PFL Direct Mail Platform vs. Springbot

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
PFL helps businesses deliver authentic moments by creating impactful direct mail that is data-driven, bringing measurement, personalization, and predictability from digital to direct mail. PFL offers direct mail that is... Simplified: PFL simplifies direct mail execution by managing the entire process under one roof from strategy and production to delivery and measurement. Engaging: Supports engagement that results in action by paring digital tactics with memorable…
$40,000
per year
Springbot
Score 6.0 out of 10
N/A
Springbot aims to bring all the marketing capabilities large retailers have to small businesses at a fraction of the cost. Through Springbot, online stores will be able to leverage automated marketing on channels such as email, SMS, social and online ads. Business owners and marketers who find themselves wearing many hats can still send the right message at the right time with confidence. With an all-in-one marketing automation platform designed with ease of use in mind, business…
$199
for up to 5,000 subscribers (includes email marketing, social hub, reporting and dashboards, signup forms, automations, account management, support and onboarding. See website for additional package options.
Pricing
PFL Direct Mail PlatformSpringbot
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Platform Base Package
$199/month
for up to 5,000 subscribers (includes email marketing, social hub, reporting and dashboards, signup forms, automations, account management, support and onboarding. See website for additional package options.
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PFL Direct Mail PlatformSpringbot
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup Fee$10,000 No setup fee
Additional DetailsSee website for pricing calculator for additional pricing options.
More Pricing Information
Features
PFL Direct Mail PlatformSpringbot
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Springbot
4.4
3 Ratings
56% below category average
WYSIWYG email editor00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
Dynamic content00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content00 Ratings2.72 Ratings
Landing pages00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
A/B testing00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
Mobile optimization00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
List management00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Springbot
6.6
3 Ratings
16% below category average
Lead nurturing automation00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Data quality management00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Springbot
5.2
3 Ratings
38% below category average
Calendaring00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Springbot
2.7
2 Ratings
94% below category average
Social sharing and campaigns00 Ratings2.52 Ratings
Social profile integration00 Ratings3.02 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Springbot
4.2
3 Ratings
56% below category average
Dashboards00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Springbot
6.9
3 Ratings
9% below category average
API00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Customizability00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Integration with SugarCRM00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PFL Direct Mail PlatformSpringbot
Small Businesses
Iterable
Iterable
Score 8.5 out of 10
Vbout
Vbout
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Iterable
Iterable
Score 8.5 out of 10
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Alyce by Sendoso
Alyce by Sendoso
Score 9.1 out of 10
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PFL Direct Mail PlatformSpringbot
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(33 ratings)
3.8
(5 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.3
(1 ratings)
3.7
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
9.4
(3 ratings)
4.2
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.9
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PFL Direct Mail PlatformSpringbot
Likelihood to Recommend
PFL
The reason it's not a seven or above is purely because of the timing of a solution we had requested originally back in August 2023. It's now February 2024, and we're waiting for a wow-factor pitch deck. Previously, we only received a demo recording and an order form quote. These truthfully aren't helpful enough to convince and sway our senior leaders into spending the $35k+ investment into the PMC.
Read full review
Springbot Inc.
Well Suited For:
  • Small businesses with small marketing teams.
  • Shopify Customers.
  • Small businesses that want more reporting/segmented lists.
  • Businesses that are upgrading from a service like Constant Contact or Mailchimp.
Less appropriate
  • Customer who are currently using Klaviyo.
  • Business who do not have a Shopify website.
Read full review
Pros
PFL
  • Personalization: It allows us to create highly personalized direct mail pieces tailored to individual recipients. For instance, we can include the recipient's name, relevant product recommendations, or even custom images that resonate with their preferences.
  • Multi-Channel Integration: The platform seamlessly integrates with our existing digital marketing tools and CRM systems. It enables us to orchestrate cohesive campaigns that combine email, social media, and direct mail to reach our target audience through multiple touchpoints.
  • Automated Workflows: PFL offers robust automation capabilities, streamlining the entire direct mail process. We can set triggers, such as website visits or email engagement, to automatically trigger the sending of personalized direct mail pieces, ensuring timely and relevant outreach.
  • Variable Data Printing: The platform simplifies variable data printing, enabling us to print custom content for each recipient efficiently. This is particularly useful for A/B testing different messaging or designs within a single campaign.
Read full review
Springbot Inc.
  • The demographic data was great. I could see how many males vs. females, ages, income, married, with or without children. It gave me a good idea of who my customers were.
  • Using their tracking URLs in all of our campaigns allowed us to get a better idea of what exactly was driving revenue.
  • Not only could I see top performing products, which I can do within Magento, I could also see top selling categories and colors.
  • I can pull a Coupon Usage report our of Magento, but Springbot gave me additional info like AOV and ROI on those codes.
  • Springbot also gave me a lot of info about our abandoned carts. It shows us which products are most abandoned along with views, conversion rates, etc.
  • Springbot gave us an Instagram Shop page that allowed us to curate social shares and then tie them to products on our site.
Read full review
Cons
PFL
  • There is no built-in functionality to automate direct mail; this has to be created through triggers in Salesforce.
  • The sales cloud integration didn't give us the syncing or reporting we thought would be available.
  • We would like to see more support from team members in the post-onboarding process.
Read full review
Springbot Inc.
  • After our purchase, I let spring or know that I was currently too busy to implement the system and to put things on hold. They ignored this request and kept charging us a monthly fee without using any of their systems. I have only logged in once. Nothing has been set up. They can see that from their side.
  • After multiple emails back and forth their out was in the user agreement. I never asked for my money back only credit so I can regroup and when I have time get on to implant the systems. They tell me they don't do that.
  • They don't care about any of the customer's needs. They only care about charging you that monthly fee. Terrible bus plan. With enough bad feedback, they will suffer from such a narrow plan.
  • I wish we had actual information about the cons using the system. Unfortunately I was not given the opportunity to do unless I wanted to keep paying while not using the system.
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Likelihood to Renew
PFL
I will continue to use the platform as long as my employer provides access, but I do not have purchasing power myself.
Read full review
Springbot Inc.
No answers on this topic
Usability
PFL
The UI is friendly, clear, and accessible, and I access it directly through the interface (Salesforce) that I perform my function in every day. It is intuitive to navigate, and I am able to find most functionalities I need without the need to consult an admin and/or support teams.
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Springbot Inc.
Springbot has top navigation that helps me quickly jump from emails to social, and reporting very easily.
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Support Rating
PFL
Only thing holding me back from a perfect 10 would be the timelines for involving the technical team on occasion. There have been a few times where the PFL technical support team has been booked up for days or more than a week out which can delay our project timelines. This doesn't happen often, let me be clear. But when it does, it's usually at the worst time for our campaigns.
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Springbot Inc.
We have raved about Springbot's support because they always get back with us so quickly. Our rep, Jared has been phenomenal in helping us, always being available to chat with us and explaining some of the metrics with us so we can better understand. He completely handles our ads, checks on them, and lets us know when to update and why.
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Alternatives Considered
PFL
JourneyMail is one I have evaluated. It did not seem as full featured as PFL Direct Mail Platform, nor did it integrate with the rest of the Salesforce products like PFL Direct Mail Platform (journeymail ONLY integrates to marketing cloud). My customers tend to be cross-cloud and own multiple products and want solutions that can integrate across their stack easily.
Read full review
Springbot Inc.
Springbit is more expensive, more complicated and delivered less.
Read full review
Scalability
PFL
It does take a while to launch or re-launch a campaign, which can make it difficult to pivot quickly. However, if you're integrated with Marketo, then PFL is as scalable as your database and marketing strategy! The sky is the limit in terms of creativity. Post launch, the program is hands-off apart from report monitoring and potential optimization tweaks.
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Springbot Inc.
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
PFL
  • We've sometimes struggled to maintain a positive ROI due to some issues with packages not arriving, arriving broken, or including the wrong items.
Read full review
Springbot Inc.
  • Springbot gave us a better idea of who our customer was. We just launched in January 2015 having been B2B previously. So we weren't really sure who we were marketing to.
  • I only paid $200/month for the service so I didn't waste a ton of money trying it out. They have a 30 day cancellation policy so I wasn't stuck in a year long contract.
  • It was a let down because I had such high hopes of everything it would allow me to do and see with one platform. Give them a couple more years and I think they will work out the kinks.
Read full review
ScreenShots

PFL Direct Mail Platform Screenshots

Screenshot of Custom kits available for useScreenshot of Entering the sender addressScreenshot of Personalization at scale with custom messaging and signaturesScreenshot of Product selection with product details, template data, and advanced options

Springbot Screenshots

Screenshot of Email Editor - Springbot's drag-and-drop email editor makes it effortless to design eye-catching, branded emails that look great on any device!Screenshot of Automations Editor - Springbot's automations editor let's you easily create automations for common use cases like abandoned cart, and it gives you the ability to build highly customized automations to fit your store's needs.Screenshot of SMS Marketing - Springbot makes SMS marketing simple with text-to-join campaigns that allow you to use custom keywords related to your brand. Combine SMS with the power of automation flows to enhance your multichannel marketing strategy.Screenshot of Social Hub - Springbot's Social Hub helps you streamline your content and marketing efforts, so you can do it all in one place — post, schedule, track metrics and more!Screenshot of Online Ads - Increase your site traffic and bring shoppers back to your store's site with prospecting and retargeting ads.Screenshot of Reporting and Dashboards - Make data-driven decisions by tracking important metrics for your site traffic, product categories and marketing efforts. Get more insights about your ideal customer profile.