Data collected from email service provider websites for premium accounts by subscriber count. Last updated: 18 January 2018.
As an entrepreneur, blogger, or small business, you need to know two things about a potential email service provider (ESP):
1. “How much does it cost?”
2. “How effective is it at creating emails that engage recipients?”
But it can be a challenge to compare ESPs. Pricing structures are displayed differently by each company. At DirectIQ we realize that this can be frustrating, as it means it is hard to get the best value and returns on your business’ investment in email marketing tools.
This week we bring you exclusively collated data comparing the prices and features of 7 top ESPs.
Many ESPs offer distinct packages for different purposes, providing multiple price points for the same subscriber count/number of emails, depending on the services required. For this reason, our data reflects the prices of the most appropriate packages for the volume of subscribers on your list. This allows us to standardize price metrics across a varied selection of the best ESPs.
Please note: We don’t cover free tools or entry-level price points in this post. If you are looking for the cheapest ESP, your requirements probably exceed those offered by the majority of free or “freemium” packages. For more information about DirectIQ free accounts, click here.
Get an overview of pricing data in the chart above, or continue reading for more detailed information on prices and features according to individual ESPs.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
DirectIQ Price (in $/Month) |
Constant Contact Price (in $/Month) |
AWeber Price (in $/Month) |
GetResponse Price (in $/Month) |
ActiveCampaign Price (in $/Month) |
Drip Price (in $/Month) |
ConvertKit Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
12 |
45 |
29 |
15 |
23 |
49 |
49 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
25 |
65 |
29 |
25 |
39 |
99 |
49 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
45 |
95 |
49 |
45 |
69 |
Not listed |
79 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
69 |
195 |
69 |
75 |
111 |
Not listed |
119 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
150 |
315 |
Not listed |
165 |
239 |
Not listed |
259 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
250 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
280 |
299 |
Not listed |
439 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
450 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
490 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
679 |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
950 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
1199 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
1579 |
Here’s a rundown of the cheapest ESPs across all price points:
1. DirectIQ
2. GetResponse
3. AWeber
4. ActiveCampaign
5. ConvertKit
6. Drip
7. ConstantContact
Why You Need an Email Service Provider
Email is the most effective marketing stream, boasting a return on your investment of up to $44 for every $1 spent. It is non-invasive, widely distributed, and reliable. Email is the queen bee of marketing, providing you with the best channel through which to engage your customers for less.
If you are a business, entrepreneur, or blogger, wanting to send emails at high-volumes and to a variety of contacts, you need an ESP to do it. Read on to discover the best one for you.
Top 7 Cheapest Email Service Providers
(Source: Author screenshot)
Here at DirectIQ, we are proud to be the cheapest email marketing service at all subscriber volumes. Whether you are sending one-thousand or one-million emails, we offer you the best price. We also give you industry-standard list management features, segmentation and personalization functionality, a state-of-the-art delivery system, and your own a dedicated IP address. You have full access to our Friendly Editor browser-app too, so you can create stunning email templates and designs to win over your subscribers. With DirectIQ you get a lot of bang for your buck.
A little secret: we also offer integrations for all the popular apps displayed below…
(Source: Author screenshot)
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
DirectIQ Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
12 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
25 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
45 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
69 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
150 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
250 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
450 |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
950 |
(Source: acuong.com)
GetResponse offers the second-cheapest email service after DirectIQ. It falls slightly behind at the 10,000+ subscribers mark, though the difference is minimal ($5). GetResponse has a reliable interface and a number of free email template designs for various purposes. It also provides you with the means to personalize subject lines, segment your mailing list, and preview your emails in mobile formats, as with DirectIQ. The design of its real-time activity tracking feature is unique, pushing you updates on individual subscribers’ interactions with your campaigns, though the benefits of getting data at this small scale could be debated.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
GetResponse Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
15 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
25 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
45 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
75 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
165 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
280 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
490 |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
1199 |
(Source: emailvendorselection.com)
AWeber comes in at number three on the cheapest marketing services for 2018 list. AWeber is an established provider that has continued to develop its robust email marketing system since its 1998 debut. Its browser-app is reliable and straightforward to use. It also has a great selection of pre-designed templates that you can edit with a good degree of flexibility. Just as with DirectIQ, you can automate your emails to launch at whatever time you want, and AWeber also offers integration with WordPress, which some users might find useful. It won’t break the bank, but its slightly higher price seems more based on AWeber’s reputation than its superior functionality.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
AWeber Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
29 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
29 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
49 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
69 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
(Source: ga0.imgix.net)
ActiveCampaign has a reasonable pricing structure that means it is only a little more expensive than the cheapest ESPs at low-volumes. For high volumes of over 10,000 subscribers, the price difference between it and its competitors ramps up. This is something to bear in mind if your mailing list is already teetering on the edge of reaching this capacity. Nonetheless, the app has an admirable selection of tools, including a flexible triggered automation editor. This is a bonus for experienced marketers looking to deeper automate their emails by customer behavior, though it lacks the “unbox-and-go” usability of user-friendly ESPs like DirectIQ.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
ActiveCampaign Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
23 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
39 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
69 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
111 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
239 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
299 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
5. ConvertKit
(Source: kb.convertkit.com)
ConvertKit is an ESP promoted for its “features by bloggers, for bloggers.” Though this may be true, these features come at a steep price. The ConvertKit suite includes industry-standard capabilities such as segmentation and automation, as well as blogging add-ons, including integrations with a host of blogging platforms. Its focus on plain-text emails is great for those looking for a personal touch, but we can’t help thinking that ConvertKit’s decision to omit responsive HTML emails from their offering may disappoint bloggers requiring a more professional look.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
ConvertKit Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
49 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
49 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
79 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
119 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
259 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
439 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
679 |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
1579 |
6. Drip
(Source: help.drip.com)
One of the newer kids on the block, Drip has reinvented itself as the E-Commerce ESP. It is a versatile system for e-commerce and highly personalized marketing, with multiple integrations for various apps and platforms. Drip also allows deep customization of automated conditions and triggers. These complex features will be welcomed by marketers. However, they make it difficult for inexpert email developers to access its real potential. It is too important to note that with Drip, you are currently limited to text-only emails (unless you are familiar with coding HTML). This makes it an expensive choice suited to leading email marketers with a specific set of skills. If you are looking for something you can rapidly learn and implement, or a more user-friendly design, Drip may not be the one for you.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
Drip Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
49 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
99 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
7. ConstantContact
(Source: wpengine.netdna-ssl.com)
ContantContact offer a wide selection of tools to help you engage your audience through email. Nonetheless, at such a high price, there is not much ConstantContact can do that other ESPs on this list cannot. It is a reliable sender with a good reputation and user-friendly functions. From the dashboard your templates, automations, and delivery reports are easy to navigate. In terms of the tangible benefits you will see from using the app though, there is little to justify its high price compared to other ESPs such as DirectIQ.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
Constant Contact Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
45 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
65 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
95 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
195 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
315 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
Conclusion
This review of current pricing data shows DirectIQ as one of the most affordable ESPs. However, we’re not afraid to tell you the benefits of other apps for particular features and purposes. Use the research we have conducted to choose the best ESP for your business’ budget and needs. Get the best return on your email marketing investment with DirectIQ.
Data collected from email service provider websites for premium accounts by subscriber count. Last updated: 18 January 2018.
As an entrepreneur, blogger, or small business, you need to know two things about a potential email service provider (ESP):
1. “How much does it cost?”
2. “How effective is it at creating emails that engage recipients?”
But it can be a challenge to compare ESPs. Pricing structures are displayed differently by each company. At DirectIQ we realize that this can be frustrating, as it means it is hard to get the best value and returns on your business’ investment in email marketing tools.
This week we bring you exclusively collated data comparing the prices and features of 7 top ESPs.
Many ESPs offer distinct packages for different purposes, providing multiple price points for the same subscriber count/number of emails, depending on the services required. For this reason, our data reflects the prices of the most appropriate packages for the volume of subscribers on your list. This allows us to standardize price metrics across a varied selection of the best ESPs.
Please note: We don’t cover free tools or entry-level price points in this post. If you are looking for the cheapest ESP, your requirements probably exceed those offered by the majority of free or “freemium” packages. For more information about DirectIQ free accounts, click here.
Get an overview of pricing data in the chart above, or continue reading for more detailed information on prices and features according to individual ESPs.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
DirectIQ Price (in $/Month) |
Constant Contact Price (in $/Month) |
AWeber Price (in $/Month) |
GetResponse Price (in $/Month) |
ActiveCampaign Price (in $/Month) |
Drip Price (in $/Month) |
ConvertKit Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
12 |
45 |
29 |
15 |
23 |
49 |
49 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
25 |
65 |
29 |
25 |
39 |
99 |
49 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
45 |
95 |
49 |
45 |
69 |
Not listed |
79 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
69 |
195 |
69 |
75 |
111 |
Not listed |
119 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
150 |
315 |
Not listed |
165 |
239 |
Not listed |
259 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
250 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
280 |
299 |
Not listed |
439 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
450 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
490 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
679 |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
950 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
1199 |
Not listed |
Not listed |
1579 |
Here’s a rundown of the cheapest ESPs across all price points:
1. DirectIQ
2. GetResponse
3. AWeber
4. ActiveCampaign
5. ConvertKit
6. Drip
7. ConstantContact
Why You Need an Email Service Provider
Email is the most effective marketing stream, boasting a return on your investment of up to $44 for every $1 spent. It is non-invasive, widely distributed, and reliable. Email is the queen bee of marketing, providing you with the best channel through which to engage your customers for less.
If you are a business, entrepreneur, or blogger, wanting to send emails at high-volumes and to a variety of contacts, you need an ESP to do it. Read on to discover the best one for you.
Top 7 Cheapest Email Service Providers
(Source: Author screenshot)
Here at DirectIQ, we are proud to be the cheapest email marketing service at all subscriber volumes. Whether you are sending one-thousand or one-million emails, we offer you the best price. We also give you industry-standard list management features, segmentation and personalization functionality, a state-of-the-art delivery system, and your own a dedicated IP address. You have full access to our Friendly Editor browser-app too, so you can create stunning email templates and designs to win over your subscribers. With DirectIQ you get a lot of bang for your buck.
A little secret: we also offer integrations for all the popular apps displayed below…
(Source: Author screenshot)
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
DirectIQ Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
12 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
25 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
45 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
69 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
150 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
250 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
450 |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
950 |
(Source: acuong.com)
GetResponse offers the second-cheapest email service after DirectIQ. It falls slightly behind at the 10,000+ subscribers mark, though the difference is minimal ($5). GetResponse has a reliable interface and a number of free email template designs for various purposes. It also provides you with the means to personalize subject lines, segment your mailing list, and preview your emails in mobile formats, as with DirectIQ. The design of its real-time activity tracking feature is unique, pushing you updates on individual subscribers’ interactions with your campaigns, though the benefits of getting data at this small scale could be debated.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
GetResponse Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
15 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
25 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
45 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
75 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
165 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
280 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
490 |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
1199 |
(Source: emailvendorselection.com)
AWeber comes in at number three on the cheapest marketing services for 2018 list. AWeber is an established provider that has continued to develop its robust email marketing system since its 1998 debut. Its browser-app is reliable and straightforward to use. It also has a great selection of pre-designed templates that you can edit with a good degree of flexibility. Just as with DirectIQ, you can automate your emails to launch at whatever time you want, and AWeber also offers integration with WordPress, which some users might find useful. It won’t break the bank, but its slightly higher price seems more based on AWeber’s reputation than its superior functionality.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
AWeber Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
29 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
29 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
49 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
69 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
(Source: ga0.imgix.net)
ActiveCampaign has a reasonable pricing structure that means it is only a little more expensive than the cheapest ESPs at low-volumes. For high volumes of over 10,000 subscribers, the price difference between it and its competitors ramps up. This is something to bear in mind if your mailing list is already teetering on the edge of reaching this capacity. Nonetheless, the app has an admirable selection of tools, including a flexible triggered automation editor. This is a bonus for experienced marketers looking to deeper automate their emails by customer behavior, though it lacks the “unbox-and-go” usability of user-friendly ESPs like DirectIQ.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
ActiveCampaign Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
23 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
39 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
69 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
111 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
239 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
299 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
5. ConvertKit
(Source: kb.convertkit.com)
ConvertKit is an ESP promoted for its “features by bloggers, for bloggers.” Though this may be true, these features come at a steep price. The ConvertKit suite includes industry-standard capabilities such as segmentation and automation, as well as blogging add-ons, including integrations with a host of blogging platforms. Its focus on plain-text emails is great for those looking for a personal touch, but we can’t help thinking that ConvertKit’s decision to omit responsive HTML emails from their offering may disappoint bloggers requiring a more professional look.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
ConvertKit Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
49 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
49 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
79 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
119 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
259 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
439 |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
679 |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
1579 |
6. Drip
(Source: help.drip.com)
One of the newer kids on the block, Drip has reinvented itself as the E-Commerce ESP. It is a versatile system for e-commerce and highly personalized marketing, with multiple integrations for various apps and platforms. Drip also allows deep customization of automated conditions and triggers. These complex features will be welcomed by marketers. However, they make it difficult for inexpert email developers to access its real potential. It is too important to note that with Drip, you are currently limited to text-only emails (unless you are familiar with coding HTML). This makes it an expensive choice suited to leading email marketers with a specific set of skills. If you are looking for something you can rapidly learn and implement, or a more user-friendly design, Drip may not be the one for you.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
Drip Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
49 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
99 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
7. ConstantContact
(Source: wpengine.netdna-ssl.com)
ContantContact offer a wide selection of tools to help you engage your audience through email. Nonetheless, at such a high price, there is not much ConstantContact can do that other ESPs on this list cannot. It is a reliable sender with a good reputation and user-friendly functions. From the dashboard your templates, automations, and delivery reports are easy to navigate. In terms of the tangible benefits you will see from using the app though, there is little to justify its high price compared to other ESPs such as DirectIQ.
| Number of Contacts / Emails Sent |
Constant Contact Price (in $/Month) |
| 1,000+ contacts/month or 5,000 emails/month |
45 |
| 2,500+ contacts/month or 10,000 emails/month |
65 |
| 5,000+ contacts/month or 25,000 emails/month |
95 |
| 10,000+ contacts/month or 50,000 emails/month |
195 |
| 30,000+ contacts/month or 150,000 emails/month |
315 |
| 60,000+ contacts/month or 350,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 100,000+ contacts/month or 500,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
| 250,000+ contacts/month or 1000,000 emails/month |
Not listed |
Conclusion
This review of current pricing data shows DirectIQ as one of the most affordable ESPs. However, we’re not afraid to tell you the benefits of other apps for particular features and purposes. Use the research we have conducted to choose the best ESP for your business’ budget and needs. Get the best return on your email marketing investment with DirectIQ.