Best AWeber Alternatives: Which Email Marketing Tool Should You Actually Use?
AWeber has been around since 1998, and they essentially invented the autoresponder. But "being first" doesn't mean "being best" anymore. The platform feels dated, recent price hikes have frustrated long-time customers, and there are better options for most use cases.
If you're looking to switch—or you're comparing tools before committing—here's an honest breakdown of the best AWeber alternatives based on what you actually need.
Why People Leave AWeber
Before we dive into alternatives, let's be clear about why you might want to leave. AWeber's main issues include:
- Outdated interface: The UI hasn't kept pace with modern competitors. It feels clunky compared to tools like MailerLite or Brevo.
- Limited automation: Basic automation only—no visual workflow builder or complex behavioral triggers on lower plans.
- Price increases: AWeber recently raised prices significantly for grandfathered customers (50-150% increases reported). Their Lite plan starts at $15/month for just 500 subscribers with AWeber branding on your emails.
- Feature restrictions: The Lite plan limits you to 1 email list, 1 custom segment, 3 automations, and 3 landing pages. You need the $30/month Plus plan to get unlimited features.
- Charges for unsubscribes: They charge you based on total contacts, not just active ones (though they recently changed this for unsubscribed contacts).
That said, AWeber still has solid deliverability and decent customer support. If those are your priorities and you're happy with basic features, AWeber might still work for you. But most people can do better.
The Best AWeber Alternatives Compared
1. MailerLite – Best Budget Option
MailerLite is probably the most direct AWeber replacement for small businesses. It's affordable, easy to use, and doesn't nickel-and-dime you on features.
Pricing:
- Free plan: Up to 500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month
- Growing Business: Starts at $10/month for 500 subscribers (unlimited emails)
- Advanced: Starts at $20/month for 500 subscribers
What's good:
- Clean, intuitive drag-and-drop editor
- Marketing automation included even on free plan
- Only charges for "unique subscribers used" (contacts you actually email)
- Landing pages, website builder, and surveys included
What sucks:
- Free plan doesn't include pre-designed templates—you start from scratch
- Strict approval process (good for deliverability, annoying to set up)
- No built-in CRM or lead scoring
- 500 subscriber limit on free plan is restrictive
Best for: Small businesses, bloggers, and solopreneurs who want solid features without complexity or high costs.
2. Brevo (Formerly Sendinblue) – Best for Unlimited Contacts
Brevo takes a different approach: they charge based on emails sent, not contacts stored. This makes them excellent if you have a large list but don't email frequently. Check out our full Brevo pricing breakdown and Brevo review for more details.
Pricing:
- Free plan: 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts
- Starter: From $9/month for 5,000 emails/month
- Business: From $18/month for 5,000 emails/month (adds automation, A/B testing)
What's good:
- Unlimited contacts on all plans
- Includes SMS, WhatsApp, and transactional emails
- Marketing automation and CRM included
- Good deliverability (99% delivery rate claimed)
What sucks:
- Daily sending limit on free plan (300/day)
- Brevo branding on emails until you pay $12/month extra to remove it
- Automation limited to 2,000 contacts on Starter plan
- Credits don't roll over—use them or lose them
Best for: Businesses with large lists who send campaigns sporadically, or those who need multi-channel marketing (email + SMS).
3. Kit (Formerly ConvertKit) – Best for Creators
Kit is built specifically for bloggers, course creators, and content creators. The interface is simple, and they focus heavily on automation and selling digital products.
Pricing:
- Free Newsletter plan: Up to 10,000 subscribers (but only 1 automation)
- Creator: $39/month for 1,000 subscribers
- Creator Pro: $59/month for 1,000 subscribers
What's good:
- Incredibly generous free plan (10,000 subscribers)
- Built-in commerce features for selling digital products
- Visual automation builder is excellent
- Free migration service from other platforms
- Strong segmentation and tagging
What sucks:
- Expensive once you're past 1,000 subscribers on paid plans
- Limited email template designs—focused on simple, text-based emails
- No spam or design testing tools
- Recent price hikes have angered users
Best for: Creators, bloggers, and course sellers who prioritize automation and monetization over fancy email designs.
4. Mailchimp – Most Feature-Rich (But Expensive)
Mailchimp is the 800-pound gorilla of email marketing. Everyone's heard of it, and it has the most integrations. But it's also gotten expensive and complicated.
Pricing:
- Free plan: Up to 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/month
- Essentials: Starts around $13/month for 500 contacts
- Standard: Starts around $20/month for 500 contacts
- Premium: Starts around $350/month
What's good:
- Most integrations of any platform (Shopify, WordPress, everything)
- Good template library
- Built-in social media ad creation
- Strong reporting and analytics
What sucks:
- Gets expensive fast as your list grows
- Charges for unsubscribed and bounced contacts
- Free plan is extremely limited now (500 contacts max)
- Interface has become bloated and confusing
- Customer support is mediocre unless you're on premium
Best for: Businesses that need extensive integrations and don't mind paying premium prices.
5. Constant Contact – Best for Event Marketing
Constant Contact is another old-school platform like AWeber, but it's stayed more competitive. Their unique angle is event marketing features.
Pricing:
- Lite: $12/month for 500 contacts
- Standard: $35/month for 500 contacts
- Premium: $80/month for 500 contacts
What's good:
- Built-in event marketing (tickets, RSVPs, payment processing)
- Social media scheduling included
- AI copy generator
- Good for beginners—very user-friendly
What sucks:
- Expensive for what you get
- Limited automation compared to competitors
- No free plan (just 30-day trial)
- A/B testing only for subject lines
Best for: Organizations that run events and need integrated ticketing/registration with their email marketing.
6. ActiveCampaign – Best for Advanced Automation
If automation is your priority, ActiveCampaign is hard to beat. It's essentially a marketing automation platform with email built in, not the other way around.
Pricing:
- Starter: $29/month for 1,000 contacts
- Plus: $49/month for 1,000 contacts
- Pro: $149/month for 1,000 contacts
What's good:
- Most powerful automation builder available
- Built-in CRM
- Lead scoring and predictive sending
- Site tracking and behavioral triggers
What sucks:
- No free plan
- Steeper learning curve
- Overkill for simple newsletter needs
- Price jumps significantly as list grows
Best for: Businesses that need sophisticated marketing automation and don't mind a learning curve.
7. Klaviyo – Best for Ecommerce
Klaviyo is built specifically for ecommerce businesses, particularly Shopify and WooCommerce stores. It's expensive but powerful for online sellers.
Pricing:
- Free: Up to 250 contacts, 500 email sends
- Paid plans start around $20/month for 500 contacts
- Scales up significantly with list size
What's good:
- Deep ecommerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce)
- Product recommendations based on purchase history
- Abandoned cart automations pre-built
- Customer segmentation based on buying behavior
- Built-in SMS marketing
What sucks:
- Expensive—designed for stores making money
- Overkill if you're not doing ecommerce
- Can be complex to set up properly
Best for: Online stores doing significant revenue who need behavior-based marketing automation.
Quick Comparison Table
| Platform | Free Plan | Starting Paid Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | 500 subscribers | $10/month | Budget-conscious small businesses |
| Brevo | 300 emails/day (unlimited contacts) | $9/month | Large lists, infrequent senders |
| Kit | 10,000 subscribers | $39/month | Creators and course sellers |
| Mailchimp | 500 contacts | $13/month | Those needing max integrations |
| Constant Contact | None (30-day trial) | $12/month | Event marketing |
| ActiveCampaign | None | $29/month | Advanced automation needs |
| Klaviyo | 250 contacts | $20/month | Ecommerce businesses |
Which AWeber Alternative Should You Choose?
Here's my take based on specific situations:
Tightest budget? Go with MailerLite. The free plan is functional, and paid plans are reasonable. You get most of what AWeber offers for less money.
Big list but don't email often? Brevo makes the most sense. Unlimited contacts and pay-per-email pricing works in your favor.
Creator, blogger, or course seller? Kit (formerly ConvertKit) was literally built for you. The free plan is generous, and monetization features are built-in.
Running an online store? Skip the general-purpose tools and go straight to Klaviyo. The ecommerce features will pay for themselves.
Need serious automation? ActiveCampaign is the power tool. Higher learning curve, but nothing else comes close for complex workflows.
Comfortable with AWeber but want something similar? Constant Contact or Mailchimp will feel familiar, though both have their own pricing quirks.
Before You Switch
A few things to consider before migrating:
- Export your list first. Download your subscribers, tags, and segments from AWeber before canceling.
- Check integrations. Make sure your new platform connects with your other tools (website, CRM, ecommerce platform).
- Migration services. Some platforms (like Kit) offer free migration from competitors if you have a larger list.
- Warm up your sending. When you switch platforms, gradually increase sending volume to maintain deliverability.
- Don't lose your automations. Document your existing sequences before switching—you'll need to rebuild them.
Email marketing is one of those tools where switching costs are real but not insurmountable. If AWeber isn't working for you—whether it's the price increases, limited features, or clunky interface—there's no reason to stay loyal. The alternatives have caught up and, in many cases, passed AWeber by.
For more on email marketing tools, check out our guide to the best email marketing software or dive into specific comparisons in our email marketing for small business guide.