, plus unlimited email sends, advanced message analytics, up to three users, email automation and landing pages, import shared campaigns, email split testing, the ability to buy and connect domains and phone support.
The Plus plan starts at $20 per month (billed annually) for up to 500 subscribers. It accommodates unlimited users, email automation and landing pages. It adds on priority support, a full template library and advanced reporting, among other features.
The Unlimited plan starts at $899 per month (billed monthly) for up to 500 subscribers. It adds on personalized account management and the ability to send 12 times the number of subscriber emails per month.
Pros and Cons of AWeber
Pros: Robust auto-responders with comprehensive tracking and reporting. Simple pricing plans and exceptional customer service.
Cons: Limited options for importing data from other sources. Some users note that the interface isn’t as user-friendly as similar solutions.
Read our in-depth review of AWeber for additional information.
Mailchimp Alternative #3: Constant Contact
What the Vendor Says: “Powerful email marketing made easy.”
Introduction to Constant Contact
Constant Contact is a powerful marketing automation platform that aims to simply email marketing and help businesses drive measurable results with their campaigns.
What’s Offered by Constant Contact?
Constant Contact offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and a collection of email templates that businesses can use to manage their marketing campaigns.
With email marketing automation, businesses can build email sequences that can trigger based on specific actions and automatically resend emails to non-openers. Real-time tracking tools provide key metrics like open rates, clicks and more.
Constant Contact also offers native integration with many e-commerce solutions, allowing businesses to process abandoned cart emails right from the dashboard.
Additional key features include:
- Landing page builder
- Contact management
- Statistical reporting
- Social analytics
- Event marketing tools
- 24/7 customer support
Constant Contact dashboard at a glance:
How Much Does Constant Contact Cost?
Constant Contact has three monthly pricing plans. The Lite plan includes basic features and starts at $12 per month for up to 500 contacts.
The Standard plan adds on A/B testing, email resends to non-opens, prebuilt automation template, contact segmentation and social media ads integration. It starts at $35 per month for up to 500 contacts.
The Premium plan adds advanced email marketing features, custom automation, search engine optimization (SEO) and advanced ads. It starts at $80 per month for up to 500 contacts.
Constant Contact offers a Marketing Automation+ platform for organizations that need robust functionality. It starts at $449 per month and includes features like sales automation, lead scoring, advanced workflows, tracking and analytics and a dedicated onboarding expert.
Constant Contact offers a free 60-day trial, double than what most of its competitors offer.
Pros and Cons of Constant Contact
Pros: Drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to customize emails and create newsletters. Multiple options for uploading contacts.
Cons: Lack of notifications when new subscribers sign up. Some users note that the reporting features lack customization.
To learn more, check out our comprehensive Constant Contact review.
Mailchimp Alternative #4: ConvertKit
What the Vendor Says: “Spend less time on email marketing and more on creating.”
Introduction to ConvertKit
ConvertKit is a cloud-based email marketing platform that comes with a robust set of tools for bloggers and small businesses to grow their mailing list and manage their campaigns.
What’s Offered by ConvertKit?
ConvertKit offers a platform that strives to simplify email marketing. Businesses can use customizable opt-in forms to turn visitors into subscribers. These forms can easily be embedded on popular CMS platforms like WordPress via integration or by pasting in a line of JavaScript code.
ConvertKit makes it easy to manage custom email marketing sequences. Automation rules can also be set up and triggered based on certain actions for new subscribers or current customers.
ConvertKit also offers a landing page builder and fully customizable templates that are ready for mobile devices. With analytics and reporting features, businesses can track conversion rates and gain actionable insight into their email marketing campaigns.
Key features include:
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Visual automation
- Sequence builders
- Subscriber management
- Personalized messages
- Third-party integrations
ConvertKit dashboard at a glance:
How Much Does ConvertKit Cost?
ConvertKit offers a free account for companies that manage up to 1,000 contacts and includes features such as unlimited landing pages and forms, send email broadcasts, sell digital products and subscriptions and email support.
There are two paid plans. First, there’s the Creator plan that starts at $29 per month for up to 1,000 contacts. It includes all of the features of the free account, plus free data migration, automated funnels and sequences, over 70 direct integrations and API and priority support.
Then, there’s the Creator Pro plan that starts at $59 per month for up to 1,000 contacts. It includes all of the features of the Creator plan, plus Facebook custom audiences, a newsletter referral system, subscriber scoring, advanced reporting and premium support.
Pros and Cons of ConvertKit
Pros: Intuitive drag-and-drop sequence builder for creating automated workflows. Customizable opt-in forms and extensive reporting features.
Cons: Limited to only email marketing, but can integrate with other marketing tools.
Check out this comprehensive review of ConvertKit for more information.
Mailchimp Alternatives #5: Drip
What the Vendor Says: “Turn customer data into customer loyalty.”
Introduction to Drip
Drip is a marketing automation platform that enables business-to-consumer (B2C) businesses to build a visual workflow of their email marketing campaigns and reach their prospects with targeted messaging.
What’s Offered by Drip?
Drip offers a cloud-based solution that allows users to customize and automate their email campaign workflows through six steps: action, decision, goal, fork, delay and exit. All of this can be achieved through the intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
Drip offers additional tools like widgets, embedded forms and triggered pop-ups that enable businesses to grow their mailing lists and generate more leads. Drip makes it easy to segment audiences based on specific actions with on-point personalization, allowing for more targeted messaging.
Drip integrates with Facebook Custom Audience, allowing businesses to create custom ads on Facebook and set up automated workflows. Users can connect with other third-party applications through APIs and pre-built integrations to further extend the functionality of the platform.
Key features include:
- Unlimited users and email sends
- Campaign templates
- Subscriber tagging
- Performance tracking
- Subscriber management
- Application Programming Interface (API) access
- Third-party integrations
- Split testing
Drip dashboard at a glance:
How Much Does Drip Cost?
Drip starts at $39 per month for up to 2,500 contacts and includes a full set of features like audience segmentation, behavior tracking, third-party integrations and more.
A 14-day free trial is also available.
Pros and Cons of Drip
Pros: Intuitive workflow builder with a drag-and-drop interface. New integration with Facebook Custom Audiences.
Cons: Not intended for B2B organizations. Some users note an initial learning curve with the platform.
Check out this comprehensive review of Drip for more details.
Mailchimp Alternative #6: GetResponse
What the Vendor Says: “Grow your audience, promote services, and sell products with marketing software that does the job for you.”
Introduction to GetResponse
GetResponse is a comprehensive marketing automation platform that provides businesses the tools they need to create sales funnels and grow their revenues.
What’s Offered by GetResponse?
GetResponse offers a robust email marketing software. With the drag-and-drop editor and customizable templates, businesses can create newsletters and deploy professional campaigns quickly.
GetResponse also offers an intuitive landing page builder. With mobile-responsive templates and a built-in image editor, businesses can create professional landing pages for sales, webinars, opt-ins and more.
Businesses can use the marketing automation workflows with the drag-and-drop interface to automatically take certain actions based on user behaviors for more precise targeting.
Key features include:
- Marketing automation
- Landing page builder
- Reporting and analytics
- Webinar integration
- A/B testing
GetResponse dashboard at a glance:
How Much Does GetResponse Cost?
GetResponse offers three monthly plans with variable pricing based on the number of contacts and company size. Customers can access a 30-day free trial, and save 18% by paying annually or 30% by paying for two years in advance.
First, there’s the free plan that supports up to 500 contacts. It includes limited features, such as basic email marketing functionality, website builder, a single landing page, signup forms and up to 5 GB of bandwidth.
The Email Marketing plan offers additional email marketing features (e.g., A/B testing, scheduling, Google Analytics tracking) and ranges from $19 per month (1,000 contacts) to $539 per month (100,000 contacts).
The Marketing Automation plan adds on advanced automation and segmentation features, contact scoring, webinars (up to 100 attendees) and team management (up to three users). Prices fall between $59 per month (1,000 contacts) and $599 per month (100,000 contacts).
The eCommerce Marketing plan include web push notifications, quick transactional emails, eCommerce segmentation, abandoned cart recovery, promo codes and product recommendations from $119 per month (1,000 contacts) to $699 per month (100,000 contacts).
Pros and Cons of GetResponse
Pros: Robust marketing platform with ready-made workflows and a selection of pre-built templates. Integration with third-party applications like WordPress and Shopify.
Cons: No free plan for beginner email marketers. Some users note limited functionality with the template builder and dated default templates.
Read our in-depth GetResponse review for more information.
The Right Mailchimp Alternative for Your Business
Finding a marketing automation tool to track and manage your email marketing campaigns can be difficult.
Here are some Mailchimp alternatives we recommend for different types of businesses:
The Right Mailchimp Alternative for Bloggers and Online Creators
We recommend bloggers and online creators check out:
- ConvertKit
The Right Mailchimp Alternative for Small to Mid-Sized Companies
We recommend small to mid-sized companies check out:
- AWeber
The Right Mailchimp Alternative for Enterprises
We recommend enterprises check out:
- GetResponse
Conclusion
Marketing automation software has robust functionality that allows businesses to capture more leads and move them through the sales funnel.
Mailchimp is a popular marketing automation and email marketing tool that offers advanced segmentation and performance tracking.
But it’s not the only option on the market. If you’re looking for Mailchimp alternatives, use our comprehensive research as a starting point.