Campaign Monitor vs VerticalResponse (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Campaign Monitor if

• Fits if you're an agency sending for several clients under your own brand
• Works for teams where lots of people need to log in, since every plan has unlimited users

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're on Lite and email your list often, as sends stop at 5 times your contacts a month
• Pricey if you want phone support, send-time optimization or section locking, which need Premier from $153.90
• Skip it if you want a free plan, as there's only a 30-day trial for 500 contacts
• Watch out: the website builder costs $10 a month more on Lite and Essentials
• Watch out: lists over 50,000 contacts are priced through sales, and Lite is $117 a month at 10,000

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

Campaign Monitor

• Lite caps sends at 5 times the contact tier each month; Essentials and above have no cap.
• Phone support, send time optimization and section locking need Premier, from $153.90 a month billed annually.
• The drag-and-drop website builder costs $10 a month on Lite and Essentials.
• Lists over 50,000 contacts are priced through sales.

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.

Campaign Monitor

Email builder and templates

A drag-and-drop builder with over 100 templates, custom-coded HTML imports and branded templates generated from your website's URL.

Marketing Studio and AI tools

Marketing Studio drafts a branded email from your site and a goal. AI Writer, AI Email Booster and AI Segment Mapper help with copy, review and segments.

Automated journeys

Pre-built journeys, date-based Campaign Series, RSS-triggered emails and transactional emails, with volume tied to the plan's limits.

Segments and personalization

Engagement segments, dynamic content, custom fields, a preference center and countdown timers; send time optimization comes with Premier.

Agency accounts

Client sub-accounts under one admin account, private labeling, a markup on the base price billed through Campaign Monitor, and shared templates.

Reporting

Marketing Monitor benchmarks, campaign scores, real-time world-map reporting and a filter that drops bot clicks from results.

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.

Campaign Monitor

• Lite$11.70

  per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($13 monthly)

  Sends 5 times the list a month, unlimited users, AI Writer, automations and transactional email. Price rises with the list: $117 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts.

• Essentials$27.90

  per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($31 monthly)

  Unlimited sends, automated emails and AI features, priority support, inbox preview and Marketing Studio. $182 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts.

• Premier$153.90

  per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($171 monthly)

  Phone support, send time optimization, engagement segments, section locking, team templates and the website builder. $300 a month billed monthly at 10,000.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Custom annual contract, a dedicated account manager, multi-brand accounts, deliverability monitoring and invoice or PO billing.

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.

Campaign Monitor

• Annual discount

  10% off with annual billing

  Campaign Monitor's pricing page takes 10% off Lite, Essentials and Premier billed yearly: Lite at 500 contacts is $11.70 a month instead of $13.

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.