Email marketing can offer a way to drastically increase your marketing efforts. In fact, 59% of marketers say their biggest return on investment comes from email. Having a well-chosen email marketing app such as Mailchimp or ConvertKit can make the process a lot easier.
But it may be difficult to choose between them since they both offer many features. Let’s take a look at some of the differences between ConvertKit vs Mailchimp and find out which one you should choose.
ConvertKit vs Mailchimp
ConvertKit and Mailchimp are both robust email marketing apps. They do offer some of the same features and accomplish many of the same goals. However, the specifics are different in each app.
Both of them offer registration forms. You can choose between embedded or pop-up forms. ConvertKit also offers slide-in forms. All forms allow you to tag contacts to better organize them.
They also offer landing pages that are easy to build. However, you can only host it on your own domain through ConvertKit.
Both programs also offer integrations with other tools. Mailchimp does offer a number of extra ones. The most noteworthy being that they integrate with most major CRMs. Be sure to learn more about other Mailchimp integrations.
Pros of ConvertKit
ConvertKit does offer a number of benefits over Mailchimp. The biggest one is the breadth of their offerings when it comes to automation. Through the sequence features, you can build sequences of emails, such as welcome or onboarding sequences.
The visual automation feature lets you choose exactly where a contact enters a sequence. You can even add multiple sequences to one automation or create steps based on actions or conditions.
List management is also very straightforward in ConvertKit. There are no lists. Instead, you can assign contacts to forms or sequences, or use tags to organize them. You can also create segments that self-categorize. Segmentation is more robust in all of their plans.
Cons of ConvertKit
Email design is not as robust for ConvertKit. There is not a drag-and-drop editor. This makes it harder to throw together a quick but professional-looking email.
Customization options are also more limited. With ConvertKit, you are limited to text options and adding images. For example, you can change the font color, size, and formatting.
There are only three email templates available: text only, classic, and modern. ConvertKit’s philosophy is based on the fact that plain text and simple emails are found to perform better. You also need to specify sender and subscriber details before designing the email.
ConvertKit does not offer spam or design testing. They only offer previews based on an individual subscriber.
Finally, not as many reports are available to see the impact of your campaigns. You can only see basic information such as open rates, click rates, unsubscribes, and links clicked. This may make it less appealing for analytics-minded users.
Pros of Mailchimp
Mailchimp offers a very robust free plan. This can make it perfect for users looking to test a marketing plan or users simply interested in trying out Mailchimp specifically.
For users looking to push past the free plan, Mailchimp also has a paid plan. Their paid plan is offered at a lower price when compared to ConvertKit. This paid plan contains a host of advanced tools.
Mailchimp is very easy to use and offers a step-by-step approach. Their drag and drop features make it easy to add or remove elements and change the style. This makes Mailchimp accessible to anyone, even users who typically struggle with some computer programs.
They also offer almost 100 themed templates and 14 blank layouts. These allow users to start a marketing message with a base that already looks good. They specifically help when it comes to designing newsletters, promotions, and other emails.
Mailchimp offers premade automated campaigns, including abandoned cart and page viewing triggered campaigns. They also offer more flexibility with the included options for landing pages.
Mailchimp reporting is a lot more robust than ConvertKit. It offers reporting such as open rates by location and e-commerce sales.
Finally, you have many options to preview emails and designs before you send them. You can preview how your email will look on mobile and in different email clients. This lets you know exactly what kind of email your customers will be receiving.
Cons of Mailchimp
While Mailchimp does offer automation, it is less user-friendly and more tricky to create a good workflow. It is also necessary to upgrade in order to get some of the more robust automation features.
There are fewer options available for landing pages. Mailchimp offers eight landing page templates. These templates are easy to use but the limited number of initial offerings may not appeal to everyone.
Forms are also more confusing to build and customize. For example, the page you need to access to build an embedded form is different from where you would edit it later. Yet, this location is still different from where pop-up forms are housed.
Finally, you can create lists and organize them with tags in Mailchimp. However, it is less intuitive than ConvertKit.
How to Choose a Marketing App
Choosing an email marketing app may be a bit confusing, especially when looking at two giants, ConvertKit vs Mailchimp. They both offer a number of great features that can amplify your email marketing.
It’s important to carefully consider the pros and cons of ConvertKit compared to the pros and cons of Mailchimp. The one that will work best for you will depend depends on your marketing goals, how complex your email program is, and your budget.
If you found this article helpful, be sure to read our other marketing articles too.
