TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    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

    Lob

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/ALob in San Francisco provides the building blocks for developers to automate offline correspondences. Enterprise companies use Lob’s suite of APIs to mail fully dynamic and personalized customer communications with print media. Lob also provides insight into deliverability with piece-by-piece tracing and a proprietary Print Delivery Network to streamline production across fully redundant nodes all over the country.

    $0

    per month (Up to 500 Mailings)

    Pricing
    iContactLob
    Editions & Modules
    1500 Users
    $15.00
    per month
    2500 Users
    $25.00
    per month
    5000 Users
    $45.00
    per month
    Startup Plan
    $260
    per month 3 users & Up to 3,000 monthly mailings
    Growth Plan
    $550
    per month 5 users & Up to 6,000 monthly mailings
    Developer Plan
    Free
    1 user & Up to 500 monthly mailings
    Enterprise Plan
    Contact Sales
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    iContactLob
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    iContactLob
    Considered Both Products
    iContact
    No answer on this topic
    Lob
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Would buy again
    20 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    16 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    20 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    12 Answers
    Features
    iContactLob
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of iContact and Lob
    Feature
    iContact
    6.6
    26 Ratings
    20% below category average
    Lob
    -
    Ratings
    WYSIWYG email editor7.024 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dynamic content7.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content5.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Landing pages7.014 Ratings00 Ratings
    A/B testing5.017 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile optimization7.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting7.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    List management8.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences6.015 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of iContact and Lob
    Feature
    iContact
    8.0
    26 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Lob
    -
    Ratings
    Dashboards8.026 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standard reports8.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom reports8.015 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pre-Send Testing
    Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of iContact and Lob
    Feature
    iContact
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    15% below category average
    Lob
    -
    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
    Best Alternatives
    iContactLob
    Small Businesses
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Campaign Monitor by Marigold
    Score9 out of 10
    PFL Direct Mail Platform
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Emma by Marigold
    Score8.5 out of 10
    PFL Direct Mail Platform
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    iContactLob
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (45 ratings)
    8.4
    (21 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    3.4
    (19 ratings)
    6.8
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    6.6
    (18 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (9 ratings)
    7.3
    (2 ratings)
    Online Training
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.1
    (13 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    iContactLob
    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
    Lob
    It is great for low-cost, high-volume mail campaigns for our agents. The price is very reasonable, and they can send out a lot. Once the design is approved and they send a list, we handle it, then Lob. When we have agents who want to handwrite the addresses, we choose someone else (a local print shop) to print and send them to our agents.
    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
    Lob
    • Address Verification and NCOA Cleaning
    • Autocomplete for our forms that allow a user to SKIP typing
    • Printing and mailing documents automatically over API
    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
    Lob
    • An automatically scheduled data export would be nice.
    • Functions such as adding or editing bank accounts, updating check details, and querying data require knowledge of the specific code and API infrastructure. It would be nice to do these things without being an engineer trained in their specific interface language.
    • They reduced their retention period on their interface to like 3 months, which is not ideal.
    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
    Lob
    will continue to use for specific mailing requirements
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Lob
    Overall, Lob performs well for standard mailing needs and has helped streamline day-to-day processes. However, there are unique situations in the insurance industry that may require additional flexibility or capacity beyond their current model. Automation of certain state-required letters or follow-ups is something we wish we could perform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Lob
    i never witnessed a problem with lob
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    iContact
    No answers on this topic
    Lob
    perfect except from a minor tracking options missed
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lob
    good support, not many examples I can think of
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    iContact
    The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
    Read full review
    Lob
    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
    Lob
    didn't participate but as for my information it was smooth
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Lob
    Root keeps Lob because it is already deeply integrated into our systems, and replacing it would require significant engineering effort with limited expected cost savings. As well as the unknowns that come with other options, switching vendors would likely require a significant multi-quarter effort without clear cost savings or efficiency gains.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    iContact
    No answers on this topic
    Lob
    it can be better because the volume pricing method doesn't benefit the clients much but lob itself
    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
    Lob
    it will scale very well if its for saas companies
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Professional Services
    iContact
    No answers on this topic
    Lob
    decent overall
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Lob
    • The hard part is that the agents mostly see the returns over us, so I don't know the specific numbers.
    • Some agents have great responses; others not as much. Or they get 75% of their mailers returned, and we don't know why.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Lob Screenshots

    Screenshot of Lob's available integrations, that include CRM, CDP or marketing automation tools.Screenshot of Lob Analytics. These demonstrate the value of every send and find winning strategies with advanced analytics.Screenshot of Lob Template Gallery. This includes professionally designed templates optimized by a team of experts.Screenshot of Lob analytics dashboard shows trackable events from direct mail campaigns.