Which is Best For Email Marketing in 2023?

Welcome to my ActiveCampaign vs Aweber review!

With an astonishing 4400{57b8cc37fd24bce1cf64c8b05d9407ce9171516056c1f5e762677747187a0de4} ROI, email marketing is an essential tool in your marketing arsenal.

And to truly tap into its potential, you need the right platform.

ActiveCampaign and AWeber are two email marketing titans vying for your attention.

So which one truly delivers?

That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll evaluate their templates, ease of use, features, pricing, reporting, integrations, and more.

But if you cannot wait, we recommend ActiveCampaign – it’s the clear winner overall.

Let’s dive in!

Active Campaign vs. Aweber (What Makes Them Different?)

ActiveCampaign and AWeber are both powerful tools for email marketing, but they cater to different needs.

ActiveCampaign is an all-in-one tool.

It merges:

Email marketing,
Marketing automation,
Sales automation,
and CRM software.

AWeber, on the other hand, is a reliable email marketing and marketing automation solution. It’s a good fit for those who want to keep things simple. (By the way, here’s our full AWeber review.)

So, let’s break the ActiveCampaign vs Aweber comparison down:

Features: ActiveCampaign is the clear winner with a score of 9.1, leaving AWeber trailing with an 8.0.
Templates: ActiveCampaign again takes the crown. They’ve got a broader range of templates, and they’re just plain better looking.
Ease of Use: Aweber pulls ahead. It scores an 8.4, nudging ahead of ActiveCampaign’s 7.8. If you’re a beginner, AWeber might be the less daunting option.
Reporting: ActiveCampaign scores 8.5, offering more detailed insights than AWeber’s 7.0.
Integrations: ActiveCampaign is again in the lead with an 8.8, offering smoother and more varied integrations than AWeber’s 7.8.
As for security? It’s a draw.

Based on our evaluation, ActiveCampaign scores higher than AWeber in virtually all categories!

Templates – Active Campaign vs AWeber

ActiveCampaign’s templates are a thing of beauty. They’ve got a wide variety, covering everything from email marketing to landing pages and customer journeys. And it’s not just about looks.

These templates are designed to convert, subtly steering your customer’s attention where you want it.

AWeber can’t match ActiveCampaign’s visual appeal or variety, but they have plenty to offer. Their template volume is impressive, even if the designs feel a bit last season.

But AWeber has a trick up its sleeve. You can create email templates using your website URL or Facebook page.

Plus, they’ve got pre-built autoresponder templates, perfect for welcoming new subscribers, confirming purchases, or rescuing abandoned carts.

ActiveCampaign Vs Aweber Templates Verdict

So, who wins the template showdown? It’s a tough call.

While AWeber offers a larger volume of templates, I have to give the edge to ActiveCampaign.

Ease of Use

When it comes to ease of use, we’re looking at a few key factors:

Intuitiveness: Can a newbie find their way around without a map?
Design and Layout: Is the design user-friendly? Does the layout make sense?
Learning Curve: How quickly can you get up and running?
Help Documentation: Can you find answers when you hit a roadblock?

ActiveCampaign

Let’s start with ActiveCampaign. It’s a robust platform, no doubt about it. And with great power comes some complexity.

Overall, the dashboard is clean, and the interface is generally intuitive.

But some features are a bit like Easter eggs – you have to hunt for them. They’re tucked away behind small navigations, which can be a bit puzzling for some users.

But let’s not get hung up on that. The real star of the show is the visual automation builder. It’s like a flowchart for your email sequences, showing you exactly how everything connects.

Say you’re launching a new product. You can easily set up a series of emails to go out at specific intervals.

I found it to be straightforward for the most part. Beginners may have a different experience.

Once you’ve got the basics down, though, you’re good to go. You can dive deeper with detailed tutorials and regular webinars.

So, while there’s a bit of a learning curve, there’s plenty of support to help you climb it.

ActiveCampaign’s overall ease of use: 7.8

Intuitiveness: 8/10
Design and Layout: 7/10
Learning Curve: 7/10
Help Documentation: 9/10

AWeber

Let’s dive right into AWeber. It’s got a neat and tidy dashboard that’s easy on the eyes. But don’t let the clean lines fool you. Some legacy users find the recent interface changes a bit of a head-scratcher.

Now, when it comes to finding your way around, it’s a bit hit-and-miss.

The main features? They’re right there, front and center. But some of the other functions, like the email campaign builder, could use a bit of a tune-up.

Take the drag-and-drop feature, for example. It’s not as slick as you’d hope. If you’re trying to whip up an email sequence or shuffle things around, you might find yourself wrestling with it a bit.

If you’re new to AWeber, expect a moderate learning curve. It’s not rocket science, but you’ll need a bit of time to get the hang of things.

But here’s the good news. AWeber doesn’t leave you hanging. Their tutorials and webinars are top-notch, and their customer support team is on the ball and ready to help.

AWeber’s overall ease of use: 8.4

Intuitiveness: 9/10
Design and Layout: 8/10
Learning Curve: 7.5/10
Help Documentation: 9/10

If AWeber is more your speed, I also evaluated the best AWeber alternatives.

ActiveCampaign Vs. AWeber Ease of Use Verdict

Based on my personal experience, I found AWeber to be easier to use. But it’s close.

ActiveCampaign Features (Overview)

Here are ActiveCampaign’s features at a glance:

Email Marketing
Advanced Automation
Split Testing and Predictive Sending
CRM
Sales Automation
Site Tracking
Landing Pages
Forms
Segmentation
Dynamic Content

AWeber Features (Overview)

Now, let’s take a look at Aweber’s features:

Email marketing tool
Automation feature
Landing Page Builder
Ecommerce
Sign Up Form Builder
AI Writing Assistant
Dynamic Content
Segmentation
A/B Split Testing
Integrations

ActiveCampaign vs Aweber Features – In-Depth Review

To really get to grips with these two platforms, we’re going to look at four key areas:

Email Marketing Features
CRM Capabilities
Automation Capabilities

Email Marketing Features

ActiveCampaign is a beast in the email marketing arena. It’s got segmentation, dynamic content, split testing – you name it.

Users love the depth and customization it offers for laser-focused campaigns. Score: 9.2

AWeber, meanwhile, is all about keeping things simple. It’s got a solid range of email marketing tools, like autoresponders and a bunch of templates.

But it doesn’t quite match up to ActiveCampaign when it comes to advanced segmentation and personalization. Score: 8.5

CRM Capabilities

ActiveCampaign is a winner in the CRM category. It’s got a built-in CRM system that lets you track customer interactions and sales processes all in one place.

Users love having everything under one roof. Score: 9.0

AWeber, on the other hand, doesn’t have a built-in CRM.

So you’ll need to integrate with a third-party CRM tool, which might be a bit of a pain. Score: 7.5

Automation Capabilities

ActiveCampaign lets you build complex, multi-step automations based on a range of triggers. Users rave about the flexibility and depth of the automation features. Score: 9.3

AWeber keeps automation simple. It’s got autoresponders and basic drip campaigns. But it doesn’t have the same level of depth and flexibility as ActiveCampaign. Score: 8.0

ActiveCampaign vs Aweber Features Verdict

If features are your top priority, ActiveCampaign is a clear winner with an overall feature score of 9.1.

With an overall feature score of 8.0, AWeber is a solid platform – no doubt about it. It’s simple, user-friendly, and offers a good range of email marketing features.

For some users without advanced needs, Aweber will be the better option. But when it comes to advanced capabilities, it just can’t compete with ActiveCampaign.

Pricing

Below you will find Active Campaigns pricing and AWeber pricing.

Active Campaign Pricing

These are starting prices that will increase with subscriber count and features.

Marketing:

Plus ($49/month): Includes email marketing and integrations.
Professional ($149/month): Adds predictive AI and Salesforce integration.
Enterprise: Adds custom reporting and HIPAA support.

Sales:

Plus ($19/month): Sales automation and lead scoring.
Professional ($49/month): Sentiment analysis AI and win probability AI.
Enterprise: Adds custom reporting and single sign-on.

Bundles:

Plus ($93/month): Includes email automation and event tracking.
Professional plan ($386/month): Adds Salesforce integration and sentiment analysis AI.
Enterprise: Adds custom reporting and single sign-on.

ActiveCampaign also offers a Marketing Lite plan. It’s a great starting point before moving to more comprehensive plans as your business grows.

Marketing Lite: At $29 per month (paid yearly), includes email marketing, chat & email support, and site & event tracking.

AWeber Pricing

Free: $0/month for up to 500 subscribers. Includes one email list, one landing page, one email automation, basic email support, and advanced analytics.

Lite: $14.99/month for unlimited subscribers (additional fees apply). Offers one email list, three landing pages, three email automations, three users, and 24/7 customer support.

Plus: $29.99/month for unlimited subscribers (additional fees apply). Provides unlimited email lists, landing pages, and automation feature, along with priority 24/7 customer support and advanced features.

Unlimited: $899/month for businesses with over 100,000 subscribers. Includes unlimited features and personalized account management at a fixed price.

Live chat is available for all plans Mon-Fri 7a-10p EST.

Phone support is available 8a-8p EST.