iContact vs. Robly

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.
$15
per month
Robly
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Robly is an email marketing solution designed for small businesses. It's key features are its ability to auto-resend unopened emails, pop-up widgets, and proprietary AI-powered software that sends emails based on schedules specific to each recipient.
$19
per month
Pricing
iContactRobly
Editions & Modules
1500 Users
$15.00
per month
2500 Users
$25.00
per month
5000 Users
$45.00
per month
Robly
$19
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
iContactRobly
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
iContactRobly
Considered Both Products
iContact
Chose iContact
PosterMyWall is used for the design of social media, flyers, websites, and printing purposes. We previously used PosterMyWall for email campaigns, but it was standard and time-consuming. This is why we made the switch to iContact, for more effection and a way to reach potential …
Chose iContact
ClickDimensions was more comprehensive but buggy and not stable. We lost a lot of data which negated the benefits. iContact doesn't do as much but is stable and reliable. ClickDimensions support was awful. iContact support has been fine for us. ClickDimensions assigned us …
Chose iContact
Sendinblue, Mailchimp, Sumo.
We're moving to Sendinblue because it was better priced with better features. Sumo is more bit more geared towards building email lists -- although it fails miserably because it cannot accurately report #contact or visits to your site. Mailchimp …
Chose iContact
In my opinion, MailChimp is the top contender to iContact and really gives them a run for their money. MailChimp offers users more features, and costs less. Of course, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Overall, it is a tough decision to make between the two, …
Chose iContact
iContact is more fancier in that you can add pictures, change font types & sizes, etc. Infinite Campus is more for just sending emails to all your students. I still use Infinite Campus but like iContact more.
Chose iContact
iContact and Constant Contact are very similar products, however I prefer the iContact interface. Mailchimp may have more features but is harder to train users who are not familiar with email campaigns.
Chose iContact
I haven't used other products for the same features that iContact offers, but I have used products like Mailchimp which sends out massive emails or postcards and such. Personally, I prefer iContact because you're able to personalize it and have the ability to send the emails …
Chose iContact
More versatile and less restrictive regarding content. I tried Constant Contact first and quickly became frustrated and was happy to find iContact.
Chose iContact
We selected iContact because it was available at the time, and in our price range. I inherited it at the school. If it had been the program it is now back then, I would not have chosen it. At the moment, we are too busy to fully vet another program, so we are stuck with this …
Chose iContact
I didn't actually choose iContact, it was already implemented when I started working for the company. I haven't looked too deeply into switching because it works for our needs right now. I would love to find another service with more customization and surveys included, but …
Chose iContact
iContact's inbox deliverability is better than that of Infusionsoft.
iContact's marketing automation abilities are not as good as Infusionsoft.
iContact's tagging and list managements functionality are not as good as Infusionsoft.
Chose iContact
We converted from Lyris to iContact years ago and enjoy the analysis features iContact provides over Lyris.
Chose iContact
iContact was the solution in use when I entered the organization. I have heard very good things about MailChimp and Constant Contact, the other two big names in this field. We have chosen to remain with iContact since then, but would be open to moving. However, it is fulfilling …
Chose iContact
I have personally used MailChimp and Constant Contact. Plus, a back-end WordPress plug-in that I've since forgotten the name of as well as Active.com's email platform.
Chose iContact
IContact offered more flexibility, the ability to designate more users in different departments, and better-looking templates. The ability to ask for support and customized templates is also a key, and their account manager is available to respond to issues, offer advice, etc. …
Chose iContact
Robly has the ability to send at the time when they expect that there is a user going to open. However, iContact is much more professional in their support and having a dedicated account manager who has a grasp on the latest in e-mail marketing was a primary reason we select …
Chose iContact
We didn't select iContact initially, our team was handed it as an existing tool. Our other tool is Pardot which is connected to our Salesforce instance. We don't have iContact connected to the database because we use it for entirely different messaging. Since we didn't choose …
Chose iContact
We previously used another product, Vertical Response, but ultimately chose iContact because we felt the newsletter editor was more easily adaptable (from a brand perspective we were able to customize the template to fit our brand). Additionally, from a pricing standpoint, …
Chose iContact
iContact far outperformed emailbrain in getting my emails to our subscribers (delivery rate) but with emailbrain I could easily send hyperlinks that opened pdf. documents, see how my email was going to look in a couple dozen different variations (gmail, yahoo, desktop, mobile), …
Chose iContact
I plan to use MailChimp going forward. I understand from trusted colleagues that it is as good as IContact and FREE.
Chose iContact
We are no longer using iContact, but if you were comparing them to Constant contact, Mail Chimp, etc. then go with one of those, their software is more current and they have better analytics, but will still be in the cheaper price bracket. Currently, we are using our ESP, …
Chose iContact
It offered the best cost to feature ratio and was easy to use. The other systems were great as well, but the potential integration with our CRM (Salesforce), was one of the key deciding factors. Also, icontact was included with the Vocus marketing suite which offered other …
Robly
Chose Robly
Robly is better suited for a general constituency, versus a more targeted donor system like Blackbaud. It allows us to send weekly, and other general newsletter contact and updates to individuals who might not qualify as donor prospects. Alternatively, it keeps our donor …
Chose Robly
Constant Contact is better known but much more expensive for essentially the same thing. When choosing a tool, you need to consider whether the integrations are important. If they are, Robly might not be the best tool. It is more "stand-alone" than other tools. As far as pure …
Chose Robly
In comparison to Robly, Mailchimp can also be considered very user friendly for both marketing professionals and amateurs. It offers many of the same features including creative designs and analytics. We prefer to use Robly for our newsletter and bulk marketing messages because …
Chose Robly
Robly is better than most other platforms because you get better results and you also have more analytics to look at which helps you make better decisions.
Chose Robly
When trying to find an email platform to use with our company, we tried out three major softwares: Robly, Mailchimp, and Constant Contact. The price of Robly is what initially made it stand out to us, but upon using it, we also fell in love with the simplicity of the editing …
Chose Robly
Our clients that use Robly have a tremendous amount of lead turnover. They need information quickly and need to be able to respond and adjust quickly to recipient behaviors. They are working primarily with millennial contacts that digest information at a glance and primarily …
Chose Robly
I have not compared Robly with any other software, I always chose it over any other software, therefore I have no opinion about it.
Chose Robly
Tracking and follow up is better. I switched because I really like the follow up feature to those who had not opened first email.
Chose Robly
Robly is less expensive and more user friendly than Constant Contact. We selected Robly because of the reduced price and features. Constant Contact fit well with our needs, but when another organization recommended Robly to us and we tried it, we decided to stick with it. We …
Chose Robly
Robly has been much more cost effective, which is very important for us, since we are a small business. It is easier to use than Constant Contact, though we now have a significant dip in our subscribers since we've made the switch. Constant Contact didn't even compare in visual …
Chose Robly
Blows them out of the water. Better design, ease of use, formatting, layouts. Reports are more detailed. Worth the additional cost from CC. Client datebase mgmt is much easier and better tracking.
Chose Robly
Constant Contact is much more restrictive in your ability to create a truly branded campaign. Robly has much more of a custom template set up and the tools you need to make a campaign yours and distinctive from a typical template. Constant Contact did have the ability for a …
Chose Robly
More functionality than Constant Contact.
Chose Robly
We like Robly. We love the logo too. Send us freebies. We would like to have more use of CRM on Robly. We would like to use Robly as a CRM and integrate it with our email lists on Facebook and Zoho (which we use). We need to get people more inclined to interact back with us in …
Chose Robly
We chose Robly initially because they boasted the ability to receive 50% more opens through most email marketing campaigns. We've been happy with their service and software and plan to continue use [it].
Chose Robly
We switched to robly after they advertised 50% more opens. Among the various features of their software, we have created much better looking email messages, as well as increased options for sending and reviewing the response to the message. Robly also offered better pricing …
Chose Robly
We chose Robly for the lower cost and OpenGen - it has served us better than Constant Contact which was more than triple the price.
Chose Robly
We outgrew the simple and minimalist service TinyLetter affords.
Chose Robly
Robly has much of the same functionality as Constant Contact. I find Robly's interface to be more intuitive. Robly allows us to upload as many images and documents as we want, without charging us extra. Robly's subscription price is lower than Constant Contact. Their …
Chose Robly
I had used Constant Contact for years, needed a change, like their drip deployment, and follow up deployment [times] number of days after the initial deployment.
Features
iContactRobly
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
iContact
6.6
Ratings
20% below category average
Robly
7.9
Ratings
2% below category average
WYSIWYG email editor7.00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Dynamic content7.00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content5.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Landing pages7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing5.00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Mobile optimization7.00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting7.00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
List management8.00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences6.00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
iContact
8.0
Ratings
4% above category average
Robly
9.3
Ratings
19% above category average
Dashboards8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports8.00 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Custom reports8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-Send Testing
Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of Product A and Product B
iContact
7.0
Ratings
15% below category average
Robly
-
Ratings
URL Validation7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Link Tracking7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Image Validation7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Inbox Display7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Email Accessibility Tools7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Spelling and Grammar Check7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Spam Testing7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Email Previews7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
iContactRobly
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 8.6 out of 10
Emma by Marigold
Emma by Marigold
Score 8.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
iContactRobly
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
3.4
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.9
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Online Training
1.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.5
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
iContactRobly
Likelihood to Recommend
iContact is a great option for small businesses. It doesn't have enough features to create the demands of a large corporation. Of course the price goes up exponentially with more subscribers, which would also make it beneficial for small businesses. If you have too many lists to add people to it can get a little crazy too.
Read full review
Robly can become easily exploitable for advertising agency services, which rely mostly on stable dynamics to make sure that marketing campaigns work and provide enough results to see profits. In other words, if Robly is managed from a purely professional methodology, better results can be obtained. Robly can also be used to manage small sales where you can better organize information about a specific customer, such as their contact details and history of interactions through different sales operations by the company, so it is not only possible to focus its use on mass marketing, but also intimate businesses that require some degree of administrative control in relation to new message alert notifications. If used in conjunction with services oriented to the execution of seminar sessions or online classes, it is possible to send mailings to groups, where the content information of each session allows viewing different documents and material of various formats from the e-mail, and thus make the sessions to be held seem more attractive to the public. This strategy is very feasible if you are going to sell a product explaining its use and characteristics.
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Pros
  • Customer service is wonderful! They are always helpful, guiding and available for any odd question, even if those questions are training for a newbie to the email world.
  • Building forms for data collection and the code generator the for the site is very easy.
  • Ensuring double opt-in is extremely straightforward.
  • Including unsubscribe on every message automatically means we never have to worry about CAN-SPAM.
Read full review
  • Ease of use. We switched to Robly from Constant Contact, and find it much more intuitive.
  • Reporting. At a glance, we can see how effective our campaigns have been.
  • I don't have a lot of experience with HTML, but I'm able to create good looking e-mails using the tools provided by Robly.
  • The price is right! Our non-profit saved money by switching from Constant Contact to Robly.
Read full review
Cons
  • Every time you edit or sometimes open an email it brings it to the top of the list. I would prefer my email to go to the top only after I send it out to my subscribers.
  • When I add a new contact I sometimes copy and paste the email. This is not allowed sometimes and I have to manually type the email in.
  • LinkedIn will not allow you to add pictures anymore when sending emails out.
Read full review
  • The emails do not allow us to add certain tools that would improve our management in the case of data collection, such as the application of interactive surveys within these emails.
  • It does not integrate with services such as Survey Gizmo, which would be useful for structuring surveys.
  • It also does not integrate with sufficient cloud backup platforms, which forces us to export our customer list data manually, and this can lead to errors.
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Likelihood to Renew
After 4 years of using iContact we finally cut the cord. It was hard to justify staying with them when it seemed like they had some of the most outdated software in the industry, some of the worst deliverability, and were in general extremely lacking in customization. They are a decent ESP for a great price point, so if that is your main concern it may be worth it, but if you want to have your emails you are paying for hit inboxes (not spam folders) then look into someone else that guarantees great deliverability.
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Because we like the price and value. The annual subscription model allows us to maximize usage without worrying too much about cost, being a small mom and pop outfit.
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Usability
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.
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Overall Robly's usability can be considered easy and intuitive. For experienced marketing professionals this program would not be challenging to navigate even on the first uses. There may be a slight learning curve for amateur users but overall it is fairly simple and easy to use and creates professional results.
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Reliability and Availability
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.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
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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We sometimes got through to a message taking service but they were not able to resolve our issue with a one-call solution necessarily always.
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Online Training
The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money
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We should have been granted a MOBILE RESPONSIVE email template from the get-go. We were never offered any alternatives.
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Alternatives Considered
We selected iContact because it was available at the time, and in our price range. I inherited it at the school. If it had been the program it is now back then, I would not have chosen it. At the moment, we are too busy to fully vet another program, so we are stuck with this one. It does get the job done. It is great for a small business with small needs, but once you start expanding and having more intricate needs, it does not compete with others like MailChimp
Read full review
When trying to find an email platform to use with our company, we tried out three major softwares: Robly, Mailchimp, and Constant Contact. The price of Robly is what initially made it stand out to us, but upon using it, we also fell in love with the simplicity of the editing options and the easy navigation and organization of our many lists of contacts. It was a clear choice of which software to go with in the end - Robly ran by a landslide!
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Scalability
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.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Increased Employee Efficiency - once a template is created, it is very easy to edit the content within the template with minimal or no assistance from developers.
  • Domain Reputation - if you aren't careful, it is very easy to hurt your domain reputation when using iContact. Make sure the person in charge of email marketing knows the risks of email marketing or is willing to closely work with iContact's customer service to follow best practices.
  • Increased Lead Conversion - through the use of automated email functionality, you can stay in the forefront of your customer's minds. This increases conversions by reminding customers that you are there to provide the goods or services that they may need periodically or in the future.
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  • Robly has enabled us to become more efficient in communicating with our audience. Because of the small size of our organization, we have a limited number of hours to dedicate to crafting communication with our audience. The ease of use of Robly means that we can spend less time on the mechanics of creating mass emails and more time on the quality of the communication itself.
  • Since we started using Robly, our Opt-outs, Spam and Bounce rates (which were already quite low) have dwindled to practically nothing. Over our last 10 campaigns, we had 6 emails bounce, 1 marked as spam, and 18 opt-outs out of over 30K emails delivered.
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