iContact vs. VerticalResponse

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
iContact
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
iContact 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
VerticalResponse
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
VerticalResponse is an email campaign management software and services platform from Deluxe. In addition to providing email marketing tools, VerticalResponse offers fully managed email marketing services from campaign launch and management to reporting and analysis.
$9
per month
Pricing
iContactVerticalResponse
Editions & Modules
1500 Users
$15.00
per month
2500 Users
$25.00
per month
5000 Users
$45.00
per month
Basic
$11.00
per month
Pro
$16.00
per month
Pro Plus
$196.00
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
iContactVerticalResponse
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
iContactVerticalResponse
Considered Both Products
iContact
Chose iContact
In my opinion, Mailchimp is the top contender to iContact and really gives them a run for their money. Mailchimp offers users more features, and costs less. Of course, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Overall, it is a tough decision to make between the two, …
Chose iContact
We previously used another product, Vertical Response, but ultimately chose iContact because we felt the newsletter editor was more easily adaptable (from a brand perspective we were able to customize the template to fit our brand). Additionally, from a pricing standpoint, …
VerticalResponse

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
iContactVerticalResponse
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
iContact
6.6
26 Ratings
21% below category average
VerticalResponse
9.9
8 Ratings
19% above category average
WYSIWYG email editor7.024 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Dynamic content7.021 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content5.021 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Landing pages7.014 Ratings10.04 Ratings
A/B testing5.017 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Mobile optimization7.021 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting7.025 Ratings10.08 Ratings
List management8.025 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences6.015 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
iContact
8.0
26 Ratings
2% above category average
VerticalResponse
10.0
9 Ratings
24% above category average
Dashboards8.026 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Standard reports8.025 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Custom reports8.015 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Pre-Send Testing
Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of Product A and Product B
iContact
7.0
1 Ratings
19% below category average
VerticalResponse
10.0
1 Ratings
16% above category average
URL Validation7.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Link Tracking7.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Image Validation7.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Inbox Display7.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Email Accessibility Tools7.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Spelling and Grammar Check7.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Spam Testing7.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Email Previews7.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
iContactVerticalResponse
Small Businesses
ReachMail
ReachMail
Score 10.0 out of 10
ReachMail
ReachMail
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
VerticalResponse
VerticalResponse
Score 10.0 out of 10
Emma by Marigold
Emma by Marigold
Score 8.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Emma by Marigold
Emma by Marigold
Score 8.6 out of 10
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Score 8.6 out of 10
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User Ratings
iContactVerticalResponse
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(45 ratings)
10.0
(28 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
3.4
(19 ratings)
8.6
(19 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(6 ratings)
9.0
(5 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.9
(9 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Online Training
1.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.5
(2 ratings)
10.0
(4 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
iContactVerticalResponse
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
Read full review
VerticalResponse
For businesses requiring advanced email marketing features like sophisticated automation, in-depth analytics, and extensive customization, VerticalResponse might fall short due to its limited featuresVerticalResponse is ideal for small businesses or freelancers who need a simple, straightforward email marketing tool. Its ease of use and basic features make it suitable for those without extensive technical expertise in email marketing
Read full review
Pros
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.
Read full review
VerticalResponse
  • I love the ease of list builder because we often times have a lot of data to import. It would be simply impossible without this tool, considering the amount of customer data we have for any one given email.
  • We really enjoy the ease of use of the HTML wizard as well. It helps even a novice be able to make a beautiful and attention grabbing email.
  • The dashboard is functional and easy to find when you need with a quick search.
Read full review
Cons
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).
Read full review
VerticalResponse
  • The type face is small. Not sure if this is to avoid overwhelming the reader, but I could see this being an issue with vision-impaired people or people who don't see small print well.
  • Sometimes I find it takes multiple clicks to make one simple change. I wish there was a search field at the top of the screen that allowed me to jump directly to a client's entry to update it there.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
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
VerticalResponse
Product is easy for both technical and non-technical people to use. A cost effective solution for sending out large number of messages. We can manage unsubscribes by individual accounts, so we can have multiple multiple accounts combined to maximize our buying power on credits. Effective API for sending/receiving data makes tool a valuable asset.
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Usability
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.
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VerticalResponse
I truly love this product. We are moving to an all-in-one system next year and my greatest fear in doing so is how much I will miss this platform. Although we are excited for things ahead, I will always keep Vertical Response in my back pocket incase I don't love the new platform as much
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Reliability and Availability
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
VerticalResponse
Never had an issue with uptime
Read full review
Performance
iContact
No answers on this topic
VerticalResponse
No issues
Read full review
Support Rating
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.
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VerticalResponse
At Vertical Response the help desk associates are courteous, knowledgeable and helpful. You can tell they enjoy what they do. And clearly, they are well trained because most times, the first point of contact is able to resolve any issue you may have. There have been very few times where an associate has needed to get back to me or escalate me to a supervisor
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Online Training
iContact
The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
Read full review
VerticalResponse
Basic functions and online help...we used what was needed, at the time, and will continue to explore other online trainings as our functional needs expand
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Implementation Rating
iContact
i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money
Read full review
VerticalResponse
Salesforce integration never worked right. We had to abandon.
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Alternatives Considered
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
VerticalResponse
In addition to using Vertical Response personally I also manage email marketing for clients that already use Mailchimp, Robly and Constant Contact. While most of these platforms all offer similar features I choose Vertical Response first if the client does not have a platform in place. Typically I am also teaching the client how to use this tool and the Vertical Response visual interface is very easy for me to teach a client how to navigate and create their own campaigns.
Read full review
Scalability
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
VerticalResponse
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
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.
Read full review
VerticalResponse
  • We were able to blast out promotions our company was having to customers which created an increase in business.
  • By blasting out any service issues, it keeps our customers informed so that they are not wondering what is going on.
  • Allows us to store unsubscribed emails so that we are not constantly pestering people who do not want to be emailed.
Read full review
ScreenShots