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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    Leadfwd

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/ALeadfwd, from the company of the same name in Staten Island, combines B2B Prospecting, Sales Outreach and Account-Based Marketing. It replaces the former INBOX25.N/A
    Pricing
    iContactLeadfwd
    Editions & Modules
    1500 Users
    $15.00
    per month
    2500 Users
    $25.00
    per month
    5000 Users
    $45.00
    per month
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    iContactLeadfwd
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    iContactLeadfwd
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of iContact and Leadfwd
    Feature
    iContact
    6.6
    26 Ratings
    20% below category average
    Leadfwd
    7.4
    2 Ratings
    5% below category average
    WYSIWYG email editor7.024 Ratings7.02 Ratings
    Dynamic content7.021 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content5.021 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Landing pages7.014 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    A/B testing5.017 Ratings3.22 Ratings
    Mobile optimization7.021 Ratings6.22 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting7.025 Ratings9.62 Ratings
    List management8.025 Ratings8.62 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences6.015 Ratings8.82 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of iContact and Leadfwd
    Feature
    iContact
    8.0
    26 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Leadfwd
    6.3
    2 Ratings
    17% below category average
    Dashboards8.026 Ratings6.52 Ratings
    Standard reports8.025 Ratings6.32 Ratings
    Custom reports8.015 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Pre-Send Testing
    Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of iContact and Leadfwd
    Feature
    iContact
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    15% below category average
    Leadfwd
    -
    Ratings
    URL Validation7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Link Tracking7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Image Validation7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Inbox Display7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email Accessibility Tools7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Spelling and Grammar Check7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Spam Testing7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email Previews7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Lead Management
    Comparison of Lead Management features of iContact and Leadfwd
    Feature
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Leadfwd
    8.0
    2 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Lead nurturing automation00 Ratings8.42 Ratings
    Lead scoring and grading00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
    Data quality management00 Ratings7.72 Ratings
    Automated sales alerts and tasks00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Campaign Management
    Comparison of Campaign Management features of iContact and Leadfwd
    Feature
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Leadfwd
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Calendaring00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
    Event/webinar marketing00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Social Media Marketing
    Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of iContact and Leadfwd
    Feature
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Leadfwd
    7.5
    1 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Social sharing and campaigns00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Social profile integration00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Platform & Infrastructure
    Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of iContact and Leadfwd
    Feature
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    Leadfwd
    9.1
    2 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Role-based workflow & approvals00 Ratings8.82 Ratings
    Customizability00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
    Integration with Salesforce.com00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Integration with SugarCRM00 Ratings9.62 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    iContactLeadfwd
    Small Businesses
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    Vbout
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Campaign Monitor by Marigold
    Score9 out of 10
    Bloomreach
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Emma by Marigold
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Iterable
    Score8.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    iContactLeadfwd
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (45 ratings)
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    3.4
    (19 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (9 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    iContactLeadfwd
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Leadfwd
    I think Inbox25 is a great fit for companies outgrowing lower-end, disconnected email marketing applications. Companies with a more formalized marketing organization that send a lot of emails (tens of thousands monthly or more) will be better served with a product like Inbox25 that is less complex, easier to use, and much more affordable (30% lower by our experience) from the larger marketing automation products on the market. Our company has 3 full-time marketing staff with over 100,000 contacts (with valid emails) that we target in various direct and drip email campaigns and Inbox25 fits our needs just fine. I suspect that we may outgrow the product eventually but I think it'll meet our needs just fine for many years to come.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Leadfwd
    • SugarCRM integration
    • Ease of building workflows
    • Responsive, helpful support team
    Incentivized
    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).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Leadfwd
    • Inbox25 is in a growth phase and has transformed their product pretty fast. With that comes an increased need to continually learn how to leverage new features.
    • Tutorials and product documentation exist but it is relatively minimal. They overcome this with personalized, one-on-one training that is recorded for future review using a project management platform.
    • Inbox25 has expanded beyond Sugar CRM to include Salesforce.com integration. I'm not sure if they plan to add integrations to other applications but they are positioned well for growth.
    Incentivized
    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
    Leadfwd
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Leadfwd
    No answers on this topic
    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
    Leadfwd
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Leadfwd
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    iContact
    The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
    Read full review
    Leadfwd
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    iContact
    i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money
    Read full review
    Leadfwd
    No answers on this topic
    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
    Leadfwd
    Different platforms stack up particularly well for different use cases. INBOX25 is our default choice for SugarCRM users.
    Incentivized
    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
    Leadfwd
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Leadfwd
    • We have successfully moved cold suspects to leads and leads to opportunities, and opportunities to customers with Inbox25. We are just now starting to realize more value given that we've only recently started using the more advanced drip marketing and lead scoring features.
    • When we used the pay-as-you-go version we were paying just pennies per email and remained CAN-Spam Act compliant. It was harder to quantify the ROI then but it was apparent that email marketing was working and moving prospects from one sales stage to another. It was also very useful for re-engaging prospects and promoting products and services to customers.
    • Our total investment in the advanced edition is less $30,000 annually and we expect the ROI to be less than one year. It could have been sooner if we'd have been more thoughtful in our initial implementation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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