GetResponse vs MailChimp – A Side by Side Comparison

A lot of businesses are faced with the decision to either use Getresponse or Mailchimp. For some people, this question might be enough information for them to make a quick and informed decision on which email marketing service they want to go with.

But then there are other people who need more details about each company in order to make their final choice.

For that, I’ve done the research so you don’t have to. Continue reading to see the benefits, features and pricing in our Getresponse vs Mailchimp comparison review. This will make it easier for you to make an informed decision on which email marketing software is best for your small business. We also reviewed Mailerlite vs Mailchimp here.

Getresponse vs Mailchimp — First Things First

Over time, Getresponse has evolved. It now offers features not found in Mailchimp, allowing you to become a pro-level marketer with just one platform. But if you are just a beginner, Mailchimp may be better suited for your needs.

Who is GetResponse for?

GetResponse is an email marketing software that has been specially designed for small businesses. It provides a top-notch user experience and does not disappoint with its offerings of creating campaigns, selling products, hosting webinars and more.

It's easy to use once you learn how, but the learning curve is steep. You'll have to spend time figuring out where everything is and how it all works.

Who is Mailchimp for?

Mailchimp is the perfect email marketing solution for novice users. It's easy to pick up without any training and its analytics are so powerful that it gets you actionable insights in a snap!

For those who want to take a data-driven approach, MailChimp is the perfect solution.

Autoresponders Overview

Autoresponders are a way to keep in touch with your customers and subscribers. They're like e-newsletters that you can send on predefined intervals after someone signs up to your optin.

Autoresponders can be set up for automation to:

Receive a welcome message from your company as soon as they sign up to your list

Send out broadcasts to your list for anything you want to announce in real time

Schedule newsletters and emails to go out in intervals that you set up. You can use the emails to send people to your blog posts where you can promote a product or service.

The idea is that you automate much of your email marketing, so when subscribers sign up they can automatically get messages from the company without any manual effort. You have to set things up correctly first, but once it's done, then those who subscribed will start getting emails on autopilot.

However, the use of autoresponders is becoming more and more sophisticated. With messages being triggered by opens, clicks or purchases and even web page visits can set off an automated message to a customer's inbox!

When you get your autoresponder set up the way you want it, it can save you a ton of time and significantly boost your sales.

Both GetResponse and Mailchimp offer great automation features with triggers available for almost every scenario but the interface in GetResponse is quite awesome.

The visual editor allows you to create custom workflows to plan out and visualize the subscriber journey. This makes it quite easy for people with no prior knowledge to set things up for success.

Template Design

GetResponse has an impressive selection of templates to choose from. Their variety extends beyond the template options, too--most of their designs are responsive and will look good on smaller devices like phones or tablets.

One potential drawback we found was that some people experienced difficulty when adding columns; however, this didn't seem to happen often enough to make it difficult overall.

MailChimp has a plethora of modern templates that are both aesthetically pleasing and practical to use. They also offer more choice than GetResponse, as they have two types: drag-and-drop or classic.

Drag-and drop is responsive while the other one isn't which can be seen as either an advantage or disadvantage depending on what you want for your email campaign's template design needs!

Pricing

Pricing for the two providers at the lower end varies greatly, with MailChimp offering a forever free plan.

Mailchimp Pricing

With Mailchimp, you'll be limited to just 2,000 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month. You won't get many of the advanced features that other services offer either (e.g., automations).

This is a great way to try their service and see if it meets your needs.

Three options are available for paid pricing, with the plans starting at $9.99 per 500 contacts. Those who work in nonprofits and charities will be eligible to receive a 15% discount on their purchase!

Like GetResponse, there are paid plans that vary according to the number of contacts you have. Mailchimp may be too expensive for small businesses that have a huge list. If you’re a small business with an email list of more than 10,000 clients or so, Mailchimp may not be the best option for your needs.

They do offer a free plan which allows you up to 2,000 subscribers. There are some limitations. Below are the prices for the Essentials Plan:

They have a Standard plan that offers a Journey Builder and more. The Premium plan give you more testing and segmentation abilities.

GetResponse Pricing

GetResponse has a variety of pricing plans available, starting from $15 per month for 1,000 subscribers. As with most email marketing platforms, it’s priced according to how many subscribers are on your list.

GetResponse is the better value for your dollar when compared to Mailchimp, especially if you take advantage of their 18% discount for an annual subscription and 30% if you sign up for two years. Nonprofits are also eligible for a 50% discount.

GetResponse has a wide range of pricing plans to suit the needs and budget of any customer. The Basic plan starts at $15 per month, and Enterprise includes custom pricing for those with a list of over 100,000.

Support

GetResponse and MailChimp both offer a deep knowledge base to help you troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

GetResponses support menu can be difficult to navigate, opening up many unnecessary tabs which slows the process down.

Both companies also provide email and live chat services but Chat is only available on premium plans but with MailChimp where service sometimes seems slow when compared to other email marketing tools.

It’s tough to find a clear winner in the customer service department. Getresponse used to be the winner in the pricing category because phone, email and a live chat option was offered on all plans.

However, GetResponse recently cut out phone support except on their Enterprise Plan — so both products are pretty much equal when it comes to providing any type of support if you have one of the more affordable subscriptions.

Interface

They both offer a different user interface, so which is best for you will depend on what's most important to your business.

Mailchimp offers an intuitive and straightforward approach with plenty of data in large font sizes that make it easy to find the information you need.

The Getresponse interface is perfect for those who prefer traditional drop-down menus. It’s more accessible than the rather ‘big and bold’ approach of MailChimp.

Both systems are easy to navigate, but I marginally prefer Getresponse because their interface isn't quite so cluttered and you can find what you need much faster.

The Mailchimp interface is clean and organized, making it easier to read. However, the large fonts used on their website make for a lot of wasted space when viewed on smaller screens such as laptops or mobile phones.

Mailchimp’s interface is more robust and reliable as I have found a few glitches in the back end of Getresponse that weren't serious.

Split testing

Split testing is one of the most important features in email marketing. You should split test your subject, headers and content to find which emails get the best open rates.

If you have a list of less than 500 people, then this feature may not be vital to your strategy. However, if you are someone who sends big mailouts to more than 1k customers (or has plans on doing so), it's best for split testing functionality to be in place and ready.

Getresponse only allows you to split test headlines against each other. Mailchimp enables you to test different messages, send times and sender names for the best results.

But this only works if you’re on their ‘Essentials’ plan or higher! For a monthly fee of $299 per month, you can split test eight different variants of your messages and newsletters.

Getresponse vs Mailchimp: Using What Works Best For Your Needs

GetResponse is a useful tool for growing a list and creating autoresponders for even the most inexperienced marketers.

This email marketing software is different from most popular tools. It provides a funnel-driven approach, helping users understand the steps they need to take and to see the results achieved.

A fresh perspective is what it delivers, which is great for those who don't know what they ought to do in order to get started with email marketing.

Mailchimp's excellent user experience and helpful tips makes their program a pleasure to use. Most of the advanced features are available for free.

If you are just starting out and learning how to use autoresponders and building a list, Mailchimp can get you started. GetResponse is a great email marketing platform for both newbies and experienced marketers alike.