AWeber Review: Is This Email Marketing Tool Worth It?

AWeber is one of the OGs of email marketing software. Founded in 1998, it's been around longer than most of its competitors and claims over 100,000 customers. But being around a long time doesn't mean it's still the best choice.

After digging into AWeber's pricing, features, and limitations, here's the honest take: it's a solid, simple email marketing tool with excellent customer support, but the pricing doesn't quite match the feature set when you compare it to modern alternatives.

Let's break it down.

AWeber Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay

AWeber offers four pricing tiers: Free, Lite, Plus, and Unlimited. Here's what you're looking at:

Free Plan

Up to 500 subscribers
3,000 emails per month
Basic features with limitations
1 email list
1 landing page
1 automation
AWeber branding on emails

The free plan is decent for getting started, but it's more limited than competitors like MailerLite which offers 1,000 subscribers on their free tier.

Lite Plan

$15/month (monthly) or $12.50/month (annual) for 500 subscribers
Send limit: 10x your subscriber count per month
3 landing pages
3 email automations
1 custom segment
Most features available with limitations

Plus Plan

$30/month (monthly) or $20/month (annual) for 500 subscribers
Send limit: 12x your subscriber count per month
Unlimited landing pages
Unlimited automations
Unlimited segments
No AWeber branding
Advanced analytics and split testing

Unlimited Plan

$899/month
Unlimited subscribers and email sends
Personalized account management
All features unlocked

Pricing By Subscriber Count

Here's where AWeber can get expensive. As your list grows, costs scale up:

500 subscribers: $15-$30/month
2,500 subscribers: ~$30/month
10,000 subscribers: ~$70-$140/month
25,000 subscribers: ~$145/month

The annual billing option gives you roughly 33% off, which helps. But compared to some competitors, AWeber's pricing feels steep for what you get.

Try AWeber Free →

What AWeber Does Well

Customer Support That's Actually Helpful

This is AWeber's standout feature. They offer phone support, email support, and live chat on all paid plans. Most competitors (Mailchimp, GetResponse, Campaign Monitor) don't offer phone support on standard plans. If you're new to email marketing and want to talk to a human when things go wrong, AWeber delivers.

600+ Email Templates

AWeber has one of the largest template libraries in the industry. While some reviewers note that certain templates feel a bit dated, there's enough variety that you'll find something that works. All templates are mobile-responsive.

Smart Designer Feature

This is genuinely cool. Enter your website URL and AWeber's Smart Designer crawls your site to learn your branding—colors, fonts, logos—and generates custom email templates that match your brand. It's a time-saver and something you don't get on most other platforms.

Canva Integration

AWeber integrates directly with Canva, letting you create graphics without leaving the email builder. For small teams without a designer, this is handy. Learn more about Canva in our Canva review or check out Canva pricing.

Landing Page Builder

The landing page builder is one of AWeber's stronger features. You can create pages, embed signup forms, sell products, and connect custom domains. They offer 46+ landing page templates that are well-designed and don't require much customization to look professional.

Blog Broadcasts (RSS to Email)

If you run a blog, AWeber can automatically turn your RSS feed into email newsletters. Set a schedule, and new posts get sent to subscribers without manual work.

PayPal Integration for Selling

AWeber integrates with PayPal, letting you collect payments for digital products and services directly through landing pages and emails. When someone buys, you can trigger automated follow-up sequences.

Where AWeber Falls Short

Limited Automation Capabilities

Here's the big problem. AWeber's automation features are basic compared to competitors like ActiveCampaign or even newer tools like Brevo. You get basic triggers and actions, but building sophisticated multi-step workflows with conditional logic? Not AWeber's strength.

If you need advanced marketing automation, you'll hit the ceiling quickly.

Segmentation Restrictions on Lower Tiers

On the Lite plan, you're limited to just 1 custom segment. That's pretty restrictive if you're serious about sending targeted emails. You'll need the Plus plan to unlock unlimited segments.

Pricing Doesn't Match Features

This is the core issue. AWeber charges prices comparable to more advanced tools but doesn't include the pro-features to justify it. Tools like MailerLite offer similar (or better) functionality at lower prices. Brevo includes CRM features AWeber lacks.

Deliverability Concerns

Some reviews and tests suggest AWeber's deliverability rates aren't best-in-class. Your mileage may vary, but it's worth testing before committing a large list.

Interface Feels Dated

AWeber's interface works, but it's not as clean or intuitive as newer platforms. Navigation can feel clunky—finding certain options takes more clicks than it should. They also use confusing terminology ("Broadcasts" for regular emails, "Campaigns" for automations).

AWeber vs. The Competition

AWeber vs. Mailchimp

Both are priced similarly and neither is the cheapest option. AWeber is slightly more affordable and offers phone support on all paid plans. Mailchimp has a slicker interface and better automation features. If you do affiliate marketing, AWeber is the safer choice—Mailchimp has stricter terms around affiliate links.

AWeber vs. MailerLite

MailerLite is significantly cheaper with more generous free tier (1,000 subscribers vs. 500). It's also simpler to use. AWeber has more templates and phone support. For most small businesses, MailerLite offers better value.

AWeber vs. Brevo

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) includes CRM features AWeber doesn't have, plus better automation capabilities. Pricing is competitive. If you need more than basic email marketing, check out our Brevo review and Brevo pricing breakdown.

AWeber vs. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is more expensive but vastly superior for automation. If you need complex workflows and advanced segmentation, AWeber can't compete.

Who Should Use AWeber?

AWeber makes sense if you:

Value customer support: Phone support on all paid plans is rare in this industry
Want simplicity: It handles the basics well without overwhelming complexity
Need lots of templates: 600+ options means you'll find something
Run a small newsletter or blog: The blog broadcast feature is genuinely useful
Sell digital products: PayPal integration and landing pages make it workable

For more options on email marketing, check out our guide to best email marketing software and email marketing for small business.

Who Should Skip AWeber?

Look elsewhere if you:

Need advanced automation: AWeber's workflow builder is too basic
Have a large list on a budget: Pricing scales up fast
Want CRM features: AWeber is email-only
Need sophisticated segmentation: Lower tiers are too restrictive

The Bottom Line

AWeber is a reliable, straightforward email marketing tool that's been doing this for over 25 years. The customer support is excellent, the template library is huge, and features like Smart Designer and Canva integration are genuinely useful.

But here's the reality: AWeber's pricing puts it in the same range as tools that offer significantly more. The automation features are too basic for growing businesses. The segmentation limits on lower tiers are frustrating. And the interface could use a refresh.

If you're just starting out and want something simple with good support, AWeber's free plan is worth trying. But if you're comparing paid plans, tools like MailerLite, Brevo, or even Mailchimp often deliver better value.