Mailchimp vs AWeber: A Comparison Guide

Well, when it comes to the email marketing world, Mailchimp and AWeber are known as leading giants.

However choosing one can be a hassle, as both offer services which cover all the requirements.

But to choose one, you need to be clear about the goals before you start. After all, you are going to use services for a long time. Also, to help, here is a comparison guide, so you know which one is for you.

What To Know About AWeber And Mailchimp?

To understand which one is going to be the best, it’s important to know more about both providers,

And here is the overview of both AWeber and Mailchimp.

AWeber In Nutshell

AWeber was created by Tom Kulzer in 1998 as he has the goal of making email marketing much simpler, especially for small businesses.

As of today, AWeber is successfully offering the services to more than 100,00 small businesses as well as entrepreneurs across the globe.

AWeber offers all the requirements which are needed for building the email list. They have more than 700 templates, autoresponders, free stock images, and much more.

MailChimp In Nutshell

Mailchimp was co-founded by Dan Kurzious and Ben Chestnut in 2001.

They started as a side product so they could provide email marketing services to the owners of small businesses.

The company grew and became one of the leading marketing platforms which have around 16 million users.

Here, they offer templates, advanced analytics, optimization features, and autoresponders.

Have a look at Top Mailchimp Alternatives And Competitors In 2022.

What Are The Features-Based Differences Between AWeber And Mailchimp?

At a glance, AWeber and Mailchimp seem similar, but when you have to pick one, it’s important to consider how each platform will work as well as different offer steps of the email marketing journey.

To know more in detail, here are the differences you will find.

Getting Started: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

Well, when you are starting, AWeber offers the big green button that it allows you to click and start a 30-day free trial period.

  • Here you need to give the basic information, including your name and address, as well as information related to a credit card.
  • AWeber provides the video, which is for welcoming you as it takes you to learn how to set up your account, create the list, and customize the confirmation email.
  • With their interface, you will get the four sections along with a  logical menu.
  • The first section has all the main components on display related to the system. It includes the list, message, and subcarriers.
  • With the second one, you get the types of help that are available here, such as videos, online guides, and webinars.
  • And third, highlight your subscriber stats along and forth, displaying all the sent messages as well as statistics.

Getting started with Mailchimp is similar, however, here, you don’t have to give the information related to credit cards. Mailchimp offers a free account even though you get some restrictions on features.

  • Once you give the information and are done with the step, you can go to the dashboard, where they display all the options you have.
  • The options include promotion to learn on each section; here, you have options for creating and sending the campaign, creating the list, starting the building audience, inviting colleagues along with verifying the domain.
  • The user interfaces are uncluttered and have more options regarding the templates, reports, campaigns, and lists as well as automation for simple navigations.

Ease Of Import: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

The next thing is important, is you need to import the subscriber list to the selected platform

  • This could be from third-party or file services, including CRM or e-commerce tools.
  • Well, AWeber offers the import from the list from different formats, in-text, and spreadsheets; even here, you can copy-paste from a different app.
  • Here you will need to map the information to their list fields.

As for Mailchimp, this one lets you do the import list using CSV files or Excel sheets.

  • Here you also need to map the information and submit it to the list fields.
  • The difference you get in Mailchimp is that they focus on their user experience while making it simpler as well as easier for users.

Type Of Messages: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

AWeber offers the types of messages divided into five different options, and you will find them on their top menu.

Drafts

AWeber helps in saving messages to their draft status so you can send these to the broadcast, follow up series as well as send a test.

Legacy Follow-Up Series

This one sends follow-up messages to subscribers using the intervals in their set time.

This one works as autoresponders which constitute an important role in email marketing automation.

Campaigns

The next type you get is Campaigns, which are the automated messages which are enabled to do the content customization.

With this, your subscribers receive the messages depending on the created triggers you have added.

Broadcast

The messages here are one-off messages that you send to the subscribers.

Here you can notify your subscribers regarding the special sale discount or upcoming webinars.

Blog Broadcasts

Blog broadcasts are the use of the RSS feed for sending the blog post to the subscribers via email.

As for Mailchimp, here, they refer to the messages as campaigns. And you get four different types of campaigns in their options which includes :

Plain Text Campaigns

The plain text campaign is one of the forms which are extremely simplest for the email to send.

They don’t offer you formatting options.

Regular Campaigns

Regular campaigns are the most used types, and it also allows the design as well as customizing of the content.

Here you can also choose whether you want to send it immediately or schedule it for later.

A/B Testing Campaigns

A/B testing campaign offers you to send a similar campaign and more than one version of it

You can do the test subject lines, send times, and text.

Automation Campaigns

Well, this one helps you in automating email marketing with the help of using the set triggers.

Editing Email Newsletter: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

An email newsletter is an important part of the email marketing strategy.

This is largely due to its contribution to nurturing the clients you already have and staying top of mind.

An email newsletter includes all the important as well as valuable content, including announcements, product recommendations, product reviews, blog posts, tips, guides, etc.

Both AWeber and Mailchimp offer the drag and drop approach, which helps in making things easier, including you can add, move as well as edit the elements such as logos, images, and text.

AWeber offers a visual builder to help by letting you just type into the e-newsletter and make the changes there.

Whereas using Mailchimp, you need to use the back end to make the changes. And doing the back-and-forth edit might slow the process of your work.

Sign-Up Forms: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

To build the subscriber list faster, you are going to need enticing sign-up forms.

If you are choosing AWeber, this provides the signup forms which have more than 25 fields of information.

Here you can create the design on your own, and if you don’t, then you have the premade templates too.

AWeber also allows you to embed the forms into the site, and you can turn this into a landing page or even do the split tests.

As for Mailchimp, here, the sign-up requires HTML knowledge.

This is because they generate the code for their sign-up forms, and for that, you require to have basic HTML expertise.

Autoresponders: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

Autoresponders are used for sending a series of emails that focus on a specific topic.

Here you can send in a predetermined sequence in intervals with a set time. And it helps in automating marketing campaigns.

You can also use this for offering discounts on birthdays, providing product training, following up on the abandonment of shopping carts, cross-selling, or upselling the products.

To set the autoresponders, AWeber helps you in creating the email list, customizing the series for follow-up and welcoming emails then adding more entries.

In Mailchimp, here you get to navigate the sections of the campaign, along with clicking the drop-down menu to autoresponders that you want as well as selecting to replace the automation.

The automation builder helps you in creating the automation.

Email Deliverability: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

Deliverability helps in ensuring that the emails are reaching the inboxes of your targeted subscribers,

  • This helps in determining the email to reach the audience you are targeting.
  • AWeber adheres to the ISP standards when It comes to sending as well as managing opt-in emails.
  • Here you get the strict restriction on spam, and they closely monitor the account of their users.
  • AWeber monitors the account of their users and subscribers who are sending unsolicited emails; they will block it as spamming is not tolerated here.
  • Mailchimp uses the abuse-detecting technology, which is known as Omnivore, to detect unethical email practices.
  • Mailchimp Is also a member of wider organizations such as EEC, AOTA, ESPC, and MAAWG.  These are dedicated to maintaining as well as delivering the email ecosystem.
  • Mailchimp also keeps itself updated with the latest industrial standards and technology.
  • They handle the sample email complaints by moving them immediately from the active list to the abuse complaint area.
  • Mailchimp is registered with a major ISP that receives alerts related to campaigns when they get junk.

Email Template: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

 You get numerous options in email templates that are designed to fulfill different needs in both options.

AWeber offers you more than 700 templates. Compared to Mailchimp, here you get around 100 templates.

Not just that, but Both allow you to tweak their temples and do the coding on their own.

The email templates come with a responsive design, so they automatically do the resize, which suits depending on the device.

Segmentation: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

Segmentation helps in breaking down the subscriber’s list into different subsets. With this, you can reach out to a speech group of people who are showing interest in the topics without agitating those who are not interested.

AWeber offers the subscriber activity to create your segments.

This includes those who opened your email, clicked on added links, sales, and even page visits,

Next, you can make use of the subscriber page, as you can select who didn’t open the message into segments and do a follow-up. 

Mailchimp offers an extensive list of segmentations; also, the options depend on the different plans that you choose.

You can also use the automation report data, campaign activity, and email domain for creating the segments.

A/B Testing: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

A/B testing is also called split testing, where you compare two different versions in order to know which platforms have better performance.

The testing helps in knowing more about the traffic.

Anything that affects the behavior of the visitors, like paragraphs, subheadings, testimonials, headlines, call to action, call to action text, social proof, links, etc.

Mailchimp offers split testing in a free plan, but they are limited. If you are choosing the paid plan, you get the test for three email versions against each other.

Mailchimp pro also offers tests that are sophisticated. You can do the test up to more than eight variables of the newsletter.

If you have the list but is large in number, then configure the test so that 50% of the subscribers receive the test combination.

The winning combination sent the remainder to the list.

Reporting: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

The insights help in knowing what is working with you and what’s not, and this works as an advantage for your future campaigns.

Mailchimp offers a report which explains metrics like open rate, bounce rate, click-through rates, etc.

It presents the information along with the interactive graphs and provides the click map; they overlay show the elements which help in attracting the subscribers.

AWeber, here is your analytic dashboard, which comes with a clear view of open as well as a click with the help of using the graph format.

Here you can also see where your subscribers are clicked to have a clear picture of what they are resonated with.

 Along with that, you can also see the unsubscribe list.

Affiliate Links: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

The business plan might also need the affiliate links where you get the residual income.

This means you can add those links in emails.

Well, AWeber comes with no restriction to promote the affiliate links.

Mailchimp has strict policies when it comes to affiliate links. Even though they don’t ban it, there is a long list of blacklist domains.

This also has a lot of retailers, so you might be going to shut down by trying it.

Integration: AWeber Vs Mailchimp

Both email service providers have integration with major platforms related to e-commerce, including BigCommerce, Shopify, and WooCommerce.

Along with that, you get the integration with social platforms, including Facebook in both options.

Mailchimp, where’s the bigger selection when it comes to integration? Here you get Squarespace and Shopify as the default t option in Mailchimp. However, it needs to be configured to set up if you are choosing the AWeber.

It is synced with Facebook, which means the new survivors will start to get the ads automatically.

But with the AWeber list, you need to upload the list manually in order to show the ads to subscribers.

What Are The Customer Support Differences Between AWeber Vs Mailchimp?

To craft the best and most effective marketing plan, you need to have a helping hand from time to time. And for that, you need customer support from both email marketing service providers.

AWeber covers the basis that is needed in the section. Here you get access to the phone line, email support, and live chat.

Not just that, you can do the tracking to server status on their main page.

If you don’t want to speak to a person, here you get an enormous knowledge base for consulting.

Mailchimp offers the services too, but as compared to AWeber, it’s a bit pale.

Especially if you are considering choosing the free option as here you get access to their chatbot and email support only.

To access the live chat, you have to consider the paid plans and top up the features for phone support.

It’s difficult to get in contact with someone. Even so, the customer services of Mailchimp are fine.

What Are The Pricing Differences Between AWeber Vs Mailchimp?

Well, now that you know about the features and the differences, there is pricing which is a crucial point to consider when you are choosing the one for you.

AWeber Pricing

AWeber offers you a 30-day trial period, and it’s free of cost.

They offer up to 500 unsubscribes at the cost of $19 per month, along with 5000 subscribers at $49 per month.

Suppose you have a list that numbers 2500- 5000 subscribers, with a total expense of $49 per month. You also get other packages where the cost depends on features, and it’s up to $149 per month.

Mailchimp Pricing

Here you can start with their free plan, where you get the basic email packages along with the features with any credit card,

  • But with the free plan, you get the limitation of only 2000 subscribers.
  • You can simply add the email address along with the details to get started with having a free account.
  • Even though the free features are basic, if you are a small business, it covers all the pointers.
  • Mailchimp doesn’t offer you any free trial period.
  • The prepaid plan starts at $10 per month, along with 500 subscribers and 15000 emails.
  • The price goes up by more than $200 per month which includes unlimited emails with 10000 subscribers. Here you get the customer support services such as email, phone, chat support, and A/B testing.
  • Mailchimp offers the You Go Plan, which allows you to buy email credits.
  • With this, you get the same paid features but the legacy monthly plan.
  • It’s a flexible alternative if you are considering having monthly paid plans.

Who Should Consider AWeber Vs Mailchimp?

Before you consider picking one, it’s important to know which one is ideal for whom. Both offer services which help in improving as well as making your email marketing effective. 

But it depends on what scale of business you do, the target audience you have, and what you are expecting from the service providers. 

It’s important to understand what you are looking for in order to pick one which can fulfill the requirements you have. 

And for that, here are the points to consider.

AWeber Is For You

It’s a great option, especially for large enterprises as well as businesses that have affiliate marketing in the game plan.

However, some of the pointers that make AWeber better as compared to Mailchimp are :

  • AWeber offers templates that are more than 700 as compared to Mailchimp.
  • They have the autoresponder, and it’s easy to set them up.
  • You get the real-time editor in the e-newsletter builder, which makes the editing easy.
  • It has more options in the free stock images.
  • Here you get extensive support in the options.
  • It doesn’t have any too strict restrictions when it comes to affiliate marketing.

MailChimp is For You –

  • Mailchimp offers decent choices to those who have just started email marketing.
  • And you can consider the option when you are not confident enough to commit to a budget. There are designs that are user-friendly and have better integrations.
  • Also, you can consider choosing the Mailchimp option due  to :
  • Mailchimp offers a function-free plan which is good for getting started.
  • The autoresponder options here are more extensive.
  • It includes sending time optimization.
  • Here you get the better RSS for the email features.
  • It has a wide range of integration with third-party apps.
  • You can get the different languages for the confirmation pages.

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