best mailerlite alternatives

Are you looking for the best alternatives to Mailerlite?

Obviously, Mailerlite isn’t the best email marketing tool in the industry. There are a lot of better offers.

Want to get right to the point? My top pick for the best Mailerlite alternative is ActiveCampaign.

Either you’re just starting or a veteran digital entrepreneur, the role an email marketing tool plays can’t be defeated.

Mailerlite happens to be one of the email marketing tools that offer a free plan.

Besides a free plan, Mailerlite offers other features like drag and drop editor, eCommerce campaigns, Newsletter templates, pop-ups, embeddable forms, landing pages, subscriber management, and many others.

However, Mailerlite has its glitches and possible reasons to seek an alternative.

Here are some of the cons of Mailerlites (reasons for an alternative):

  • Mailerlite offers a basic reporting dashboard
  • It lacks an advanced tagging feature
  • Landing page templates are few
  • Restricted A/B split testing
  • Lacks an inbuilt CRM tool (compensates with Hanna integration)

In this post, I reviewed the best Mailerlite alternatives alongside their features, pricing, and cons.

Let’s dive in.

Best Mailerlite Alternatives & Competitors

1. ActiveCampaign (#1 Best Mailerlite Alternative)

ActiveCampaign is one of the best email marketing tools in the industry.

Compared to Mailerlite, ActiveCampaign offers a lot of advanced features that are missing on Mailerlite.

Absolutely, it fixes the glitches on Mailerlite with its tagging and segmentation feature alongside a built-in CRM tool to enhance the customer experience. Which makes it a perfect alternative to Mailerlite.

However, it isn’t without its cons. For instance, there is no free plan.

Features of ActiveCampaign

#1: Automated Email Campaigns

ActiveCampaign offers different solutions to email campaigns. There are several options to choose from.

It gives you the flexibility of sending broadcast emails (everyone on your list at once), targeted emails, triggered emails, and email autoresponders.

In addition, ActiveCampaign supports email funnels that allow you to set up entire email automation.

Lastly, you get to schedule emails also with ActiveCampaign.

#2: Email Segmentation

ActiveCampaign offers advanced email Segmentation that allows you to group your contact into different groups.

The segmentation allows you to send Hyper-Targeted emails to your contacts.

Alongside the dynamic content feature, ActiveCampaign allows you to send the right content to the right people.

Is it an upsell? Nurture? Sell? ActiveCampaign automatically changes the email content to fit the contact’s stage.

#3: Powerful A/B split Test

It allows you to split test nearly everything in your email:

  • Email subject lines
  • Email content
  • From information
  • Images
  • Call to action

ActiveCampaign is capable of comparing 5 emails at the same time to see which performs better.

Besides testing emails, ActiveCampaign allows you to test the entire automation.

You get to split test your funnels.

#4: Advanced CRM

This is a plus over Mailerlite. Mailerlite is missing the CRM tool. Although it compensates for this by offering custom integration with other tools.

However, for ActiveCampaign, there’s a built-in sales CRM tool to take notes of your leads and also track their status with a scoring system.

When a contact hits a certain score, you can set up an automation that pitches an interesting offer to them.

Speaking of the lead score, several factors influence the scores:

  • Opens an email
  • Visits pricing page
  • Purchases a product
  • Clicks a link in an email
  • Abandons cart, etc.

#5: Marketing Automation

There’s more to marketing automation.

To begin with, ActiveCampaign offers a site tracker to track what people are doing on your website.

It tracks every event taking place upon sending emails to your contact list.

ActiveCampaign records events like email open, link clicked, video watched, etc.

Besides, it lets you track your goals (your expected action).

Finally, the automation map gives you a visual view of the automation in your funnel.

It shows you how they all connect and allows you to map out new automation.

#6: Customer Service Automation

Another feature ActiveCampaign performs excellently is its customer service.

With it, you don’t have to worry about bad customer service.

It offers some reasonable automation that allows you to track all communications with your contact via multiple channels.

Either via messaging, email, live chat, it connects the dot using an order number.

ActiveCampaign Pricing Plans

ActiveCampaign Pricing

To start with, ActiveCampaign doesn’t have a free plan like Mailerlite.

Irrespective of your email list count, ActiveCampaign has a plan for it.

Basically, there are four plans ( Lite, Plus, Professional, and Enterprise).

The Lite plan starts from $9 per month.

The Plus plan starts from $49 per month.

For the professional plan, it starts from $129 per month. Lastly, the Enterprise plan starts from $229 per month.

ActiveCampaign Cons

  • ActiveCampaign lacks a free plan

2. ConvertKit

ConvertKit is an email marketing tool that prides itself as a tool for creators. Founded in 2013, ConvertKit is popular among bloggers and course creators.

Interestingly, ConvertKit success case studies span a lot of content creators. But, compared to ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit has fewer options and features.

But it does serve as one of the best Mailerlite Alternatives.

Features of ConvertKit

#1: Powerful Landing page Builder

Compared to Mailerlite, ConvertKit offers an advanced landing page builder with a library of templates.

While Mailerlite only has five-page templates on each plan, ConvertKit has over 100 landing page templates.

Either it’s for course sign up or lead magnet, ConvertKit has got you covered.

Also, it gives you access to over 100,000 stock images to build and customize your landing page.

Needless to say, it’s a drag and drop builder that requires no code.

Plus, the landing pages are responsive on both mobile and desktop.

#2: Flexible Signup Forms

ConvertKit offers unlimited signup forms.

Creating your sign up form is a painless process, there are email form templates to choose from.

Plus, ConvertKit allows you to embed your form on your website.

You can either embed as an inline form, pop-ups, or slide-in.

Besides WordPress, you can input your signup form on other website builders like Shopify, SquareSpace, Wix, Leadpages, and many others.

Also, ConvertKit allows you to add custom fields for users to input.

#3: Flexible Email Designer

First, ConvertKit has a visual editor. However, it gives you the option of coding your email as well.

The visual editor allows you to write an email, add images, and CTAs without having to code.

Plus, you can choose to write a code for some part of your email or not.

Besides, ConvertKit allows you to tag your emails to track them.

Besides, it allows you to create email templates that can be reused.

For instance, you can create a template for the closing body of your email.

#4: Simple Yet Powerful Email Automation

ConvertKit email automation allows you to create automated funnels and email series that are triggered based on rules.

You also get to create these rules.

In short, with ConvertKit email automation, you can:

  • Create automated funnels
  • Customize a subscriber’s path
  • Send targeted content to the right contact
  • Segment your contact
  • Set up rules

For beginners still new to the world of email automation, ConvertKit offers a good solution easy to use.

You don’t have to be an email marketing expert to use ConvertKit email automation.

There are templates to assist you if you’re a beginner.

Basically, four templates to:

  • Survey your audience
  • Launch a product
  • Host a webinar
  • Sell a service

These are the four email automation examples you can get started with.

#5: Integration

Lastly, ConvertKit offers integration with popular apps like Teachable, Shopify, Crowdcast, Stripe, JetpackCRM, Bouncer, etc.

Notably, it offers integration with giveaway apps  like KingSumo, Gleam, Giveaway Boost, Kickofflabs, and ViralSweep

With Zapier integration, you are opened to the world of over a thousand popular apps to integrate with ConvertKit.

ConvertKit Pricing Plans

ConvertKit Pricing plan

There’s a free plan here. ConvertKit offers a free plan that supports 1000 email subscribers only.

Advanced automation and funneling are missing on the free plan. Custom integration isn’t supported either on the free plan.

While for the paid plans, ConvertKit offers the Creator plan and the Creator Pro plan.

The Creator plan costs $29 per month. And the Creator Pro plan costs $59 per month.

ConvertKit Cons

  • Lacks a CRM tool
  • ConvertKit lacks eCommerce email tools like product examination.

3. MailChimp

Mailchimp

MailChimp is a freemium marketing automation tool that offers more than just email marketing services. A free Mailerlite alternative.

Founded in 2001, MailChimp is one of the oldest marketing automation software in the industry.

It offers automation services for small businesses of all kinds including eCommerce stores.

Features of MailChimp

#1: Built-in Website Builder

Starting from the unusual, MailChimp offers an inbuilt website builder that allows you to build a website using their drag and drop builder.

It allows you to add a custom domain you already have or purchase one directly from MailChimp.

Also, there are several website templates to get you started.

However, the website builder lacks blog functionality. You can’t add a blog section to your website, just a static website.

#2: Landing Page Templates

Just like the website builder, MailChimp also has a separate landing page builder with a library of templates to use.

MailChimp landing pages offer additional features that allow you to do more on the landing page.

For instance, you can sell a product directly from your landing page thanks to the addition of a payment gateway.

Also, MailChimp allows you to hold a contest and offer a lead magnet.

#3: Marketing CRMs

MailChimp is another tool that has inbuilt CRM as part of its offering. The marketing CRMs tool helps you improve your customers’ experience.

MailChimp CRM gets data about your audience and then groups them into tags and segments.

These tags and segments help you understand the experience and exactly what your audience needs from you.

Using the data, you can serve personalized content to your audience.

What’s missing is a lead scoring system like that of ActiveCampaign.

#4: Behavioral Targeting

Similar to event tracking, Behavioral targeting tracks each of the events that a user does and triggers the necessary email sequence.

Either it’s a click, store visit, product purchase, cart abandonment, MailChimp tracks each event, and triggers the pre-designed email sequence.

In addition, it offers predictive demographics that predict the demographics of your audience and helps you craft the right message.

#5: Customer Journey Builder

MailChimp offers a customer journey builder that allows you to map out your customers’ journey.

Right from the customer journey builder, you can create automated email funnels, set up an entire email sequence, create tags, segments, and set up rules.

The customer journey is where you get to implement your customer data.

#6: Insights and Analytics

MailChimp provides insights and an analytics dashboard to track what’s working and the overall performance of your marketing.

Plus, it allows you to tweak and run a split test. You get to split test email subject lines, email content, from information, and a lot more.

MailChimp Pricing Plans

Mailchimp Pricing

MailChimp offers a free plan that supports up to 2000 email subscribers.

In addition to that, MailChimp offers three paid pricing plans; Essential, Standard, and Premium plans.

The Essential plan starts at $10 per month (supports up to 50,000 subscribers). The Standard plan starts at $14.99 per month (up to 100,000 subscribers). And the Premium plan starts from $299 per month (up to 200,000 subscribers).

Cons

  • Lacks a library of templates
  • Has a clunky interface

Try MailChimp here.

4. Getresponse

GetResponse autoresponder

GetResponse is an all-in-one marketing solution tool that provides more than just email marketing automation.

And also my favorite autoresponder for affiliate marketing.

It offers tools like webinar hosting, sales funnels, and a lot more.

Comparing GetResponse to Mailerlite is a no-brainer because GetResponse offers a lot more options than Mailerlite. It is the best all-in-one Mailerlite alternative.

But, as usual, there must be a catch.

Features of GetResponse

#1: Email Automation

To begin with, GetResponse offers a drag and drop email builder. Plus, it offers email templates to make the work easier.

With the autoresponder, you can map out and automate an entire email series and sequence that automatically drip-feed your contact.

Interestingly, you have the option of setting the rules which trigger the email autoresponder.

It could be as simple as signing up for your newsletter, then automatically sending your email series. And it could be buying your product, etc.

Finally, GetResponse isn’t missing on transactional emails. It supports and allows users to automate transactional emails such as receipts, discounts, etc.

#2: List Management

With tagging and segmentation, GetResponse equips its customers with tools to collect and grow their email list.

The tagging allows you to slice your list into smaller groups for hyper-targeting when creating your email content.

Moreover, it offers an automated lead scoring metric called engagement scores. This helps you gauge the engagement of your contact and also regroup them based on their engagement.

#3: Automated Conversion Funnel

A conspicuous feature offered by GetResponse is its conversion funnel. The conversion funnel is a rare feature among email automation tools.

GetResponse provides over 30 funnel templates to simplify the setup process.

With the funnel software, you can create a:

  • Sales funnel to sell products
  • Lead funnel to nurture leads
  • Webinar funnel to monetize expertise

#4: Webinars Hosting

Webinar hosting is one of the recently welcomed marketing strategies.

If you ever plan to host webinars, GetResponse is one of the email marketing tools with a built-in webinar platform.

While for Mailerlite and other alternatives, it requires you to integrate with third-party webinar platforms, it’s an added feature on GetResponse.

Moreover, it offers landing page templates specifically for collecting webinars registration information.

Also, there are built-in marketing tools to help you promote your webinars. For instance, it offers a one-click Facebook pixel to retarget website visitors.

#5: Paid Ads

Unlike many others, GetResponse allows you to launch paid ads campaigns directly from its dashboard.

For both Facebook and Instagram, GetResponse offers advanced analytics tools that help in retargeting your website visitors.

Creating ads isn’t a problem. It offers a social ads creator app.

The mobile app also houses a library of ad templates to choose from. For images, GetResponse integrates with Unsplash.

GetResponse Pricing Plans

How much is GetResponse

GetResponse offers four pricing plans; Basic, Plus, Professional, and Max plan. The Basic plan costs $15 per month. The Plus plan costs $49 per month.

With $99 per month, you get access to the professional plan. And finally, the Max plan offers custom pricing based on your needs.

Cons

  • GetResponse is expensive and lacks a free plan
  • Lacks phone support (except on premium plan)
  • Limited direct integrations except through Zapier

Try GetResponse Here.

5. Aweber

AWeber email software

Aweber is one of the oldest email automation tools that offer a simple and modest email solution.

Founded in 1998, Aweber has successfully gathered a strong customer base of over 100.000 businesses.

A recent change in its feature-set is its pricing plan. Similar to its alternatives, recently, Aweber started offering a free plan for customers with less than 500 subscribers.

Like other tools, Aweber has its own unique set of shortcomings.

Key Features of Aweber

#1: Powerful Email Designer

One of the features Aweber proudly displays on their homepage is their powerful email designer. Obviously, there are flexible options for designing an email with Aweber.

First, Aweber offers a full-library of over 700 email templates to choose from. The options are near inexhaustible.

Plus, it recently added Smart Designer. This is an AI-powered templates creator that automatically generates a new email design in seconds.

To crown it all, the email design interface is a drag and drop designer. And that gives room to edit the templates to suit your needs without necessarily using codes.

#2: Email Campaign Automation

It’s worth mentioning that Aweber doesn’t offer advanced automation like GetResponse.

However, Aweber enables you to create triggers and flow for your email campaign. The trigger allows you to send an email based on a user’s action.

Additionally, Aweber features an automated tagging that tags users and puts them in groups based on their tag.

Following the tag, you can send personalized emails to your contact (sending specific emails to a tag group).

#3: Subscriber Management

Aside from tags, Aweber allows you to manage your email list by segregating them into categories.

For marketers that have an email list(s) before Aweber service, it allows for easy transfer of your data.

Lastly, to grow your email list, Aweber allows you to create sign up forms to embed on your website.

#4: Analytics & Reporting

Aweber offers inbuilt analytics and a reporting dashboard to track the performance of your email marketing.

It tracks clicks, signups, sales, and a few other KPIs. However, it might require some set up from your end to unleash other data.

For instance, integrating Google analytics with Aweber will introduce more functions and analytics to track.

With their split testing function, you can tweak your email automation for better results.

Aweber Pricing Plans

AWeber Pricing

As said earlier on, Aweber’s plan starts from its recently introduced free plan. The free plan supports businesses with less than 500 email subscribers.

For the paid plan (Pro), it starts from $16.15 per month for less than 500 subscribers.

And for businesses with more than 25K subscribers, Aweber has a custom plan.

Aweber Cons

  • Doesn’t support businesses with large lists.
  • Doesn’t offer A/B split testing on landing pages
  • Has limited templates
  • The free plan only supports 500 subscribers while many others support over 1000 subscribers.

Try AWeber Here.

6. Moosend

Moosend tool

Moosend is one of the email marketing tools in the industry, not so popular as the rest.

It offers marketing automation for eCommerce brand stores alongside other attractive features.

Founded in 2011, it’s gradually rising to join the best tools in the industry.

Below are its key features.

Features of Moosend

#1: Drag and Drop Editor

The drag and drop isn’t a surprise or a new feature in the industry.

What’s new is the 40+ email templates to choose from.

Plus, it offers a range of elements like text, videos, images, buttons, and articles, etc. to create an attractive email.

Lastly, you can view the code of your email too.

#2: Marketing Automation

It starts with pre-designed templates. Moosend has over 30 built-in marketing automation workflow templates.

All you need to do is to select any of the templates, edit the content, and customize it to your satisfaction.

For beginners, this is an interesting feature as some people still find it hard to picture how an automation workflow works.

That said, building from scratch isn’t hard thanks to the added features.

You get to set up triggers that initiate the automation workflow. Segmentation of subscribers is also included.

Other added features are:

  • Multiple triggers
  • Recurring emails
  • Precise time intervals
  • Instant editor access
  • “And” / “or” expression
  • Stats reset
  • Workflow sharing
  • Accessible reporting
  • Merge paths
  • Workflow notes, etc.

#3: E-commerce AI Automation

Moosend’s strength lies in its eCommerce AI automation.

First, Moosend allows you to track and manage your contact list.

It offers cart abandonment automation that sends your contact an email whenever they abandon their cart.

What’s more is its product recommendation that automatically offers your customers products they love and need, an easy sell.

Another unique feature is its advanced emails that automatically displays product blocks.

You get to see product blocks with their images and description between your emails.

Finally, it offers a subject line tester to rate your subject lines giving details on the possible open rate, personalization, and many others.

#3: Reporting and Analytics

Absolutely, this was expected. No marketing tool without an analytics dashboard.

However, there are unique features like report sharing, click and scroll tracking, etc.

Report sharing is a golden feature that enables you to share reports with your team members.

Moosend Pricing Plans

moosend pricing

Moosend offers three pricing plans; free, pro, and Enterprise plan.

The free plan only supports 1000 subscribers. It also lacks some features like landing pages, transactional emails, custom reporting, etc.

The Pro plan starts from $8 per month for 1000 subscribers. And increases based on the number of subscribers.

And for the Enterprise plan, it offers custom pricing.

Cons

  • The user interface isn’t intuitive

Try MooSend Here.

7. Sendlane

SendLane autoresponder

Sendlane is an eCommerce email marketing tool that helps you bring out the best from your store. It also makes up my list of best email service for affiliate marketers.

Unlike other alternatives on the list, Sendlane is created with eCommerce stores in mind.

However, it offers no restriction to other small businesses. Content creators are welcomed, likewise.

A noticeable feature on Sendlane is its multiple channels of communication that supports SMS marketing.

That said, here are some of the key features on Sendlane:

Features of Sendlane

#1: Ecommerce Email Marketing

To start with, Sendlane offers a drag and drop email editor. The editor allows you to visually design emails optimized for both mobile and desktop.

As expected, it also allows you to design and send newsletters, coupons, or announce product updates.

#2: Marketing Automation

Sendlane offers pre-designed eCommerce funnel templates to get you started with your automation.

With behavior tracking, Sendlane automatically triggers an email or SMS based on the behavior of contacts.

Based on the behavior of contacts, Sendlane groups them into segments to personalize their experience.

For contacts that leave your store, Sendlane offers automatic retargeting to follow up on them.

#3: SMS Marketing

Absolutely, this is one of the unique offerings of Sendlane. Instead of just email marketing, Sendlane allows you to communicate with your contact outside of email.

And the best part is, even when customers aren’t checking their emails, they get messages on their mobile phone.

#4: Multivariate Testing

Known as advanced A/B split testing on other tools.

Sendlane multivariate testing allows you to run up to 4 email variations at the same time.

Sendlane allows you to test the subject, content, and preheader.

You don’t have to test it all on all your contacts, you can select the number of contacts to get the emails.

#5: Sendlane Beacon

Sendlane beacon is a tool that follows and tracks where your contacts are in the customer journey.

And then retargets your contacts based on where they are in the customer journey.

Finally, it provides a report and analytics dashboard to track the performance of your email marketing.

#6: Powerful Integration

Sendlane offers custom integration with over 1400 popular apps.

It includes shopping carts, membership platforms, payment processors, etc.

With deep data integration, you can pass data from one app to Sendlane and vice versa for better understanding.

For instance, the Shopify integration allows you to map Shopify’s fields into segmentation, move the Shopify tags, and many others.

Sendlane Pricing Plans

SendLane Pricing

Sendlane offers three paid pricing plans alongside a 14-day free trial that doesn’t require credit cards.

The starter plan is a one-time payment of $497 that gives you access to the Growth plan for 6 months alongside educational resources.

The Growth plan (middle plan) costs $79 per month. It offers some essential features and lacks some features like SMS marketing, multi-user access, onboarding support, and a lot more.

Finally, at $125 per month, the Pro plan gives you access to all features.

Cons

  • It lacks a free plan
  • The premium plans are expensive

Try SendLane Here.

Conclusion – Which is the Best Mailerlite Alternative?

Absolutely, choosing the best email marketing automation tool is overwhelming. Each tool with its unique offering and cons.

If you’re finding it hard to choose an alternative, ActiveCampaign has my vote as the best Mailerlite alternative.

It offers advanced features and automation. With its CRM tool, you can manage your contacts.

ConvertKit isn’t bad either. It has a free plan but fewer options compared to ActiveCampaign.

Either way, you can’t go wrong with ActiveCampaign.

Let me know which of the above Mailerlite alternatives you’d be going for below.

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