The Best MailChimp Alternatives
Behind any successful email marketing campaign is the right software. To refine your email marketing strategy for total efficiency, you’ll need access to the right tools. Core email features, like personalisation and analytics, are essential to your success. Popular ESPs like MailChimp, will grant you access to those tools. Lately, though, users have been considering other email marketing alternatives, which presents a new question: Which of the many MailChimp alternatives will provide me with the tools I need to succeed?
Many marketers have been using MailChimp as their go-to for digital marketing campaigns. Because of this, many have noticed changes in its business model and service levels. Some of the biggest shifts occurring recently include the following:
Service Quality – Millions of MailChimp’s users scratched their heads when they experienced outages and connection interruptions. Some struggled to log into accounts, others reported pages loading slow, and many couldn’t contact customer support.
Integration Losses – MailChimp recently lost one of their biggest integration partners due to disagreements about data privacy. Shopify, which powers a multitude of e-commerce stores around the globe was one of the lost integrations.
Pricing Problems – This is possibly the biggest frustration for some users. MailChimp changed pricing models for all free and premium users, imposed limits on key features. and required users to pay for unsubscribed contacts. They also hiked prices for legacy customers, many of whom were not informed.
Luckily, MailChimp isn’t the only tool out there that can get the job done right. Many software providers exist, offering the same features as MailChimp. It’s a matter of finding the perfect match for your organisation’s unique goals, processes, and budget. Here are some of our picks for the best MailChimp alternatives around.
Never neglect your campaign’s goal when choosing a potential email marketing provider. They go a long way in assisting conceptualisation. A good MailChimp alternative will have all the features you need to achieve that goal.
Below is a list of five popular email service providers with descriptions to help you make the most informed choice.
CampaignMonitor serves more than 250,000 customers worldwide and sends out millions of emails each day. The platform’s signature features are its visual journey builder and customisable drag-and-drop email creator.
The visual journey builder uses similar techniques to drag-and-drop email layout creation but goes a step further with custom automation triggers. Users can map out a multi-step customer journey for campaigns—all in one place.
The drag-and-drop email builder offers mobile-responsive templates that are easily customizable. But, if users also want a more granular look into the back end of their email, it’s also possible to edit the code.
It also offers flexible pricing plans and advanced tools for higher subscriptions.
One user review says: “ CampaignMonitor is easy to use and accessible for every employee regardless of their skillset. The client service team responds quickly when there are issues to be resolved.”
GetResponse is another popular email tool. It offers both small business and enterprise-level plan options. They’re best at catering to smaller businesses because of their massive library of responsive email templates. They also offer a drag-and-drop email builder and the option to access the email’s code for further customisation.
GetResponse also provides integrations with many other programs. It’s ideal for businesses that already have software solutions in place. This ranges from e-commerce such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy, to social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, to full marketing CRM solutions like HubSpot, and more.
For users who are on the search for robust data and analytics, GetResponse is the way to go. According to one user review, “One of the things that I like the most is its reporting and statistics functions since they are very detailed, easy to understand and provide enough data to understand what works best for our landing pages and which campaigns need a readjustment in the strategies to generate more conversions.”
Do you often struggle with digital marketing methods and need time to get your bearings? ConstantContact is a good MailChimp alternative for users who find it difficult to analyse and time-consuming to learn. Although ConstantContact trades away some more advanced features, it works well for smaller businesses and nonprofits.
Customers are happiest with this ESP when sending batch-and-blast newsletters. It also assists you in creating your own website and landing pages and has the option to integrate “donate” buttons into emails.
ConstantContact also encourages learning, offering regular training sessions and webinars for their users. As reviewer Stephanie H. puts it: “I think Constant Contact is a really straightforward software suite that even the most tech-averse clients will be able to figure out and use to its fullest extent. There are many organizations who are simply looking to keep in regular contact with clients or potential donors (as in our case), and Constant Contact is a simple, clean interface that allows us to communicate with volunteers and donors on a regular basis.”
Looking for an email marketing provider tailored to your specific industry? Emma might be the one. It caters closely to multi-location businesses and franchises, especially gyms, universities and restaurants. Emma is unique in that it was designed collaboratively with a client-turned-partner. “The fact that I can manage 2,000 accounts from one dashboard is fantastic,” says one customer.
Though, if you’re looking for transactional emails or feedback survey materials, opt out of this option. Emma doesn’t provide these features. But it does have an email approval feature that locks locations to their associated pre-approved design elements. Many marketers handling each franchise spot aren’t bogged down by unnecessary approvals. Email creation and delivery are much more streamlined.
It also offers up hundreds of integration partners and automation and personalisation features—e central to campaign-building.
AWeber’s selling points are affordability and simplicity. That’s echoed in user reviews: “If you are a small business owner, AWeber provides a simple and cost-effective tool to build relationships with your target market.”
Mentioned in reviews and on their website is their award-winning customer support team. They hold many live demonstrations of the product to assist customers. Their assortment of help articles makes it easy to set up and get started.
Omnisend is a rising star in terms of Mailchimp alternatives, as its user-friendly drag-and-drop builder makes Mailchimp users feel at home.
However, that’s where the similarities between the two platforms end, as Omnisend brings that same simplicity and ease-of-use to sophisticated omnichannel features that go much further than email marketing.
From robust automation that you can create in the same, visual way, you can add several channels within the same workflow: email, SMS, push notifications, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and more. This means that you can reach your customers via a variety of channels without having to leave the workflow.
Omnisend’s smart segmentation and easy SMS creation make this tool a must-have for anyone who wants to give an extra kick to their email marketing.
Omnisend offers a free version for basic email marketing, and then their Standard Plan starts at just $16 per month. The Pro plan starts at $99 per month and includes some of the best features from this tool. These plans are based on subscriber count and make it easy to scale upwards as your business grows.
Are you thinking of making the switch? What do you think about all the options above? Choosing a new email marketing provider will eventually mean going through an adjustment period. It’s likely that many of the best alternatives to MailChimp have a radically different UI. They might even lack features you’re used to.
If you’re on the fence, many tools offer free demos and trials. Narrow the list down, test what you’re interested in, and see for yourself. If a test campaign does well, you have a winner.
