AWeber vs. Mailchimp 2024: A Detailed Comparison with a Clear Winner

AWeber is responsible for inventing the email autoresponder and has been around for about 28 years. It offers email marketing tools to create and send professional email campaigns, newsletters, and automated sequences.

Comparatively, Mailchimp may not have invented anything, but they’ve done an interesting job with their marketing. The platform is focused on attracting small and medium businesses that are just getting started with email marketing. 

So, AWeber has been around forever and Mailchimp is the popular kid in class, but which of the two is more suitable for your needs? All that matters is what they can offer you in 2024 — the features to help you achieve your email marketing goals.

Join us as we break down key differences in this AWeber vs Mailchimp review to help you make the right decision.

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AWeber vs Mailchimp: Which One Should You Go For?

Both AWeber and Mailchimp are reputable email marketing platforms, but their differences make them suitable for different types of users with varying needs.

This is why we will need to explore the features in detail and compare the weaknesses and strengths.

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1. User Interface and Ease of Use

Both AWeber and Mailchimp have simple UIs — but between the two, Mailchimp has the edge. Its UI is snappy and visually pleasing and feels faster and more intuitive. 

AWeber has a more traditional interface that focuses on simplicity and efficiency. Its interface may not be as visually appealing as Mailchimp’s but it is still accessible for users of all skill levels.

But figuring out certain steps on AWeber can take time as they’re often hidden away in sub-menus. It doesn’t help that they use creative (read: uncommon) terms for typical ESP features; for example, popups are called “Web Push Notifications” on AWeber. 

When it comes to AMP for email, AWeber takes the lead over Mailchimp. AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is a Google technology that lets you create emails with live, dynamic content in them. This allows recipients to take actions directly within an email. For example, your subscribers can choose from a list of options, buy a product, or respond to an event invite directly from their email client.

Ease of Use: AWeber vs Mailchimp

The differences between AWeber and Mailchimp’s user experience:

Aspect	AWeber	Mailchimp
Simplicity of UI	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Email editor	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Mobile app	✅	✅
Media library	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Templates	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: Mailchimp takes this round.

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2. Deliverability Rates

So which of these two ESPs helps your emails avoid spam folders more? According to Email Tool Tester, both AWeber and Mailchimp offer decent deliverability rates, but Mailchimp is clearly the better performer.

In the January 2024 deliverability test, AWeber managed an 83.1% deliverability rate, whereas Mailchimp averaged around 89.5% in the same period. It’s important to highlight that AWeber had a rate of 93.2% in the previous test, while Mailchimp was at 95.5%.

Both platforms encourage users and provide plenty of resources for email professionals to set up authentication protocols. These two platforms are also focused on compliance with anti-spam regulations.

Feature	AWeber	Mailchimp
Average deliverability rate	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
List cleaning	Manual	Manual
Support for authentication protocols	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: Mailchimp.

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3. Automation 

AWeber may have invented the autoresponder, which is no tiny task, but how has the company innovated since? Have the features improved? 

Well, not much — because it only offers simple email automation features. AWeber focuses primarily on basic autoresponders and follow-up sequences but if you want to put together advanced automation workflows, you may want to consider Mailchimp instead. 

Mailchimp offers more advanced automation, such as customer journey builders, abandoned cart automation, and product retargeting. These can be particularly useful for e-commerce businesses. 

With Mailchimp, you can create complex marketing campaigns that require detailed triggers. You can also segment your email list better and use factors such as user behavior, preferences, and other detailed conditions. 

Mailchimp’s integration with popular e-commerce platforms is superior to AWeber, enabling automated abandoned cart sequences and order notifications. You can also run product retargeting campaigns.

Both platforms feature pre-built automation templates for common use cases, like welcome series, abandoned cart emails, and product launch sequences.

AWeber offers a more straightforward approach to automation, which can be appealing to users who prioritize ease of use over advanced features. For example, setting up automation is simpler than in the case of Mailchimp.

Mailchimp’s automation is clearly superior to AWeber’s:

Automation features	AWeber	Mailchimp
Advanced automation	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Integration with e-commerce	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Advanced triggers	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Customer Journey	⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: Mailchimp.

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4. Template Library and Email Editor

AWeber provides a selection of pre-designed email templates organized into different categories, such as email newsletters, product promotions, and event invitations. AWeber offers way more templates than Mailchimp does, but these templates are relatively basic and offer limited customization options.

Comparatively, Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop email builder is more intuitive and flexible, allowing users to easily rearrange content blocks, adjust layouts, and customize design elements. You can also change fonts, access color palettes, edit images, and upload custom designs.

Both AWeber and Mailchimp feature HTML editors for advanced users who want to create custom templates using HTML and CSS.

Besides traditional email fonts, AWeber and Mailchimp both allow you to use web fonts in your email campaigns.

Between the two, Mailchimp offers a more visually appealing template library. This, along with advanced design capabilities, would appeal to users who prioritize branding in their email campaigns. 

AWeber isn’t exactly a slacker, though, as you get access to 700+ mobile-ready email templates. There’s also a built-in Smart Designer tool to create new templates. 

Summarizing the differences between the two:

Templates and editor features	AWeber	Mailchimp
Quality of templates	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Customization options	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Custom HTML template creation	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Web fonts	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

Winner: We’d call this round a tie. 

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5. Analytics and Reporting

Both AWeber and Mailchimp provide analytics and reporting tools to help users track the performance of their email campaigns. AWeber offers basic reporting features that cover essential metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, email bounces, and unsubscribe rates. 

Mailchimp does a slightly better job than AWeber, offering more comprehensive analytics capabilities. With Mailchimp, you can access detailed insights into campaign performance, subscriber behavior, and marketing ROI. There are also metrics such as revenue tracking, e-commerce data integration, and subscriber engagement scoring.

Additionally, you can access data from Mailchimp’s campaign reports, namely heat maps, click maps, and device analysis. This lets you optimize your email content and designs for better engagement stats.

Tracking customer journeys is much more detailed on Mailchimp, too. This is primarily due to its integration with various web analytics tools like Google Analytics. Such tools can provide a more comprehensive view of the customer’s movements through your sales or marketing funnels.

Mailchimp also offers predictive analytics, which gives users insights on metrics like Customer Lifetime Value and Purchase Likelihood. 

You can see how Mailchimp dominates AWeber on the analytics front:

Analytics features	AWeber	Mailchimp
Simplicity	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Advanced analytics	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Predictive capabilities	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Support for web analytics	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: Mailchimp gets an easy win.

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6. AWeber vs Mailchimp Pricing: Which One Offers More Value?

Like most ESPs, both AWeber and Mailchimp charge users as per the size of their contact lists. 

Basic plans on both platforms are similar; while AWeber’s entry-level plan starts at $20 a month, Mailchimp starts at $17. But Mailchimp offers a lifetime-free plan (up to 2,000 contacts) to new users whereas AWeber limits free use to just 30 days.

The devil is in the details — so let’s take a closer look at the pricing plans from both competitors.

AWeber Pricing Tiers

Here’s the scoop on how much it costs to be on AWeber:

AWeber plan	Monthly price	Yearly price	Feature
Free	$0	$0	‣ Up to 500 contacts ‣ 3,000 email sends/month ‣ 1 user ‣ Basic segmentation ‣ 1 email automation ‣ Email templates ‣ HTML editor  ‣ Media library ‣ Dynamic content ‣ AMP emails ‣ 1 landing page ‣ Signup forms ‣ Simple message analytics ‣ Sales tracking ‣ Up to 50k Web Push NotificationsChat and email support
Lite	$14.99	$150($12.50 per month)	‣ All of the above  + ‣ Unlimited email sends ‣ 3 landing pages ‣ 3 email automation ‣ 3 users ‣ A/B testing ‣ Import shared campaigns ‣ Sign up form split testing ‣ Save and send to custom segments ‣ Advanced message analyticsPhone support
Plus	$29.99	$240($20 per month)	‣ All of the above  + ‣ Behavioral automation ‣ Branded click-tracking links ‣ Remove AWeber branding ‣ Detailed deliverability reporting ‣ Facebook pixel tracking ‣ Remove AWeber branding from landing pages ‣ Advanced audience/account analytics ‣ Webpage tracking ‣ Email sales tracking ‣ Free migration support from tech reps
Unlimited	$899	$10,788($899 per month)	‣ All of the above + ‣ Single fixed price for subscribers ‣ Unlimited email lists ‣ Unlimited landing pages ‣ Unlimited email automation ‣ Send 12x subscriber volume, monthly

Not bad. But how does Mailchimp compare?

Mailchimp: Pricing Plans

Mailchimp presents itself as affordable, but that’s only until you have very basic requirements.

We break down the plans and pricing here:

Mailchimp plan	Monthly price	Yearly price	Feature
Free	$0	$0	‣ 500 contacts ‣ 1,000 email sends ‣ 1 user ‣ Basic segmentation ‣ Behavioral targeting ‣ Basic templates ‣ Mailchimp branding ‣ Website builder ‣ SEO tools ‣ Free Mailchimp domain
Essentials	$9.22	$55.32($4.61 per month)	‣ 500 contacts ‣ 5,000 email sends ‣ 3 users ‣ Basic segmentation ‣ Behavioral targeting ‣ No Mailchimp branding ‣ A/B testing ‣ Website builder ‣ SEO tools ‣ Free Mailchimp domain
Standard	$13.77	$82.56($6.88 per month)	‣ 500 contacts ‣ 6,000 email sends ‣ 5 users ‣ Advanced segmentation ‣ Multi-step automation ‣ No Mailchimp branding ‣ Behavioral targeting ‣ Campaign manager ‣ Retargeting Google ads ‣ Comparative reporting ‣ A/B testing ‣ Multivariate Testing ‣ Content Optimizer ‣ Dynamic Content ‣ Send Time Optimization ‣ Website builder ‣ SEO tools ‣ Free Mailchimp domain
Premium	$275.49	$1,653($137.75 per month)	‣ Custom number of contacts ‣ 150,000 email sends ‣ Custom email sends ‣ Unlimited users ‣ Advanced segmentation ‣ Multi-step automation ‣ Mailchimp branding removed  ‣ Behavioral targeting ‣ Campaign manager ‣ Retargeting Google ads ‣ Comparative reporting ‣ A/B testing ‣ Multivariate Testing ‣ Content Optimizer ‣ Dynamic Content ‣ Send Time Optimization ‣ Website builder ‣ SEO tools ‣ Free Mailchimp domain

Going purely by the costs per month and what you get in return, Mailchimp seems much more appealing, compared to AWeber. 

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AWeber vs Mailchimp: So Which One Should You Pick?

You can run email campaigns from either of these email service providers; what differs is the complexity of the campaigns and the analytical insights you get after.

The pricing isn’t a dealbreaker either; you can expect to pay about the same for either of these services. 

This table explains what we’re talking about:

Aspect	AWeber	Mailchimp
Deliverability	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Simplicity of UI	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Autoresponders	✅	✅
Advanced automation	❌	✅
Personalization	✅	✅
CRM features	❌	✅
Web analytics	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Third-party integration	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Social media analytics	❌	✅
Analytics	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Page builders	✅	✅
Pop-ups	✅	✅

From our analysis of these platforms, we would recommend you go for Mailchimp. There is little AWeber does better. We would only suggest AWeber to email marketers looking for a simple, straightforward ESP that doesn’t overwhelm you with features and stats.

However — if you’re looking for a mix of elite email performance and value for money, we recommend you choose Campaign Refinery instead. 

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Campaign Refinery: Simple, Powerful, and Beats Both AWeber and Mailchimp

What are email marketers really looking for? 

In our opinion, they want a simple UI, smooth automation, the best deliverability rates, and powerful and accurate analytics. Plus, they want all of this at fair prices.

Is that even possible?

At Campaign Refinery, the answer is a loud YES!

Campaign Refinery is a Better Choice than AWeber or Mailchimp

There’s no doubt both AWeber and Mailchimp are excellent email marketing platforms; both have been around for a while and have their fair share of vocal fans.

But at Campaign Refinery, we didn’t want to be another ESP. We went straight to the roots of email marketing and built this platform around the one thing email marketers want more than anything: email deliverability. 

Additionally, Campaign Refinery also offers a simple and lightning-fast UI, numerous email templates, training videos, advanced segmentation tools, and templates for automated email campaigns.

How Affordable is Campaign Refinery?

If you love our features, you’ll love our pricing even more.

On the entry-level plan, you will only pay 0.19 cents per email. And don’t worry about missing features on the basic plan — we’ve ensured all tiers can access all our amazing features! 

A closer look at Campaign Refinery plans:

Campaign Refinery Plan	Price	Credits	Features
Business	$99/mo	50,000	‣ Unlimited contacts ‣ Campaign library ‣ Segmentation tools ‣ Automatic list cleaning ‣ Gamification ‣ Evergreen Flash Sales ‣ Advanced automation features
Growth	$299/mo	200,000	‣ All of the above + ‣ Disable Campaign Refinery branding ‣ Higher volume of API access
Enterprise	>$1k/mo	1 million	‣ All of the above + ‣ Dedicated Success Manager ‣ Custom API volumes

How Complicated is it to Migrate to Campaign Refinery?