Email marketing is a powerful way to connect with your audience, build trust, and increase sales. But with so many email marketing software tools available, how do you choose the best one for your startup? In this post, I will compare 10 of the best email marketing software platforms for 2023 based on their features, pricing, ease of use, and customer reviews. Whether you need an all-in-one solution, a fully integrated business suite, or a specialized tool for e-commerce or funnels, I have you covered. Read on to find out which email marketing software is right for you.
Why is email marketing important for startups?
Email marketing is not only a powerful way to connect with your audience but also a vital tool for startups to grow their business. Personally, I experienced it firsthand, when I incorporated email marketing, and all of a sudden, sales increased by 20%. Here are some of the reasons why email marketing is important for startups:
Email marketing can drive revenue:
According to a study by DMA, email marketing has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. By sending relevant and engaging emails to your subscribers, you can increase conversions and sales
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Email marketing can help you reach mobile consumers:
More than half of all emails are opened on mobile devices. By optimizing your emails for mobile devices, you can reach your audience wherever they are and encourage them to take action.
Email marketing can offer ample features:
Email marketing software platforms provide various features that can help you create effective campaigns. For example, you can use templates, drag-and-drop editors, segmentation, personalization, automation, analytics, and more.
Email marketing is affordable:
Compared to other forms of digital marketing, email marketing is relatively low-cost. You don’t need a large budget to start sending emails to your potential and existing customers. Many email marketing software platforms offer free or low-cost plans for startups.
Email marketing can integrate with other digital marketing tactics:
Email marketing can work well with other channels such as social media, blogs, websites, podcasts, etc. You can use email marketing to promote your content, drive traffic to your site, generate leads, and build loyalty.
Email marketing can ease communication with email automation:
Email automation allows you to send timely and relevant messages to your subscribers based on their actions or behavior. For example, you can send welcome emails, cart abandonment emails, re-engagement emails etc. This way you can save time and resources while maintaining frequent communication with your audience
Let’s dive right into the juicy part and see what makes the top ten best email marketing software.
Mailchimp email marketing software review
Mailchimp is one of the most popular and widely used email marketing platforms in the world. It offers a range of features and tools to help businesses of all sizes create, manage, and optimize their email campaigns. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, Mailchimp can help you reach your email marketing goals.
Some of the advantages of using Mailchimp are:
- Smart marketing technology: Mailchimp uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help you create personalized and relevant emails for your audience. You can use features like dynamic content, product recommendations, behavioral targeting, and predictive analytics to increase engagement and conversions.
- Ease of use: Mailchimp has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to design and send beautiful emails. You can use templates, drag-and-drop editors, image editors, content studios, and more to customize your emails without coding.
- Award-winning support: Mailchimp provides 24/7 email and chat support for paid users and phone support for premium users. You can also access a comprehensive knowledge base, video tutorials, guides, webinars, podcasts, blogs etc. for self-help.
- Expert guidance: Mailchimp offers expert advice and tips to help you improve your email marketing strategy. You can use features like smart insights, benchmark reports, A/B testing, surveys, landing pages, etc. to optimize your campaigns.
- Seamless integration: Mailchimp integrates with over 300 apps and services that you may already use for your business such as Shopify, WordPress, Facebook, Google Analytics, Zapier etc. This allows you to sync your data across platforms and automate your workflows.
Some of the disadvantages of using Mailchimp are:
- Limited customization: Mailchimp has some limitations when it comes to customizing your emails beyond the templates and editor options. For example, you cannot edit the HTML code directly or use custom fonts or colors. You may also face some issues with formatting or render on different devices or browsers.
- High pricing: Mailchimp’s pricing plans are based on the number of contacts you have in your list rather than the number of emails you send per month. This means that if you have a large list but send infrequent emails, you may end up paying more than necessary. Moreover, some features such as advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, comparative reports etc . are only available for higher-tier plans which can be expensive for small businesses.
- Strict policies: Mailchimp has strict policies regarding spam compliance, list quality, content approval etc . that you need to follow carefully. If you violate any of these policies, you may face account suspension or termination without warning. You also need to provide proof of consent from your subscribers before sending them emails through Mailchimp.
Mailchimp’s pricing packages for their email marketing service are:
- Free plan: This plan allows you to send up to 1 000 emails per month to up to 2000 contacts. It includes basic features such as templates, automation, landing pages etc.
- Essentials plan: This plan starts from $13 .99 per month for 500 contacts. It allows you to send 5000 emails per month and includes additional features such as A/B testing, custom branding, 24/7 support etc .
- Standard plan: This plan starts from $19 .99 per month for 500 contacts. It allows you to send 6000 emails per month and includes advanced features such as behavioral targeting, dynamic content , custom templates etc.
- Premium plan: This plan starts from $350 per month from 500 contacts. It allows you to send 150,000 emails per month and includes all features such as phone support, multivariate testing , advanced segmentation etc.
Check their pricing on this link: https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/
ActiveCampaign email marketing software review
ActiveCampaign is a platform that offers email marketing, automation, and CRM services for businesses of all sizes. It helps over 180,000 businesses build meaningful connections with their customers.
Some of the advantages of ActiveCampaign are:
- It has a user-friendly interface that allows you to create beautiful and responsive email templates
- It has powerful automation features that let you personalize and segment your email campaigns based on various triggers and conditions
- It has a comprehensive CRM system that integrates with your email marketing and helps you manage your contacts, deals, pipelines, and tasks
- It has a robust analytics and reporting tool that tracks your email performance, conversions, revenue, and customer behavior
- It has a wide range of integrations with other popular platforms and tools such as Shopify, WordPress, Zapier, Facebook, etc.
Some of the disadvantages of ActiveCampaign are:
- It can be expensive for some users who need more advanced features or higher contact limits
- It can have a steep learning curve for some users who are not familiar with email marketing or automation
- It can have some technical issues or bugs occasionally that affect the delivery or functionality of your emails
ActiveCampaign offers four pricing packages for their email marketing service: Lite, Plus, Professional, and Enterprise. The prices vary depending on the number of contacts you have and the features you need.
ActiveCampaign pricing: https://www.activecampaign.com/pricing
Mailerlite email marketing software review
MailerLite is a platform that offers email marketing, automation, landing pages, websites, and paid newsletters for businesses of all sizes. It helps over 1.5 million customers create email campaigns that connect with their audience.
Some of the advantages of MailerLite are:
- It has a simple and intuitive interface that allows you to create beautiful and responsive email templates
- It has powerful automation features that let you send personalized and targeted email campaigns based on various triggers and conditions
- It has a flexible landing page and website builder that lets you create stunning web pages without coding
- It has a paid newsletter feature that lets you monetize your email list by charging subscribers for exclusive content
- It has a friendly and helpful customer support team that is available 24/7 via chat or email
Some of the disadvantages of MailerLite are:
- It can be strict with its approval process and may reject some users who do not meet its quality standards
- It can have some limitations with its integrations with other platforms and tools such as Shopify, WordPress, Zapier, etc.
- It can have some issues with deliverability or spam filters occasionally that affect the reach or performance of your emails
MailerLite offers four pricing packages for their email marketing service: Free, Premium, Pro, and Custom. The prices vary depending on the number of subscribers you have and the features you need.
Mailerlite pricing: https://www.mailerlite.com/compare/
Hubspot email marketing software review
HubSpot is one of the largest marketing software companies in the world. It offers a range of tools for managing and growing your online presence, including email marketing. HubSpot’s email marketing software is part of Marketing Hub, and you can get started with it for free.
Some of the advantages of using HubSpot for email marketing are:
- It has many of the standard features you’d expect from an email marketing tool such as built-in templates, open and click-through reports, and contact lists.
- It also integrates with other HubSpot tools such as CRM, landing pages, social media, and analytics.
- It allows you to create personalized and segmented campaigns based on your audience’s behavior, interests, and stage in the buyer’s journey.
- It helps you automate and scale your email marketing operations with workflows, smart content, A/B testing, and more.
Some of the disadvantages of using HubSpot for email marketing are:
- It can be expensive compared to other email marketing tools if you need more advanced features or contacts. The free plan only allows up to 2,000 emails per month and 1 million contacts.
- It may not have some of the specific features or integrations that other email marketing tools offer. For example, it does not support SMS or push notifications.
- It may require some learning curve or technical assistance to set up and use effectively. Some users have reported issues with deliverability, spam filters, or support.
HubSpot offers four pricing packages for its email marketing service: Free (up to 2K emails/month), Starter ($50/month), Professional ($800/month), and Enterprise ($3.2K/month). The main differences between them are the number of contacts allowed (from 1K to 10K), the number of features available (from basic to advanced), and the level of support provided (from self-service to phone).
HubSpot pricing: https://www.hubspot.com/products/marketing/email
Moosend email marketing software review
Moosend is an email marketing automation software that offers a simple and modern solution to deliver email campaigns and automation experiences that drive real revenue growth. It has world-class features, state-of-the-art automation flows, and lead-generation tools that help you grow your business from day one.
Some of the advantages of Moosend are:
- It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create, organize, execute and monitor email campaigns.
- It has a drag-and-drop editor that allows you to design beautiful emails without coding skills.
- It has a powerful segmentation engine that lets you target your audience based on their behavior, preferences, location, and more.
- It has a variety of templates, landing pages, subscription forms, and pop-ups that you can customize to fit your brand identity.
- It has advanced analytics and reporting tools that help you measure your performance and optimize your strategy.
Some of the disadvantages of Moosend are:
- It does not have native integrations with some popular platforms such as Shopify, WordPress, or Zapier. You need to use third-party tools or APIs to connect them.
- It does not have a free plan for unlimited subscribers. You need to pay at least $8 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers.
- It does not have phone support. You can only contact them via email or live chat.
Moosend offers three pricing packages for their email marketing service: Pro ($8/month), Enterprise (custom), and Pay as you go (based on credits).
Moosend pricing: https://moosend.com/pricing/
Drip email marketing software review
Drip is an email marketing automation software that helps you build e-commerce brand love by sending personalized emails and SMS messages to your customers. It has powerful features, such as segmentation, personalization, product recommendations, abandoned cart reminders, and more.
Some of the advantages of Drip are:
- It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create, organize, execute, and monitor email campaigns.
- It has a drag-and-drop editor that allows you to design beautiful emails without coding skills.
- It has a robust segmentation engine that lets you target your audience based on their behavior, preferences, location, and more.
- It has a variety of templates, landing pages, subscription forms, and pop-ups that you can customize to fit your brand identity.
- It has advanced analytics and reporting tools that help you measure your performance and optimize your strategy.
Some of the disadvantages of Drip are:
- It does not have native integrations with some popular platforms such as Shopify or WordPress. You need to use third-party tools or APIs to connect them.
- It does not have a free plan for unlimited subscribers.
- It does not have phone support.
Drip offers four pricing packages for their email marketing service: Basic ($19/month), Growth ($49/month), Pro ($122/month), Enterprise (custom).
Drip pricing: https://www.drip.com/pricing
Zoho Campaigns email marketing software review
Zoho Campaigns is an email marketing platform that allows you to create, send and monitor your email campaigns. It is part of Zoho’s suite of business applications, which means you can integrate it with other Zoho products and third-party services.
Some of the advantages of Zoho Campaigns are:
- It offers pre-designed templates and a drag-and-drop editor to help you design impressive emails without coding skills.
- It supports dynamic content, which lets you personalize your emails based on your contacts’ preferences and behavior.
- It enables you to automate your email campaigns based on triggers, workflows and schedules.
- It provides detailed reports and analytics to help you measure the performance of your email campaigns and optimize them for better results.
Some of the disadvantages of Zoho Campaigns are:
- It has a limited number of integrations compared to some other email marketing platforms.
- It does not offer a free trial, only a free plan with some restrictions on contacts and emails per month.
- It may have some issues with deliverability and spam filters depending on your email content and settings.
Zoho Campaigns pricing: https://www.zoho.com/campaigns/
Campaigner email marketing software review
Campaigner is an email marketing platform that helps you drive sales and revenue using advanced marketing automation, intuitive reporting, and powerful personalization through email and SMS. It also offers a version for eCommerce firms that features Shopify and Magento integration.
Some of the advantages of Campaigner are:
- It supports dynamic content, segmentation, A/B testing and landing pages to help you create engaging and relevant email campaigns for your audience.
- It allows you to send automated follow-ups based on triggers, workflows and schedules to nurture your leads and customers.
- It provides detailed analytics and insights to help you measure the performance of your email campaigns and optimize them for better results.
- It integrates with various third-party services such as Salesforce, WordPress, Zapier and more.
Some of the disadvantages of Campaigner are:
- It has a steep learning curve compared to some other email marketing platforms.
- It does not offer a free plan or a free trial, only a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- It may have some issues with deliverability and spam filters depending on your email content and settings.
Campaigner pricing: https://www.campaignmonitor.com/pricing/
Getresponse email marketing software review
GetResponse is a powerful email marketing tool with smart automation features. It helps you create and send professional emails, build landing pages, design funnels, and automate your marketing campaigns.
Some of the advantages of GetResponse are:
- It has a user-friendly interface that guides you through each step of setting up campaigns1.
- It offers a lot of templates for emails, landing pages, funnels, and forms that you can customize to suit your brand and goals1.
- It integrates easily with analytics and other software tools to measure and optimize your performance.
- Lastly, it provides advanced features such as webinars, surveys, e-commerce tools, and CRM to enhance your marketing strategy2.
Some of the disadvantages of GetResponse are:
- It has limited customer support options. This means you can only contact them via email or chat during business hours3.
- It has some limitations on deliverability and spam complaints. You may need to verify your domain and follow best practices to avoid getting blocked by ISPs3.
- It has a steep learning curve for some of the more complex features. You may need to watch tutorials or read guides to master them3.
GetResponse pricing: https://www.getresponse.com/pricing
Constant Contact email marketing software review
Constant Contact is a digital marketing platform that offers email marketing automation, social media marketing, website creation, and e-commerce tools. It helps small businesses and nonprofits create and deliver stunning emails and reach more customers online.
Some of the advantages of Constant Contact are:
- It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to design professional-looking emails with drag-and-drop features.
- It has a variety of templates and layouts that suit different industries and occasions.
- It has action blocks that encourage subscribers to buy or donate with buttons, coupons, polls, and more.
- It has email tracking software that shows who opened, clicked, forwarded or shared your emails in real-time.
- It has email automation features that let you send welcome emails, birthday greetings, reminders, and more based on triggers.
Some of the disadvantages of Constant Contact are:
- It has limited customization options for advanced users who want more control over their email design.
- Additionally, it has higher pricing plans than some of its competitors for similar features.
- It has strict anti-spam policies that may result in account suspension if you violate them.
Constant Contact pricing: https://www.constantcontact.com/pricing
Choosing the best email marketing software for your business can be a daunting task. There are many factors to consider, such as your budget, your goals, your audience, and your features. However, with this article, I hope to have made your decision easier by comparing 10 of the most popular and powerful email marketing tools on the market.
Whether you need an all-in-one marketing platform like ActiveCampaign or HubSpot, a transactional email service like Sendinblue, an e-commerce specialist like Klaviyo or Omnisend, a funnel builder like ClickFunnels, a simple and affordable solution like Benchmark or MailerLite, or a non-profit friendly option like Constant Contact or AWeber, there is an email marketing software that suits your needs.
The best way to find out which one is right for you is to try them out for yourself. Most of them offer free trials or plans that let you test their features and performance before committing. So don’t wait any longer and start sending amazing emails that will grow your business in 2023!
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