iContact vs. MailerLite

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
MailerLite
Score 8.6 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
MailerLite is an email marketing platform for small businesses, creators, and ecommerce brands, used to automate the customer journey and grow a customer list. Users can send unlimited emails with every plan. Pricing starts at $10/month. MailerLite enables users to: Grow and engage their audience - Build newsletters, forms, pop-ups, landing pages, and even full websites with a Drag and drop builder that offers total creative control over designs. 150 customizable…
$10
per month
Pricing
iContactMailerLite
Editions & Modules
1500 Users
$15.00
per month
2500 Users
$25.00
per month
5000 Users
$45.00
per month
Free
$0
per month 1 user
Growing
$10
per month 3 users
Advanced
$20
per month Unlimited users
Enterprise
Custom pricing
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
iContactMailerLite
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsAdditional 30% discount available to Non-profit organizations. Up to a 10% for paying yearly.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
iContactMailerLite
Features
iContactMailerLite
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
iContact
6.6
26 Ratings
18% below category average
MailerLite
8.5
83 Ratings
7% above category average
WYSIWYG email editor7.024 Ratings9.472 Ratings
Dynamic content7.021 Ratings8.966 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content5.021 Ratings6.960 Ratings
Landing pages7.014 Ratings8.265 Ratings
A/B testing5.017 Ratings8.652 Ratings
Mobile optimization7.021 Ratings8.166 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting7.025 Ratings9.173 Ratings
List management8.025 Ratings9.072 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences6.015 Ratings8.748 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
iContact
8.0
26 Ratings
5% above category average
MailerLite
6.8
72 Ratings
11% below category average
Dashboards8.026 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Standard reports8.025 Ratings8.372 Ratings
Custom reports8.015 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Pre-Send Testing
Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of Product A and Product B
iContact
7.0
1 Ratings
12% below category average
MailerLite
9.1
65 Ratings
14% above category average
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 Ratings9.165 Ratings
Best Alternatives
iContactMailerLite
Small Businesses
Mad Mimi
Mad Mimi
Score 10.0 out of 10
Mad Mimi
Mad Mimi
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
VerticalResponse
VerticalResponse
Score 10.0 out of 10
VerticalResponse
VerticalResponse
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Emma by Marigold
Emma by Marigold
Score 9.3 out of 10
Emma by Marigold
Emma by Marigold
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
iContactMailerLite
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(45 ratings)
9.0
(88 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
3.4
(19 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(6 ratings)
9.2
(25 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.9
(9 ratings)
9.4
(4 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
iContactMailerLite
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
Mailerlite
I didn't have much luck when testing other similar tools and since we tested with free plan, we couldn't commit to something else if we couldn't get basic stuff fixed. That's when we switched to MailerLite, and their support was great and super helpful all the way (during our free plan, especially). Plus, they're super budget-friendly for startups, so I highly recommend.
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
Mailerlite
  • Offers a user-friendly interface, making it simple to create beautiful forms, group subscribers, and automate emails.
  • Includes email automation workflows in their free plan - the only provider I know of that doesn't charge you after one month or hit you with "transaction fees".
  • Excellent video tutorial library so you can learn email marketing as a beginner without feeling overwhelmed.
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
Mailerlite
  • EVERYONE should be allowed to at least use the AI bot chat feature. This doesn't take a person and is such basic customer service that it should be offered at all levels.
  • It would be nice if MailerLite worked better with AddEvent icons
  • When emailing support it took days to get a response (after an agent escalated the issue). Some concerns are more urgent and email support shouldn't mean bad support.
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
Mailerlite
Mailerlite is awesome and it does everything I need and then some. They're always innovating and adding new features, and their team is flippin' amazing. Can't see myself ever switching. They may not have everything, but looking at how well their team works, they'll get there for sure and I'm willing to wait.
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.
Read full review
Mailerlite
I can't express how happy and satisfied I've been with recent email exchange with Ivan from MailerLite support. He answered promptly, clearly and assisted me with urgent issue I needed to be taken care of asap. HUGE satisfaction! Excellent customer service! Thank you, Ivan!
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
Mailerlite
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.
Read full review
Mailerlite
Whenever I contact Support, either via email or through online chat, I always get a speedy response that gives me the answer I need. The AI Agent on the online chat is excellent and has helped me so much on numerous occasions.
Read full review
Online Training
iContact
The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
Read full review
Mailerlite
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
Mailerlite
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
Mailerlite
MailerLite has similar features to the tools mentioned above. The main advantage is that it is very complete in its free version. This is ideal for those who are starting out and want to try a complete email marketing platform.
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
Mailerlite
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
Mailerlite
  • Gives us the ability to track the popularity of content in our email as well as who has read the content.
  • The customizable layout gives us the opportunity to be creative and have our culture shine through our company communication.
  • The ability to see who has un-subscribed helps our HR department to see who isn't receiving important company information so we can ask them to re-subscribe.
  • Helps our company to be more transparent and communicate more effectively.
Read full review
ScreenShots

MailerLite Screenshots

Screenshot of reports, that can include unsubscribe count, spam complaints, bounces, link activity and other metrics that are critical to measuring success.Screenshot of automations for every subscriber journeyScreenshot of the MailerLite landing page builderScreenshot of an example newsletterScreenshot of some of the over 150 templates availableScreenshot of where to find MailerLite's integrations