Different Tools for Different Businesses

Let's be honest: Ontraport and Sequenzy serve different types of founders.

• Ontraport is an all-in-one business platform for coaches, course creators, and consultants. CRM, email, payments, membership sites, landing pages, affiliate programs, SMS. Everything you need to run a knowledge business.

• Sequenzy is focused email marketing for SaaS founders. Stripe integration, AI-generated sequences, transactional + marketing combined. Built for software companies.

Ontraport assumes you're selling courses or coaching. Sequenzy assumes you're building software.

When should you choose Sequenzy?

1. You're Building SaaS

Ontraport doesn't understand subscription businesses. It can't sync with Stripe, track MRR, or trigger emails when someone's trial is expiring. Sequenzy is built for exactly this — your billing data drives your email strategy.

2. You Just Need Email That Works

If you don't need a CRM, membership site, landing page builder, or affiliate program, Ontraport's all-in-one approach is expensive complexity. At $297/month for the Pro plan vs $49/month for Sequenzy, you're paying 6x more for features you'll never use.

3. You Want AI-Generated Content

Describe what you want ("a 5-email onboarding sequence for a project management SaaS") and our AI generates the emails. Ontraport has no AI content generation.

4. You Need Transactional Email

Password resets, order confirmations, team invites — transactional email is built into Sequenzy. Ontraport is marketing-focused and doesn't handle transactional well.

5. You Want to Start Sending Today

Ontraport requires significant setup — CRM configuration, page building, automation mapping. Sequenzy is self-serve. Sign up, connect Stripe, describe your sequence, start sending.

When should you stick with Ontraport?

1. You Sell Courses or Memberships

Ontraport has built-in membership sites and course delivery. If you sell digital products and need content gating, drip content, and member management, Ontraport does this out of the box. We don't.

2. You Need a CRM

Real contact management with deal pipelines, lead scoring, and sales stages. If your business needs CRM alongside email, Ontraport combines them. Sequenzy doesn't have CRM.

3. You Want Landing Pages

Ontraport has a drag-and-drop page builder for sales pages, opt-in pages, and funnels. We don't have landing pages. If you need them without a separate tool, Ontraport delivers.

4. You Run an Affiliate Program

Ontraport Pro includes affiliate management with tracking, commissions, and payouts. If affiliate marketing is part of your growth strategy, Ontraport handles it natively.

5. You Need Everything in One Platform

Some founders prefer one tool for everything — CRM, email, payments, pages, courses, SMS. If consolidation matters more than specialization, Ontraport's all-in-one approach has value.

Honest Limitations of Sequenzy

• No CRM: Basic contact management only. No deal pipelines or lead scoring.
• No membership sites: Can't host courses or gated content.
• No landing pages: Need a separate tool for pages.
• No affiliate management: No built-in affiliate program.
• No SMS: Email only, no text messaging.
• Newer platform: Less history than Ontraport's 15+ years.

Honest Limitations of Ontraport

• Expensive at scale: $297/month at 10k contacts, and that's the Pro plan.
• Complex setup: All-in-one means lots to configure before you start.
• Not built for SaaS: No Stripe sync, no transactional email, no subscription-aware automation.
• Learning curve: Powerful visual campaign builder, but takes weeks to master.
• Service business focus: Designed for coaches and course creators, not software companies.
• No free tier: 14-day trial only, then you're paying.

The Real Cost Comparison

Sequenzy year one (10k contacts):

• Subscription: $588 (12 months x $49)
• Implementation: $0 (self-serve)
• Total: $588

Ontraport year one (10k contacts):

• Subscription: ~$3,564 (12 months x $297 Pro)
• Implementation: $0 (but significant time investment)
• Total: ~$3,564

You could run Sequenzy for 6 years for Ontraport's first year cost.

Who Actually Needs Ontraport?

Ontraport makes sense when:

• You sell courses, memberships, or digital products
• You need CRM + email + payments + pages in one tool
• You run affiliate programs
• You're a coach/consultant who manages clients
• The all-in-one consolidation justifies the price

If that's your business, Ontraport delivers real value. If you're building SaaS and mainly need email, simpler tools serve you better at a fraction of the cost.

Use our email warmup calculator when transitioning, and check our SPF checker and DKIM checker to ensure your authentication is configured correctly.