Just wanted to drop by and thank you for mentioning us next to Aweber; I'd like to add a few relevant comments to this discussion and help marketers make the right choices when it comes to autoresponders.

I would encourage marketers to look at who they receive emails from already — clearly, something must be working if they are receiving autoresponder (or commercial email) messages. Also, it's a good idea to research and compare the costs of using another provider. Specifically, it's a good idea to research the short and long term costs associated as not all email services charge the same for services.

I feel Aweber is great for smaller list sizes. I mean, their product is pretty cool and definitely helps novices along so they can understand the world of email marketing and email automation. However, different providers offer specialized value in their products. For instance, a person who fits ConstantContact might not fit well into Bronto, or an Aweber person might not fit well with iContact — it all depends on the needs at hand the goals one wishes to accomplish.

On that note, I wanted to clarify that Infusionsoft offers flexible pricing plans that start at $199 monthly for 25,000 emails monthly; $299 for 75,000; $499 for 200,000 email messages monthly. It's pretty affordable and straightforward. Similarly, comparing Infusionsoft to email service provides alone isn't exactly equal since those services don't offer a customizable CRM or e-Commerce capabilities. Then again, not everyone needs that and should be researching solutions based on their need and future growth of their business.

Thanks for sharing this insight. It will help us understand the needs of email marketers so we can continually be providing value to them.

~Joseph Manna
Community Guy, Infusionsoft

Great to see you here and thanks for setting me straight. I'd originally posted this a while ago and it just goes to show that you should always check your sources!

I can see how Aweber could cause some problems, particularly when moving members around without making them jump through hoops. I guess it's a shame that they feel they need to use their policies to govern their users instead of depending on the honesty and transparency of their customers.

I'm off to update the post and I'll definitely include the drawbacks you listed. Great to have a balanced view from someone who's been 'round the block.

Cheers mate.

especially things like single opt-in and importing without having to re-optin people. That stuff Aweber doesn't like and some of it they just plain won't let you do.

However, for just starting out Aweber is definitely the best choice and u can move to iContact when you get big enough.