Aweber vs Mailchimp – Dont Buy Before Reading This (2023)

The online market is full of different tools for advertisers and mailers to use. As an email marketer, your email list is extremely valuable. You can use it to get new clients and keep old clients interested in your product. It is the heart of your business.

There are so many platforms that it can be challenging to choose the best product for your business. In this article, we are going to focus on two leading platforms, AWeber and MailChimp, which help make it easy for you to complete all of your emailing needs.

AWeber vs MailChimp

We will break down some individual parts of email marketing platforms and then compare the two companies. Then we will give each a score and tell you which platform we prefer in each category. We don’t get paid by either one; this article is purely to point out the similarities and differences between the two.

We know it can be difficult to choose between two great systems, so we have set up a simple guide for you to skim and make your decision easier. Continue reading to see which one of these mailing programs might work for your business.

How do Email Services Work? – Overview

Arguably one of the first things to consider when deciding which platform to use is how it can benefit your company. Why do you need to use it? Do you need it to be highly customizable or is price a more significant factor?

You will want to have a clear idea in your head about what’s important to you. It won’t make any sense to learn about the differences if you aren’t yet sure how it will apply to your business. 

Both AWeber and MailChimp platforms were created to make the job of an email marketer easier. Most email programs these days, including these two, offer features like templates, auto-responding capabilities, reporting, and even images for you to use.

You can use an email service to get customers to sign up for your website and further engage with them. The email platform you choose can make a big difference in which clients you can sign up and which ones stay signed up!

AWeber is older than MailChimp; it was created in 1998, while MailChimp was established less than 20 years ago in 2001. AWeber helps hundreds of thousands of customers, and MailChimp has over 15 million users to date.

AWeber vs MailChimp is a tough competition as both are well-established companies. So I will help you sort through the specifics of each one to find which company is best for your needs.

The email platform you choose can make a big difference in who you can get to sign up” (Click to Tweet)

Ability to Import

You want your import to be a natural, user-friendly process, so you can get to work quickly. It’s vital that as a business you can bring in your list and use it.

AWeber

You can easily import existing databases into Aweber, using the following file types:

• CSV
• TSV
• TXT
• XLS
• XLSX

As with any mailing service, anti-spam features are essential. When importing data, AWeber asks questions about how the data was collected. Also, more extensive sets of data may be reviewed separately, which could take a day or so.

An attractive feature of AWeber is that you can add and tag subscribers to a set of autoresponders; this isn’t common in competitors.

MailChimp

Very similar to AWeber’s offerings in this category, MailChimp makes importing easy. They recently changed some items within the importing category, and you will now get a pop-up message telling you if the size of your import will put you in a different pricing category. That’s a neat feature that could save you money.

MailChimp also has a user-friendlier interface for importing, so I feel it outperforms in this arena. You don’t have to go through a lot to get your previous lists in front of you quickly so you can start working right away.

Winner: MailChimp’s easier-to-use interface gives them the edge in this category.

Email Templates

AWeber

AWeber has over 700 newsletter templates available. Some users report that a few of the models seem dated, and some of the designs are not exactly eye-catching. But with that many to choose from, it would be difficult to not find something usable for your business purposes

MailChimp

Even though the designs on this platform are sometimes considered to be more attractive, with only 80 templates to choose from, Mailchimp does not have enough for you to customize your newsletters fully.

Winner: Based on sheer volume, Aweber wins this one.  

Registration Forms

Getting new people to subscribe to your website can be hard to do. The right sign up form will attract more people. We all know that more people means more money. That’s the whole point. You can see why it is critical to consider which platform will make it easier for you to get the revenue you want.

AWeber

They allow space for you to acquire 25 different pieces of information. You also have creative control in AWeber, as you can use a form from the site or design your own. Having ready-made templates can speed up the process, allowing you to start collecting new registrations much quicker.

MailChimp

To create a registration in MailChimp, you will need to know how to code in HTML. It isn’t a lot, but if you’re like me, you don’t know much HTML and would prefer something easier. However, if you know HTML and want the ability to customize your work, this might be the better choice.

Winner: I would go with AWeber for ease-of-use and how quickly you can start collecting registrations.

Email Automation

Once you get to the point where you want to start automating your process, or if you’re already there, you know it’s important to have a platform with good auto-respond features. Autoresponders send out e-newsletters at timed intervals you define; these can range from a welcome newsletter to promo codes.

It is worth noting that marketing automation is a growing trend. It works much in the same way, but instead of sending out emails at timed intervals, the emails are sent determined by customer behavior, i.e., purchases, items left in a cart, searches, etc.

AWeber

Creating a traditional autoresponder in AWeber is easy. You need to enter the newsletters you want to send, apply the times that you want them mailed, upload your database, and you’re all set. Their marketing automation is still in the basic stages, but their technicians are working to improve the functionality of the new system.  

MailChimp

The traditional autoresponder is also pretty seamless, but a little bit touchier to set up. However, they are, but they are much more ahead in marketing automation, giving users the ability to choose from a wide range of options for workflow and other automation.

Winner: MailChimp stands out more for its progress in marketing automation.

Deliverability

If you’re going through all this trouble to have emails go to your subscribers, it’s necessary that the email arrives. With high-quality emails and URLs, this should be no problem.

One of the leading reasons emails don’t make it to their destination is spam filters. These platforms don’t want spammers. It doesn’t look good for them. That’s why both platforms have anti-spam functions.

AWeber

In the case of Aweber, they follow all standards in the email marketing industry. They will also check you to make sure you are adhering to their policies. Unsolicited emails are automatically blocked.

MailChimp

The same is true for MailChimp. They don’t want you sending anything fishy. MailChimp stays up-to-date on the latest standards, and they use technology to monitor for any wrongdoing.

Winner: This part of AWeber vs MailChimp is a tie! You really can’t go wrong with either one here. They both use systems that protect against spam, and both promise comparable deliverability. 

A/B Testing and Analyzing Results

If you have multiple campaigns going, you might want to know which one is more effective. You also want the capability to see what is working with customers, and what might be turning customers off. Both platforms allow you to do both quite effectively.

AWeber

One nice feature of their reporting systems is that you can create segments from the reports, which will allow you to target future campaigns. Also, their platform will enable you to track who has unsubscribed, which leads to the evaluation of possible reasons. In terms of A/B testing, they allow up to four different emails to be tested at the same time.

MailChimp

In MailChimp, you can have the option to evaluate up to eight different versions of an email, with tweaks to specific areas of the email, such as headlines, images, or CTAs. This volume, of course, comes with the more expensive plans. Their cheaper and free plans allow for limited A/B testing. In addition, MailChimp provides much more detailed reports for evaluating customer engagement.

Winner: Hands down, MailChimp gives you more in this category.

Segmentation

The segmentation in AWeber vs MailChimp plays an important role. If you want to target specific groups in your emails, both programs allow you to do so. These sub-sets of customers will enable you to use advertisements you know are more likely to work for an established demographic or group.

AWeber

There are two main choices for segmentation on AWeber. You can use subscriber activity, which will allow you to see who opened which emails, what links they followed, etc. You can also use tools on the subscriber page to identify your subset.

MailChimp

Simply put, there are several more segmentation possibilities here, including separating data by domain, activity and a variety of user-chosen attributes. These choices allow you to narrow down customer activity to create accurate targeting.

Winner: MailChimp offers more options for you here.

Affiliate Linking

You’re using these platforms to generate revenue, and a big part of that is affiliate links. A lot of campaigns have room for affiliate links in their emails. It makes a lot of sense if you’re already sending out emails, sort of a “two birds with one stone” way of thinking.

AWeber

Simply put, you can promote affiliate links as much as you want on this platform. They have no restrictions.  

MailChimp

On the other hand, MailChimp has pretty strict policies about affiliate links. The list of restricted domains is extensive, and if you think you can find a way around them, think again. You’ll run the risk of being shut down entirely.

Winner: This AWeber vs MailChimp comparison was clear. If your business runs on affiliate links then AWeber is the choice for you.  I use AWeber for this reason.

Customer Support

AWeber vs MailChimp – Customer Support. Even if you are a seasoned pro at email marketing, you’re going to have questions at one point or another, and you are going to want an answer quickly.

AWeber

They are a leader when it comes to customer service. They offer live chat/email support 24/7. They are also the only company to provide phone support 8am-8pm Monday-Friday, as well as. None of their competitors offer phone assistance.

MailChimp

For everything else that MailChimp does right, they fall short in this category. They provide support via email only, and even that is not readily available. You have to search their Q&A database before sending an email question, and their response time has been reported to be questionable.

Winner: The Customer Support in AWeber vs MailChimp is very one-sided. No contest. There is a reason that AWeber has won awards for their customer service for the past three years.

Price Comparison

AWeber vs MailChimp – Price Comparison. No matter what else has been discussed and evaluated, we all know that the price point is going to be a significant influence on your decision.

AWeber

Their pricing depends by the number of subscribers on your mailing list and is broken down into five categories. The lowest plan allows for up to 500 subscribers and is $19 per month, while their most expensive plan is $149 per month, but allows for 10,001 to 25,000 subscribers. Anything higher than 25,000 requires a specific quote from the company. 

AWeber does not offer a free plan. However, they do allow a 30-day free trial of their product, and the site is fully functional for the length of the trial. A possible deterrent to the free trial is that you do have to enter your credit card information, so if you decide not to continue with AWeber, you need to make sure that you cancel the credit card.

MailChimp

Unfortunately, their pricing is not as straightforward. They have three tiers of plans, all with sub-tiers that vary in price. The sub-tiers cover everything from subscriber count, to reporting to customer support. The more expensive plan you pay for, the more features you can access.

They do offer a free plan that allows you to have 2,000 subscribers and send 12,000 emails per month. The free plan also does have some of the other attractive MailChimp features.  However, you do not receive support on the free plan, so you need to know what you are doing.

Winner: AWeber vs MailChimp was great! It’s a tossup. AWeber offers a fully functional 30-day trial to give you an accurate idea of the platform, while Mailchimp’s continuous free plan could be a no-brainer if you already have enough knowledge that you wouldn’t need support. This is truly a matter of individual business preference.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

AWeber vs MailChimp, who is the winner?

As an email marketer without much HTML knowledge who uses affiliate links in my emails, I choose AWeber. AWeber offers fewer restrictions for my campaigns.

Although there is not a free option for AWeber, they do offer a trial, which is good enough, in my opinion, to show you how great the program is.

It can also be helpful to check out both websites; you can learn even more if there is something you wanted to know about that I didn’t cover. You can also check out many more Mailchimp and Aweber reviews like these here, to get a better idea of what you’re looking for.

You may also like to read: MailChimp Vs Constant Contact Honest Comparison (2019)

Contact or Comment

Let us know what you think, are you a diehard MailChimp fan? Do you want to defend your program? We love to see your reviews on both AWeber and MailChimp as well. The more information we can have from users the better our articles will be.

Or comment and let us know why you love AWeber too and your take on AWeber vs MailChimp.