Finding the right email marketing software can be a daunting task given there are so many platforms to choose from. Deciding which email marketing tool is best for you and your business may take a bit of time and effort, but it is well worth spending your time on this task.
In this article, we will be comparing two of the most popular email marketing platforms – Mailchimp and SendGrid.
What is Email Marketing Software?
Email marketing software is a powerful digital marketing tool that enables businesses to create, send, and track email marketing campaigns to their target audience. These platforms offer a variety of features, including customizable email templates, contact management, automation, and detailed analytics. By leveraging these tools, businesses can manage their email marketing efforts more efficiently and achieve successful email marketing campaigns. Popular email marketing platforms like SendGrid and Mailchimp provide a comprehensive suite of tools to help businesses of all sizes send email marketing campaigns and reach their marketing goals.
Target Audience
The target audience for email marketing software can vary widely depending on the specific platform and its features. Generally, these tools are designed for businesses and organizations that aim to send email marketing campaigns to their customers, subscribers, or prospects. Whether you’re a small business looking to engage with your audience or a large organization needing to send high-volume marketing campaigns, email marketing software can help you achieve your goals.
Who is SendGrid for?
SendGrid is a popular email marketing platform tailored for businesses and organizations that need to send high-volume email marketing campaigns. It is particularly well-suited for those who need to send transactional emails, such as password reset emails, welcome emails, and purchase confirmation emails. SendGrid’s emphasis on email deliverability and maintaining a strong sender reputation makes it an excellent choice for businesses that need to ensure their emails reach their recipients’ inboxes reliably.
Who is Mailchimp for?
Mailchimp is a widely used email marketing platform designed for small businesses and organizations that want to send email marketing campaigns to their customers and subscribers. It is especially beneficial for businesses that need to send marketing emails, such as newsletters, promotional emails, and automated email campaigns. Mailchimp’s user-friendly interface and extensive range of features make it an ideal choice for businesses looking to create and send successful email marketing campaigns without requiring extensive technical expertise.
Pricing for Email Marketing Platforms
At the end of the day, cost is key- and no one can beat Mailchimp in this department. They offer a variety of attractive pricing options, especially for those just stepping into the email marketing arena. Their low-cost plans are perfect for startups and small businesses who may be working with a small budget. Mailchimp gives you a forever free plan capped at 2,000 users and 12,000 emails per month. The next level is affordably priced at $10 per month. Phone support is limited to its most expensive pricing plan.
Similarly, SendGrid offers a basic plan for free. For the first 30 days, one can send 40,000 emails. After that, it is limited to 100 emails per day. Moreover, the core email API features and campaign marketing features are included in this option. If you only need to send 100 emails a day, then SendGrid is a great option. If extra bandwidth is needed, the next level is priced at $9.95 per month for 10,000 users and 100,000 emails. Phone support is available for paid plans.
SendGrid Pricing
SendGrid offers a variety of pricing plans to accommodate different business needs and sizes. The pricing plans are based on the number of emails sent per month, with discounts available for higher-volume senders. SendGrid’s pricing plans include:
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Free plan: 100 emails per day forever
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Essentials plan: $14.95 per month for up to 40,000 emails per month
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Pro plan: $49.95 per month for up to 100,000 emails per month
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Advanced plan: $99.95 per month for up to 500,000 emails per month
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Enterprise plan: Custom pricing for high-volume senders
These plans ensure that businesses of all sizes can find a suitable option to meet their email marketing needs.
Features of Email Marketing Platforms
Mailchimp offers a vast selection of templates, which make it extremely to design attractive emails. You have the option to customize these templates via color, font, organization, and more! If you are looking to create emails from scratch, their platform allows you to show off your HTML coding skills as well! Overall, with Mailchimp, you can rest assured your email designs will pop.
SendGrid also offers many aesthetic email templates to choose from. There is an option to import a preexisting HTML page, or you use the drag-and-drop editor to create a new template. A downside to SendGrid is their maximum limit of templates per user ID! Each user ID has a maximum of 300 transactional templates and versions. A limitation users don’t have with Mailchimp.
With Mailchimp, you will receive detailed analytics on open rates, click-through rates, and the most clicked links in your email. If you run multiple campaigns at a time, you can compare reports which will help you determine which campaigns are most effective.
Like Mailchimp, SendGrid also has a dashboard that tracks open/click-through rates, number of unsubscribed users, browser comparison statistics, device statistics etc. It also allows you to track the number of spam reports, so you will be able to tweak your marketing campaigns accordingly.
SendGrid vs Which One Should You Use?
Both Mailchimp and SendGrid are great platforms for different reasons. Mailchimp is especially suited for new businesses that want to test the waters or small businesses whose number of emails are limited to less than 12,000 a month. If this sounds like your company, consider giving it a try! It is easy to sign up, so give it a go and see for yourself. Sign up here to get started.
