Choosing the right email marketing platform is crucial for growing your online business, so I wanted to provide an in-depth analysis from my perspective as a digital marketer with over 10 years of experience using both services.

In this post, I will be objectively evaluating how ConvertKit and AWeber stack up across key factors like features, deliverability, ease of use, analytics, pricing, and more. By the end, you should have all the details needed to determine which solution best fits your email marketing needs.

Why Listen to Me?

As an entrepreneur and email marketing specialist since 2013, I’ve used ConvertKit and AWeber extensively over the years for client projects and my own businesses. I’m very familiar with the pros and cons of each platform.

My goal is to provide helpful insights so you can make an informed decision.

ConvertKit vs AWeber Overview

ConvertKit and AWeber are two of the most popular email service providers on the market today. Both platforms offer similar core capabilities like customizable email templates, signup forms, automation workflows, analytics, and deliverability optimization.

However, there are some notable differences between the two solutions:

• ConvertKit uses a subscriber-based pricing model while AWeber has flat-rate plans
• AWeber has more email template options while ConvertKit focuses on custom coding
• ConvertKit offers more advanced segmentation and automation
• The platforms take different approaches to deliverability and spam prevention

Overall, AWeber seems to offer better value for money but ConvertKit has some unique strengths. Throughout this post, I’ll be doing a detailed ConvertKit vs AWeber comparison across all the factors that matter most to email marketers. Let’s dive in!

Features

One of the most important considerations when choosing an email service is the available features. In this section, I’ll compare the core features and capabilities of ConvertKit and AWeber.

Email Templates

Having professionally designed email templates makes a huge difference in creating engaging campaigns.

AWeber wins when it comes to available email templates. AWeber has a template library with over 700 templates covering a wide variety of designs, styles, and purposes. They offer templates for welcome emails, product launches, promotions, newsletters, and more.

In contrast, ConvertKit only has around 9 basic templates to choose from. There is very limited customization ability with ConvertKit’s templates. You primarily have to rely on custom coding for design flexibility.

For those who want access to beautiful, customizable templates out of the box, AWeber is the better choice. ConvertKit’s lack of templates is a notable downside.

A/B Testing

A/B testing email campaigns is crucial for optimization. Let’s compare how AWeber and ConvertKit perform in this area:

• AWeber’s A/B testing allows you to test up to 3 variations of elements like subject lines, content sections, calls-to-action, and more. You can gain key insights on what resonates best with your audience.
• ConvertKit also offers A/B testing but the functionality is more limited. You can only test different subject lines. The winning subject line is then automatically sent after 4 hours.

The more robust A/B testing capabilities give AWeber another advantage when it comes to refining and improving email performance. ConvertKit’s simplistic A/B testing is quite underwhelming.

Automation

Marketing automation is vital for converting subscribers and providing a great experience.

ConvertKit shines when it comes to automation and workflows. ConvertKit has an intuitive workflow builder with drag-and-drop functionality. You can create multi-branch sequences based on different subscriber actions.

Comparatively, AWeber’s automation feels a bit rigid and outdated. You are limited to 3 follow-up emails per sequence. Complex segmentation is also lacking.

For sophisticated behavioral email marketing, ConvertKit is the better automation platform. But AWeber covers the basics fairly well too.

Integrations

Both ConvertKit and AWeber integrate with many popular third-party platforms. Some notable integrations include:

• Landing page builders like LeadPages, ClickFunnels, etc.
• Webinar software like GoToWebinar, Zoom, etc.
• CRM platforms like Ontraport, ActiveCampaign, etc.
• Membership sites like Kajabi, Teachable, etc.

However, ConvertKit offers Zapier integration which connects you to thousands of different apps. This gives ConvertKit more extensibility when it comes to integrating with marketing and sales tools.

So for those needing maximum integration flexibility, ConvertKit has a slight edge. But both platforms cover the major integration needs for most users.

Ease of Use

In addition to features, the usability and learning curve of an email service platform plays a big role in long-term satisfaction. Here I’ll explore how intuitive and user-friendly ConvertKit and AWeber are for email marketers.

Email Design and Creation

Designing beautiful, professional emails is much easier when the platform has an intuitive drag-and-drop editor.

AWeber makes email creation very simple with their modular editor. You can quickly build emails by dragging in different elements like images, text blocks, buttons, dividers etc.

ConvertKit uses a more barebones HTML editor. You need to have web development skills to build emails from scratch. The limited templates don’t offer much help.

So when it comes to designing emails, AWeber has a clear usability advantage. You don’t need any coding expertise to create great looking emails.

Onboarding Experience

The onboarding process when you first sign up plays a big role in how easy the platform is to use.

From my experience, ConvertKit has a better and more interactive onboarding flow. When you first create an account, ConvertKit provides a step-by-step sequence introducing all the main features.

AWeber’s onboarding is simpler. They send some intro emails explaining basics like creating lists and campaigns. But the process is a bit more self-directed.

For people newer to email marketing, ConvertKit’s onboarding will get you up to speed much quicker. AWeber leaves you to figure things out a bit more on your own.

Interface and Navigation

As email marketing platforms grow more robust, having an intuitive interface and navigation becomes crucial.

AWeber has a modern, clean dashboard design that makes it easy to find what you need. Core sections like Campaigns, Reports, Integrations are clearly visible.

ConvertKit’s interface feels more disjointed. For example, their analytics and reports are tucked away and harder to find. Their automation workflows are called Sequences which can be confusing.

In terms of overall usability and navigation, AWeber feels more polished and user-friendly. ConvertKit’s interface has room for improvement.

Learning Resources

The availability of help resources also impacts how easy a platform is to master.

Both AWeber and ConvertKit provide a library of tutorial articles and videos for learning the platform. Common topics are covered like creating forms, segmenting subscribers, designing emails etc.

However, ConvertKit offers a useful Knowledge Base with hundreds of technical articles for troubleshooting specific use cases. AWeber’s help articles tend to be more general.

For in-depth technical guidance, ConvertKit provides superior learning resources. But both platforms have decent documentation.

So in summary, AWeber wins for simplicity in email creation while ConvertKit has better onboarding and technical knowledge bases. Consider your specific needs when evaluating ease of use.

Deliverability

Email deliverability refers to how reliably your messages get to subscriber inboxes instead of being blocked as spam. Optimizing deliverability is crucial, so how do ConvertKit and AWeber compare in this area?

Deliverability Rates

The most important deliverability factor is the overall inbox placement rates.

Based on benchmarks from reputable third-party studies, ConvertKit tends to have slightly better deliverability than AWeber.

For example, a 2022 report published by Validity found ConvertKit had a 92% inbox placement rate compared to AWeber’s 88% rate. Similar small advantages for ConvertKit appear across other studies too.

However, both platforms have above average deliverability rates in general. You’ll see good inbox placement with either service. But ConvertKit seems to eke out a small lead.

Spam Policies

Aggressive spam filtering can negatively impact deliverability. Too many blocked emails signals issues to ISPs.

The spam policies of AWeber and ConvertKit are reasonably similar. Both platforms prohibit sending purchased lists, spamming, and other abusive practices. Violators will have accounts terminated.

Neither service seems to over-filter regular business promotional emails. As long as you follow anti-spam laws and best practices, both platforms will allow you to maintain good sender reputation.

Dedicated IPs

Dedicated IP addresses can improve deliverability by giving you a “clean” sending reputation.

ConvertKit offers dedicated IPs to customers sending more than 150k emails per week consistently. Below that threshold, you use their shared IP system.

AWeber doesn’t offer dedicated IPs. All customers use their shared IP pools.

So if you have large email volumes, ConvertKit gives you more flexibility to enhance deliverability. But AWeber’s shared IPs work well for smaller lists.

Optimizing Deliverability

Beyond policies and infrastructure, the training and guidance each company provides around deliverability is important.

ConvertKit offers an extensive library of deliverability guide articles covering topics like:

• Optimizing subject lines
• Improving engagement metrics
• Warming up new IP addresses
• Writing from “human” voices

AWeber also provides deliverability tips and best practices in their Deliverability Center. But ConvertKit’s content is much more thorough.

For deliverability nerds, ConvertKit has far more advanced training. Their expertise in this area is a key strength.

In summary, ConvertKit and AWeber both provide above average inbox placement rates. But ConvertKit seems to edge out AWeber slightly when it comes to overall deliverability and optimization guidance.

Analytics and Reporting

Understanding the performance of your email campaigns is impossible without in-depth analytics and reporting. Let’s explore how ConvertKit and AWeber compare when it comes to email marketing metrics and insights.

Email Analytics

Having access to key email engagement and conversion metrics is essential for optimization.

AWeber provides excellent email analytics and reporting. Their Reports dashboard clearly displays opens, clicks, unsubscribes, shares, revenue, and more for each campaign. You can segment and filter data in many ways.

ConvertKit’s analytics feels less fully-featured. Their email metrics are focused on opens and clicks. Conversion tracking is lacking. The reporting dashboard is also confusing to locate.

For both granular email metrics and high-level performance insights, AWeber’s reporting capabilities are superior to ConvertKit’s.

Subscriber Analytics

Understanding your subscriber behavior is also important.

AWeber allows you to create customer profiles with metrics on their open rates, clicks, sales, and more. You can segment subscribers based on these behaviors.

ConvertKit doesn’t provide subscriber-level analytics. You only see aggregate campaign metrics. This limits your understanding of subscribers as individuals.

Once again, AWeber provides more useful behavioral analytics for segmenting and personalizing communication.

Visualizations and Dashboards

Data visualization through charts and graphs accelerates insights and learning.

ConvertKit’s reporting lacks any visualizations – it’s just tables of numbers. AWeber displays beautiful graphs and charts for subscriber growth, engagement trends, revenue, and more.

AWeber also assembles your key metrics into intuitive dashboards for each campaign or mailing list. This provides a quick high-level view of performance.

For visual analytics, AWeber is far ahead of ConvertKit in capabilities. Their dashboards and graphs unlock more value from your data.

Custom Reporting

The ability to create custom reports is advantageous for tracking KPIs.

AWeber has robust options for building customized reports. You can add or remove metrics, set up filters, schedule for automatic delivery, and more.

ConvertKit doesn’t support custom reports. Their analytics are one-size-fits-all.

This further solidifies AWeber as the platform with superior reporting and analytics for email marketers who rely on data-driven optimization.

AWeber provides significantly stronger analytics and reporting functionality compared to ConvertKit. Their visualizations, dashboards, and custom reporting enable deeper performance insights. For data-driven email marketers, AWeber is the clear winner.

Pricing

The pricing and value you get for your money is obviously important when comparing ConvertKit and AWeber. In this section, I’ll break down their plans and pricing models.

Pricing Models

ConvertKit uses a per subscriber model for pricing. You pay based on the number of email subscribers you have. Plans start at $29/month for up to 500 subscribers.

AWeber uses a flat monthly rate regardless of subscribers. Their plans range from $19 to $194 per month. Higher tiers have more advanced features.

For smaller lists, AWeber’s flat pricing tends to be more cost effective. But ConvertKit scales better to larger audiences.

Free Plans

Having a free plan option allows you to try the platform at no cost.

• AWeber offers a forever free plan for up to 500 subscribers and unlimited emails.
• ConvertKit has a 14 day free trial limited to 1,000 subscribers. No free plan.

So AWeber provides a more generous free offering to attract new users. ConvertKit focuses on paid plans only.

Paid Plan Comparison

Here is an overview of what major features are included in each paid plan tier:

Plan	ConvertKit	AWeber
Entry	<500 subscribers$29/month	Up to 2,500 subscribers$21/month
Mid	2,500 subscribers$79/month	Unlimited subscribers$49/month
Advanced	25,000 subscribers$249/month	Unlimited subscribers$194/month

AWeber’s pricing tiers include more features and higher subscriber counts, especially for mid-range plans. Their advanced plan is also cheaper than ConvertKit’s comparable 25k tier.

Value for Money

Given the pricing models and included features, AWeber generally provides better value across all plan levels. Their lower entry cost and higher subscriber allowances give you more for your money.

ConvertKit is a pricier platform overall but offers unique advanced automation capabilities that may justify the premium costs for some.

AWeber tends to be more budget-friendly, especially for smaller email lists. ConvertKit scales better to very large audiences but carries higher price tags. Consider your subscriber goals when evaluating the pricing and potential value.

Support and Customer Service

The quality of customer support can make or break your experience with an email service provider. Let’s see how ConvertKit and AWeber compare when you need help or assistance.

Support Channels

Having multiple channels for reaching customer service is important.

Here are the support options provided:

Channel	ConvertKit	AWeber
Email Support	✅	✅
Live Chat	✅	✅
Phone Support	❌	✅
Community Forum	✅	❌

AWeber offers phone support in addition to email and live chat. ConvertKit has a community forum instead of phone.

So AWeber provides more direct 1:1 contact channels. But ConvertKit’s forums allow you to crowdsource answers from other users.

Documentation

The knowledge bases and documentation provided are another useful support channel.

ConvertKit offers extremely detailed technical documentation in their Knowledge Base. They cover hundreds of specific use cases.

AWeber’s documentation is more typical. They have basic tutorials and how-to articles for common questions.

For troubleshooting tricky email marketing issues, ConvertKit’s expansive Knowledge Base stands out. Their documentation is truly impressive.

Response Time

How quickly each company responds to support requests matters greatly.

From my experience:

• AWeber generally responds to email tickets within 24 hours. Chat waits are only a few minutes.
• ConvertKit aims to respond to emails within 48 hours. Chat typically takes 15-30 minutes during business hours.

AWeber offers slightly faster overall response times. But both are reasonably prompt.

Overall Support

In summary:

• AWeber provides more direct contact methods like phone support.
• ConvertKit’s community forums facilitate peer-to-peer help.
• ConvertKit’s knowledge base documentation is extremely thorough.
• Response times are quick across both platforms.

ConvertKit seems to have a slight edge in the depth of its educational content. But AWeber offers more real-time contact options. Both companies provide commendable customer support overall.

Conclusion

So which is better – ConvertKit or AWeber?

Based on this extensive and detailed comparison, I personally give the edge to AWeber as the best email marketing platform for most users.

Here’s why:

• AWeber has superior features in areas like templates, A/B testing, and analytics. Their offerings are more robust and fully-featured compared to ConvertKit.
• The ease of use is greater with AWeber thanks to their drag-and-drop designer and intuitive interface. ConvertKit often requires more technical expertise.
• AWeber delivers excellent value for money with their generous free plan and affordable pricing tiers with ample features included.
• The customer support options like phone access provide reliable real-time assistance when issues arise.

ConvertKit does have some notable strengths:

• More advanced automation capabilities for workflows.
• Slightly better deliverability rates and expertise.
• A passionate community of power users.

However, for most small to medium sized businesses, AWeber simply provides a more well-rounded and user-friendly email marketing platform.

Recommendation

Overall, I suggest AWeber is the best choice for email marketing in 2023 for their great features, affordable pricing, and stellar support.

Unless you have a very large subscriber list or need complex automations, AWeber can fulfill the core email needs of most users.

Of course, you should sign up for a free trial of both services to evaluate which platform best fits your unique needs and preferences. But in my experience, you can’t go wrong with AWeber.

I hope this detailed and unbiased ConvertKit versus AWeber comparison helps you choose the best email partner to grow your business. Let me know if you have any other questions!

ConvertKit VS Aweber – FAQ

What is ConvertKit?

ConvertKit is a popular email marketing platform used by bloggers, course creators, coaches, and other digital businesses to build their email lists, create campaigns, and automate workflows.

What is AWeber?

AWeber is an email marketing service that provides easy-to-use tools for managing subscribers, sending broadcasts, running automations, and tracking analytics. It’s a competitor to ConvertKit.

Is ConvertKit better than AWeber?

In my expert opinion, AWeber is actually better than ConvertKit for most users based on factors like features, pricing, and support. But ConvertKit does offer superior automation and deliverability capabilities that may benefit some users.

What is ConvertKit’s pricing?

ConvertKit uses a per subscriber pricing model. Plans start at $29/month for up to 500 subscribers. The rates go up as your list size increases.

What is AWeber’s pricing?

AWeber uses flat rate monthly pricing regardless of your subscriber count. Plans range from $19 to $194 per month. Each tier includes more advanced features.

Does ConvertKit have free plan?

No, ConvertKit does not have a free plan, only a 14 day trial. AWeber provides a forever free plan for up to 500 subscribers.

What are AWeber’s key features?

AWeber provides over 700 email template designs, intuitive drag-and-drop builder, advanced analytics and reports, segmemnation and tracking.

How does ConvertKit’s deliverability compare?

ConvertKit consistently sees slightly higher inbox placement rates compared to AWeber. However, both services have above average deliverability overall.

Which platform has better support options?

AWeber offers phone, live chat, and email support. ConvertKit provides email, live chat, and community forums. Both platforms have quick, reliable customer service.