The email marketing industry is constantly evolving, and mature companies like AWeber are now being challenged by new players like ConvertKit. Both tools come with a plethora of features designed to grow your contacts and cultivate engagement with your subscribers. Nonetheless, Aweber and ConvertKit have their strengths and weaknesses which may lead you to choose one over the other. Below, we take a look at these robust email marketing and automation tools to help you decide which is better for your brand or business.
Table of Contents
ConvertKit vs AWeber Comparison Chart
| Name | ConvertKit | AWeber |
 |  | |
| Price | Check Price at ConvertKit.com | Check Price at AWeber.com |
| Landing Pages | Yes | Yes |
| Email Templates | 3 | 700 |
| Landing Page Template | 30+ | 30+ |
| Lead Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Email Automation | Yes | Yes |
| A/B Testing | Yes, for email subject lines | Yes |
| Bulk Social Media Posting | No | Yes |
| Rules | Yes | Yes |
| Featured Integrations | Crowdcast, Teachable, Shopify | GoToWebinar, WordPress, PayPal |
| Best Feature | Landing pages, custom white glove migration | Autoresponder, wide array of email templates |
Pricing
ConvertKit and AWeber both offer upfront plans based on number of subscribers.
Whereas most email marketing platforms follow a tiered pricing model when offering features, these two tools are more straightforward. ConvertKit, for instance, comes in only two plans: Free and Complete. Unlike most tools which offer a free plan but with limited functionality, the free of charge option from ConvertKit is actually usable. Individuals and businesses will appreciate how the Free plan already includes unlimited email sends, landing pages, and forms, as well as support for up to 1,000 subscribers.
But, if your needs are greater, you can always opt for the Complete Plan, which starts at $29/mo. Monthly fees will go up as the number of your subscribers do. And for more than 900,000 subscribers, you can talk with the ConvertKit team for a custom plan.
AWeber follows a similar pricing scheme, although its entry-level paid plan is cheaper, starting at just $19/mo. But like ConvertKit, Aweber’s Pro Plans are priced based on subscriber number. So no matter which plan you opt for, you will have access to all features. However, AWeber’s free plan is only good for up to 500 contacts, and with limited email sends per month. Custom plans also start at a lower threshold of over 25,000 subscribers.
You do get more value for your money if you opt for long-term subscriptions. For instance, ConvertKit offers discounted monthly fees, which is equivalent to two months free, if you pay yearly. On the other hand, AWeber plans are less expensive if you choose a Quarterly or Yearly billing cycle.
Email Templates
While ConvertKit has fewer email templates compared to AWeber, its email designer interface is easy-to-use and puts emphasis on content.
While ConvertKit has limited pre-designed email templates, it more than makes up for this with its simple yet highly intuitive email designer. Rather than focusing on loading your emails with media, ConvertKit emphasizes efficiency, delivery, and conversion. Font, colors, and alignments can all be customized. Moreover, you can add practical functions to your email, including lists, headers, and clickable CTAs. And if you need to add images, ConvertKit includes access to thousands of free images through its Unsplash integration.
Meanwhile, AWeber boasts 700+ ready-to-send email templates. While having this kind of catalogue is impressive, some of the designs are a bit outdated. Nonetheless, you can opt to have an existing design professionally modified for $29. And if you have no time to edit an email layout, you can have an AWeber designer build you a template from scratch for $229.
Features
ConvertKit features an intuitive email automation tool and tag-based segmentation process. On the other hand, AWeber banks on a traditional list-based subscriber management system, as well as extensive app integrations.
ConvertKit is specifically tailored for content creators. As a result, the interface is simple, organized, and easy-to-use. This allows writers, bloggers, and vloggers to spend more of their time making content rather than email marketing. Nowhere is this more apparent than in ConvertKit’s email automation feature. Using a visual workflow, you can set up triggers for your funnels based on events, subscriber behavior, or select conditions, following the philosophy and logic behind a customer’s journey.
Email marketing is also largely about maintaining a readership. With ConvertKit, subscribers are managed through tags instead of lists. It’s a conscious effort from ConvertKit to simplify how you can segment an audience and target your readers based on the personalized information you get. So at the end of day, you only have to manage one list, which is subsequently organized and segmented based on tags.
Instead of a visual automation, AWeber lets you automate messages using a drag-and-drop interface. While it’s fairly easy to use, functions are limited and you won’t be able set up various automations or branching. In addition, email triggers are only limited to when someone fits a tag or subscribes to your list. However, AWeber does offer a number of integrations with other e-commerce applications, including PayPal and Salesforce. Plus, you get better deliverability rates compared to ConvertKit.
Reporting and Analytics
AWeber comes with comprehensive, built-in reporting tools while ConvertKit offers simply reporting features with the option to use Google Analytics.
AWeber has more in-depth analytics compared to ConvertKit. Reports include click through rate, subscriber count, open rate, and email bounce, among others. You can even monitor sales through its email tracking and analytics feature. Plus, there’s a dedicated AWeber Stats mobile app so you can keep tabs on your campaign performance anywhere and anytime.
ConvertKit, on the other hand, keeps things simple. You don’t get comprehensive reporting like AWeber but the homepage dashboard will display key metrics like conversions and subscriber growth. If this isn’t enough, ConvertKit is compatible with Google Analytics for a broader review of your campaign data.
Verdict
ConvertKit is better for content creators while AWeber will fit the needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs.
ConvertKit and AWeber represent the new and old generation of email marketing tools respectively. If you’re a content creator with no prior experience to email marketing, then ConvertKit is for you. The platform’s uncomplicated interface and emphasis on quality messages translate to marketing campaigns that are easy to set up. Its tag-based segmentation process also makes managing subscribers so much more easier and intuitive. You can set up for a ConvertKit Complete Plan here, and simply adjust based on the number of your subscribers.
For small businesses and entrepreneurs, AWeber may be a better fit. Aside from its core features, you get a number of integrations with e-commerce applications together with more comprehensive reporting tools. AWeber also has more options when it comes to email templates, ideal for those who prefer more dynamic and media-heavy emails. If this sounds more like what you need, you can check out AWeber’s subscription options here.
