Convertkit Vs Mailchimp: Why The Choice Was Easy
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Mailchimp has recently changed its pricing structure and therefore I thought now is the perfect opportunity to examine Convertkit vs Mailchimp; and to dive deep into the real differences between the two platforms.
While you can still get an account for free with Mailchimp (up to 2000 subscribers) it does come with additional limitations. For example, you can now only have one list (called an audience in Mailchimp) before you need to upgrade and on the free account you can’t send out multiple emails in your autoresponder, removing your ability to build a marketing funnel.
Now many people will be happy with these changes, as long as they can get an initial account for free, and that’s definitely a big plus point on the side of Mailchimp. However, if you are ready to move your business to the next level. Or even if you are willing to invest a small budget, so you don’t have to move your list later, I believe Mailchimp’s changes should signal everyone to look at the alternatives.
I’ve been working online a long time (over 10 years) and in that time I’ve used and seen a lot of mailing list providers. Aweber was the company I used first and then I switched to Mailchimp. I actually made the move to Convertkit long before these Mailchimp changes came into effect, and I have been happily using it since February 2016.
Convertkit really is a game changer, making it easier than ever to communicate with your audience in the most effective way possible. They are also continually improving the platform and bringing on board changes which make their users’ lives easier.
If you are weighing up the differences between Mailchimp and Convertkit, here’s why I made the move and why you might want to consider it too. The links in this article are affiliate ones, but I promote the platform because I use and love it.
Convertkit Vs Mailchimp: Why I Moved
1. One List:
The biggest advantage to Convertkit I believe is the fact that you only have one list – and that list is then tagged in different ways so you can always just communicate with one section of it should you wish to.
One list means you don’t have people on multiple lists, as often happens in Mailchimp. Multiple lists mean you can end up paying for subscribers more than once and often sending duplicate emails to people if they are on multiple lists.
2. Less Clunky
I find Mailchimp pretty clunky. Maybe I didn’t notice it so much at the time I was using it, but when you move on to a platform that makes things so much easier, you start to realize how frustrating it can sometimes be. Especially the whole issues of segments, groups and the seeming inability to tag people as they sign up, so you know where they have come from and what they are interested in. Are there workarounds for this? Yes I’m sure there are if you research for hours, but nothing that is intuitive.
3. Super Support
If you are on the free version of Mailchimp you will know that support is pretty sparse and it can take a while for someone to respond. With Convertkit, the opposite is true. There is a support button in the dashboard and while that may not always lead to immediate help, it is forthcoming pretty quickly, in my experience usually within a few hours.
4. Easy Ways to Build a Funnel
Let’s be honest, what people refer to as a marketing funnel, is really just a series of emails which tells your audience more about what you offer, or gives them great information. In Convertkit these are called sequences and they are super easy to set up.
A sequence can be created in one window, without that need in Mailchimp to go in and out of every email, sometimes forgetting to resume it again so it then doesn’t send! You can have as many sequences as you wish in Convertkit and you can even automate moving people from one sequence to the next at the click of a button.
Wondering how you could use this? Imagine someone downloads one of your free pdfs and you then keep them warm by offering them great content for a few weeks. At the end of that time, you can then move them on to a sequence which showcases more of your products or services, giving them further opportunities to purchase from you.
5. Landing Pages
Sometimes we don’t want the hassle of setting up an opt-in page on our website. And while Convertkit integrates easily with most platforms, simply using a plugin for WordPress, it also now offers great landing pages too. A landing page (sometimes known as a squeeze page) is a standalone page where you can offer an opt-in to a download or even the sale of a product or service.
This is a super quick way to get an offer out to your audience without even having to touch anything on your website.
The most flexible way to build your email list and build a lasting connection with your audience.
6. Address Provided
As we are all aware, by law everyone needs to have a physical address at the bottom of every email which is sent out from their mailing list provider. In the past if you didn’t want to use your personal address (and I would definitely advise you not to) you had to have either a business address or get some form of PO box or virtual address. With Convertkit, they let you use their address and so this is one more headache removed – and getting an address is one issue I know puts a lot of people off starting a mailing list at the beginning.
7. The Joy of Tagging
When someone opts-in to your list you can tag them exactly how you want to and you can do it in multiple ways. For example, maybe they have bought a product from you and therefore you know you can now exclude them from any sales emails of that product going forward.
Tagging makes life easy in Convertkit and it’s how you can include or exclude people from every email you send. Maybe you want to send an update to your whole list, or maybe you just want to exclude those who have already downloaded your ebook, Convertkit makes that easy.
It also means you can put lots of offers out there and have an autoresponder – or sequence as it’s called in Convertkit – delivering each one. No hassle of setting up a new list each time, as in Mailchimp. The more opt-ins you offer to your audience, the more your list will grow.
8. Integration
Convertkit integrates with many other platforms including: WordPress; Squarespace; Shopify; Zapier; Patreon; Woocommerce; Teachable; Stripe; Leadpages; Gumroad; Podia and more. If you are not sure if it connects with something you need, you can always reach out to them and ask.
9. Pricing
Convertkit doesn’t make it prohibitive to get started, and there is a free account with a lot of the functionality you will need to get started. After that, the starting price point is $29 for up to 1000 subscribers. For this price it includes everything, and while Mailchimp has a lower priced premium offering, you do need to check it covers everything you need as things are done in tiers.
In terms of the email editor in Convertkit the mails themselves are much simpler. You can add images and links etc but you don’t get the fancy drag and drop layout you get in Mailchimp. However, Convertkit are working on a new editor so it will be interesting to see what that brings.
From a personal standpoint I prefer the simplicity. I think it leads to better deliverability rates (although that’s my personal view, not something I have looked at the stats on) and I think people prefer to read simpler mails that focus on on one or two key areas. If you prefer more visual emails, then Mailchimp might be a better option for you.
So that’s my view on Convertkit Vs Mailchimp. I hope it’s helped you to reach the best decision for your business. If you have any specific questions on either platform, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
Convertkit offers a free account for you to get started so if you want to check it out and see what’s on offer you can do that here. Enjoy!
