This AWeber vs Mailchimp comparative review will help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of two of the leading email marketing tools online today.
While AWeber focuses only on email marketing, Mailchimp is a complete marketing solution with email marketing a part of a more extensive marketing suite.
The email marketing software you select must fulfill your business needs and budget. But there’s much to evaluate before you select one.
In this AWeber vs Mailchimp comparison, I will walk you through the significant differences between the two platforms’ email marketing features to help you make an informed decision.
Quick Takeaways:
- Email Deliverability: Mailchimp has a superior email deliverability rate of 86%, outperforming AWeber’s 74%, ensuring more emails reach subscribers’ inboxes.
- Template Variety: AWeber offers a vast collection of over 700 email templates, providing more options than Mailchimp, although some may lack modern design.
- Ease of Use: Mailchimp’s interface is cleaner and more intuitive compared to AWeber, making it easier for first-time users despite some complex categorization.
- Landing Page Options: AWeber provides more than 100 landing page templates with Canva integration, offering greater versatility and design options than Mailchimp.
- Customer Support: AWeber excels in customer support, offering comprehensive assistance across various channels to all users, unlike Mailchimp’s limited support for free plan users.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: TL;DR
- Type: Email platform
- Free Plan: Available with a limit of 500 subscribers and 3,000 email sends a month
- Templates: Offers a massive collection of templates for emails and landing pages
- A/B Tests: Allows A/B tests for email subject lines and content
- Deliverability: Poor deliverability of 74%
- Analytics: Highly advanced reporting
- Type: Advanced marketing suit with the email features
- Free Plan: Available with 500 subscribers max and 2,500 email sends a month
- Templates: Offers a limited number of templates for both emails and landing pages
- A/B Tests: Allows advanced A/B testing with
- Deliverability: Better deliverability of 86%
- Analytics: Highly advanced analytics with better user experience
AWeber Pros:
- Supports HTML emails and also provides a visual email builder.
- Supports dynamic content and AMP emails.
- Provide email split testing feature.
- Allows email automation and behavioral automation.
- Provides web push notifications.
- Allows selling physical and digital products through a landing page.
- Provides highly advanced analytics.
Mailchimp Pros:
- Intuitive templates with a drag-and-drop editor.
- Supports dynamic content.
- Autoresponder feature available.
- Drip campaigns are allowed.
- Highly advanced statistics.
- Responsive landing pages.
- Supports A/B split testing of emails.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Detailed Comparison
AWeber vs Mailchimp comparison breakdown by features
- Ease of Use
- Templates
- Forms
- Landing Page Builder
- Automation tools
- Integrations
- Email Deliverability
- Split Testing
- Send Time Optimization
- Website Builder
- Reporting
- Customer Support
- Pricing
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Ease of Use
It is important that the email marketing software you select should be user friendly.
AWeber:
AWeber’s user interface is neat, but there can be confusion at times. For instance, email automation tools are called ‘Campaigns’ and regular newsletters are called ‘Broadcasts.’ They aren’t very intuitive names and users can find them a bit confusing.
Plus, while creating a Broadcast (email newsletter), you will find that certain options like selecting senders’ addresses or reusing campaigns are hidden, which makes this Aweber branding distinctive and sets it apart from the competition.
Because they use the subscriber list as the main selector, navigating to automations and campaigns is unnecessarily difficult.
They don’t have any workflow-based visual navigation and the previous/next step buttons. This can slow down the process of creating email broadcasts.
Mailchimp:
Mailchimp offers a clean user interface with neat left navigation. There are many menu options that can be a little overwhelming for first-time users. However, with some patience, it is not at all difficult to master the user interface.
There is one problem with the way they have arranged autoresponders and multi-step workflow builders under the Customer Journeys section in the Automation tab.
That was unnecessary especially when Customer Journey is a more generic marketing term and not specific to email marketing.
A customer journey can be across multiple channels and not just email marketing, which is only one part of overall marketing.
Apart from this weird categorization, everything else is fine.
Winner: Mailchimp because despite its weird arrangement of automations, the overall interface is easier than AWeber.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Templates
Templates offered by an email marketing tool helps to create email marketing campaigns and landing pages.
AWeber:
AWeber has one of the largest collections of email templates. There are over 700 templates available.
Unfortunately, most of these email templates don’t have a modern and minimalist design. You can find a few gems but it will take time to find them.
Also, the template editor feels a bit clunky, but it allows adding custom HTML codes, which is a great advantage for people who know how to code.
Mailchimp:
Mailchimp offers over 100 themed email templates covering e-commerce, newsletters, promotions, holiday emails, etc. You also get access to 14 blank templates that you can use to create custom layouts.
Similar to AWeber, their templates have outdated design but they also allow adding custom codes.
Winner: AWeber because of the total number of email templates they offer.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Forms
Sign-up forms or opt-in forms are necessary to get new subscribers. Both AWeber and Mailchimp have forms, but which one is better?
AWeber:
Aweber makes powerful form features. There are options for adding audio files, videos, and page redirects.
Plus, the Aweber email marketing platform will allow you to tag and segment subscribers depending on the type of form they use. This allows for easier subscriber management.
You can even add custom fields to your forms.
Mailchimp:
Mailchimp offers different form types and even allows to have different lists for them. What’s confusing is the form editor. Depending on the type of the form you want to build, you will come across different editors.
While the drag-and-drop form builder is powerful with the ability to add and edit fields and field values respectively, the confusion comes when you try to create embedded forms. That’s when you will encounter a different form builder.
Among the different builders, the popup builder is the most advanced and contemporary.
Winner: AWeber because it has a uniform form builder experience.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Landing Page Builder
Both AWeber and Mailchimp email marketing solutions offer templates for landing pages, but which one is better?
AWeber:
AWeber provides more than 100 templates for landing pages. All of them are customizable using their powerful landing page editor.
AWeber even integrates Canva so that you can design attractive landing pages.
Furthermore, you can use these pages as an ecommerce platform to sell both physical and digital goods. You can also use them for lead collection and subscriber acquisition.
Mailchimp:
Mailchimp offers only 10 templates for landing pages. Apart from them, there are a few blank ones that you can heavily customize using their powerful drag-and-drop editor.
Unfortunately, there is no Canva integration and the template designs are very outdated.
Winner: AWeber because there are more landing page templates and the platform offers Canva integration.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Automations
Both AWeber and Mailchimp offer email marketing automation features, but who comes out on top?
AWeber:
AWeber’s marketing automation features are very limited and basic. Automation options are relatively new and hence, they are not advanced.
However, you can always use the marketing automation feature for tagging users when they subscribe. This allows for easy list management.
There is no CRM feature available. You can, however, use third-party integrations if you need to use a CRM with AWeber marketing automation.
Mailchimp:
Mailchimp offers single-step automations (autoresponders) and multi-step automations that they refer to as Customer Journeys, which happens to be quite inappropriate.
However, ignoring the nomenclature, Mailchimp’s marketing automations are powerful. To create a multi-step automation workflow, you can use the ‘Create’ button located on the top menu, or you can access the ‘Automation’ option from your Mailchimp account dashboard.
Unlike other platforms, Mailchimp will not give you a drag-and-drop workflow builder. Fortunately, despite the lack of a drag-and-drop workflow builder, the overall process is fairly simple.
Winner: Mailchimp wins because it has more powerful marketing automation options than AWeber.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Integrations
Integrating your email marketing software with other applications allows for easier data flow and hence, informed business decisions.
AWeber:
AWeber has many integrations. There are well over 300 native integrations available, but in case you don’t find any native integration, they have Zapier integration that will allow you to connect thousands of third-party apps.
The platform also offers native Google Analytics integration.
Mailchimp:
Mailchimp lets you natively connect with over 250 third-party applications. They also have Zapier integration available just in case you need to integrate an application that is not natively supported by Mailchimp.
Winner: AWeber because it offers more native integrations than Mailchimp.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Email Deliverability
A higher email deliverability rate means that more of your emails are landing in the inboxes of your subscribers. Who wins in this segment?
AWeber:
AWeber has poor performance in this area. In the last three rounds of tests by Email Tool Tester, AWeber had an average deliverability rate of 74, placing it in the 14th spot among the 15 email marketing tools they tested.
Mailchimp:
Though not the best in class performance, Mailchimp scored 86 in the tests, placing it in the 7th spot among the 15 tested tools.
Winner: Mailchimp wins because it has a much better email deliverability rate than AWeber.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Split Testing
The ability to split test your email marketing campaigns can help you to select the most effective email marketing strategy.
AWeber:
You can easily create A/B split tests for your email campaigns. The process is simple and you can test both the subject line and the email content. Unfortunately, you cannot perform automation split tests. They also don’t have multivariate testing.
Mailchimp:
Mailchimp offers A/B split testing for email campaigns, but not on its free plan. With Mailchimp’s split testing feature, you can test multiple variations of emails and subject lines, and test different variables and combinations at once to see which ones have a higher click and open rates, conversion rates, etc.
Winner: Mailchimp because it offers multivariate testing that AWeber lacks.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Send Time Optimization
The ability to send emails at a time when your subscribers are most likely to engage can help you to maximize the outcome of your marketing campaigns.
AWeber:
AWeber doesn’t have this feature.
Mailchimp:
This platform will allow “send time optimization.” It is a tool that automatically sends your emails at a time when they are most likely to be opened.
To achieve this, Mailchimp looks at the time when your subscribers opened your previous emails. It also looks into the data of other Mailchimp users who have the same email addresses (or at least a subset of email addresses) on their lists.
Winner: Mailchimp because AWeber doesn’t have this feature at all.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Website Builder
Not many popular email marketing tools will allow you to build entire websites and add custom domains.
AWeber:
AWeber doesn’t have this feature. However, it does allow integration with Weblium – a mobile-friendly and AI-driven website builder. You can easily integrate your sign-up forms with email lists from AWeber.
Mailchimp:
This platform will provide you with a full-blown website builder with a drag-and-drop feature. You can even add a custom domain. Mailchimp will host the website for you and you will have the option of adding website tracking.
The builder will provide a lot of layout and design options and you can quickly preview your website before publishing it.
Winner: Mailchimp because AWeber doesn’t offer this feature.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Reporting
All popular email marketing services offer reporting and analytics features. Mailchimp and AWeber are no different, but who is better?
AWeber:
The platform offers highly advanced reporting and analytics. In fact, this email marketing platform offers one of the most extensive reporting tools you will find today.
Even the free plan offers many reports that you can find only with paid plans of other email marketing tools.
You can find detailed reports on A/B testing, audience, geotracking, and e-commerce that can help you to optimize your newsletter campaigns so that you can ensure that your targeted emails always reach subscribers’ inboxes.
You can even update your lists and create new segments directly from the reports section, which helps in the advanced segmentation of your mailing lists.
For instance, if a Black Friday sales promotion performed well, you can target those subscribers who opened the email with a follow-up campaign.
Mailchimp:
Mailchimp offers an endless range of reports. Apart from basic performance reports like click rates, open rates, unsubscribes, etc. you will also find hourly reports, opens by location, click maps, e-commerce store sales, performance by domain, etc.
Mailchimp can also integrate with Google Analytics and help you to track the performance of your messages for various geographic locations. You can even track e-commerce performance.
Apart from giving robust data that you can use to improve your email marketing efforts, Mailchimp also ensures that you can read the reports easily. Unlike Mailchimp, AWeber has a slightly poor user experience and finding some data can be a bit difficult.
Winner: Mailchimp because it gives a better user experience.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Customer Support
Both AWeber and Mailchimp email marketing services offer customer support but which is best?
AWeber:
This email marketing solution offers excellent customer support with superfast response times. They have phone support, email support, and live chat available. While phone support is available between 8 AM and 8 PM ET USA, live chat and email support are available 24/7.
All support channels are available for AWeber free plan users. Paid plan users get priority support.
They also have a thorough knowledge base that you can access anytime and use to resolve common issues.
Mailchimp:
Paid Mailchimp users are entitled to 24×7 support through email and live chat. Mailchimp offers phone support only to their Premium plan users.
However, free plan users get very limited support through email only, and that too, ends in 30 days, leaving them with no other option but self-service support using video tutorials and support articles.
Winner: AWeber because it offers all support channels to all users irrespective of whether they are on a free plan or a paid plan. On the contrary, Mailchimp’s free plan offers only limited email support.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Pricing
Its important as a small business or solopreneur to select an email marketing software that fulfills all your needs and is within your email marketing budget.
AWeber Pricing:
This email marketing service has one free plan and one paid plan! That’s all! What’s interesting is that both the free account and the paid plan will allow unlimited users (team members), unlimited landing pages, free migration service, and access to all support channels. Paid customers are entitled to priority support.
Free Plan:
- Max subscribers: 500
- Max email sends per month: 3,000
- List profiles: 1
- RSS to Email (Blog broadcasts that use RSS feed to send blog posts to subscribers)
- Drag-and-drop email builder
- Access to all templates
- Dynamic content
- Google analytics integration
- Forms
- WordPress plugins
- E-commerce features with 1% transaction fee
- 50,000 Web Push Notification subscribers
- All integrations
Pro Plan: $19.99 a month
- Max subscribers: 500 (price increases as subscribers increase)
- Send unlimited emails per month
- List profiles: unlimited
- RSS to Email (Blog broadcasts that use RSS feed to send blog posts to subscribers)
- Drag-and-drop email editor
- Access to all templates
- Dynamic content
- Email A/B testing
- Google analytics integration
- Facebook pixel tracking
- Forms (with split testing)
- WordPress plugins
- Advanced reporting
- E-commerce features with 0.6% transaction fee
- Unlimited Web Push Notification subscribers
- All integrations
Mailchimp: Pricing
Mailchimp has one forever free plan and three paid plans. Mailchimp’s free plan will not give access to all the features.
Free: $0 a month
- Email contacts storage: 1,000 max
- Number of emails you can send and the number of emails you can have: 1,000 max
- Email support for 30 days only from the subscription date.
- Access to pre-built templates.
Essentials: $11 a month
- Email contacts storage: 50,000 max
- Number of emails you can send and the number of emails you can have: 500 max
- 24/7 live chat support and email support.
- Access to pre-built basic templates.
- A/B testing.
- Basic automated customer journeys.
Standard: $17 a month
- Contacts storage: 100,000 max
- Number of emails you can send and the number of emails you can have: 500 max
- 24/7 live chat support and email support.
- Custom-coded and pre-built email templates.
- A/B testing.
- Enhanced automated customer journeys.
- Predictive segmentation.
Premium: $299 a month
- Contacts storage: Unlimited
- Number of emails you can send and the number of emails you can have: 10,000 max
- Priority support and phone support.
- Custom-coded and pre-built templates.
- Multivariate & A/B testing.
- Enhanced automated customer journeys.
- Predictive segmentation.
- Dedicated onboarding specialist.
Note that though the contact storage may be much higher for paid plans, there is a limit to the number of contacts you can store or emails you can send. If you exceed that limit, overages will apply.
Winner: AWeber because it has a more generous free plan. Also, the pricing structure is less complex.
AWeber vs Mailchimp – User’s Checklist for 2024
When comparing Mailchimp vs AWeber for your online business, it’s crucial to consider various factors that contribute to an effective email marketing strategy. Here’s a checklist to help you decide which email provider best suits your needs, ensuring you leverage all the tools available for your advertising campaigns and personalized emails.
- Advanced Tools and Automation:
- AWeber: Offers a range of automation tools, including an auto responder and AWeber branding options, catering to businesses that need sophisticated email editors.
- Mailchimp: Known for its advanced tools in automation and campaign creation, Mailchimp makes setting up advertising campaigns and automated email sequences user-friendly.
- Email Editors and Personalization:
- AWeber: AWeber’s email editors are designed to create highly personalized emails with ease, allowing for more tailored communication with your audience.
- Mailchimp: Mailchimp’s email editors also offer personalized email creation, but with a different approach, depending on personal preference.
- Signup Forms and User Engagement:
- AWeber: Provides various signup forms, enhancing the ability to gather subscriber information effectively.
- Mailchimp: Offers distinct sign up form designs, which can be a deciding factor for businesses focusing on user interface and experience.
- Pricing Plans and Free Version Accessibility:
- AWeber: AWeber provides a free version with basic features and its standard and premium plans are competitively priced.
- Mailchimp: The free version of Mailchimp is robust for free users, but its standard and premium plans offer more advanced features at the same price range as AWeber.
- Branding and Customization:
- AWeber: AWeber makes it easier for businesses to incorporate their branding into emails, providing a more customized feel.
- Mailchimp: Mailchimp vs AWeber in terms of branding is more about personal preference, as both offer substantial customization options.
- Customer Support and Business Hours:
- AWeber: Known for its excellent customer support within standard business hours, AWeber makes it easier for users to get help when they need it.
- Mailchimp: While Mailchimp also offers support, the availability and depth of support can vary between free users and those on standard and premium plans.
- Campaign Monitoring and Analytics:
- AWeber: Offers robust campaign monitor tools, allowing businesses to track the success of their email campaigns effectively.
- Mailchimp: Mailchimp makes campaign monitoring straightforward, with analytics tools available even in the free version.
- Recommendations and Overall Suitability:
- Depending on your specific needs, you might recommend Mailchimp for its user-friendly interface and diverse template options, or prefer AWeber for its advanced automation tools and superior customer support.
Remember, the choice between AWeber and Mailchimp often boils down to personal preference, specific business needs, and the importance you place on certain features like automation tools, email editors, and the availability of advanced tools. Both platforms offer unique strengths that can complement different types of online businesses.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: Summary
Both AWeber and Mailchimp email service providers are popular email marketing tools. They both offer advanced analytics that can help you improve your campaigns. However, comparing AWeber with Mailchimp is a little unfair.
AWeber offers only an email marketing solution while Mailchimp is a complete marketing platform that can be overwhelming for a small business or a lifestyle blogger.
Having said that, you can still choose Mailchimp even if you want to use it only as an email platform.
AWeber vs Mailchimp: FAQ
What is the difference between Mailchimp and AWeber?
AWeber and Mailchimp are two different email marketing solutions. While they both offer advanced tools for email and advertising campaigns, they differ in features, interface, and pricing.
What’s better than AWeber?
“Better” is subjective and depends on individual needs. Some might prefer Mailchimp’s support, while others may opt for Constant Contact. Comparing the AWeber interface, analytics dashboard, and other features to various email providers can help determine which is best for you.
Is AWeber good for email marketing?
Yes, AWeber is considered one of the good email marketing solutions for small businesses and online businesses. With features like autoresponder options and a user-friendly e-newsletter builder, it supports effective email campaigns.
What is AWeber best for?
AWeber excels in providing all the tools for creating and managing email campaigns. Features include a robust analytics dashboard, future campaigns planning, auto responder options, and confirmation pages customization. Plus, AWeber offers live chat support to help users navigate its platform.
Is there a better alternative to Mailchimp?
Yes, apart from AWeber, there are several alternatives like Constant Contact and others. The best choice depends on your business needs and budget.
Is AWeber no longer free?
AWeber has free plans for a certain number of subscribers. However, for unlimited subscribers or advanced features, one may need to opt for AWeber plans that come at a cost.
What companies use AWeber?
A wide range of small businesses and online businesses use AWeber for their email marketing solutions due to its easy setup process and comprehensive features.
Does AWeber cost money?
AWeber offers both free and paid plans. Costs depend on the features and number of subscribers you need.
Can I use Gmail with AWeber?
Yes, you can integrate Gmail for contact details and sending out one-off messages or campaigns. However, using AWeber’s own email servers is often recommended for deliverability reasons.
What are the disadvantages of using Mailchimp?
Some users find Mailchimp’s pricing on the higher side, especially for small businesses. Others might feel limited by its automation capabilities or believe that the setup process can be intricate. However, the actual disadvantages can vary based on personal preferences and needs.
What has happened to Mailchimp?
As of my last update in September 2021, Mailchimp continued to be one of the leading email marketing solutions. However, for current events or updates related to Mailchimp, it might be best to check their official website or recent news sources.
What is better and cheaper than Mailchimp?
While AWeber and Constant Contact are alternatives, what’s “better and cheaper” depends on specific requirements. Some platforms might offer unlimited subscribers or better test subject lines options at competitive prices.
Is Mailchimp still being used?
Yes, Mailchimp is still widely used by businesses globally for its comprehensive email campaign tools, even though there are alternatives available.
Why is Mailchimp so good?
Mailchimp offers an intuitive interface, a range of templates, and powerful analytics tools. Its ability to automatically resize images and assist in creating future campaigns adds to its appeal for many users.
Is Mailchimp too expensive?
Some users might find Mailchimp’s pricing a bit steep, especially when compared to other email marketing solutions with similar features. It’s essential to assess the offered features against the cost and determine the best fit for one’s budget and needs.