AWeber vs VerticalResponse (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, AWeber grades higher than VerticalResponse: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
AWeber grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
AWeber
Email marketing for small businesses, with landing pages and a store
VerticalResponse
Email marketing for small businesses, priced by list size
Which one is for you
Pick AWeber if
- Fits if you blog, podcast or post videos and want each new one emailed out automatically
- Works for lists under 500, or owners who'd pay $79 to have the setup done for them
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're on Lite, which allows 1 list, 3 landing pages, 3 automations and 1 saved segment
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as AWeber is web only
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $30 a month for Plus against $20 billed yearly
- Watch out: the 14-day trial turns into a paid subscription automatically when it ends
- Tight if you stay free, at 500 subscribers and 3,000 emails a month with AWeber branding on every email
Pick VerticalResponse if
- Fits if you send to a few hundred contacts and want a long trial before paying
- Works for sending to a list with landing pages and pop-ups bundled in
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan: the only free option is the 60-day trial
- Pricey if your list grows, with $40 a month at 2,500 contacts on Basic and $58 on Pro
- Tight if you need A/B subject tests or advanced reporting, which are Pro only
- Watch out: Test Kit previews cost credits, and prices for bigger lists come from a calculator or a sales form
- Too light for anyone who needs a list of connected apps, as none are named
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAAWeberFair | 2.0GPAVerticalResponseFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CLite is $12.50 a month for 500 subscribers on yearly billing, or $15 monthly, a little under the middle of what email tools charge. Unlimited lists, automations and pages need Plus at $20, and Lite reaches $100 a month at 10,000 subscribers. | C$13 a month for 500 contacts, then $28 at 1,000 and $40 at 2,500. That sits between the cheaper quarter ($9.99) and the dearer quarter ($33) of email tools, and it rises fast. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 emails a month, with no card and no time limit. You get 1 landing page and 1 automation, and every email carries AWeber's branding. 500 people is a cap you'll reach. | CNo free plan, but the 60-day trial needs no credit card, which is a long look. |
| Features | BA drag-and-drop editor with Canva and AI built in, a Newsletter Assistant that drafts your weekly issue, automated and RSS emails, landing pages, forms, web push and pages that sell through Stripe. That's the whole job. | CEditor, follow-ups, autoresponders, landing pages, pop-ups and surveys. A/B subject tests and advanced reporting are Pro only, and Test Kit previews are bought in credits. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record, and there's only a web app. You build the sign-up form, templates and sequences yourself, though AWeber will do it for a $79 setup fee. | CNo rating on record. It's a web app where you build the emails and the follow-ups yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, PayPal, Stripe, Canva and Zapier, and an API. On a phone you use the browser. No desktop or phone app keeps it at a B. | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | newsletters and sequences with a free start | small-list email with a 60-day trial |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: AWeber and VerticalResponse. How we grade
Price against what you get
AWeber starts at $12.50 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. VerticalResponse starts at $13 a month and scores 2.0.
AWeber scores higher and starts $0.50 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 2 score higher than AWeber for less, and 19 score higher than VerticalResponse for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- AWeber also covers forms.
- VerticalResponse also covers templates, surveys, a/B testing and popups.
At a glance
| AWeber | VerticalResponse | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $12.50 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed annually | $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 emails a month, with 1 landing page and 1 automation. No time limit or card, but emails carry AWeber branding. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Lite or Plus; the paid subscription starts automatically when it ends | 60-day free trial of the core email features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | AWeber | VerticalResponse |
| Price read from | aweber.com | verticalresponse.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
AWeber
- Lite allows 1 list, 3 landing pages, 3 automations and 1 saved segment; unlimited use of each needs Plus.
- Monthly sends are capped at 10 times the subscriber tier on Lite and 12 times on Plus.
- Only a web app is offered; the mobile editor works in a phone's browser.
- Lists of more than 100,000 subscribers are priced by contacting AWeber.
VerticalResponse
- There is no free plan for email; the free option is a 60-day trial.
- Automated follow-up emails are listed on both paid plans, but advanced reporting and A/B subject line tests need Pro.
- Pay as You Go is a separate option for occasional senders: credits cost $0.03 per email for 200 to 1,000 credits, falling to $0.0086 per email at 75,001 or more.
- The pricing page shows only the first steps of the contact-based price table here; costs for larger lists come from its calculator or a sales form.
Key features
AWeber
- Email editor with Canva and AI
- A drag-and-drop editor with Canva built in, a theme panel, an AI writing assistant and a subject line generator. HTML and AMP emails are also supported.
- Newsletter Assistant
- Generates a weekly newsletter draft written in your voice, ready to edit and send.
- Email automation
- Welcome and sales sequences, behavioral automations triggered by subscriber actions, tagging, and RSS emails for new blog posts, podcasts or YouTube videos.
- Landing pages and sign-up forms
- An AI page builder, templates, sign-up forms, a WordPress plugin and a link-in-bio page. Lite allows 3 landing pages; Plus has no cap.
- Ecommerce pages
- Sell products, subscriptions and payment plans through Stripe in over 100 currencies, with a fee of 1.0% per sale on Lite and 0.6% on Plus.
- Web push notifications
- Collect browser push subscribers and send them messages alongside email: up to 50,000 on Lite and unlimited on Plus.
VerticalResponse
- Email editor and templates
- A drag-and-drop editor with customizable, mobile-responsive templates, an HTML editor and an image library.
- Automated follow-ups and series
- Resend a campaign to people who missed it, or send autoresponders and welcome series triggered by how contacts engage.
- Landing pages and pop-ups
- Build stand-alone landing pages and customizable pop-up forms to collect sign-ups. Landing pages are unlimited on both paid plans.
- Reporting and A/B testing
- Pro adds advanced reporting (opens, clicks, devices, locations), delivery rate review and A/B testing of subject lines.
- Test Kit
- Preview an email on 50+ platforms by spending one credit per test. Pro includes 10 credits; extra credits are bought separately.
- Surveys
- A separate survey tool with a free plan of 10 questions and 100 respondents per survey, and a paid Basic plan with no limits on either.
Plans
AWeber
Free$0
500 subscribers, 3,000 emails a month, 1 landing page and 1 automation, with AWeber branding on emails.
Lite$12.50
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed annually ($15 monthly)
Sends up to 10 times the tier a month, 1 list, 3 landing pages, 3 automations, 3 users. Price rises with the list: $100 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
Plus$20
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed annually ($30 monthly)
Sends 12 times the tier, unlimited lists, pages, automations and users, no AWeber branding, priority support. $135 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
Done For You$20
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed annually
Plus, with a one-time $79 setup fee (shown cut from $599): AWeber staff build a template, landing page and sign-up form and draft weekly newsletters.
VerticalResponse
Basic$13
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly
Unlimited emails, landing pages, pop-ups and follow-ups. Rises with the list: $28 a month at 1,000 contacts, $40 at 2,500.
Pro$19
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly
Basic plus advanced reporting, delivery rate review, A/B subject tests and 10 Test Kit credits. $38 a month at 1,000 contacts, $58 at 2,500.
Ways to pay less
AWeber
- Annual discount
Up to 4 months free with yearly billing
At 500 subscribers, Plus costs $240 a year billed yearly against $30 a month billed monthly, and Lite $150 a year against $15 a month.
VerticalResponse
- Nonprofit
50% off Pro for nonprofits
VerticalResponse lists a 50% discount on its Pro plans for non-profits, applied for through a form on the pricing page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, AWeber or VerticalResponse?
As of Nov 12, 2026, AWeber is cheaper to start with: $12.50 a month, against $13 a month for VerticalResponse. AWeber starts at $12.50 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed annually, and VerticalResponse starts at $13 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, AWeber or VerticalResponse?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only AWeber has a free plan. VerticalResponse does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.