Aweber vs Getresponse — which of these email marketing services is best for your online business?
In this post, I’m going to highlight the key differences between Aweber and GetResponse for your consideration.
We’ll also discuss some crucial aspects of both Email Marketing Solutions that you should consider before choosing one over the other.
A detailed comparison based on the following features will be discussed:
- What Aweber and Getresponse offer!
- Key Features
- Templates Quality
- Web fonts
- AMP for email
- Autoresponders
- Marketing automation
- Importing
- Integrations and apps
- Split testing
- Data segmentation
- Landing page creation
- Pricing Plan: Getresponse vs Aweber
- Customer support
Are you tired of endlessly researching and mulling over which one would be the best for your business?
Finding a solution that works for your needs is easier than ever. In this article, we’ll compare two of today’s top contenders: Aweber and Getresponse.
We will also see where they are similar in their features and benefits so you can make an informed decision about which service is right for you.
1. What do they (Aweber and Getresponse) offer?
Both Aweber and Getresponse are tools for:
- Making attractive email templates,
- Hosting a mailing list, and
- Sending out e-newsletters to your subscribers, and more.
Getresponse and Aweber are also great platforms for sending automated emails to your subscribers.
You can use these tools to create a series of newsletters that will be sent at intervals you specify, all according to the rules you establish.
If you’re looking for an easy and organized way to stay in touch with your customers, then Aweber or Getresponse is the place to be.
We’ll see more about what you can do with these two platforms as specified in the content table above.
2. Key Features: Aweber vs Getresponse
(a) Similarities: Aweber vs Getresponse
Besides many similarities and differences between Aweber and Getresponse, some of the key similar features are as described below:
- You can use their services to create a mailing list of your customers, potential clients, or both.
- The templates have been created by professionals with many years worth of experience in designing for emails. They’re responsive too so you don’t need to worry about scrolling horizontally across an email on mobile devices.
- They also allow automated messages after someone opts into your newsletter. This implies time-sensitive information like sales offers won’t get lost because it’ll be pushed through at intervals as per what has been set up initially.
- Offer statistics on how subscribers interact with your emails.
- Allow you to create e-newsletters without coding through a message builder function.
- Integrates well with third-party services like CRMs so that everything can be streamlined for convenience, efficiency as well as customizability.
- Both have landing page builders.
(b) Key differences: Aweber vs Getresponse
Getresponse offers a few features that are not available in Aweber:
- Conversion funnels
- Webinars
- Push notifications.
- It also comes with a website builder for those of us who don’t want to spend time designing yet another site from scratch.
- And as an added convenience it has live chat functionality so you can speak directly with customers.
Aweber offers something that Getresponse has yet to introduce:
- AMP for email.
This is one of the key differences between these two popular services, and it makes sense considering how much importance Google places on mobile-friendliness in their search algorithm.
AMP stands for accelerated mobile pages. It lets designers create beautiful content without sacrificing performance or accessibility (Google).
We’ll analyze and see more of their differences later as I want to discuss something very important in relation to email marketing.
(c) Features of Getresponse’s superiority over Aweber
The following of some important features of Getresponse that are not direct equivalent in Aweber.
These are:
- Webinars
- Push notifications
- A website builder
- Conversion funnels
- Live chat
The ‘Getresponse Webinars’ feature is something you will not be able to do on other leading email marketing tools like Aweber, Mailchimp, and Campaign Monitor.
With a Getresponse plan (‘Plus’ or higher), webinar creation becomes possible directly from within your account.
Getresponse’s website builder is worth noting for a few reasons. One of the most important features that set it apart from other builders, such as Shopify or WordPress, is its clean and straightforward interface design.
It makes it easy to navigate even if you have no web development experience whatsoever.
One thing worthy of mentioning about GetResponse’s online site builder is how fast your sites will load in comparison with others out there.
They can assure this, thanks to their proprietary technology framework built on Google Core Web Vitals performance standards.
Getresponse’s Conversion Funnels aim to make it so that the company isn’t just an email marketing service, but also a one-stop-shop for all eCommerce and online business.
3. Templates: Aweber vs Getresponse
Aweber and Getresponse both provide a vast selection of templates, but Aweber’s has more of it.
Because Aweber offers users 700 templates whereas Getresponse offers 115 quality templates.
This enables you to find the perfect design for your newsletter very quickly- which can help keep up with deadlines when necessary.
The responsive templates from both Getresponse and Aweber automatically adjust to the device your e-newsletter is being viewed on.
Not only that, but they also provide a variety of options for you to customize your newsletter’s look.
Aweber and Getresponse both have a wide range of templates for email marketing.
However, the Aweber template selection has more options that may better match your brand if you’re looking to stand out with an eye-catching design.
While it’s true that in terms of quality I would say Getresponse is slightly ahead when compared to Awerbers because they offer their own unique look which stands apart from other providers.
There are plenty of great designs available on Aweber as well.
The key difference between the two companies lies not only in aesthetics but also in features such as social media integration or analytics dashboard.
We’ll cover the details later.
The choice is yours with two top-of-the-line templates from both products, which have been designed to offer you unique and creative design options.
They each boast an impressive range of designs that will surely speak specifically to your needs as an entrepreneur or small business owner.
4. Web fonts: Aweber vs Getresponse
The advantages of web fonts are clear. Email marketers can create a more cohesive brand experience for their customers by bringing the look and feel from corporate websites into emails.
Web fonts in popular email apps like Outlook, and Apple Mail, make it possible to seamlessly integrate this branding across multiple platforms so that there’s never any confusion about what company you’re interacting with.
If your business is looking to stand out among competitors while making sure all correspondence looks professional regardless of which device is used — then including web font design should be on the top priority list.
Aweber and Getresponse both offer web fonts, but not in the same way. Aweber’s option is limited to a small selection of Google Fonts that are rather bland.
But, with Getresponse you can work with an extensive range of more creative typefaces. You’ll get 100s of Google fonts that include funky ones too.
So, it’s, without a doubt, a big win for Getresponse in terms of web fonts. But, the final decision still rests with you.
5. AMP for email: Aweber vs GetResponse
Aweber has a special advantage over other e-mail marketing platforms. This is because traditionally e-newsletters have been very static affairs.
Text and images combined to create an aesthetically pleasing but otherwise unappealing experience.
Emails are not just about getting the reader’s attention in order to sell them something, right?
They’re also meant as a source of enjoyment that will stay around long after it was first opened and read by the person who received your message.
But, Aweber’s AMP for emails is poised to change all of the unappealing experience by allowing marketers new opportunities that are more engaging with today’s mobile consumers who demand relevant content on the go.
With AMP emails, recipients are sure to find something new each time they open your message.
You can use this dynamic property as an opportunity to include live survey results or weather updates in between messages.
Thus, making the content more useful and interesting for both you and them.
Aweber AMP for email explains:
You should note that in order to use AMP for email, there’s a small set of technical skills required.
The one “drag and drop” type of option on offer with Awebner at this time is just an Image Carousel.
With the continued growth of AMP, it has become an industry standard and is now supported by Aweber.
If you want to stay one step ahead in marketing, keep your eye on new tech developments like this!
Getresponse vs Aweber — the free trials
You have no idea what your audience wants, do you?
You need to try out a lot of different marketing tools and figure out which one is right for you. I know it’s hard when there are so many options but don’t worry.
The best way to work out this problem is by trying them yourself during their trial period and then figuring out which tool has all the features that fit your needs.
Getresponse and Aweber both provide free trial periods for their email marketing services. These are perfect if you want to test them out before committing your time or money. The links are:
6. Autoresponders: Aweber vs GetResponse
This is a question many people ask themselves. An autoresponder is a computer program that automatically replies to emails with the same message when certain conditions are met.
Let’s say you have an email list that sends out monthly newsletters.
You can set autoresponders to be sent at specific intervals of time so people become familiar with your business and what they offer.
For example, after someone subscribes to the newsletter on the first day
- 10-15 minutes later (or even 1 hr) a welcome message is sent;
- A discount code is sent one week later
- 3 weeks later or so, yet another mailing goes showcasing a particular product.
And so on…
However, all these emails are prewritten by you beforehand. Aweber and Getresponse are two of the most common email marketing services used by small businesses.
Both provide good basic autoresponder functionality, allowing you to automatically send particular e-newsletters based on time intervals or trigger them when users click a link in your newsletter (such as downloading an ebook).
This type of campaign is often referred to as “drip” because it’s like water dripping from a faucet – tiny amounts day after day that eventually adds up.
For me, the Getresponse Autoresponder functionality is stronger than Aweber’s because it can be used in more versatile ways than the Aweber Autoresponder.
It’s easier to set up and also offers a wider range of trigger actions for sending e-newsletters like messages that are sent when someone fills out your contact form or subscribes on social media channels like Facebook.
The truth is that Getresponse now has an email campaign tool that goes beyond traditional ‘drip-style campaigns’.
More importantly, the GetResponse autoresponder forms part of its ‘marketing automation feature.
7. Marketing automation: Aweber vs GetResponse
Getresponse has introduced a feature called Marketing Automation recently. It allows you to create sophisticated automation workflows using their drag and drop builder.
This new tool takes autoresponders to an entirely different level, enabling users the ability to create workflow processes with Getresponse’s pre-built templates or by building them from scratch.
You basically set up an “automation flowchart” for your mailings which tells Getresponse what actions it should take based on user behavior.
If they open the email, click any link in the emails, etc., the possibilities are endless.
You can use lots of triggers to shape your automation workflow in Getresponse. Some of the key ones include:
- URLs visited
- Links clicked
- Email opens
- Product purchases
- Abandoned carts
- A changeable option of custom field data in subscribers.
Your emails are more personalized than ever before with the new feature.
This means, you can customize user journeys based on how your subscribers interact with your email, which will help increase engagement and conversions for all of them.
GetResponse Marketing Automation
Take a look at this video to get an idea of how GetResponse marketing automation works.
Aweber offers a Campaigns tool that allows you to tag subscribers and send them particular follow-up emails based on the links they click.
However, it is very basic at this point in time which means you can’t do much with it other than tagging your subscribers for future reference.
There is marketing automation functionality in Aweber Campaign, but, it limits the automation to sending messages, waiting, and applying tags.
Getresponse, for now, is a better option for automating your customer’s workflow.
They offer a variety of marketing and sales tools that are affordable, easy to use and provide excellent reporting features.
So, if you’re looking for an automated system to help with both marketing and lead generation tasks then GetResponse should be at the top of your list.
Getresponse’s s Marketing automation is more sophisticated than in Aweber.
8. Importing: Aweber vs GetResponse
Aweber lets you import data from a variety of file types such as
- TXT
- CSV
- TSV
- XLS and
- XLSX
Whereas Getresponse lets you bring in the following types of files:
- TXT
- CSV
- ODS
- VCF and
- XLSX
Both the platforms (Aweber and GetResponse) lets you add:
- Contact rows or individual contacts to your list of email subscribers.
- Users to a particular autoresponder cycle when you import them.
Additionally, Getresponse allows you to import from various third-party services, as well as manually add contacts.
It seems to be an all-around success for both Aweber and GetResponse when it comes to imports.
So, which platform is better? It’s hard to say as they seem equally good in this regard. Again, it’s up to you to decide!
9. Integrations and apps: Aweber vs Getresponse
Both Aweber and Getresponse offer integrations with many of the world’s most popular sites, apps, and services.
Some examples are:
- Amazon for shopping cart integration;
- Paypal to ensure secure payments across multiple platforms in a simple process;
- Salesforce for customer relationship management on top of email marketing automation tasks like sending newsletters or promotions through your website or app.
Besides, both integrate seamlessly with Facebook & Twitter too.
To be specific:
- Aweber provides 800 integration, and
- GetResponse provides 150 integration
10. Split testing: Aweber vs GetResponse
Split tests (also called the A/B tests) allow you to try out different versions of your emails on segments of your data and send the best-performing one out to most people.
A/B testing is a popular way for companies like Amazon, Apple, and Facebook.
They use split tests that let them test their email templates against each other so they can find which version performs better with an entire database or just a segment of users.
This also gives marketers more detailed insight into what works well in comparison with how others performed using this technique.
Test different subject headers, e-newsletter copy, and templates against each other to see which one performs the best.
Aweber lets you test any email against another, but GetResponse is more restrictive.
You can only run tests on the email subject line or content of an email without a different header.
Unlike GetResponse, Aweber allows for mixing and matching between all aspects to determine what works best.
So, after what we found with regards to split testing departments in this case, Aweber appears to be the probable winner.
11. Data segmentation
The Data Segmentation function of Getresponse is a key reason I prefer it over the Aweber platform. Both of them allow the creation of data segmentation.
With the power of filters, you can easily identify segments and save them with a variety of criteria.
Getresponse beats Aweber when it comes to sending e-newsletters, and this is because you can send newsletters to multiple segments at a time.
One of my favorite features of GetResponse’s software is how it allows users to easily filter out certain audiences from their lists by creating groups through pre-existing categories.
This is not possible in Aweber because you have to create an entirely new segment to do the same thing.
Additionally, excluding segments from a mailout is much easier in Getresponse than in Aweber.
Once you’ve picked your list of recipients and the lists that matter to exclude from this campaign, all you have to do is tick them off on the screen.
So, Getresponse will be the better option if you feel the data segment is important to you.
12. Landing page creation
Another area where Aweber currently lacks in comparison to Getresponse involves landing pages. Landing pages are web pages made specifically for one purpose: data capture.
They usually contain forms, attractive images, and text explaining how submitting your contact info can help solve any problems they might have been facing up until now.
Landing pages are a way of capturing more data from visitors by using less content.
In other words, landing page design is all about conversion and prospecting. Here are some of the best landing page builders you can check out.
In general, it’s better to use Landing Pages when running an online ad campaign instead of just throwing up some form on your website in the hope that people fill out their details for you.
It is more effective because they’re optimized for getting valuable information (as there’s not much else competing with them).
‘Getresponse’s Landing Page Creator – a drag and drop editor for creating ‘squeeze pages’
Aweber vs GetResponse: Privacy
Aweber and Getresponse both offer a great landing page creator that gives you the power to use templates or create one from scratch.
These are perfect for those who want their website’s traffic funneled in just like they need it.
The Getresponse feature is an easy way to create and display unlimited landing pages for your company.
You can use A/B testing so you have the best-performing page that will maximize conversion rates which means this system has a lot of potentials.
The Aweber landing page builder is more basic in nature, so it’s less useful than the Getresponse equivalent.
However, its interface makes editing and designing pages easier for beginners to use.
Both Getresponse and Aweber don’t offer the ability to add cookie consent controls. This is not ideal from a privacy or GDPR point of view.
13. Pricing: Getresponse vs Aweber
There are a number of different Getresponse plans that offer varying levels of features and functionality.
For example, the more advanced level includes landing pages, webinars, and e-commerce capabilities for higher ticket items or products with high demand to make it easier on your customers.
The Basic plan is great if you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur and have no need for any other feature besides email marketing software.
Any additional features will be irrelevant until you grow into them.
The key differences between the various offerings from Getresponse focus primarily on whether they provide all the main functions we discussed in our previous sections like lead generation through landing pages, and setting up autoresponders.
(a) GetResponse Pricing
Try any plan free for 30 days. No credit card is required.
| Basic | Plus | Professional | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15/mo | $49/mo | $99/mo | Custom pricing |
| Start free trial | free trial | Start free trial | Get a quote |
| Email marketing | Including Basic, plus: | Basic & Plus incl: | Including PRO plus: |
| Website builder (NEW) | Marketing automation (limited) | Unlimited marketing automation, | Dedicated support |
| Unlimited landing pages | Webinars | Paid webinars | Multiple accounts and users |
| Autoresponders | Contact scoring and tagging | Web push notifications | Transactional emails |
| Google & Facebook Ads | Work together | Funnel | Account migration support |
| Sales funnels | Webinar funnels | Unlimited sales funnel | Assisted IP warmup |
| Unlimited lead funnels | Most Popular | On-demand webinars | Single sign-on (SSO) |
| Chats | plan amongst all | – | Team and role management |
Fortunately, GetResponse has offered free service now. Get started your email marketing campaign absolutely free from now onward.
(b) Aweber pricing
Unlike Getresponse, the two Aweber plans to choose from are “Aweber Free” and “Aweber Pro”. As is expected with a free service that has strings attached, there are restrictions in place.
With “Aweber Free” you can use it entirely for as long as your list counts below 500 subscribers. However, any newsletters sent out will have advertising on them.
For those who want no ads at all or more than 5000 contacts on their mailing lists (and paid users get other perks), turning up to “Pro” may be worth considering.
The Pro plan unlocks all the main functionality of the platform, and removes banners of advertisements.
It also includes special features like data export capabilities and an in-depth webinar recording tool.
The pricing structure is given as under:
| Sl.No | Pricing per month ($) | No. of Subscribers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19.99 | Up to 500 |
| 2 | 29.99 | 501 to 2,500 |
| 3 | 49.99 | 2,501 to 5,000 |
| 4 | 69.99 | 5,001 to 10,000 |
| 5 | 149.99 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
Plan features of Aweber:
| Usage | Pro | Free |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriber Limit | Unlimited | 500 |
| Email Sends | No limit | 3000/month |
| List Profiles | Unlimited | 1 |
You will need to get a quote from Aweber if you have more than 25,000 subscribers. This is because they want to establish how much it would be per month.
Aweber, like Getresponse, offers discounted plans for non-profits.
But, in the case of Aweber, the free trial offer lasts for 3 months and a 25% discount after that.
Additionally, there’s an exclusive 20% off offer just for students. It appears like Aweber is more generous than GetResponse in terms of variety.
(c) Aweber vs Getresponse: Which pricing structure is more enticing?
In a comparison of Aweber vs Getresponse, the basic plan with GetResponse is probably what you should be looking at because it comes close to all of the features that are offered by both companies.
Getresponse seems to be the more cost-efficient solution for smaller lists, and they also have a plan that can handle up to 1,000 subscribers.
For larger lists with over 1,000 subs in size, Getresponse offers effectively come in $4.99 per month, cheaper than Aweber.
Getresponse offers sizeable discounts if you pay upfront for one or two years. For upfront payment, you save18% for one year and 30% for two years. Additionally, the nonprofits can enjoy 30% to 50% discounts.
There’s no denying that the completely free plan of Aweber is an attractive option for brand new online businesses.
A key thing with regard to pricing is the way in which even subscribed and unsubscribed subscribers count as billable members on your list.
It’s quite baffling that Aweber charges for unsubscribed contacts, which seems to be a complete waste of money.
While it’s true that you can avoid this charge by deleting unsubscribed contacts from your account, the process is not very intuitive.
You’ll need to remember to do this every now and then so as not to incur any excess charges on unused accounts.
Which one do you decide on?
So, Getresponse appears to be the winner when all things come down to it because they offer better value for their pricing schemes while maintaining great quality.
But, there are other factors we should take into consideration before making a decision like whether or not one service offers us more for our money than another does.
Readers, therefore, are advised to go through the features being offered by both Aweber and GetResponse and make a judicious decision.
14. Customer support
The recent winning of the Stevie award for customer service says good things about both Aweber and Getresponse.
If you need phone support, however, go with Aweber as they are better in this area than their competitor.
Getresponse used to offer phone support for customers who needed help, but now they only provide email and live chat.
The absence of phone support in Getresponse is a shame because there are times when only a real conversation with a human will do.
Surprisingly enough though, Getresponse comes in 8 different languages whereas Aweber’s support is just English-based.
The bottom line on support: if you need help in a language other than English, Getresponse is the better option.
If not – and if phone service suits your needs – Aweber’s cheaper options could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Aweber vs Getresponse: Final Comparison
The competition between Aweber and Getresponse is as close to a tie as you can get. With many similarities in their features, it all comes down to what the individual user needs for email management purposes.
However, when pitted against one another there are several points that make Getresponse stand out from its competitor.
It’s more of an ‘all-in-one solution than Aweber and has significantly more features with just as much pricing power to boot.
Others include an intuitive interface with multiple ways of viewing your data, excellent customer service, and low-cost pricing plans among others.
Aweber is the way to go if you want integration with third-party products. Besides, there are AMP support emails, more flexibility in A/B split testing, and phone support.
And, their free plan is great for new businesses who have no email subscribers yet. Getresponse offers a wider array of features than Aweber, with its webinars tool being the most significant.
If you’re looking for one great feature that will make your life easier and give you more opportunities to profit from email marketing campaigns then this is it!
Reasons why you’d pick Getresponse over Aweber
The following 9 points are the probable reasons why you would be convinced to choose Getresponse instead of Aweber:
- Getresponse is a popular choice for online marketers.
- Getresponse offers many features that you won’t find in Aweber.
- Its “Marketing Automation” tools are more advanced than those offered by other competitors—hands down!
- As far as the paid plans are concerned, as of today, Getresponse costs less than other services available on the market.
- Getresponse offers more generous discounts on their products than Aweber does. Annual payments provide an 18% discount, and an up-front payment for 2 years of service provides an additional 30%.
- They provide a more sophisticated built-in landing page creator than Aweber.
- Getresponse’s send time optimization feature can boost open and clickthrough rates by up to 600%. There is no comparable functionality in Aweber.
- You are also able to sell products or create sales funnels through Getresponse with little more than the click of a button.
- Last, but not least, their customer support team offers language options in over 8 different languages — something which Aweber cannot offer as they only speak English.
Reasons why you’d pick Aweber over Getresponse
The 6 reasons why Aweber is a better choice than Getresponse are:
- There are more templates to choose from,
- It integrates with third-party apps (like Mailchimp),
- Split testing features offer flexibility,
- AMP for email service can be used on it as well and
- You can get phone support anytime you need help.
- Finally, there’s the free plan so long as your mailing list doesn’t have over 500 contacts already signed up.
You may be looking for a new email marketing software.
There are many email marketing services out there besides Aweber and Getresponse, but not all of them have the same level of features or experience.
However, if you want to try it out, you can check out either of the following:
SendPulse is a cheaper alternative with fewer options than Sender. EmailOctopus has an amazing interface that allows you to go back in time.
Any comments?
At any time, if you have questions or comments on the Aweber vs Getresponse comparison, don’t hesitate to share them in the comment section below.
I’ll do my best to reply back to everyone who has something of importance that they would like me to address.
With the right email marketing campaign, you can grow your customer and see a significant increase in sales.
Implementing an effective strategy is key to building success with this technique.
