AWeber vs GetResponse – and the winner is…
If we compare feature vs. feature I’d argue that AWeber is the superior option, the problem most of us run into when dealing with Aweber are all the rules of using Aweber which ENFORCES, Aweber is very brand conscious and if they feel like you’re sending out spam emails even if it’s not your intention to do so, they’ll cancel your account sometimes unexpectantly and this is the main reason why some professionals can’t stand them.
GetResponse, on the other hand, is the go-to choice for most of us, not because it’s perfect or the superior option but it allows the most flexibility at the lowest price. Aweber although free until 500 subscribers get really pricey once you hit 500 subscribers, GetResponse on the other hand charges you a lot more money for services you probably will never use.
The price of Aweber is one of the main reasons most professionals have separate funnel builders like Convertri because the Aweber all in one solution is often inferior in many ways. For many of us, we want our autoresponder or email marketing software to do what it’s supposed to do, Aweber for some of us over-reaches a little too much.
Why some email marketing companies overreach – In the Defense of Aweber
If one user of Aweber or GetResponse is accused of spam, every user of these services may suffer, because as an example if Gmail or Hotmail gets several spam complaints from GetResponse or Aweber users and you’re using their service Hotmail as an example might automatically send your double opt-in emails subscribers to their spam or phishing email list.
Aweber goes a bit overboard in trying to stop this from happening and if you’re a paying Aweber user and you find your account canceled because Aweber has deemed you to be a spammer, this could send you back months or even years.
The complaints most people will have about GetResponse is that emails are going to the spam folder, well for most of us in the internet marketing space, who have been doing this for a long time, we don’t care that much because if you’re selling an in-demand product your customers will check their spam email if they’re genuinely interested in purchasing what you’re selling, but for a newbie, the thought of having their email sent to a spam folder is “unacceptable” because after all, they’re paying for for a professional autoresponder service and they expect that their emails should be sent to a person’s inbox.
Neither Aweber nor GetResponse can control what any email provider does but Aweber goes a bit overboard to protect their reputation and this is something if you decide to join Aweber you should be aware of. If you’re good at capturing emails, you’ll quickly find out that most people don’t like the double opt-in process and this could cost you a lot of money on advertising.
Even your double opt-in subscriber might accuse you of spam if they forgot they joined your list, it’s just how things are, and double opt-in subscribers don’t guarantee sales, so for a lot of internet marketers, Aweber can hurt your bottom line, whereas GetResponse is more laissez-faire. Because I’m an upgraded member of GetResponse I find their customer support just as good if not better than Aweber’s.
GetResponse is way cheaper and goes far beyond 25,000 subscribers before customization
So with Aweber, it appears that spam compliance is of the utmost importance to them, so the moment you hit 25,000 subscribers you’ll need to contact them for pricing, with GetResponse that number is at 100,000, so I hope you see where I’m going with this? The more subscribers you have the chances there are for spam complaints and because of this Aweber starts customizing what they can do for you after 25,000 subscribers and if you go to Aweber with an existing list, this can also become a problem.
Self-regulation is both a good and a bad thing, spam compliant regulation is flawed in the sense that you can be accused of spam even when you’re compliant and the consumer is always right and as we know there are nefarious people who will go out of their way to bash your company and your brand. Aweber is a great company, but the reasons I outlined in this post are why I don’t use or recommend them.
GetResponse doesn’t allow you to spam people, they are compliant but there’s a trade-off you accept for using their services which is that your emails might get sent to your subscribers’ spam folder so keep all of this in mind when you decide to join GetResponse or Aweber.
Aweber has more of a 1 size fits all pricing model, whereas GetResponse allows you the ability to decide which packages is right for you. Because I’m a Convertri their basic plan is enough for me, I would never use GetResponse or Aweber to build my funnels. I certainly would never use Aweber for that.
Aweber and GetResponse are not scams, they’re very much legit, consider familiarising yourself with their terms prior to signing up.