Email Design Options
If you're willing to invest in an email marketing platform, you should choose a service that can ease your work by providing you with different email design options and templates.
Campaign Monitor Design Options
Campaign Monitor provides hundreds of useful email templates in a responsive, mobile-friendly format. Most of them have a modern and appealing design and they can easily be customized to meet your needs and help you boost your conversions.
There are all sorts of templates you can choose from, whether you want to create a newsletter, send a promotional message, make an announcement or invite your contacts to an event. If you want to build truly unique email campaigns, you can also design your own templates. The platform provides you with a straightforward drag-and-drop editor for this purpose.
MailChimp Design Options
Mailchimp provides more than 100 professionally designed templates that can adapt to different email marketing purposes. You can easily customize these templates for your brand using content blocks, which makes the whole email creation process fast and intuitive thanks to the platform's drag-and-drop editor.
Mailchimp is very flexible when it comes to its design options and gives you complete freedom to personalize your emails, as well as the possibility to import your own HTML templates.
The Winner
We consider it a tie since both services offer beautiful templates and customization options.
Automation
A reliable email marketing platform should provide solid automation to enable you to constantly nurture your relationship with subscribers through automated email campaigns.
Campaign Monitor Automation
This software offers you all the tools you need to automate your customers' journey without spending a lot of time figuring out how to do it. There is a separate Automation section where you can access these features. The automated email sequences you can create will be triggered by certain user actions, specific dates, or events, for example, a new subscription, a contact entering a segment, a special occasion, etc
You can easily track your workflows' progress based on your contacts' actions so that you can continuously improve your emails. Moreover, there are plenty of useful guides that show you how to leverage Campaign Monitor's automation.
Mailchimp automation
Mailchimp also offers a solid suite of automation options. There are different workflows you can set up for various occasions. There are also several ready-made workflows, and you can also create your own custom automation. Moreover, thanks to the platform's robust integrations, it's easy to implement these workflows for your website.
The Winner
Both platforms provide good automation. However, this point goes to Campaign Monitor because its visual automation builder allows you to manage and view your workflows with ease.
Segmentation
By dividing your audience into different groups, you can customize your email campaigns and boost conversions. Both Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp help you do this.
Campaign Monitor Segmentation
This tool allows you to create two different types of segments: smart segments and lists. The first refers to specific criteria you can use to group contacts, such as their location or gender. Lists are large segments that bring together a vast audience. In your lists, you can include different contacts based on criteria.
Campaign Monitor provides you with advanced segmentation features thanks to its excellent integration with CRM systems, your website, or apps that help you collect user information. Overall, the segmentation process is detailed, accurate, and easy to carry out.
Mailchimp Segmentation
Mailchimp offers two basic ways to divide your contacts by placing them either in segments or groups. You can use groups to put together a collection of contacts and categorize them based on their behavior. Segments bring you the possibility to filter these contacts. You can further divide them according to different criteria.
Mailchimp doesn't provide the possibility to send the same email to contacts placed in several lists. To do this, you need to create duplicate contacts, which means a higher subscription fee.
The Winner
Campaign Monitor wins in this round because it is more flexible.
A/B Testing
A/B tests can make a big difference for your email marketing campaigns’ success. They can increase your click-through rates significantly by helping you send engaging content.
Campaign Monitor A/B Testing
With Campaign Monitor, you can create two versions for your email campaigns. You can also send these versions to two distinct audience groups. After comparing the results, you can send them to the rest of your contacts. Some of the most important elements you can test are subject lines, content, images, or other graphical elements.
To compare the result of these split tests, you can easily access a campaign overview. The analytics displayed here will help you see the emails’ open rates, total clicks, and other useful metrics.
Mailchimp A/B Testing
Mailchimp’s A/B testing tool works similarly. It also allows you to experiment with multiple elements such as images, subject lines, or content to figure out which variation is more engaging.
After your emails are configured and sent, you can choose various metrics to determine the successful variation. The A/B testing feature is not available in the free plan, but the highest tier allows you to test up to 8 variations for one email.
The Winner
Both platforms offer similar A/B testing functions. It’s a tie this time too.
Deliverability
Good deliverability is an important feature to look for when getting an email marketing platform as it ensures that a large number of emails will reach your subscribers’ inboxes.
Campaign Monitor Deliverability
Campaign Monitor puts great emphasis on deliverability. They even have a special compliance and deliverability team that handles any queries related to this aspect. This team is dedicated to helping customers who have problems with spam complaints or high bounce rates. Moreover, Campaign Monitor also features a tool that monitors users’ accounts to help achieve the best deliverability rates.
According to tests carried out by emaildeliverabilityreport.com, Campaign Monitor manages to provide deliverability rates of 85.3%, with 11.6% of emails ending in the spam folder.
Mailchimp Deliverability
Mailchimp also uses different tools to ensure the highest deliverability rates and a robust set of analytics that help you understand how many emails reach your contacts. Mailchimp relies on Omnivore to help detect and prevent email spamming. Moreover, since it is registered with ISP, this platform is automatically notified if the emails it sends out get marked as junk.
In emaildeliverabilityreport.com tests, Mailchimp managed a deliverability rate of 79.9%, with 15% of emails reaching the spam folder.
The Winner
Campaign Monitor wins in this round, not only for its higher deliverability rates but also for the dedicated support it offers.
Pricing
Price always matters when you have to purchase tools for your business. Here is a quick Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp pricing comparison.
Campaign Monitor Pricing
Campaign Monitor’s Basic plan starts at $9 per month. It works with a maximum of 2,500 contacts and provides you with email customer support, analytics, free image gallery, automation, link review.
The next plan costs $29 per month. It offers extra features such as unlimited emails, priority customer support, unlimited spam tests, time zone sending, countdown timer. The next tier is the Premier plan, which costs $149/month. Some of its extras include advanced link tracking, pre-built engagement segments, unlimited inbox previews.
Mailchimp Pricing
Mailchimp’s subscription prices start at $9.99 with the Essential plan. This basic plan offers access to all the platform’s email templates, email and chat support, A/B test, custom branding, multi-step journeys. The next plan is the Standard plan.
It costs $14.99 and also includes behavioral targeting, dynamic content, or custom templates. The Premium plan costs $299 and also grants access to advanced segmentation features, multivariate testing, role-based access, and plenty more. Furthermore, Mailchimp also features a forever-free plan.
The Winner
The prices are similar, however, we choose Mailchimp for its forever-free plan.
Ease of Use
Both Mailchimp and Campaign Monitor are pretty straightforward tools. Let's see how they compare.
Campaign Monitor Ease of Use
Campaign Monitor has a straightforward approach. It is easy to navigate this platform's interface as you get different sections for all of its main features: automation, campaigns, lists, transactional emails.
There is also a useful “overview” button you can access from any section if you want to return to the main menu. This software also offers you a personalized onboarding journey by asking you to provide different info related to your goals and audience. Furthermore, it also features a useful Help Center.
Mailchimp Ease of Use
Mailchimp's easy-to-use dashboard is one of the main reasons why this software is so popular. Mailchimp’s interface was designed for users with any level of experience, including newbies. The entire email campaign creation process is straightforward and smooth thanks to the simple drag-and-drop builder.
Each of the main features are easy to access and Mailchimp also offers a multitude of useful tips and different guides on how to use the platform. Its dashboard is more appealing than what you get with similar software, which further boosts users' experience.
The Winner
Both platforms are easy to use, however, based on customer reviews and our own experience in testing each tool, we opt for Mailchimp.
Integration
Integrations enable your email marketing platform to connect to different third-party apps. Here is a Campaigning Monitor vs Mailchimp integration overview.
Campaign Monitor Integration
Campaign Monitor offers more than 250 integrations that allow you to easily connect your account to different social media channels, content management tools, or online shops. Some of the most useful integrations include Google Analytics, WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, Salesforce, Magento, Intercom, Unbounce. Campaign Monitor also provides a dedicated App Store for integrations and an API that helps you create additional ones.
Mailchimp Integration
Mailchimp provides an outstanding array of 800 different integrations. Some of the most popular apps and platforms you can integrate with Mailchimp include WordPress WooCommerce, Calendly, Zapier, Xero, ClickFunnels, Google Analytics, SurveyMonkey, Chargify, PayPal, Canva. If the integration you're looking for is not available, Mailchimp offers you an API, you can use to create it.
The Winner
It’s a tie once again. Both platforms provide similar integrations.
Reports
By getting reliable reports from your email marketing platform, you can understand how well your email campaigns work and improve their performance. Let’s explore Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp’s reports.
Campaign Monitor Reporting
Campaign Monitor offers a great set of basic analytics you can rely on to get an accurate view of your email campaigns' progress and results. Some of the main metrics are unsubscribe rates, bounce rates, the number of opened emails, unique open rates, spamming data, the number of times an email gets opened, click rates, etc. There is also the possibility to see exactly at what time and on which day of the week you had the highest rate of opened emails. This way, you know when to schedule your future campaigns.
When it comes to clicked links, Campaign Monitor also helps you see which links were clicked more often so that you have a broader view of what type of content is more engaging for your audience. Moreover, you can also see exactly how many people haven't clicked your links.
Geo-location metrics are also available, as well as different split testing features.
Mailchimp Reports
Mailchimp offers a solid set of in-depth analytics. With this tool, you can generate all the metrics you might require to optimize your campaigns. Some of the most useful reports include open rates, the number of people who unsubscribe from your list, the click-through rates, the number of bounces, etc.
An advantage of this platform's reporting system is that it allows you to get comparative metrics. This way, you can compare your campaigns with industry standards. Another perk is the send-time optimization feature. This feature helps determine the best time when you should send emails to your contacts based on previous campaigns.
The Winner
Although both platforms boast excellent reporting tools, Mailchimp seems to offer more advanced features.
Customer Support
No matter how tech-savvy you are, when you decide to get a subscription for an email marketing platform, you want to know that you will be able to enjoy reliable customer support.
Campaign Monitor Customer Support
Campaign Monitor offers different types of customer service methods: email, phone support, knowledge base. However, as it often happens with most email marketing software, you only get support over the phone if you pay for the most advanced plan.
If you click on the “Contact Support” you will be directed to the platform's Help Center where you can access a plethora of useful articles on how to use Campaign Monitor. Their comprehensive training videos are useful for anyone who is barely getting started, and there are also in-house courses you can access to learn more about this software.
Email support is also available, and if you want to access priority support either by email or phone, you should be using a Premier plan. With priority support, your questions will be answered first.
Mailchimp Customer Support
Mailchimp is often praised for its customer support. The company has even won several Stevie Awards for its excellent customer support service. Mailchimp boasts an incredibly vast knowledge base that can teach you anything you might want to know about this email marketing tool.
If you want to get in touch with an agent, this platform offers different types of support options - email, live chat, and phone support. Nonetheless, users who are not on a paid plan can only benefit from live chat support for the first 30 days! Phone support is also available only for users who purchase the Premium plan. Mailchimp also offers priority responses.
The Winner
The winner of this round deserves to be Mailchimp given the positive feedback customers typically provide for its support service and the awards it received.
When to Use Each
Campaign Monitor vs Mailchimp can be more suitable for particular needs. Find out when to use each.
When to Use Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor is suitable for companies of different sizes. Its pricing plans are affordable, and you get a robust set of features that allows you to automate your campaigns and optimize them. Marketers looking for multiple integrations, good deliverability, and customer support can rely on Campaign Monitor.
When to Use Mailchimp
Mailchimp is ideal for small companies or marketers of any level. This platform is very intuitive, and you can easily learn to navigate its dashboard even if you haven’t used similar tools before. The reports, workflows, and tests you get are enough to help you build engaging campaigns. Its pricing plans are also affordable, which makes it once again useful for small companies.
Pros and Cons
Each one of these tools has its pros and cons. Here is a quick overview.
Campaign Monitor Pros and Cons
Some of the main advantages of this software include the fact that it is easy to use and offers plenty of training resources. There are numerous integrations you can leverage to consolidate your email marketing strategy. The automation Campaign Monitor provides is also excellent. However, this tool’s reports are less complex compared to Mailchimps, and it doesn’t offer a forever free plan.
Mailchimp Pros and Cons
Overall, this platform is very intuitive, which makes it suitable even for inexperienced users. The automated workflows are easy to implement, and you get different ready-made campaigns. The email building process is simple, and the reports are comprehensive. Mailchimp could, however, offer more flexible segmentation and more customer support options for the lower tiers.
Alternatives to Campaign Monitor or Mailchimp
If you’re looking for alternatives to these two email marketing software services, here are two options:
- ConvertKit: This tool has been on the market since 2013. It is easy to use, even for absolute beginners. It features forms, landing pages, and email design options. Other pros include the extensive knowledge base, customizable workflows, and easy segmentation process.
- GetResponse: this platform has been around for the past 15 years. It features a user-friendly editor, powerful automation builder, in-depth reports, numerous training materials, responsive forms, integrations with third-party apps.
Final Winner:
Both Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp provide numerous features. They are similar in terms of pricing plans, testing tools, templates, and even customer support options. However, Mailchimp has been the winner in most rounds, and we consider it the final winner as well, thanks to its good reporting and design options, ease of use, and reliable customer service.
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