Email marketing
ActiveCampaign vs AWeber: Which Email Marketing Platform Should You Choose?
In business, choosing the right email platform can make or break your campaign strategy. That’s why getting a competent email marketing tool is a worthwhile investment. It helps you grow your audience and secure a lifetime relationship with them. However, with so many email platforms out there claiming they’re “number one,” which should you pick?
Today, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at AWeber and ActiveCampaign—two of the most popular email marketing software. We’ll be comparing their features and price, then decide which of the two should you get for your business.
ActiveCampaign vs AWeber: The Right Tool For Your Business Needs
To compare the capabilities of these email marketing tools, we must first establish a set of criteria and features. For this article, we’ll be using the following metrics for ActiveCampaign and AWeber:
- Usability and Accessibility
- Templates and Editor
- Automation
- Analytics
- Deliverability
- Third-Party Integrations
- Customer Support
- Platform Cost
Let’s begin.
Usability and Accessibility
For an email marketing software to be effective, its interface must be responsive, intuitive, and easy to understand.
ActiveCampaign is known to have a steep learning curve due to its extensive library of features. Nevertheless, it has a clean interface that makes sense. Every feature is neatly separated by categories and you have access to in-depth documentation which you can consult anytime you’re lost. It also has a built-in clean-up feature that can declutter your contact lists, automation, and past email designs.
AWeber is tough to navigate—but for a different reason. Unlike ActiveCampaign, AWeber’s interface isn’t workflow-based, which makes for a confusing user experience. What’s more is that some features in the editor, like automation, are hidden behind several drawers.
Winner: Despite its reputation for being complicated, ActiveCampaign (1-0) takes an unexpected win over Aweber.
Templates and Editor
The bread and butter of every email marketing tool is their built-in editor. Well-designed emails and landing pages will always appeal to a wider audience, resulting in a steady intake of new customers.
AWeber features more templates and stock photos in its free tier. However, as mentioned earlier, its editor is quite burdensome to navigate. The edge it has over ActiveCampaign is direct integration with Canva, which makes up for its janky interface.
On the other hand, ActiveCampaign offers fewer features but the usability of its editor is top-notch. Like the rest of the software, its editor is smooth and seamless. In the platform’s higher tiers, you’ll also have access to the HTML editing feature—which allows tech-savvy operators more flexibility in the design of their emails, landing pages, and forms.
Winner: Due to its lower cost and Canva integration, AWeber (1-1) narrowly beats ActiveCampaign here.
Automation
According to a 2021 report by Zapier, 30% of workers say that repetitive work is a barrier to their productivity. That’s why automation must be put into place to help employees save time from completing menial tasks, allowing them to do more every day.
Both ActiveCampaign and AWeber offer automation for:
- E-Commerce
- Marketing
ActiveCampaign has a reputation for being one of the best automation tools. Here are some ActiveCampaign features that you can’t get from AWeber:
- Conversions: Automated customer acquisition through marketing.
- Lead Scoring: Finds the most likely potential customers. ActiveCampaign also offers re-engagement campaigns for lost clients.
- Predictive Sending: Sends an email to your clients at the most optimal time based on their behavior and time zone.
- Split Automations: Creates several branches in your campaign to secure more customers.
ActiveCampaign also features a capable and clear multi-step automation builder which allows you to create an efficient automation workflow.
Winner: No surprises here, ActiveCampaign (2-1) takes the cake.
Analytics
In business, knowing is truly half the battle. For a business to flourish, you must identify the strengths and weaknesses of your campaign. An in-depth analytics dashboard helps you with that.
ActiveCampaign offers the basics, such as reports on store performance and a marketing revenue report. You can also integrate the application with Google Analytics or Mixpanel to access other reports, but it can view analytics such as:
- Bounces
- Clicks
- Opens
AWeber, meanwhile, has everything mentioned above and more. It has an advanced e-commerce analytics report, which allows you to see the performance of your products, where they’re most bought, and when they’re added to a cart. Moreover, AWeber shines with the usability of its analytics dashboard, as you can create new segments and lists without leaving the platform.
Winner: A clear victory for AWeber (2-2) ties it up.
Deliverability
For a campaign to be successful, you must ensure that your emails reach your intended audience. That’s why an email tool with a high deliverability rate is essential to every business.
Third-party testing finds that 93.1% of your total emails sent using ActiveCampaign reach its audience. Not far behind is AWeber’s 92% deliverability rate. For a more in-depth breakdown, this table shows where your email likely ends up for ActiveCampaign and AWeber:
| Platform | Inbox | Other Tabs | Spam | Missing |
| AWeber | 89.1% | 3.8% | 2.6% | 4.4% |
| ActiveCampaign | 81.3% | 10.7% | 5.3% | 2.7% |
It’s also worth mentioning that only 72% of AWeber’s emails to a Gmail account reaches the main inbox, compared to 97% using ActiveCampaign. The rest goes to the promotion tab, which is still viewable but hidden.
Winner: ActiveCampaign (3-2) delivers a strong victory.
Third-Party Integrations
No matter how powerful an email software is, it can’t do it all. Integrations with other third-party tools enable your email marketing platform to reach its full potential.
There’s not much that separates AWeber and ActiveCampaign when it comes to integrations. Both tools offer integrations with important third-party applications such as:
- Advertising:
- Analytics:
- E-Commerce:
- Lead Generation:
- Payment:
- Productivity:
You can see the full list of third-party direct integrations for ActiveCampaign here and for AWeber here.
Winner: It’s a tie for this category.
Customer Support
A readily available support staff is an underrated aspect for every marketing tool—but one that is severely needed. Chances are, you’ll have some urgent questions when creating your campaign, so customer support efficiency must always be a priority.
Let’s start with the similarities. Both ActiveCampaign and AWeber offer email, phone, and live chat support. They also offer supported onboarding for their custom tiers. You also have access to their documentation, which helps you solve minor issues on your own.
While AWeber offers 24/7 phone support, ActiveCampaign is only available during:
- Monday to Thursday: 9 AM to 11 AM, Central Standard Time
- Friday: 9 AM to 4:30 AM, Central Standard Time
Winner: AWeber (3-3) coming in clutch to tie the competition again.
Platform Cost
No matter the size of your business, saving money should always be a priority. So, you must pick an email marketing platform that offers everything you need at a price your business can comfortably afford. Here’s how ActiveCampaign and AWeber fare:
ActiveCampaign
| Features | Lite | Plus | Professional | Enterprise |
| Price | Starts at $29 | Starts at $49 | Starts at $149 | Custom Cost |
| Maximum Contacts | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Monthly Email Sends | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Maximum Users | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
AWeber
| Features | Free | Lite | Plus | Unlimited |
| Price | Free | Starts at $12.50 | Starts at $20 | Starts at $899 |
| Maximum Contacts | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Monthly Email Sends | 3000 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Maximum Users | 1 | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
ActiveCampaign vs AWeber
ActiveCampaign and AWeber’s prices increase as your subscriber base grows. To fairly compare the two, let’s take a look at ActiveCampaign’s Professional tier and AWeber’s Plus tier and how much they cost at specific subscriber counts:
| Subscriber Count | ActiveCampaign (Professional) | AWeber (Plus) |
| 1,000 | Not applicable | $39.99 |
| 2,500 | $187 | $59.99 |
| 5,000 | $262 | $79.99 |
| 10,000 | $424 | $159.99 |
| 25,000 | $686 | $402.99 |
| 50,000 | $1,011 | $802.99 |
Winner: No question, AWeber (3-4) provides more value at its cost.
Wrap Up
In a tooth-and-nail fight, AWeber comes out on top with a respectable 4-3 standing—but don’t let that score fool you. The competition has been fierce for these two platforms. So, what should you pick for your business?
ActiveCampaign offers more features but has a steep learning curve. It’s more usable than AWeber, it offers more assurance that your emails will reach your intended recipients, and it has a no-nonsense editor that doesn’t need any integration to use. Most importantly, ActiveCampaign is a contender for the best email tool for automation.
On the other hand, AWeber is great if you’re new to the scene. The platform’s free tier is second-to-none. It also offers top-notch support and direct integration with Canva, making it a great editing platform. The tool also has in-depth analytics which you can view and edit right from their reporting suite.
Ultimately, the ball is in your court. Make a list of your business needs then use this article as a guide when choosing an email marketing platform for your business. Or, if you’re interested in other tools, you can also check out:
