*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
In my last blog, I spoke about why every business needs email marketing platforms. If you haven’t checked that out yet, you can here.
A quick recap:
An email marketing platform is a must in all businesses – big and small. It’s an essential part of your toolkit as a business owner if you email more than ten people.
Besides your mailing list missing your emails, not using an email marketing platform can land up with your email address being blacklisted. You will also get useful reports and automation systems!
Let’s take a look at my top 3 – MailChimp, MailerLite, and ActiveCampaign.
1. MailChimp
The Good
It’s a great platform for beginners because it is very intuitive, has a friendly brand, and is easy to use. If you want to send out regular mailshots to your contact list, it has a straightforward drag-and-drop email builder, which takes the complications out of creating beautiful email templates.
MailChimp is free up to 2000 contacts, which is a good amount. If you have a smaller customer base that you want to email regularly, it’s straightforward to import your contact list from Gmail or Outlook.
The Bad
The big disadvantage I find with MailChimp is the automation which is when somebody subscribes to a newsletter or downloads a lead magnet, and then they get automatic emails sent to them, such as a nurture email sequence to warm them up and get them to know your business. Although the platform has that functionality, I find it a little bit confusing and not so easy to use.
The Verdict
MailChimp is great if you want to send out regular email newsletters to your database. And, if you are a beginner and you’re not going to be setting up automation or just fundamental ones, it’s a good option.
2. MailerLite
The Good
This is my favorite email marketing platform because it’s basically the middle ground. It’s good for beginners, but it also has a powerful automation feature as part of it. It is effortless to use with clear navigation. The automation is simple to set up, and it’s very clear to see what you are doing. It also has a drag and drop, drag and drop editor. And, it creates stunning emails!
The Bad
It has fewer free contacts than MailChimp – It is free for up to 1000 contacts, which is not a major disadvantage if you have a smaller mailing list. I find that sometimes get stuck a little bit, and it’s slow to update the changes you make.
The Verdict
MailerLite is a great middle ground. The support response time is fast, so issues are resolved quickly.
3. ActiveCampaign
This one is a really big email marketing platform; it’s one of the biggest ones there are.
The Good
It has a super, super strong, fantastic automation.
The Bad
The automation is advanced, so a beginner might find it difficult to use. It is not very user-friendly; the navigation is all over the place. Also, I’m not too fond of the drag and drop editor. What would normally take me between 10-15 minutes on another platform could take me over an hour to do on ActiveCampaign. It gets stuck often, and it doesn’t save the changes you’ve made when this happens. For example, if you are uploading new images to the email and it gets stuck, you will lose those uploads.
And on top of that, there’s no free plan – you have to pay a minimum of $9 per month for 500 contacts. In fact, even if you have less than 500, you still need to pay the same base price.
The Verdict
ActiveCampaign is strong in advanced automation but apart from that, I’m not the biggest fan.
To Wrap Up:
Besides these three platforms, there are thousands more to choose from. In my opinion, these three would be the top contenders.
MailerLite is my personal favorite!
If you have any questions, you can let me know which platform you’re using if you are using one and you’re still confused. You can also reach out if you are struggling to decide which one is suitable for you. I’ll be happy to help you out!
Until then,
