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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

    Referral Factory

    Score9.3 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    Referral Factory is referral marketing software for medium-sized and enterprise businesses. It helps teams build and manage branded referral programs, connect with CRM and payment systems, automate rewards, and track referrals at scale without ongoing developer support.

    $200

    per month

    Pricing
    iContactReferral Factory
    Editions & Modules
    1500 Users
    $15.00
    per month
    2500 Users
    $25.00
    per month
    5000 Users
    $45.00
    per month
    Basic
    $200
    per month
    Pro
    $400
    per month
    Enterprise
    $1,000
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    iContactReferral Factory
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details—Discount available for annual pricing.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    iContactReferral Factory
    Considered Both Products
    iContact
    No answer on this topic
    Referral Factory
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Would buy again
    24 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    24 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    24 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    23 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    24 Answers
    Features
    iContactReferral Factory
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of iContact and Referral Factory
    Feature
    iContact
    6.6
    26 Ratings
    19% below category average
    Referral Factory
    -
    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 Referral Factory
    Feature
    iContact
    8.0
    26 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Referral Factory
    -
    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 Referral Factory
    Feature
    iContact
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    15% below category average
    Referral Factory
    -
    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
    iContactReferral Factory
    Small Businesses
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Campaign Monitor by Marigold
    Score9 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Emma by Marigold
    Score8.5 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    iContactReferral Factory
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (45 ratings)
    9.1
    (24 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    3.4
    (19 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (9 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 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
    iContactReferral Factory
    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
    Referral Factory
    It is well suited for businesses that need the ability to create good-looking professional referral campaigns within a short time frame and do not have coding experience. I would say it is ideal for perhaps eCommerce site owners and store owners who want to launch referral programs but do not have the resources available within their company to assign a developer or someone with coding knowledge to set up and integrate.
    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
    Referral Factory
    • The platform is user-friendly with various types of guidance such as chatbot, videos, and articles, to assist the users.
    • Referral Factory provides diverse methods of advertising referral programs, offering templates for a wide variety of industries that users can tailor to fit their brand guidelines.
    • Referral Factory provides a detailed dashboard with key performance indicators to help marketers adjust referral campaigns to maximize conversion rates.
    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
    Referral Factory
    • The UI needs some improvement to really smooth out the workflows. Overall it's not bad, but could always be better.
    • There isn't good documentation on how to configure and use the solution. It's like they assumed they built to be obvious enough to where anyone can figure it out, but for things that have more nuances, users could really benefit from some tooltips and/or documentation.
    • Pricing is pretty high, it would be nice to have a lower tier so businesses with a small income stream can start to benefit from referral programs.
    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
    Referral Factory
    It works so well for us, I really can see us using any other system
    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
    Referral Factory
    Referral Factory's overall usability is great. The interface was really easy to learn and use and there are also helpful video tutorials if you have any questions along the way while building your new campaign. The process of sharing the referral link is also really easy and Referral Factory provides multiple methods of sharing the link which is a nice feature as well.
    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
    Referral Factory
    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
    Referral Factory
    We have been very grateful for the ongoing support from the Referral Factory team who have gone above and beyond not only to help us get set up but have provided great insight into how to optimise our campaign
    Read full review
    Online Training
    iContact
    The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
    Read full review
    Referral Factory
    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
    Referral Factory
    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
    Referral Factory
    Referral factory has following features that I find more helpful in achieving my business needs: 1. Customization 2. Data Analytics 3. Ease of setting up and integrations 4. Affordability. As per my experience one feature that really comes in handy in Referral Factory is its integration with my CRM, which allows me to import the customer data i.e. emails, hassle free.
    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
    Referral Factory
    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
    Referral Factory
    • Referral Factory led to a 30% boost in customer acquisition, translating to a measurable ROI. The incentivized referral programs effectively expanded our customer base, contributing significantly to revenue growth.
    • By fostering customer loyalty through referral incentives, Referral Factory contributed to a 25% increase in CLV. The long-term value generated from retained, engaged customers showcased a positive and sustainable impact on ROI.
    • Compared to traditional marketing channels, Referral Factory demonstrated a 20% reduction in customer acquisition costs. The cost-effectiveness of leveraging existing customer networks for referrals positively impacted overall business profitability and marketing ROI.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Referral Factory Screenshots

    Screenshot of the referral portal.Screenshot of some of the ways to send out earnable rewards.Screenshot of the referrer dashboard.Screenshot of some of the available reward options.Screenshot of various integrations.Screenshot of the lead dashboard.