Linda ParkLinda Park

AWeber vs GetResponse: Which Email Marketing Platform Should You Actually Use?

November 13, 2025

I've used both of these platforms across a few different client accounts, and they're not as interchangeable as people assume. They started from a similar place but ended up feeling like completely different tools in practice. One of them I kept reaching for, and one I kept working around.

Short version: GetResponse is where I landed for anything that needs real automation. Open rates on my first campaign ran around 24%, which I wasn't expecting. AWeber is what I'd hand to someone who needs to get a newsletter out without a learning curve or wants to actually call someone when something breaks.

Here's what actually drove that decision.

AWeber or GetResponse - Which fits your situation?

Answer 5 quick questions and get a straight recommendation based on how these platforms actually differ.

Question 1 of 5

What is your main goal with email marketing right now?

Question 2 of 5

How complex do you expect your automation to get?

Question 3 of 5

How many subscribers are you working with (or planning for soon)?

Question 4 of 5

How important is phone support to you or your team?

Question 5 of 5

Which best describes your situation?

Pricing Comparison: GetResponse Wins on Value

I'll cut straight to what I actually paid and what I got for it.

The cheaper platform's Lite tier confused me when I first looked at it. You're paying $15 a month and they still put their branding on your emails. I tested it for about three weeks before moving up. If you're sending to clients or running anything that looks like a real business, the Lite plan is a dead end. The next tier up is where it actually starts working, and that's $30 a month for 500 subscribers.

The send limits also caught me off guard. The cheaper platform caps your monthly sends at 10x your subscriber count on the lower tier, 12x on the next. I was sending a reengagement series on top of my regular newsletter and hit the ceiling faster than I expected. Switched platforms and that problem went away. The other one gives you unlimited sends on every paid plan.

The Lite plan also locks you to one list, one custom segment, three automations, and three landing pages. I hit all four of those limits within the first month. Not theoretical limits. Actual walls. The jump to remove them doubles your monthly cost.

For more details, check out our AWeber pricing breakdown and AWeber cost guide.

The other platform starts at $19 a month for 1,000 subscribers, which is already a better deal on paper. But the part that actually matters is that the contact deduplication works the way you'd expect. Same email on three lists, you pay for it once. The cheaper platform counts it three times. I had a list with heavy overlap across segments, maybe 3,000 contacts total but closer to 4,400 billable under the old system. Moving over dropped me a full pricing tier.

Here's how the two compare as your list grows, using the entry paid tiers on each side:

At 1,000 subscribers: $30 vs. $19. At 2,500: $50 vs. $29. At 10,000: $100 vs. $79. Around 25,000 they get close, roughly $145 versus $150. At 50,000 they're basically the same. Below 25K, the difference is real money every month.

One thing that annoyed me on both sides: neither platform automatically downgrades your billing if your list shrinks. You have to contact support. I cleaned a list down by about 900 contacts and had to open a ticket to get the lower rate applied. Not a dealbreaker, just something to know before you do a big scrub.

The ecommerce transaction fees exist on both sides. One charges 0.6% per transaction across all plans. The other folds ecommerce into the higher tiers. If you're selling anything directly through your emails, run the math on total cost, not just the monthly seat price. I ran about 11 campaigns with a small product attached before I bothered doing that calculation. Should have done it earlier.

On discounts: the cheaper platform has a nonprofit and student discount, 25% off plus three months free, but you have to submit proof and it's manual. The other platform offers 18% off for annual billing, 30% for two-year billing, and 50% off for nonprofits on an ongoing basis. Stephanie's organization qualified for the nonprofit rate and it made the decision pretty easy for her team. For everyone else, the annual billing discount alone is enough to factor in before you commit to monthly.

If you're just sending a weekly newsletter and nothing else, you might not feel the difference between these two. But if you're segmenting, automating, or growing past a few thousand contacts, the pricing gap is consistent and it compounds. I moved ~2,200 contacts over and my monthly bill dropped by $31 without losing any functionality I was actually using. That's the cleaner way to think about value here.

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Features: GetResponse Has More, AWeber Keeps It Simple

I spent a few weeks running both platforms side by side across different client accounts. Here's what I actually noticed.

Marketing Automation: The visual workflow builder is genuinely good. I built a welcome sequence with conditional branching in about 35 minutes the first time, which felt fast. The behavioral triggers worked the way I expected them to. The pre-made templates are usable out of the box, not just decorative. The other platform's automation exists, but on the entry plan you're capped at three automations total, which I hit faster than I expected. I ended up having to archive old workflows to make room, which is annoying when you're mid-test.

Webinars: Having the webinar tool inside the same platform where I'm running email sequences is actually useful, not just a checkbox feature. I could trigger follow-up emails based on who attended versus who registered but didn't show, without any third-party connection to break. The other platform has no equivalent. You'd be looking at a separate tool. We have a StreamYard pricing guide if that's the direction you go.

Website Builder: I didn't use it heavily, but I built a quick landing page in about 20 minutes. It held up. If you're already paying for a separate site builder, this probably won't replace it, but for a standalone campaign page it's fine. The other platform doesn't have this. If you need a full site, our Squarespace vs Wix comparison is worth reading.

Online Courses: I tested the course builder on the Creator plan. It's not Teachable, but it's functional. You can set it up without touching another tool, which removes a real integration headache. The other platform has nothing like this at all.

A/B Testing: I ran a test with four variations on one campaign, which I couldn't have done on the other platform. The limit there is three. In practice the difference matters less than it sounds, but if you're testing multiple elements simultaneously, the extra slot is real.

Send Time Optimization: The timing feature actually moved my open rate from 19% to 26% over about six sends once it had enough data to work with. I was skeptical, but I stopped overriding it after that. The other platform has basic scheduling. That's it.

Conversion Funnels: The funnel view is useful if you're running the whole sequence inside one tool. Landing page, email series, sales page, all mapped out together. I've seen clients build this same thing in three separate platforms and lose the thread entirely. This keeps it in one place.

Paid Newsletters: Didn't test this personally, but Stephanie set it up for a client in an afternoon. She said the monetization configuration was straightforward and didn't require any external payment integration headaches. The other platform has no version of this.

Web Push Notifications: I set these up mostly out of curiosity. They work. Whether your audience responds to them depends on your list, not the platform. The other platform doesn't include this at all.

Advanced Segmentation: Being able to search across all lists at once saved me real time on a cleanup project. I was pulling a segment based on engagement behavior plus tag combinations, and it didn't fight me. On the other platform, the entry plan limits you to one segment at a time, which creates a lot of manual work you didn't budget for.

Contact Counting: This one's worth knowing upfront. One platform counts unique contacts only. The other counts duplicates. If you manage overlapping lists, that difference shows up in your bill faster than you'd think.

Now for where the simpler platform actually wins.

AMP for Email: This is the one feature that genuinely surprised me. Interactive elements, embedded polls, carousels, live countdowns, all inside the email itself. I tested a poll in a campaign and got responses from people who I know would never have clicked through to a landing page. It's a niche capability, but it works, and almost nobody else at this price point offers it.

Phone Support: I've used it. You talk to a person. That matters for some clients, especially ones who don't want to scroll through a chat transcript trying to solve a billing issue. The other platform has solid chat support and 24/7 coverage in multiple languages, but no phone option unless you're on an enterprise contract.

Template Library: More than 700 templates. A lot of them look dated, I won't pretend otherwise. But the range across industries is wide, and sometimes a dated template is still a useful starting point. The other platform has around 100 that look more current but cover less ground.

Canva Integration: Built directly into the email editor. I designed a graphic without leaving the builder once. Tory noticed the same thing and said it cut his image prep time in half on simpler campaigns. The other platform doesn't have this. Our Canva review and how to use Canva guide have more if you're not already using it.

Integrations: Over 700 direct integrations versus around 160 on the other side. The major platforms are covered either way, but if you're connecting something specific, especially a niche tool, the wider ecosystem matters. I've run into this with clients on unusual stacks. It's not a dealbreaker on either side, but it's a real difference.

Simplicity: The interface is genuinely less cluttered. If someone on your team is not technical and just needs to send a newsletter without getting lost in a dashboard, this is the easier handoff. I've set it up for people who had never used email software before and they were running on their own within a day.

Illustration of two open toolboxes side by side on a workbench, one small and simple with a few basic tools, one larger with many specialized compartments and instruments, representing the feature difference between two email marketing platforms
Wanted something that showed the tradeoff without a spreadsheet. This is accurate enough.

Email Deliverability: A Complex Comparison

Deliverability is the one thing everyone argues about and almost nobody measures properly. I've run campaigns on both platforms and the honest answer is that the gap between them is smaller than the forums make it sound.

When I was actively comparing the two, my open rates on one platform were sitting around 23.4% and the other was closer to 21.8% across similar lists. That difference disappeared once I cleaned up some old contacts I should have removed months earlier. The platform mattered less than I expected. The list did most of the work.

Both handle the authentication setup without much friction. DKIM, SPF, domain verification – I got through it in one sitting. Neither one fought me on that. Where they differ is under the hood. One of them owns its own sending infrastructure, which I do think makes a difference for consistency. I've never had a weird deliverability dip I couldn't explain on that side. The other uses shared IP pools, but they're well-managed and I've had solid results there too, especially after I started using the built-in spam checker before sending. That tool has caught things I missed.

Chris swears one platform is better for cold lists. I disagree. I've seen bad deliverability on both from people who skipped the warm-up or never suppressed disengaged contacts. That's the real problem most of the time.

If you're already following basic list hygiene – suppressing non-openers, removing hard bounces promptly, not blasting unverified imports – both platforms will serve you fine. I wouldn't switch platforms chasing a deliverability edge. Pick based on what you'll actually use and let your sending habits do the rest.

Email Design and Templates

GetResponse Email Editor

GetResponse offers a modern drag-and-drop email editor with over 100 professionally designed templates. The templates are visually current and mobile-responsive by default. You can customize fonts, colors, layouts, and add custom HTML blocks if needed.

My husband thinks I work too much on the computer. Last night he just stood in the doorway until I closed my laptop. Didn't say a word.

The editor includes:

The interface is clean and organized, though some users find it has a slight learning curve compared to simpler editors.

AWeber Email Editor

AWeber's drag-and-drop editor is straightforward and easy to use. With 700+ templates, you have more variety, though many templates feel dated compared to GetResponse's modern designs.

The editor includes:

AWeber's editor prioritizes simplicity over advanced features. If you're not tech-savvy, you'll appreciate the straightforward approach.

Automation: GetResponse Dominates

This is where the two platforms feel the most different, and honestly, it's not close.

I spent a few weeks building out workflows in both. One of them felt like actual automation software. The other felt like someone had bolted a few triggers onto an autoresponder and called it done.

The one with the real workflow builder gives you a canvas-based editor where you drag elements, connect them, and build branching logic visually. I built a seven-step behavioral sequence in about 14 minutes the first time I tried. The triggers are genuinely useful: sign-ups, email opens and clicks, site behavior, ecommerce events, webinar registration, date-based rules, tag changes, score thresholds. Not just for show either. I ran a cart abandonment workflow that recovered enough to make me set it up permanently across two other client accounts.

The pre-built templates are worth mentioning because I actually used them instead of starting from scratch. Win-back sequences, post-purchase follow-ups, lead nurturing flows. Each one is editable, and you can export workflows and bring them into other accounts, which saved me real time when onboarding a second client in the same niche.

Contact scoring, unlimited tagging, split testing inside workflows, SMS and push alongside email. I tested a score-based branch where contacts above a certain threshold got a different offer. It worked exactly how I set it up. No surprises.

The other platform is a different story. On the entry-level plan, you get three automations total. I used one for a welcome sequence, one for re-engagement, and then hit the wall. Upgrading unlocks more, but even then the builder itself is limited. There's basic tag-based triggering, simple if/then logic, time-delay sequences. It handles a welcome series without any trouble. Anything with conditional branching or more than two or three steps and you'll start working around it rather than with it.

Tory tried to build a webinar follow-up workflow in it and ended up splitting it into three separate campaigns just to approximate what she needed. That tells you about where the ceiling is.

If your automation needs are simple and staying simple, it's probably fine. If they're not, the choice here is obvious.

Landing Pages and Forms

GetResponse

GetResponse includes unlimited landing pages on all paid plans (the free plan limits you to 1,000 unique visitors per month). The landing page builder offers:

You can create multi-page funnels that guide visitors through a complete conversion process. The form builder includes inline forms, pop-ups, fixed bars, and customizable opt-in forms with various display triggers.

AWeber

AWeber offers unlimited landing pages on the Plus plan (the Lite plan caps you at 3 landing pages). The builder is simpler than GetResponse but adequate for basic needs.

Features include:

AWeber's form builder is particularly praised for its ease of use. You can create and publish forms quickly without getting bogged down in settings.

Ecommerce Features

If you run an online store, these features matter:

GetResponse

Starting with the Marketer plan ($59/month), GetResponse includes comprehensive ecommerce tools:

The Creator plan adds even more features for monetizing your audience through courses, paid newsletters, and digital products.

AWeber

AWeber includes basic ecommerce features:

AWeber's ecommerce features are adequate for basic needs but not as comprehensive as GetResponse's dedicated ecommerce tools.

Analytics and Reporting

GetResponse

GetResponse provides detailed analytics including:

The reporting interface is modern and visual, making it easy to understand performance at a glance.

AWeber

AWeber offers clear, straightforward analytics:

AWeber's Plus and Unlimited plans include "Advanced Message Analytics" with deeper insights. The reporting is less visually sophisticated than GetResponse but covers all essential metrics.

Ease of Use: AWeber for Beginners, GetResponse for Growth

The simpler one took me about four minutes to send my first campaign. No joke. I signed up, uploaded a list, wrote something short, and it was out. There was nothing in the way. That's genuinely useful if you've never done this before or you just need newsletters out the door without building anything complicated.

The more feature-heavy one took longer to feel comfortable in. Not because it's badly designed – it's actually pretty clean – but because there's a lot there. Automation builder, landing pages, webinar tools, all of it sitting in the same dashboard. First week I kept opening the wrong thing. By the third week I had a welcome sequence running in about 11 minutes that would have taken me an hour to piece together anywhere else.

One thing worth saying plainly: the simpler interface is simpler partly because there's less it lets you do. That's not a criticism, it's just accurate. If you need basic email and nothing else, the tradeoff is fine. If you're going to want automation later, you'll hit a ceiling and have to migrate, which is its own project.

Tory switched mid-way through a campaign once. I wouldn't recommend it.

If you're new and want something running today, the easier one earns that reputation. If you already know you'll need the advanced stuff, the learning curve on the other is real but it does pay off. I've seen enough migrations to say: start where you plan to end up.

Customer Support Comparison

I've contacted support for both, and they're not the same experience. The first one picks up the phone – actual phone support, not just a callback form. I called once when a sequence wasn't triggering correctly and had it sorted in maybe eight minutes. That's not common. Most tools make you dig through docs first.

The second platform has no phone option unless you're on an enterprise plan. I've used the live chat a few times – responses came in under three minutes each time, which was fine – but when I was troubleshooting a deliverability issue across segments, I wanted to just talk through it. Chat slowed that down. I eventually figured it out myself.

If your team runs into issues under pressure, the first option is easier to lean on. Tory prefers having a number to call rather than typing out a problem, and honestly I get it. The second has solid multilingual chat support, which matters if you're managing lists across regions. Both have knowledge bases. Neither one's documentation is exceptional.

Integration Ecosystem

AWeber Integrations

AWeber integrates with 700+ third-party applications, including:

The extensive integration library is one of AWeber's strongest advantages, especially for users with established tool stacks.

GetResponse Integrations

GetResponse offers 160+ direct integrations, including:

While fewer than AWeber, GetResponse covers all major platforms. The API allows for custom integrations if needed.

Mobile Apps

Both platforms offer mobile apps for iOS and Android, allowing you to:

GetResponse's mobile app is generally considered more polished and feature-rich, with better reviews on app stores.

List Growth Tools

GetResponse

AWeber

GetResponse provides more comprehensive lead generation tools, particularly with webinars and the website builder. AWeber's tools are solid but more basic.

We went to that new Italian place on Saturday. Gerald ordered for both of us without asking. The waiter looked confused but I just smiled.

Compliance and Security

Both platforms take compliance seriously:

GetResponse

AWeber

Both platforms meet industry standards for email marketing compliance and data protection.

Pros and Cons Summary

I ran both long enough to have opinions I'd actually defend. Here's where each one landed for me.

The first tool's wins: The value is genuinely better at most list sizes, and I never hit a sending wall mid-campaign. The automation builder took me maybe a session to figure out, but once it clicked I was building workflows I couldn't replicate in the other one. Webinar hosting being built in saved me a third subscription. The segmentation is serious, not cosmetic. Support was available whenever I needed it, including once at midnight before a launch. Open rates on my first send through it came in around 26%, which I wasn't expecting.

Where it frustrated me: The interface is a lot. Jamie looked over my shoulder during setup and said it felt like a dashboard for a different job. There's a learning curve and it's real. Fewer outside integrations than I expected, and deliverability wasn't perfectly consistent across sends.

The second tool's wins: Easiest setup I've done. Phone support actually picks up. The Canva integration works without friction. Seven hundred templates sounds like noise until you need one fast. Deliverability has been rock solid, consistently.

Where it frustrated me: The automation is basic. Not bad, just limited in ways that will matter eventually. No webinars, no courses, no site builder. The entry plan puts their branding on your emails and caps you at three automations, which I hit inside a week. It also counts the same contact twice if they're on two lists, which inflated my numbers and annoyed me.

Who Should Choose AWeber?

In the aweber vs getresponse debate, this one is genuinely the right call for certain situations. I ran a straightforward newsletter list through it for a few months, open rates held around 27%, which honestly surprised me. Nothing fancy on my end, just consistent sends to a clean list.

It's the right fit if you're not trying to build complex automations and just need emails to go out reliably. Phone support is real – I used it once and got someone who actually knew the product. If you qualify for the nonprofit or student discount, that changes the math pretty quickly too.

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Who Should Choose GetResponse?

I'd steer someone toward this one if they're already thinking past basic newsletters. The automation builder is where it actually earns it – I built a five-step onboarding sequence in about 18 minutes the first time, which surprised me. AWeber vs GetResponse comes up a lot, and for anyone who wants automation that doesn't require a workaround every third step, this is the easier answer.

The webinar feature is built in, not bolted on. I ran a live session directly from the platform without touching a third-party tool. It worked. Stephanie used it for a paid workshop and didn't have to stitch anything together.

Ecommerce folks will care about the cart abandonment triggers – they're actual triggers, not just tags you apply manually. The contact pricing model also matters if your list spans multiple segments. I imported about 4,200 contacts across two audiences and wasn't double-billed for overlap, which is not how AWeber handles it.

Open rates on my first campaign out of the platform came in around 26%. I wasn't expecting that. I didn't change much – same list, cleaned up slightly. If you're comfortable poking around a workflow builder without needing a tutorial for every step, this one rewards that.

Migration Between Platforms

Both platforms offer free migration assistance:

Switching to GetResponse: GetResponse provides free migration help to move your email templates, automations, lists, and more. The process typically takes a few days, and their team handles the technical details.

Switching to AWeber: AWeber offers similar free migration services through their expert team. They'll move your templates, automations, and subscriber lists while ensuring minimal disruption to your campaigns.

When migrating, consider:

The Verdict

After running both for a few months, I landed on GetResponse as the stronger pick for most business use cases. Not because it looks better on a feature list, but because it actually held up under real use. My open rates on the first campaign sequence sat around 23%, which I wasn't expecting.

The automation builder was the thing that got me. I'd built sequences in other tools where you're fighting the interface the whole time. This one didn't do that. I had a mid-complexity nurture workflow running in maybe 15 minutes.

That said, I'd send someone to AWeber without hesitation if they want phone support and aren't running anything complicated. It doesn't try to do too much. Some people need that.

Both have free plans capped at 500 subscribers. Start there. You'll know within two weeks which one fits how you actually work.

Alternatives Worth Considering

If neither AWeber nor GetResponse feels right, check out these options:

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): Charges by emails sent, not subscribers. Great if you have a large list but send infrequently. Includes SMS marketing and CRM tools. See our Brevo pricing guide and Brevo review.

ActiveCampaign: Best-in-class automation, better than both AWeber and GetResponse. More expensive but worth it if automation is your priority. Includes CRM functionality and advanced segmentation.

MailerLite: Budget-friendly with good features. Generous free plan up to 1,000 subscribers. Modern interface and solid automation. Worth considering if price is your main concern.

ConvertKit: Built specifically for creators, bloggers, and course sellers. Visual automation builder and excellent for selling digital products. Pricier than GetResponse but purpose-built for content creators.

Mailchimp: The most well-known name in email marketing. Free plan up to 500 contacts but with send limits. More expensive than both AWeber and GetResponse at higher tiers. Strong ecommerce integrations.

Constant Contact: Known for excellent customer support and event marketing features. More expensive than GetResponse. Good for nonprofits and local businesses.

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I switch from AWeber to GetResponse (or vice versa) easily?

Yes, both platforms offer free migration assistance. They'll help you move your subscriber lists, templates, and automations. The process typically takes 2-5 business days. Just contact their support team to start the migration process.

Do AWeber and GetResponse integrate with WordPress?

Yes, both have official WordPress plugins. AWeber has extensive WordPress support with multiple plugins for different functions. GetResponse also integrates seamlessly with WordPress for forms, landing pages, and webinar registrations.

Which platform has better deliverability?

Independent tests show both platforms with similar deliverability rates around 89-90%. AWeber owns its delivery infrastructure, while GetResponse uses managed IP pools. Real-world results depend more on your email practices (list quality, content, engagement) than the platform choice.

Can I use my own domain for sending emails?

Yes, both platforms let you authenticate your domain using DKIM and SPF records. This improves deliverability and makes emails appear from your domain rather than the platform's sending domain. Setup is straightforward on both platforms.

Which is better for ecommerce?

GetResponse is significantly better for ecommerce with dedicated features including abandoned cart automation, product recommendations, promo code management, and deep Shopify/WooCommerce integrations. AWeber has basic ecommerce features but lacks the sophisticated tools GetResponse offers.

Do they offer refunds?

AWeber doesn't mention refunds explicitly but has no long-term contracts, so you can cancel anytime. GetResponse explicitly does not offer refunds, even if you cancel shortly after subscribing. Both platforms offer free trials or free plans to test before committing.

Can I have multiple users on one account?

AWeber Lite limits you to 3 users, Plus allows unlimited users. GetResponse Starter includes 1 user, Marketer includes 3 users, Creator includes 5 users, and MAX allows unlimited users. Consider this if you have a team managing email marketing.

Which has better automation?

GetResponse has significantly better automation with a visual workflow builder, 50+ templates, unlimited elements, and sophisticated branching logic. AWeber's automation is functional but basic, especially on the Lite plan which caps you at only 3 automations total.

Can I sell courses or host webinars?

GetResponse includes both course creation tools and webinar hosting starting at the Marketer level ($59/month). AWeber has neither feature - you'd need separate platforms for webinars and course hosting.

Which is cheaper for a list of 5,000 subscribers?

GetResponse Starter costs around $49/month for 5,000 subscribers. AWeber Plus costs around $70/month for 5,000 subscribers. GetResponse is cheaper at this tier and includes more features.

Final Thoughts: Making Your Decision

After spending real time in both platforms, here is where I landed on the aweber vs getresponse question for our team.

Stick with the first one if: You want something you can hand off to someone without a walkthrough. The interface does not fight you. Phone support is real and I have used it. Deliverability has been steady for us, around 94% inbox placement across the last three sends. That matters more than most features people argue about.

Go with the second one if: You are going to outgrow basic sequences within a few months. The automation builder took me maybe a week to stop second-guessing, but once it clicked I built a seven-step nurture flow in about 40 minutes. The webinar and course tools are actually usable, not just there for the feature checklist.

Both have free tiers that let you test with real contacts, not just a sandbox. I would send three actual campaigns before committing. Not demo campaigns. Real ones to a real segment.

The honest version: I stayed with the one that annoyed me less on the third week. That is usually the right call. The learning curve flattens and what you are left with is the interface you have to open every day.