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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Autoklose

    Score9 out of 10
    Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
    Autoklose, a VanillaSoft brand, is an SEP solution, presenting a combined package of sales email automation and tracking, contact and email campaign management with sequence templates and optimization.

    $59.99

    per month per user

    iContact

    Score6.8 out of 10
    N/AiContact is an email marketing solution that was acquired by Vocus in 2012. The product is integrated with Facebook and Twitter and is aimed at SMBs with unlimited sending as a key feature.

    $14

    per month

    Pricing
    AutokloseiContact
    Editions & Modules
    Auto Kloser
    $59.99
    per month per user
    Advanced Kloser
    $69.99
    per month per user
    Accelerated Kloser
    $99.99
    per month per user
    1500 Users
    $15.00
    per month
    2500 Users
    $25.00
    per month
    5000 Users
    $45.00
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AutokloseiContact
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AutokloseiContact
    Considered Both Products
    VanillaSoft
    No answer on this topic
    iContact
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    90%
    Would buy again
    28 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    26 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    87%
    Happy with the feature set
    27 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    25 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    30 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    AutokloseiContact
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Autoklose and iContact
    Feature
    Autoklose
    -
    Ratings
    iContact
    6.6
    26 Ratings
    20% below category average
    WYSIWYG email editor00 Ratings7.024 Ratings
    Dynamic content00 Ratings7.021 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content00 Ratings5.021 Ratings
    Landing pages00 Ratings7.014 Ratings
    A/B testing00 Ratings5.017 Ratings
    Mobile optimization00 Ratings7.021 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting00 Ratings7.025 Ratings
    List management00 Ratings8.025 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences00 Ratings6.015 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Autoklose and iContact
    Feature
    Autoklose
    -
    Ratings
    iContact
    8.0
    26 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.026 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.025 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings8.015 Ratings
    Pre-Send Testing
    Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of Autoklose and iContact
    Feature
    Autoklose
    -
    Ratings
    iContact
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    15% below category average
    URL Validation00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Link Tracking00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Image Validation00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Inbox Display00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Email Accessibility Tools00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Spelling and Grammar Check00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Spam Testing00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Email Previews00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    AutokloseiContact
    Small Businesses
    HubSpot Sales Hub
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Mixmax
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Campaign Monitor by Marigold
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Groove (legacy product)
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Emma by Marigold
    Score8.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AutokloseiContact
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (34 ratings)
    8.0
    (45 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    3.4
    (19 ratings)
    Usability
    7.0
    (31 ratings)
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.5
    (30 ratings)
    9.9
    (9 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AutokloseiContact
    Likelihood to Recommend
    VanillaSoft
    If someone only runs a campaign using email and telephone communication, Autoklose is perfect, and I highly recommend it. If someone uses a more diverse set of tools and wants a more complex type of sequence, Autoklose does not allow their users to program communication tools that some other tools and software allow.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    I would only recommend it if someone was a small business. I think they are the best suited for companies who will send out a coupon or offer here and there. The most recent updates made it more complicated to use for more complicated processes. It is easy to train someone on the program, and so quick to learn. But I would also only stick to the simpler things. I also think the colorful templates are great, and show great creativity. But again, it is hard to justify recommending the program when it isn't WYSIWYG.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    VanillaSoft
    • It is helping in editing, managing, and send[ing] out large marketing campaigns.
    • It is easy to handle multiple emails in appropriate sequence.
    • Our company [has been] using this for a very long time. It is one of the perfect email solutions we found for our organization.
    • I have been very much impressed by their support staff.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    • Contact management. iContact is really great for entering all your contact. You are able to put them onto different lists, and let them choose which lists they would like to be a part of as well. There are many data fields provided to fill in information.
    • Emailing. We use the email feature at least once a month. They are always improving and adding new features, which is very helpful in presenting content in a new and exciting way to our readers. There are many options with remade templates and themes, or you can add your own.
    • Insights. It is really helpful being able to have the data to see what is working and what isn't. It is nice to be able to go back and see how things went in the past compared to now. Opens, clicks, shares, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    VanillaSoft
    • AutoKlose uses your own email, (e.g. Microsoft Outlook), so it runs the risk of exceeding the Microsoft Message Rate Limit, which can be problematic for your Outlook account.
    • Additional throttling limits for the SMTP Authentication protocol are:
    • 30 messages per minute
    • Recipient rate limit of 10,000 recipients per day.
    • Exceeding these limits will cause the following issues:
    • Exceeding the per minute limit causes email delivery delays, any excess in message submission will be throttled and successively carried over to the following minutes.
    • Exceeding the per day limit causes the following error message:
    • 554 5.2.0 STOREDRV.Submission.Exception:SubmissionQuotaExceededException.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    • We also would like to send transactional messages which don't require an opt-out, this is a challenge with iContact. (May be a feature with pro?)
    • The regular version of iContact doesn't support event management or logic flows for automated messaging.
    • Custom form fields have limited field type options (can't build a drop-down).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    VanillaSoft
    We love it and it works
    Read full review
    iContact
    iContact has been a quick and easy way to send any announcements and news directly to email and social media subscribers. Its tracking and reporting capabilities turn a simple email into a marketing campaign that can be used as a tool to efficiently gauge reader response and customer satisfaction, and ultimately to reach potential customers. The consistency and excellent customer service is what makes this program a pleasant experience.
    Read full review
    Usability
    VanillaSoft
    Whether it's setting up integrations, creating email campaigns, managing conversations with prospects, Autoklose is a well-designed tool that provides clarity along the way for users to find their bearings, and understand what to do. The help documentation is excellent, the support is great, but the tool is built in a way that simply makes sense when you're using it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    I rate iContact as an easy to use program due to its user friendly dashboard and user interface. Most companies of small to medium size do not have a dedicated marketer, therefore it is someone multitasking who may or may not have this kind of experience. iContact makes it relatively simple and can actually expand one's knowledge in the area of business promotion.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    VanillaSoft
    We have really had no issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    iContact is regularly up and running. Only once has it been unavailable for maintenance, which is to be expected and even desired for optimal performance when needed.
    Read full review
    Performance
    VanillaSoft
    Always loads fast.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    VanillaSoft
    Our Autoklose rep is amazing! Jelena has always gotten back to us within 24 hours, despite living on a different continent. She is completely proficient with the tool and is usually able to answer our questions with a brief email or short virtual meeting.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    They have always been responsive to any issues or concerns that have arisen with our account. Our customer account manager participates in our monthly county-wide communicators meetings via telephone to ensure that we are getting the most from the service. He also analyzes our lists to help us weed out inactive contacts.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    VanillaSoft
    Jelena is amazing! Very knowledgable. Great instructor.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    VanillaSoft
    Jelena is fantastic. She always responds to emails immediately.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    VanillaSoft
    It is extremely easy to implement and start using right away
    Read full review
    iContact
    i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    VanillaSoft
    I think that I have already said it, Autoklose has much better support and is really quick to set up and use compared with any of the other systems that I have used over the years.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    I didn't have a say in the decision because I wasn't with the company at the time. I listed HubSpot here because I know we used it in conjunction with iContact for email automation, but HubSpot Email was only recently built-out to the point where it is today. Now, iContact and HubSpot are no longer integrated.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    VanillaSoft
    It's expensive to have a single seat for each salesperson, so the alias feature will be the perfect addition to this product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    iContact stays the same with the number of users added or taken away. It certainly remains reliable despite increased usage, and so, can be considered scaleable in that aspect.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    VanillaSoft
    • I feel the increased prospect engagement and business opportunities created supported the cost. In my industry 1 customer can support positive ROI.
    • I saw an overall increase in mass emailing effectiveness and we were able to automate majority of our campaigns which increased productivity for marketing & sales.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    • We have a template for webinars that we send every month. We just edit it and send. This couldn't be easier (once you know where to find it).
    • We like the breakdown of statistics in the dashboard. They're easy to read.
    • iContact isn't a comprehensive solution, so it is only one of a few products we use for marketing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Autoklose Screenshots

    Screenshot of Step 01: Set up your campaignScreenshot of Step 02: Choose your recipientsScreenshot of Step 03: Select the best converting templateScreenshot of Step 04: Customize your e-mail sequence