Email Service Provider (ESP): What it is and Guide to the Best Email Marketing Software

L'email marketing is one of the preferred channels to get in touch with users, build a solid relationship and try to convert them from contacts into customers.

Despite the fact that it is one of the channels whose "death" is most often decreed (how many times have you read that theemail marketing is dead?) email marketing still has potential both as a channel of communication with contacts acquired through initiatives of Lead Generationfor example cold leads newsletter subscribers and acquired through a Lead Magnetto convert into customers, and to maintain communication with existing customers with a view to retention.

Not surprisingly, statistics confirm the ROI of Email Marketing initiatives:

Here are 3 stats to help you understand email ROI:

• According to Convince and Convert, people who buy products via email spend on average 138% of those who do not receive them;
• research by The Power of Direct Marketing, published in SmallBizTrends, states that ROI, or the return on investment of email marketing compared to other tools is $39.40:

Doing email marketing professionally, however, requires using a platform ad hoc, an email marketing software often called in technical jargon ESP, Email Service Provider.

Below is an in-depth overview of the best email marketing software.

Similarities and differences between Email Marketing Software

In the ESP overview below you'll notice many similarities and few differences. So how do you find your way around the various email marketing software?

Typical Features

Let's start with the premise that most Email Service Providers are now becoming all in one platforms, which alongside the services of sending newsletters, often with a dra&drop editor and the creation of workflows of email marketing automation, alongside other related services such as:

• functionality for online advertising with Facebook Ads,, to optimize contact acquisition initiatives;
• a builder to create Landing Page, forms and PopUp, to acquire the lead;
• a CRMto keep the acquired contacts in order;
• bulk sending of SMS messages alongside e-mails (Sendinblue);
• other possible features such as Webinars (GetResponse), automatic sending of newsletters based on RSS feeds (Sendinblue, MailPoet).

Specializations

Some are distinguished by a greater specialization on email marketing automation (ActiveCampaign, Drip) or on a sector such as theecommerce (Omnisend., Drip), others to be native to WordPress (MailPoet) or for a specific target (such as digital product creators in the case of ConvertKit).

Pricing

From a pricing perspective many come with a free plan or a trial period. Paid plans, in addition to additional features, often depend on the number of subscribers and how they are counted. Here's an example:

Let's start by reviewing the most popular ones (the list is constantly being updated).

Sendinblue 

SendInBlue (www.sendinblue.com) is a French email marketing software, launched in 2007 by Armand Thiberge and Kapil Sharma.

This is a service all in one, which can cover all your email marketing needs. It offers a cloud-based suite with:

• Email Marketing Automation
• Email marketing campaigns
• CRM
• management of Facebook Advertising campaigns and retargeting ads
• possibility to create Landing pages, with drag & drop editor
• sending bulk SMS at competitive costs
• excellent assistance, also technical, in Italian

Available in Italian language, SendinBlue offers a free plan and the possibility of choosing different payment plans, such as Lite from 19 euros per month, Premium from 49 euros per month, and Company, for those who need large volumes of mail, with prices and conditions to be agreed: www.sendinblue.com/pricing

AWeber

AWeber (www.aweber.com) is an email marketing software founded in 1998. In more than two decades, it has offered valuable help to more than one million users worldwide to effectively connect with potential customers through a very powerful email marketing software in its simplicity.

As well as a valid customer service available 24 hours a day, AWeber offers email marketing automation features and the ability to:

• quickly create responsive landing pages
• upload and manage contacts
• email
• send instant push notifications

AWeber allows you to get started for free with the Free plan, which includes sending 3000 emails per month. With the Pro Rates start at $19 per month for up to 500 subscribers, and increase based on the size of the user base: www.aweber.com/pro

GetResponse

GetResponse (www.getresponse.com) is an email marketing platform all in one Which, in addition to email marketing, offers:

• Landing Page
• Website Builder
• Push notifications
• Webinar
• advertising management
• conversion funnel
• CRM
• Email Marketing Automation

It is a complete online marketing software that helps you grow your audience, interact with customers and increase online sales. With over 30 tools in one easy-to-use platform, you can transform your online marketing and get tangible results.

GetResponse offers the possibility of performing a free trial of 30 days, after which you can choose from several subscription plans. As of recently, GetResponse is also offering a free plan: www.getresponse.it/pricing/free

MailPoet 

MailPoet (www.mailpoet.com) is a plugin to manage sending email newsletters with WordPress.

The main features offered by this valuable plugin include:

• WordPress email automation, with welcome emails, notifications of the latest published posts and reminders in case of abandoned carts
• sending automatic newsletters based on RSS feeds
• connection with the WooCommerce store and related email sending
• creation and sending of email campaigns
• detailed analyses

MailPoet is available for free up to a maximum of 1000 subscribers. Premium plans start at €15 per month: account.mailpoet.com

Drip

Founded in 2013, Drip (www.drip.com) is an email marketing automation software created for ecommerce.

Its features include:

• Marketing Automation
• Tracking customer data
• Web Personalization
• Email campaigns
• Contact forms
• Email Segmentation
• Email web personalization
• Landing Page
• Split Testing
• Reporting and Analysis
• Autoresponses
• RSS To Email
• Multichannel marketing
• Optimization of rate of delivery

Drip charges a price based on the number of subscribers you have. Paid plans start at $19 per month for up to 500 contacts: https://www.drip.com/pricing

Omnisend.

Omnisend. (www.omnisend.com) is an ecommerce-specific email marketing software that comes with a free plan and paid plans.

Features offered by Omnisend include:

• Email Marketing
• Popups & Forms
• Marketing Automation
• SMS
• Multichannel marketing campaigns
• Reporting
• Segmentation
• Content Editor

Omnisend allows you to make a free trial Of 14 days, with a limit of 2000 emails per day. Costs are charged based on the number of contacts you have and come in three price ranges, starting at $16 per month: www.omnisend.com/pricing

MailerLite

MailerLite (www.mailerlite.com) is a cloud-based email marketing software used by thousands of users worldwide. Founded in 2005, the company has experienced significant growth and now offers its services to over 800,000 companies each month.

Among its main strengths are ease of use, templates, great customer support, and a wide range of features.

In addition to the free plan, you can choose from several subscription plans, starting at €9 per month: www.mailerlite.com/pricing

ConvertKit

More than ESP, ConvertKit (www.convertkit.com) is a suite all in one for creators, professional bloggers, podcasters and YouTubers, to promote and sell digital and non-digital content.

It is a platform that offers features of:

• Email Marketing
• Opt In (Form and PopUp) for Lead Generation
• Landing Page
• Email Marketing Automation
• Ecommerce for the sale of digital products

The free plan allows you to create landing pages, sell products and send emails to up to 1000 subscribers: (www.convertkit.com)

ConvertKit offers the Creator plan, with marketing automation features such as funnel and sequences. There's also the Creator Pro plan, with advanced features like the Facebook Custom Audience and free access to Sparkloop for referrals.

Campaign Monitor

Campaign Monitor (www.campaignmonitor.com) is one of the most well-known email marketing services. Founded in 2004, Campaign Monitor allows marketers to send personalized emails, features a drag-and-drop Builder, quality templates and engagement-based segmentation allow you to deliver targeted content to large lists of subscribers.

Campaign Monitor offers a free plan that allows you to send emails to up to five contacts. If your email list is more substantial, a subscription is required to take advantage of the services offered: www.campaignmonitor.com/pricing

Constant Contact

Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com) is an email marketing platform founded in 1998 and used by agencies, small businesses, developers, franchises and corporate networks.

Constant Contact offers a wide range of features, including:

• Social Marketing
• Ecommerce
• Event Marketing Tools
• Contact list management
• Segmentation
• Email Marketing Automation
• Tracking Tools
• Website Reporting
• Email Design

There is no free plan available, but you can test the service for free for a full 60 days. After that you need to choose between two pricing plans, Email and Email Plus, starting at $20 per month: www.constantcontact.com/pricing

Moosend

Moosend (www.moosend.com) is an email marketing platform founded in 2011, the platform offers various useful features including:

• Email Marketing, with one-time campaigns, RSS campaigns, A/B campaigns, automation campaigns and repeatable HTML campaigns
• Newsletter Editor
• Email Marketing Automation
• Ecommerce AI
• Landing Page
• Enrolment form
• Tracking
• Reporting & Analytics
• Web Personalization

Moosend offers a free plan, with a limited number of features, and paid plans starting at $8 per month: www.moosend.com/pricing

Emma

Emma (https://myemma.com/) is an Email Service Provider, offering the functionality typically associated with email marketing software, including:

• email marketing automation;
• segmentation;
• means of AB test;
• drag and drop editor for editing newsletters;
• function forms and Lightbox forms, to select the right time to request an email address;
• tracking with Analytics.

Emma integrates with the most popular CRM, ecommerce and web analytics platforms, and offers three paid plans, starting from $ 89 per month (https://myemma.com/pricing).

MailChimp 

MailChimp (https://mailchimp.com/) is an email marketing tool designed to make your email campaigns more effective, and also includes CRM and contact management features.

Millions of users and businesses use MailChimp to send emails every day, including giants like TED, Vice UK and The Economist.

Among the main features offered by MailChimp we find email marketing tools, including:

• Automated email responses
• Email creation and customization
• Sending emails
• Email delivery management
• High-Volume Sending
• Email list management
• Reporting and Analytics
• A/B Testing

MailChimp offers over 250 integrations, and it is extremely easy to use. This makes it suitable not only for experts but also for those who are not very familiar with email marketing software.

MailChimp may be the right tool for you if your goal is to avail quality automation, automate your tasks and use autoresponders in your email campaigns.

With the free version you can send up to 10,000 emails per month to 2,000 subscribers. Paid plans start at €8.97 per month (https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/?currency=EUR). You can choose MailChimp plans based on the characteristics of your target audience.