Aweber Review

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Let’s cut the fluff—Aweber is one of the OG email marketing platforms, around since 1998. It gives beginners and small businesses the basics: email campaigns, automations, landing pages, and e‑commerce support. But it’s dripping in legacy vibes and could cost you more than it should. Here’s who it’s for (and who it isn’t).

Table of Contents

Quick Answers

1. What is Aweber and what does it do? A veteran email service provider for designing, automating, and sending emails, plus building pages and forms.
2. Who’s it for? Beginners, creators, small-scale stores, and hobbyists who need a reliable but simple tool.
3. Key features? Drag‑and‑drop editor, 600+ templates, Smart Designer, Canva integration, landing pages, web push, and e‑commerce support.
4. Compared to alternatives? Simpler than ActiveCampaign but pricier and less polished than newer tools like MailerLite or EmailOctopus.
5. Easy to set up? Very—intuitive dashboard and quick onboarding even for total beginners.
6. Integrations? Over 700, including Zapier, PayPal, WordPress, Shopify, Salesforce, etc.
7. How much? Free for 500 subs/3k sends → Lite ~$15/mo → Plus ~$30/mo → Enterprise ~$899/mo.
8. Pros & cons? Pro: solid support, deliverability, basic tools. Con: outdated UI, limited automations, steep price hikes.
9. Worth it? If you want dependable basics and 24/7 support, yes; if you care about advanced automations or cost, look elsewhere.
10. Where to get it? Start your Aweber trial now →

1. Features & Capabilities

Aweber offers the essentials with a few modern twists. You get a drag‑and‑drop email builder with 600+ responsive templates, Canva integration, Unsplash support, Smart Designer (which auto-generates a branded template from your site), and a simple Markdown editor—handy for basic HTML use.

Forms and landing pages are robust, with hundreds of templates, Link-in-Bio microsites, and built-in support for Stripe and PayPal, even on lower-tier plans. Paid plans allow unlimited pages and forms.

Automation includes 17 preset workflows, tagging, triggers, and A/B testing—great for basic sequences, though it lacks a visual builder and advanced conditional logic seen in higher-end tools.

Deliverability is a strong point—Aweber consistently achieves around a 90/100 inbox placement score, though it uses a shared IP pool rather than dedicated IPs.

The platform integrates with over 700 third-party tools—Shopify, WordPress, Zapier, Salesforce, Etsy, and more—making it easy to plug into most small-business tech stacks.

2. Pricing & Value

Aweber recently updated its pricing model. You’ll find:

• Free: Up to 500 subscribers, 3,000 sends/month.
• Lite: Starts at $12.49/month (annual billing) or $15/month.
• Plus: From $19.99–$30/month depending on list size.
• Unlimited: Flat $899/month for higher-volume users.

Keep in mind: unsubscribed contacts are still counted toward your limit, and many users report that growth into higher tiers can quickly double your costs.

Alternatives like EmailOctopus or MailerLite offer similar features—templates, automations, landing pages—for significantly less in most cases.

Aweber’s free plan is helpful for testing, but once you start scaling, the costs accelerate sharply.

If you’re ready, here’s the deal: Claim your Aweber offer →

3. Ease of Use & Onboarding

Despite its legacy interface, Aweber is remarkably easy to get started with. Users report signing up, setting up sending domains, and sending the first email campaign in under 15 minutes.

The email and landing page editors are intuitive—drag-and-drop blocks work predictably, and Smart Designer can draft a template in minutes. The downside? The forms builder is less polished, and without a visual automation builder, workflows feel basic.

For casual bloggers, small creators, or stores with simple workflows, the UX is functional and welcoming—though anyone seeking complex funnels may outgrow it fast.

4. Case Studies & Reputation

Aweber serves millions of users—bloggers, coaches, Etsy and Shopify store owners, and small businesses. On TrustRadius and G2, reviewers commonly praise deliverability, email templates, and reliable support.

Still, long-time customers gripe about recurring price hikes that didn’t come with proportional feature upgrades—some even describe the voice and promises as “glib.”

Ratings hover between 3.5–4.4/5: lower-end reviewers cite pricing frustrations, while higher ratings reflect stable performance and ease of use.

5. Customer Support & Reliability

Support is a highlight—24/7 chat and email across all plans, and phone support for paid users. Their multiple Stevie awards are a testament to it.

Performance-wise, inbox placement hovers around 90/100, delivery is consistent, and downtime is rare. Just note: shared IP means your sending reputation depends on the broader user base.

Minor quirks remain, like occasional UI lag or styling glitches, which can be cured by disabling ad blockers during use.

6. Summary & Final Rating

Pros

Cons

Final Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

If you’re a small‑business owner, creator, or hobbyist who values ease, support, and inbox reliability, Aweber delivers what you need. But those seeking deeper automation, modern design, or budget-friendly scalability might want to explore newer alternatives.

Ready to give it a spin? Start your Aweber trial now →