AWeber Review, Pricing & Features

What is AWeber?

AWeber is a popular email marketing platform with over 150,000 users. AWeber is best for small businesses that desire a basic and affordable email marketing tool with exceptional customer support. This solution includes most of the features that are typical with this type of software such as data integration and storage, segmentation, A/B testing, a drag-and-drop email builder, and reporting.

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Table of Contents

AWeber Review Summary

AWeber was founded by Tom Kulzer in 1998. Today, this solution is used by over 150,000 businesses. AWeber is best for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

AWeber’s best attributes are its affordability and exceptional customer support. Compared to Mailchimp’s Standard Plan, AWeber’s monthly subscription is 30% to 55% less expensive. Also, unlike Mailchimp, AWeber offers 24/7 email, live chat, and phone support even for its free plan.

A downside of AWeber is that its automation workflows are limited to sequential emails. If you're looking for a solution with sophisticated automation workflows with branching points, AWeber is not for you.

AWeber offers a free plan that includes up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 monthly email sends. AWeber’s paid plan starts at $19 per month, and increases based upon your number of contacts.

Here’s a simple framework to determine which solution is best for you:

  • If you are a small business that desires a basic and affordable email marketing tool with exceptional customer support, AWeber is a solid option.
  • If you are a small business willing to invest in a more robust email marketing solution, consider testing Mailchimp.
  • If you are a SMB that prefers advanced email automation and a built-in CRM, we recommend testing ActiveCampaign.

AWeber Pricing & Cost

AWeber pricing ranges from $19 to $149 per month depending on your number of subscribers. AWeber offers a free plan that includes up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 monthly email sends. The company offers a 9% to 10% discount for quarterly and annual contracts that are paid upfront.

Number of SubscribersMonthly Price
0 to 500 subscribers$19
501 to 2,500 subscribers$29
2,501 to 5,000 subscribers$49
5,001 to 10,000 subscribers$69
10,001 to 25,000 subscribers$149

AWeber Features

Below, we'll discuss AWeber’s key features. We include product screenshots to give you a sense of this solution’s interface and usability.

Dashboard

The dashboard offers a general overview of your marketing efforts in AWeber. The dashboard shows changes in your subscriber count, upcoming and past broadcasts, and your email lists.

aweber dashboard

Data Integration and Storage

You can use AWeber to collect and store data about your customers. This data is key to segmentation, personalizing content, and implementing trigger emails. Below, we explore AWeber’s data fields and offer an overview of importing customers and data.

Data Fields

Contact information that you collect and store in AWeber is organized into data fields. You use these data fields to segment your lists in order to send better targeted communications. Here are some examples of commonly-used data fields.

  • Email address
  • Location
  • Name
  • Phone Number
  • Website

You can create custom data fields to collect specific information relevant to your business. AWeber allows you to create up to 25 custom data fields.

Importing Customers and Data into AWeber

You can import data through a variety of ways in AWeber. AWeber does not limit the number of subscribers you can import at one time. However, the company may request a sample portion of your subscribers if you import in high volumes. Below, we highlight some of the primary methods of data collection.

Data Collection MethodDescription
Manual EntryCustomer information can be entered manually through copy and paste.
SpreadsheetsYou can upload spreadsheets that contain customer data in XLS, XLSX, TSV, CSV, or TXT file formats.
Pre-built integrationsBuilt-in integrations allow AWeber to seamlessly share data to and from third-party solutions. AWeber integrates with over 140 third-party platforms. We further explore AWeber’s integrations later in the review.
APIAWeber has an open API that allows businesses to create custom integrations. You can use this to move data in and out of AWeber and build custom applications that leverage AWeber’s functionality.
Signup formsYou can embed signup forms in your website and emails to capture customer data.

Segmentation

AWeber’s platform includes segmentation tools that you can use to create segments of customers using the data that’s stored in the system. Using segments is a best practice to increase the relevancy of your emails, and save cost by reducing send volume.

You can define the conditions of each segment to include or exclude portions of your list. Here are some of the segmentation conditions found in AWeber:

Data SourceDescriptionExample Data Points
Contact ActivityThis type of segment condition is based on contact behavior.
  • Message opened & not opened
  • Any clicks
  • Link clicked & not clicked
  • No clicks
  • Web page visited
Contact InformationThis type of segment condition is based on the attributes associated with each customer.
  • Name
  • Email
  • Subscribed & Unsubscribed
  • Confirmed & Not confirmed
DemographicThis type of condition segments contacts by location data pulled from IP address
  • Area code
  • City
  • Country
  • DMA code
  • Latitude
  • Longitude
  • Postal code
  • Region
TimeThis type of condition segments contacts based on signup or import date.
  • Date added
  • Date confirmed
  • Date last added
  • Date stopped

You can create complex segments in AWeber using any and all logic. Specific operators included in AWeber’s application are:

  • Is & is not
  • Contains & does not contain
  • Starts & does not start with
  • Ends with & does not start with
  • Does not end with
  • Date is on or before
  • Date is after or before
  • Since
  • Before
  • Is less than
  • Is greater than
  • Is equal to
AWeber Segmentation

In AWeber, you can create as many segments as you want. Also, you can add a virtually unlimited number of conditions to a segment.

Email Builder

AWeber includes an email editor that is used to create custom and professional emails. You can drag and drop various content types into your email templates including:

  • Images
  • Videos
  • Buttons
  • Text
  • Products
  • Coupons
  • Logos
  • Signatures

You can stylize your emails with different formats, fonts, and colors. Also, AWeber includes a plain text and HTML editor.

AWeber includes over 700 pre-designed email templates which is far more than many of its competitors. These templates are useful starting points when crafting your email, and allows you to create professional emails without design expertise.

aweber email editor

AWeber includes a library of over 6,000 stock images that you can access for free. Unfortunately, AWeber does not include a photo editor in its platform.

You can preview how emails will appear on desktop and browser. Also, you can send yourself test emails. However, you can not test cross-client display compatibility to see how emails appear on different email service providers.

A/B Testing

AWeber has an A/B testing tool that you can use to optimize your emails and subject lines. You create multiple versions of your email, and send each version to a portion of your customers. AWeber tracks how each version performs, and you can choose a winning email to send the rest of your testing pool. In the table below, we highlight the major components of AWeber’s A/B testing.

A/B Test ComponentDescription
VariablesMessage content, preview text, send times, subject lines
Email VariationsUp to 3 versions
Testing Pool Size1% to 100% of list
Testing Length PeriodVirtually unlimited
Winning MetricsClick rate, bounce rate, complaint rate, open rate

AWeber does not automatically send winning emails after a test has concluded. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it is something we would like to see added in future updates.

Marketing Automation

AWeber allows you to create drip campaigns that send a series of automated messages to customers. AWeber includes pre-built flows with defined triggers and timelines for four types of drip campaigns.

  • Welcome series: Introduces new subscribers to your brand.
  • Lead magnet: Offers subscribers a download link.
  • Blogger series: Shares your company’s content with your audience.
  • Mini-course: Sends educational resources to your contacts.

Each workflow begins with a trigger, such as adding someone to your subscriber list. You can then build your workflow with a drag-and-drop editor by adding different actions including "send a message," "wait," and "apply tag."

Aweber automation

AWeber tracks when your audience clicks a link or opens an email. Depending on your audience’s behavior, AWeber will send the next email in the sequence, or remove the contact from the workflow.

AWeber’s automation features are limited compared to many of its competitors. AWeber does not allow you to create branching points in an automation workflow. This means you can't trigger different actions based on your contact’s behavior, and send personalized emails to them.

Other Features and Marketing Channels

AWeber not only offers email marketing, but also includes several useful online marketing tools. Below, we highlight some of AWeber’s other features and marketing channels.

  • Landing pages: AWeber allows you to create unlimited landing pages for free. AWeber includes a landing page builder that functions similarly to the email builder we discussed earlier.
  • Web push notifications: AWeber includes web push notifications that send clickable messages to a subscriber's desktop when they have a browser open. Web push notifications are free in all AWeber plans.

Deliverability

You should choose an email system that gets a high percentage of your emails into recipient inboxes. In the email world, this is known as deliverability.

There are several best practices that email systems should follow to increase your deliverability. As you can see below, it follows the best practices.

Deliverability FeaturesOffered by AWeber
Deliverability analytics and reportingYes
Deliverability-specific benchmarksNo
Double opt-inYes
Automated contact removal for soft & hard bouncesNo
Dedicated click trackingYes
Email authentication (DKIM & SPF)Yes
Dedicated domainYes
Dedicated IP addressYes
Unsubscribe optionYes

Analytics and Reporting

With AWeber, you can generate a variety of reports that visualizes key metrics and offers actionable insights to grow your business. Here are some of the reports you can create in AWeber:

  • Clicks over time
  • Daily unconfirmed subscribers
  • List clicks & opens over time
  • New subscribers by day, week, and month
  • Opens over time
  • Revenue over time
  • Subscriber growth by day, week and month

Integrations

AWeber has excellent integration capabilities, and connects with more than 140 different websites and services including Facebook, Wordpress, and PayPal. While not as exhaustive as MailChimp’s integrations, there are plenty of options for users to include additional functionality.

  • 3dcart
  • Acuity Scheduling
  • Apiant
  • Automate.io
  • Clickbank
  • Clickfunnels
  • Dasheroo
  • Facebook
  • FormStack
  • Google Analytics
  • PayPal
  • Shopify
  • Thinkific
  • Twitter
  • WooCommerce
  • WordPress

AWeber Alternatives & Competitors

AWeber competes with a variety of email marketing solutions that offer similar functionality. The best choice for you will depend on your budget and feature preferences.

AWeber's top competitors are:

Is AWeber Right For You?

AWeber is a popular email marketing platform with over 150,000 users. AWeber is best for small businesses that desire a basic and affordable email marketing tool with exceptional customer support.

Here’s a simple framework to determine which solution is best for you:

  • If you are a small business that desires a basic and affordable email marketing tool with exceptional customer support, AWeber is a solid option.
  • If you are a small business willing to invest in a more robust email marketing solution, consider testing Mailchimp.
  • If you are a SMB that prefers advanced email automation and a built-in CRM, we recommend testing ActiveCampaign.

If you're interested, you can try AWeber today.

Lloyd Park

Lloyd Park is a Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit, where he conducts in-depth analyses of software markets and products. Lloyd also has experience managing the development of software platforms and is an expert in content production & media software. You can connect with Lloyd on LinkedIn.

Lloyd is an expert in several software categories including:

  • Dental software
  • Email marketing software
  • Field service management software
  • Legal software
  • Property management software