Overview

AWeber and Mailchimp are both email marketing veterans. AWeber invented the autoresponder in 1998. Mailchimp launched in 2001 and became the most recognized email marketing brand globally. Check our Mailchimp comparison for more detailed analysis.

The choice often comes down to what you value: AWeber's reliability and support or Mailchimp's features and ecosystem.

The Core Difference

AWeber has stayed focused on what they do best: reliable email delivery with excellent support. They control their entire infrastructure end-to-end and have built a reputation for inbox placement. Their customer service team has won 15+ awards.

Mailchimp evolved from email marketing into a broader marketing platform. They've added landing pages, CRM features, social ads, and advanced automation. The feature set is larger, but so is the complexity.

Pricing: Same Price, Different Value

At 10,000 subscribers, both platforms cost approximately $135/month. AWeber's Plus plan includes priority 24/7 support and 120,000 monthly sends. Mailchimp's Standard plan includes more advanced automation features and 120,000 sends.

The pricing parity is unusual. Most competitors are cheaper than Mailchimp. AWeber charges the same but offers different value - better support vs. more features.

One key difference: Mailchimp counts all contacts including unsubscribed ones. AWeber now only counts active subscribers. If you have list churn, AWeber may cost less in practice.

Where AWeber Wins

Deliverability: AWeber controls their entire email infrastructure. They don't outsource delivery to third parties. This focused approach produces industry-leading deliverability rates.

Customer Support: 24/7 live support with phone access on all paid plans. AWeber has won 15+ customer service awards. When you need help, you get it quickly.

Template Library: 600+ email templates vs Mailchimp's 100+. AWeber's Smart Designer also creates branded templates automatically from your website URL.

Simplicity: Fewer features means less complexity. AWeber is easier to learn and use for straightforward email marketing.

Where Mailchimp Wins

Automation: 40+ pre-built customer journeys and sophisticated branching logic. Mailchimp's automation is more powerful for complex marketing workflows.

E-commerce: Deeper integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce. Product recommendations, revenue tracking, and e-commerce analytics are more mature.

Ecosystem: Mailchimp is a household name. This matters for agencies, enterprise procurement, and stakeholder buy-in.

Advanced Features: Predictive analytics, send time optimization, and behavioral targeting. Mailchimp has invested heavily in AI and machine learning.

For SaaS Companies

Neither AWeber nor Mailchimp is built for SaaS. Both are general email marketing tools without subscription billing awareness.

If you're running a SaaS company and want automation that triggers based on Stripe events - trial expiry, failed payments, plan upgrades - consider Sequenzy. It's designed specifically for software businesses with transactional email and billing integration built in.

At $49/month for 10k subscribers, it also costs a third of what either AWeber or Mailchimp charges.