emfluence Marketing Platform vs. iContact

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
emfluence Marketing Platform
Score 10.0 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
The emfluence Marketing Platform is a marketing automation platform featuring drag-and-drop email editors and automated campaign builders, simple social media scheduling, manageable landing pages, workflow management, analytics, website tracking, surveys, and modals. The platform works for B2B and B2C marketers, marketing agencies, and CRM providers. The product supports CRM integrations and an open API for custom integrations. emfluence offers digital marketing consulting…
$1,000
per month
iContact
Score 6.8 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
Pricing
emfluence Marketing PlatformiContact
Editions & Modules
Up to 30,000 Active Emails
$1,000
per month
Up to 150,000 Active Emails
$2,000
per month
Up to 500,000 Active Emails
$4,100
per month
More than 1,000,000 Active Emails
Custom
per month
1500 Users
$15.00
per month
2500 Users
$25.00
per month
5000 Users
$45.00
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
emfluence Marketing PlatformiContact
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup Fee$3,100 one-time fee per installationNo setup fee
Additional DetailsThe emfluence Marketing Platform offers month-to-month pricing that’s based on the number of contacts added, with no restrictions on how many emails are sent each month or by which features are used.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
emfluence Marketing PlatformiContact
Features
emfluence Marketing PlatformiContact
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
emfluence Marketing Platform
8.4
6 Ratings
10% above category average
iContact
6.6
26 Ratings
18% below category average
WYSIWYG email editor9.16 Ratings7.024 Ratings
Dynamic content8.66 Ratings7.021 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content8.26 Ratings5.021 Ratings
Landing pages8.24 Ratings7.014 Ratings
A/B testing8.25 Ratings5.017 Ratings
Mobile optimization7.75 Ratings7.021 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting9.16 Ratings7.025 Ratings
List management8.26 Ratings8.025 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences8.24 Ratings6.015 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
emfluence Marketing Platform
8.1
5 Ratings
3% above category average
iContact
-
Ratings
Lead nurturing automation9.15 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading7.74 Ratings00 Ratings
Data quality management8.24 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks7.33 Ratings00 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
emfluence Marketing Platform
8.4
3 Ratings
12% above category average
iContact
-
Ratings
Calendaring8.23 Ratings00 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing8.63 Ratings00 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
emfluence Marketing Platform
8.4
3 Ratings
13% above category average
iContact
-
Ratings
Social sharing and campaigns8.23 Ratings00 Ratings
Social profile integration8.63 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
emfluence Marketing Platform
6.7
6 Ratings
9% below category average
iContact
8.0
26 Ratings
5% above category average
Dashboards9.16 Ratings8.026 Ratings
Standard reports7.26 Ratings8.025 Ratings
Custom reports3.76 Ratings8.015 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
emfluence Marketing Platform
8.2
5 Ratings
9% above category average
iContact
-
Ratings
API8.63 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals8.63 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizability8.25 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com7.22 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM8.22 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-Send Testing
Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of Product A and Product B
emfluence Marketing Platform
-
Ratings
iContact
7.0
1 Ratings
12% 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
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User Ratings
emfluence Marketing PlatformiContact
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(6 ratings)
8.0
(45 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
3.4
(19 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(6 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.9
(9 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
1.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
emfluence Marketing PlatformiContact
Likelihood to Recommend
emfluence Digital Marketing
The reporting feature is not as detailed as we require for our documentation, so we have to organize the results into charts and graphs. For every other component of our social media and digital marketing, emfluence checks all of the boxes.
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.
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Pros
emfluence Digital Marketing
  • Custom landing pages to dive deeper into campaigns and track results
  • Responsive customer service with any problems we come by
  • A/B testing
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.
Read full review
Cons
emfluence Digital Marketing
  • I do have issues sometimes when making a website popup. I specify certain measurements of my popup yet when it shows up on my website, the graphic doesn't adjust and I have a bunch of white space. But that could also be my website.
  • When adding a new contact into the contact section, once you hit save, the contact information stays on the screen instead of an empty contact profile so you can immediately add the next person.
  • Sometimes when I update a template, The unsubscribe link will link to my email address instead of the person the email is being sent to.
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).
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Likelihood to Renew
emfluence Digital Marketing
No answers on this topic
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
emfluence Digital Marketing
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
emfluence Digital Marketing
No answers on this topic
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
Support Rating
emfluence Digital Marketing
No answers on this topic
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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Online Training
emfluence Digital Marketing
No answers on this topic
iContact
The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
Read full review
Implementation Rating
emfluence Digital Marketing
No answers on this topic
iContact
i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money
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Alternatives Considered
emfluence Digital Marketing
They were the only company that could solve our specific problems. When we looked at larger companies like Constant Contact, they weren't as capable at handling our specific needs for a reasonable price. Some companies need to charge us programming hours. Bigger companies couldn't help our issue. emfluence is more flexible.
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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
emfluence Digital Marketing
No answers on this topic
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
emfluence Digital Marketing
  • It's allowed for us to generate more traffic to our client's websites.
  • It's allowed for us to generate more leads from email marketing through emfluence.
  • Visual click maps, more customized dashboard and email templates, and a deeper dive in data would help further business objectives.
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.
Read full review
ScreenShots

emfluence Marketing Platform Screenshots

Screenshot of search perimeters and contact characteristics using the Dynamic Marketing Group Query Builder.Screenshot of Google Analytics, used to measure the success of email and social media alongside spikes in website traffic. Granular reports can be scheduled for an overview of surveys, landing pages, forms, social posts, emails, and list growth.Screenshot of the drag-and-drop Workflow Canvas visual interface used to create automated marketing campaigns, plus send contacts from a single group into branches based on email views, clicks, or custom queries.Screenshot of the interface to build branching into automated workflows based on opens, clicks, or custom decisions (based on custom or out-of-the-box contact fields, dates, and more).Screenshot of a schedule with a month's worth of social media and email, built using the drag and drop marketing calendar.Screenshot of custom email templates, which can be reused or rebuilt with a drag and drop editor.