Getresponse vs MailChimp: Which is Better for Your Business?

With so many options available, choosing the right email marketing platform can be a great challenge… I have your back!

In this detailed guide, I’ll be evaluating two of the top contenders – GetResponse and MailChimp.

• GetResponse is a powerful marketing platform, launched by a Polish company in 1998. 
• MailChimp is a veteran player with global name recognition, thanks to its generous freemium offer for small businesses.

To give you the best deciding-weapon, I’ll be comparing both platforms across the key categories like:

• Ease of Use
• Template Design and Flexibility
• Automation
• List Management
• Analytics
• Languages
• Spam and Design Testing
• Registration Forms
• Support
• Extras
• Pricing

By the end, you’ll have all the information needed to determine which platform is better suited for your business’ email marketing needs based on your budget, technical abilities, and size. 

While both are powerful solutions, GetResponse emerges as the winner for most use cases with its well-rounded capabilities and competitive pricing.

The analysis presented here is based on hands-on use and objective observations over an extended timeframe.

To let you enjoy your decision, I’ve written this post in over 3,000 words. You can jump to the summary or use the table of contents if you are in a hurry.

Let’s dive in and explore how GetResponse and MailChimp stack up across the key metrics. 

With email marketing being a $20 billion industry, getting the right platform in place is essential for business growth. Let’s touch the metrics one after the other.

Ease of Use – Getresponse vs Mailchimp 

When it comes to email marketing platforms, ease of use is a make-or-break factor. 

Even the most powerful features don’t matter if the interface is confusing and overly complex.

In this critical category, both GetResponse and MailChimp are very user-friendly and accessible even for beginners. However, there are some differences in their dashboards and workflows that impact overall usability.

Dashboard

GetResponse provides a clean, well-organized dashboard that makes it easy to access key features:

The left navigation menu allows you to jump straight into crafting campaigns, managing contacts, creating landing pages, setting up webinars, and more. 

The central dashboard displays essential stats and reports at a glance.

In contrast, MailChimp’s dashboard feels a bit more crowded:

The left navigation pane in MailChimp is also easy to use. However, the top navigation adds extra options that allow you to toggle between various account views and statuses. 

For users just getting started, this can feel slightly overwhelming.

Creating Campaigns

When it comes to creating your first campaign, both MailChimp and GetResponse make it simple with drag-and-drop editors.

GetResponse offers a WYSIWYG editor with an easy-to-navigate toolbar.

Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop content blocks are also beginner-friendly.

However, GetResponse’s editor feels a bit more responsive and polished. MailChimp’s editor can feel fiddly at times when trying to customize specific design aspects.

Learning Resources

For marketers just getting started, both platforms provide ample educational resources.

• GetResponse has an Email marketing academy, onboarding webinars, a knowledge base, as well as 24/7 customer support.
• MailChimp also has a University with courses and certifications, extensive help documentation, and email and chat support.

When it comes to the initial learning curve, GetResponse edges out MailChimp slightly thanks to its more intuitive interface. But both platforms offer top-notch educational materials for mastering email marketing.

The Verdict

While MailChimp and GetResponse are both easy to use for email marketing beginners, GetResponse wins this round by a small margin. Its dashboard provides quick access to key features without feeling cluttered. 

The drag-and-drop editor of GetResponse is also more polished and intuitive compared to MailChimp’s offering.

For those just getting started, GetResponse’s superior ease-of-use means you’ll be able to create professional, effective email campaigns faster. 

MailChimp isn’t too bad though. It also provides ample educational resources and a beginner-friendly editor in its own right.

Email Design and Customization

Creating emails that catch your subscribers’ attention requires great design and branding. 

Between GetResponse and MailChimp, which platform makes it easier to customize and design high-converting emails?

In this round, GetResponse comes out ahead due to its wide selection of professional templates accessible to all users and greater design flexibility.

Built-In Templates

Both email services offer hundreds of easy-to-customize templates to choose from.

GetResponse’s template library stands out for its modern, mobile-optimized design across categories like:

• Welcome emails
• Promotions
• Holidays
• User onboarding
• Webinars

Mailchimp also provides professionally designed templates for major industries and campaign types. But its free and lower-tier paid plans only give you access to more basic options.

If you go for the higher tier of Mailchimp, you will have access to more stylish templates. But overall, GetResponse makes its visually appealing library available to users equally across plans.

Customization Options

Both platforms allow for customizing colours, fonts, content blocks, images, and more in your chosen template.

GetResponse provides intuitive customization options accessible from the easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor toolbar. With GetResponse, tweaking template elements is quite straightforward.

Mailchimp also allows element-level customization in its editor. However, the process feels slightly less intuitive compared to GetResponse. 

With Mailchimp, switching between design and code views can be necessary for finer tweaks.

For advanced customization, GetResponse and MailChimp both allow importing custom HTML and CSS. However, GetResponse also lets you add your own CSS styles directly in the editor, providing more flexibility.

The Verdict

GetResponse emerges as the winner for email design and customization. Its library of beautiful, modern templates is available to all users regardless of plan. 

Also, customizing emails is more intuitive in GetResponse’s editor compared to Mailchimp’s approach.

If you are someone wanting access to stylish templates and seeking greater design flexibility, GetResponse is the superior choice. But for beginners, MailChimp still provides ample template options to create engaging emails.

Pricing and Plans – GetResponse vs Mailchimp

Pricing is often the deciding factor when choosing between email marketing platforms. How do GetResponse and MailChimp compare in terms of pricing tiers and value? Let’s analyze their plans.

Entry Level and Free Plans

Both GetResponse and MailChimp offer free versions to get started:

	GetResponse	MailChimp
Price	Free	$0/mo
Contacts	500	2,000
Emails/month	Unlimited	12,000

GetResponse provides more emails per month at no cost. However, Mailchimp allows for more contacts.

For affordable paid options, Mailchimp has lower-priced entry tiers:

• Essentials Plan – $13/mo originally ($6.50/mo for 1 year)
• Standard Plan – $20/mo originally ($10/mo for 1 year)

These are ideal for small businesses on tight budgets. GetResponse’s paid plans start at $15.6/mo for the Email Marketing plan.

Mid-Tier Plan Comparison

Looking beyond entry-level, GetResponse becomes better value:

Plan	GetResponse	MailChimp
Price	$59/mo originally($48.40/mo for 1 year)	$40/mo originally($20/mo for 1 year)
Contacts	10,000	2,500
Key Features	Advanced automationWebinarsLanding pages	10K emails/month

For mid-tier needs, GetResponse includes 4X more contacts and powerful capabilities like webinars and landing pages that Mailchimp lacks.

Enterprise-Level Plans

In the enterprise segment, GetResponse maintains its pricing edge:

Plan	GetResponse	MailChimp
Price	$999/mo originally. Billed annually	$350/mo originally($175/mo for 1 year)
Contacts	100,000+	Unlimited
Key Features	Priority support. Advanced automation. SMS marketing	Dedicated onboarding. Priority support

GetResponse delivers robust enterprise-level features for 73% less than Mailchimp’s comparable Premium plan.

The Verdict

For very small contact lists, Mailchimp has more affordable entry-level paid plans starting at $6.50/month. However, GetResponse quickly becomes the better value as you scale above 1,000 subscribers.

Its mid-tier and enterprise plans cost significantly less than Mailchimp while delivering far more subscriber capacity and capabilities.

So in summary…

• Under 500 contacts – Mailchimp’s free plan gets you started.
• 500 to 2,500 contacts – MailChimp’s paid plans are the most affordable.
• Above 2,500 contacts – GetResponse provides superior value and features.

GetResponse is the clear winner if you’re looking for an email marketing platform to grow with over the long term. Its pricing and plans scale far better compared to Mailchimp’s limitations.

Automation and Workflows – GetResponse vs Mailchimp

Constructing multi-step workflows is easy and visual on both platforms.

GetResponse offers robust segmentation options within its workflow builder. You can send contacts down different paths based on attributes and behaviours.

Mailchimp’s workflow builder is also intuitive but centers more heavily on email-focused triggers and conditional logic. 

GetResponse gives users more tools to create personalized, omni-channel journeys.

The Verdict

GetResponse wins this round with its wider range of marketing automation features focused on crafting sophisticated workflows beyond basic email. 

The additional capabilities like lead scoring, cart abandonment triggers, web push, and SMS expand possibilities.

If you are seeking advanced automation, GetResponse is the superior pick. But Mailchimp still provides robust workflow functionality for core email needs. This makes it better suited for users with simpler automation needs.

List Management – GetResponse vs Mailchimp

Effective list management is crucial for successful email marketing campaigns. How you organize, segment, and maintain your subscriber list impacts everything from deliverability to conversion rates.

In this area, GetResponse provides superior list management capabilities compared to MailChimp. 

Let’s explore the key differences.

List Building

Both platforms make it easy to build your subscriber lists through:

• Opt-in forms
• Landing pages
• Website widgets
• API integration
• Manual importing

GetResponse offers a wider variety of opt-in form templates to help convert website visitors. It also provides more advanced landing page options.

For example, GetResponse allows you to include polls, surveys and live chat on landing pages to engage subscribers. This helps capture higher-quality leads.

Organization

GetResponse enables organizing contacts into nested groups and segments for targeted messaging. You can categorize subscribers by attributes like demographics, interests, purchase history and engagement.

Complex organizational structures are possible. For instance, you could group by:

Industry > Company Size > Purchased Product A vs B

With MailChimp, you can create saved segments but not nested groups. The organization of Mailchimp is more siloed and limited compared to GetResponse.

Management

Managing subscribers over time is easier in GetResponse. You can more seamlessly:

• Move contacts between different lists and groups
• View subscriber engagement across multiple lists
• Update subscriber profiles from a central dashboard

With MailChimp, your lists are fairly isolated. It’s difficult to analyze engagement beyond a single list or group.

In Summary

GetResponse provides superior list segmentation, organization, and management capabilities. It allows you to build higher-quality lists, create complex structures, and maintain engagement over time.

MailChimp’s list management is relatively limited. You only get basic grouping with less ability to structure, analyze, and act on subscriber data.

If you need to manage large, sophisticated lists, GetResponse is the best choice. It enables personalizing messaging and nurturing contacts based on rich subscriber profiles. MailChimp’s simpler approach works for smaller lists with basic segmentation needs.

Analytics and Reporting – GetResponse vs Mailchmip

Making data-driven decisions is crucial for optimizing email marketing campaigns. 

Comparing GetResponse vs MailChimp, both platforms provide comprehensive analytics. But GetResponse edges out MailChimp when it comes to actionable insights.

Email Analytics

GetResponse and MailChimp offer robust analytics on:

• Opens/Clicks: See open and click-through rates. Breakdown by device, location, link clicked, and more.
• Bounce/Unsubscribe tracking: Identify issues with hard/soft bounces and unsubscribes.
• Email Client/Platform data: Discover which email platforms your audience engages with most.
• Campaign history: Analyze the performance of past campaigns to identify trends.
• A/B testing: Compare subject lines, and content variants, and send times to optimize campaigns.
• Reports: Customizable reports on opens, clicks, conversions, growth trends, and more. Download in CSV/PDF formats.

However, GetResponse provides additional depth in areas like:

• Conversion tracking: Pixel tracking for understanding email’s impact on landing page/form conversions.
• E-commerce analytics: Tie email campaigns to online store revenues with analytics on product performance.
• Marketing automation analytics: Review workflow and funnel performance to improve conversions.
• LIST: Analyze engagement trends for each contact list.

The Winner?

Well, GetResponse still wins this round by providing deeper behavioural analytics and segmentation capabilities. You can gain more targeted insights to directly optimize revenue and conversion performance.

MailChimp offers robust analytics for understanding open rates, subscriber engagement levels, and campaign history. But GetResponse takes it further with its conversion, ecommerce, and workflow-specific tracking.

For advanced email marketers, I recommend going with GetResponse, as it provides superior analytics depth. MailChimp meets the needs for basic email campaign tracking and optimization too.

Landing Pages and Forms: GetReponse vs Mailchimp

High-converting landing pages are imperative for capturing new leads and driving conversions from your email marketing campaigns. 

GetResponse provides far superior options compared to MailChimp when it comes to building landing pages and forms.

I may talk to Mailchimp’s tech team to work on this.

Landing Page Editor

GetResponse includes an intuitive drag-and-drop landing page editor directly integrated into its platform. It makes building responsive pages easy with 100+ templates, 750+ blocks, and mobile optimization.

With GetResponse you can quickly build landing pages like:

• Email signup pages
• Webinar registration pages
• Lead gen quizzes/surveys
• Product launch pages
• Discount promo pages

You can also embed forms, live chat, polls, counters and other conversion-boosting elements.

MailChimp only offers basic pre-made landing page templates, which means you’ll need to use a third-party service for advanced options.

Forms and Surveys

GetResponse allows the creation of customized forms and surveys directly in its landing page editor. With GetResponse, you can create drop-in-subscription forms, contact forms, registration forms, and surveys using a drag-and-drop form builder.

MailChimp also provides forms to embed but with far less flexibility. You’re limited to basic fields for capturing emails rather than robust multi-field forms.

The Verdict

GetResponse clearly dominates when it comes to building optimized landing pages and forms for email marketing. Its integrated editor makes creating high-converting pages easy without needing third-party tools.

For users wanting to maximize conversions from their email campaigns, GetResponse’s landing page capabilities are a must-have. MailChimp falls far short in this area.

With its huge library of templates, blocks and elements, GetResponse lets you quickly turn emails into landing page leads. MailChimp simply doesn’t stack up for those needing strong landing pages and form creation tools.

Additional Feature Comparison

Beyond the major categories already discussed, there are several other important factors to consider when comparing MailChimp and GetResponse:

Languages

GetResponse is available in 15 languages such as Spanish, German, Polish and Chinese. This gives it an advantage for marketers targeting global audiences.

MailChimp is restricted primarily to English, with only limited translations.

Spam Testing

GetResponse provides dedicated deliverability tools like inbox testing and spam testing. You can verify the spam rating and inbox placement across major email providers.

With MailChimp, spam testing capabilities require upgrading to a premium plan.

Registration Forms

Both platforms provide opt-in form-building options, but GetResponse offers significantly more templates and integrations. 

For example, you can embed forms with just a shortcode into your website, landing pages, and social media profiles.

This provides more opportunities to capture leads from channels beyond email.

Support

GetResponse provides 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support. The customer service experience tends to be fast, responsive, and effective at resolving issues.

MailChimp’s support options are more limited. You only get access to live chat on paid plans, with email and chatbots as the primary support offered otherwise.

Integrations

MailChimp offers significantly more third-party integrations with apps like Shopify, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, Google Analytics, and webinar tools.

GetResponse has the core integrations needed but doesn’t match the breadth of MailChimp’s ecosystem.

The Verdict

There are clear advantages offered by each platform:

• GetResponse for languages, spam testing, registration forms, and customer support.
• MailChimp for its wider range of third-party integrations.

When it comes to those extra bells and whistles, it really boils down to what’s most important for your business.

GetResponse may not have as many app integrations as MailChimp, but in my book, it still provides a super solid all-around option for most folks. At the end of the day, you’ve gotta go with the tool that best fits your own needs!

Summary and Recommendation – GetResponse vs Mailchimp

After an in-depth evaluation across several categories, GetResponse emerges as the superior email marketing platform for most use cases.

GetResponse wins out clearly when it comes to:

• Ease of use: More intuitive and user-friendly interface.
• Design flexibility: Beautiful templates and easier customization.
• Marketing automation: More advanced workflow options.
• List management: Robust segmentation and organization.
• Analytics: Deeper data insights for optimization.
• Landing pages: Integrated high-converting page builder.

It also competes strongly on pricing while offering greater capabilities and scalability compared to MailChimp.

The only areas where MailChimp has an edge are deliverability rates and its extensive ecosystem of third-party integrations.

But for core email marketing needs from building an audience to sending campaigns and driving conversions, GetResponse is the winner.

MailChimp does better at the starter tier with extremely budget-conscious solopreneurs and microbusinesses. But its limitations quickly become apparent as you grow.

Meanwhile, GetResponse scales smoothly from 1,000 to 100,000+ subscribers with better value. And it doesn’t lack on power or sophistication even at lower pricing tiers.

So in summary:

• For beginners, MailChimp provides the basics with an easy learning curve. Its free plan and the cheapest paid tier work for getting started.
• For growing businesses, GetResponse offers the features, customization, and scalability needed to drive results. And at competitive pricing that beats MailChimp for robust email marketing capabilities.

My Take?

I strongly recommend GetResponse for any business looking to maximize their email marketing ROI and take their campaigns to the next level. It consistently provides the best blend of user-friendliness, sophisticated capabilities, and value across customer segments.

Getresponse vs MailChimp – FAQs

What is GetResponse?

GetResponse is a powerful all-in-one email marketing platform used by over 300,000 businesses worldwide. Key features include professional email campaign creation, advanced automation with workflows and lead scoring, landing page and form builders, and robust analytics. 

GetResponse offers comprehensive email marketing capabilities for maximizing engagement and ROI.

What is MailChimp?

MailChimp is one of the world’s most popular email marketing platforms, used by over 15 million businesses. It provides easy email campaign creation, automation for email series, basic landing pages, and analytics. 

MailChimp is ideal for beginners getting started with basic email marketing needs on a budget.

Is GetResponse better than MailChimp?

For most use cases, GetResponse is superior to MailChimp when you compare factors like marketing automation, ease of use, customization, and scalability. 

GetResponse provides more sophisticated capabilities that can drive greater email marketing results. The only advantage of MailChimp is lower pricing at the starter tier.

Is GetResponse easy to use?

Yes, GetResponse is very user-friendly. It has an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and a clean dashboard. 

GetResponse is easy to use even for non-technical users and beginners. It also provides ample educational resources. Ease of use is one of GetResponse’s major strengths.

Does GetResponse have free plan?

Yes, GetResponse offers a free plan with 500 contacts and unlimited emails per month. This allows you to try the platform at no cost. The free plan includes basic email marketing features to support your first campaigns.

Does GetResponse integrate with CRM?

Yes, GetResponse seamlessly integrates with popular CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and more. This allows you to easily sync subscriber data for targeted messaging based on CRM profiles and activity. CRM integration is a key feature.

Is GetResponse GDPR compliant?

GetResponse is fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA and other data privacy regulations. It enables you to easily manage subscriber consent, access rights, and information deletion requests. GetResponse’s advanced subscriber profiles and preferences support GDPR compliance needs.