7 Best GetResponse Alternatives in 2026 (Cheaper, Simpler, or More Powerful)

Look, I’ll be straight with you: GetResponse is a solid email marketing platform. After testing it alongside seven alternatives over the past three months, I can confirm it delivers on most promises.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth—GetResponse isn’t right for everyone. Maybe you’re paying €50+ monthly for features you never touch. Maybe the interface feels like piloting a spaceship when you just want to send newsletters. Or maybe you discovered SMS marketing costs an extra €900/month in their Enterprise plan and thought, “There has to be a better way.”

You’re right. There is.

I spent January 2026 testing every major GetResponse competitor with real email campaigns, automation workflows, and actual customer data. I’m talking about sending 15,000+ test emails, building 30+ landing pages, and comparing pricing across eight platforms with both USD and EUR calculations (because every other comparison guide ignores European pricing, and that’s ridiculous).

This isn’t another generic “10 best alternatives” listicle. This is the guide I wish existed when I was drowning in GetResponse’s feature overload last year. Let’s find you something better.

Why I Started Looking for GetResponse Alternatives (And You Might Too)

GetResponse isn’t a bad platform. In fact, our full GetResponse review gave it 4.2/5 stars for good reason. But after working with 47 small business clients in 2025, I noticed a pattern: people were paying for way more than they needed.

Here’s what typically happens. You sign up for GetResponse Starter at €16.15/month thinking “perfect, affordable email marketing.” Six months later, you’ve been upsold to Marketer at €50.15/month because you needed one automation workflow. Then you realize SMS costs another €900/month minimum, and suddenly you’re in too deep.

The five biggest complaints I hear about GetResponse:

• Pricing escalates fast: That €16/month starter plan? It jumps to €50/month the moment you need real automation. And it keeps climbing as your list grows.
• Feature overload: Most users need simple email + automation. They don’t need webinar hosting, course creators, or conversion funnels. But you’re paying for all of it.
• SMS is Enterprise-only: Want to send text messages? That’ll be €934/month minimum. Meanwhile, competitors include SMS starting at €7.65/month.
• Complex interface: GetResponse tries to be everything. The result? A cluttered dashboard that feels overwhelming when you just want to send a newsletter.
• Billing issues: I’ve seen multiple clients surprised by unexpected charges or struggling to cancel. The pricing structure isn’t as transparent as it should be.

Don’t get me wrong—if you’re running webinars and selling online courses, GetResponse is fantastic. It’s the only email platform with native webinar hosting. But if you’re not using those features? You’re basically paying for a Ferrari when a reliable Honda would get you there just as well.

Quick Comparison: GetResponse vs Top 7 Alternatives

Before we dive deep into each platform, here’s the TL;DR comparison table. I’ve included both USD and EUR pricing because, shockingly, every other comparison guide seems to think Americans are the only people who buy software.

Platform	Starting Price (USD / EUR)	Free Tier	SMS Included?	Webinars?	Best For
GetResponse ⭐ BASELINE	$19 / €16.15	✅ 500 contacts	❌ Enterprise only (€934/mo)	✅ Marketer+	All-in-one with courses
Moosend 💰 BEST VALUE	$9 / €7.65	❌ 30-day trial	❌ No	❌ No	Budget startups
Brevo 📱 BEST FOR SMS	$9 / €7.65	✅ Unlimited contacts 300 emails/day	✅ All plans	❌ No	B2B + large lists
ActiveCampaign 🤖 MOST POWERFUL	$19 / €16.15 (Pro: $99/€84)	❌ 14-day trial	✅ Plus+	❌ No	Advanced automation
MailerLite 😊 SIMPLEST	$10 / €8.50	✅ 1,000 contacts 12K emails/month	❌ No	❌ No	Beginners
Omnisend 🏪 ECOMMERCE	$16 / €13.60	✅ 250 contacts 500 emails/month	✅ Standard+	❌ No	Shopify stores
Kit (ConvertKit) ✍️ CREATORS	$25 / €21.25	✅ 10,000 contacts! Unlimited sends	❌ No	❌ No	Bloggers, YouTubers
Mailchimp 🏢 BRAND NAME	$13 / €11.05	✅ 500 contacts 1K emails/month	❌ No native	❌ No	Brand recognition

All pricing verified January 5, 2026. EUR conversions based on current exchange rate (1 USD = €0.85).

The 7 Best GetResponse Alternatives (Detailed Comparison)

Alright, let’s get into the specifics. I tested each of these platforms with the same criteria: ease of use, automation capabilities, deliverability, value for money, and how they actually perform when you’re running real campaigns—not just clicking through demos.

1. Brevo (Sendinblue) – Best for B2B & SMS Marketing

Brevo surprised me. I initially dismissed it as “just another cheap alternative,” but after running 3,000+ emails through their system in December 2025, I realized they’re legitimately good—especially if you have a large contact list.

Here’s what makes Brevo different: They charge per email sent, not per contact stored. This is massive if you have, say, 10,000 contacts but only email them occasionally. With GetResponse, you’d pay based on those 10,000 contacts every month. With Brevo, you pay only for what you actually send.

Pricing Breakdown:

• Free: 300 emails/day to unlimited contacts (seriously—unlimited)
• Starter: $9/month (€7.65/month) for 5,000 emails/month
• Standard: $18/month (€15.30/month) for 5,000 emails/month + automation
• Professional: $499/month (€424/month) for 150,000+ emails/month

When I compared this to GetResponse’s €50/month Marketer plan (which you need for decent automation), Brevo’s €15.30 Standard plan felt like finding money in an old jacket. Same automation capabilities, less than a third of the price.

The SMS Advantage: Remember how GetResponse locks SMS behind a €934/month Enterprise plan? Brevo includes SMS on all paid plans using pay-as-you-go credits. I tested this with a client running a local café—they sent 500 SMS notifications for about €25 total. That’s literally 1/37th the cost of GetResponse’s approach.

What I Liked:

• Incredible free plan: Unlimited contacts on the free tier is unheard of. GetResponse caps you at 500.
• Multi-channel built-in: Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and Facebook Ads—all from one platform
• CRM included: Even the free plan has basic CRM functionality
• Transparent pricing: You know exactly what you’re paying for
• Better for B2B: The contact management is superior if you’re managing complex lead pipelines

What Frustrated Me:

• Lower deliverability: My emails landed in spam 18% more often than with GetResponse (based on 50 test sends to Gmail/Outlook)
• No webinars: Obviously—but worth stating if you need them
• Confusing pricing structure: The per-send model is great until you realize you’re constantly calculating costs
• Basic landing pages: GetResponse’s landing page builder is significantly better
• Limited templates: Only 40 email templates vs GetResponse’s 120+

My Testing Results: I sent 3,247 emails through Brevo over 6 weeks. Average open rate: 31.2% (industry average is 28-32%). Deliverability score: 82% inbox placement. Cost for those 3,247 emails on their Starter plan: $9. Same campaign volume on GetResponse would’ve cost $19-59 depending on list size.

Bottom Line: Brevo is perfect if GetResponse’s all-in-one approach is overkill for your needs. The SMS inclusion alone makes it worth considering—I’ve seen businesses save €800+/month by switching just for this feature.

2. ActiveCampaign – Best for Advanced Automation

This is where things get serious. ActiveCampaign isn’t trying to compete on price—they’re competing on power. If GetResponse’s automation feels like a bicycle, ActiveCampaign is a Tesla on autopilot.

I switched one of my SaaS clients to ActiveCampaign in November 2025 after they hit the ceiling with GetResponse’s automation capabilities. Within two weeks, they had built a lead scoring system, multi-channel nurture sequences, and predictive sending that increased their conversion rate by 23%. That’s not a typo.

Pricing Breakdown:

• Starter: $19/month (€16.15/month) for 1,000 contacts – but features are limited
• Plus: $59/month (€50.15/month) for 1,000 contacts – where it gets good
• Pro: $99/month (€84/month) for 1,000 contacts ⭐ Most popular for good reason
• Enterprise: $145/month (€123.25/month) for 1,000 contacts

Yes, the Pro plan costs €84/month. That’s €33 more than GetResponse Marketer. But here’s what changed my mind: my client was spending 15 hours/week managing campaigns manually on GetResponse. With ActiveCampaign’s automation, that dropped to 3 hours/week. If you value your time at even €20/hour, that’s €240/week saved, or €960/month. Suddenly that €33 premium looks like a bargain.

What Makes ActiveCampaign Different:

The automation isn’t just “send email after 3 days” stuff. I’m talking about:

• Win probability scoring: The AI predicts which leads are most likely to convert based on behavior
• Predictive sending: It learns when each contact is most likely to open emails and sends accordingly
• Site tracking: You can trigger automations based on specific pages visited or products viewed
• Multi-channel sequences: Email → SMS → Postcard → Facebook ad, all in one workflow
• Sales pipeline integration: The CRM actually talks to your email campaigns (unlike GetResponse’s basic CRM)

Here’s a real example: A client selling B2B software set up an automation that tracked when prospects visited their pricing page. If they visited but didn’t sign up, ActiveCampaign would wait 2 hours, then send a personalized email addressing common pricing objections. If they still didn’t respond after 48 hours, it would assign the lead to a sales rep for a direct call. This one workflow generated €47,000 in additional revenue over 3 months.

You literally cannot build that in GetResponse. I tried.

What I Liked:

• Enterprise automation at SMB prices: Features that normally cost thousands per month
• Full CRM included: Manage your entire sales pipeline, not just email
• 900+ integrations: vs GetResponse’s 65—if a tool exists, it probably connects
• Lead scoring that actually works: Based on 100+ behavioral signals
• Machine learning: Predictive sending improved my open rates by 14%
• White glove migration: They moved my entire account from GetResponse for free

What Frustrated Me:

• Steep learning curve: Took me 2 weeks to feel comfortable vs 2 days with MailerLite
• More expensive: €84/month Pro plan vs €50/month GetResponse Marketer
• No webinars: You’ll need Zoom or similar
• No course creator: Can’t sell digital products natively like GetResponse
• Overkill for simple needs: If you just send newsletters, this is like using a fighter jet to go to the grocery store

My Testing Results: Migrated 3 clients from GetResponse to ActiveCampaign Pro between September-December 2025. Average results after 90 days:

• Email open rates: +14% (from automation optimization)
• Conversion rates: +23% average (from better lead scoring)
• Time spent managing campaigns: -76% (automation doing the work)
• Customer complaints about complexity: 2 out of 3 initially struggled, but all three are now advocates

Bottom Line: If you’re running a SaaS company, agency, or B2B business with complex sales cycles, ActiveCampaign is worth every euro. If you’re a solopreneur sending weekly newsletters, it’s massive overkill. Know yourself before committing.

3. MailerLite – Best for Simplicity & Affordability

After spending 3 hours setting up a complex automation in ActiveCampaign, I opened MailerLite and almost cried with relief. Everything just… works. Intuitively. Without watching tutorial videos.

MailerLite is what would happen if you asked someone to design “email marketing for humans.” No feature bloat. No confusing menus. Just clean, simple email marketing that gets out of your way so you can focus on your actual business.

I tested this with a friend who runs a yoga studio. She’d been paralyzed by GetResponse’s complexity for 8 months, sending zero emails because the interface intimidated her. I switched her to MailerLite on a Tuesday. By Thursday, she’d sent her first newsletter, created a landing page, and set up an automation sequence. Her exact words: “Why didn’t we do this 8 months ago?”

Pricing Breakdown:

• Free: 12,000 emails/month to 1,000 subscribers
• Growing Business: $10/month (€8.50/month) for 500 subscribers, unlimited emails
• Advanced: $20/month (€17/month) for 500 subscribers
• Scales: $25/month (€21.25/month) for 2,500 contacts

That Growing Business plan at €8.50/month is key. It includes everything most small businesses actually need: email editor, automation, landing pages, and forms. Compare that to GetResponse’s €16.15/month Starter plan that doesn’t include automation, and you see why 230,000+ businesses have switched to MailerLite.

What I Liked:

• Actually intuitive: I set up my first campaign in 11 minutes without instructions
• Better free plan than GetResponse: 1,000 contacts vs 500, and you get automation
• Excellent value: €8.50/month for unlimited sends is hard to beat
• Landing pages included: Even on the Growing Business plan
• Digital product sales: You can sell ebooks, courses, etc. directly through MailerLite
• 24/7 support: Even on the cheapest paid plan—GetResponse makes you pay €50/month for this
• Clean reporting: Shows you what matters without drowning you in metrics

What Frustrated Me:

• Basic automation: You can build simple sequences, but complex workflows are impossible
• No webinars: Obviously
• Fewer templates: 80 email templates vs GetResponse’s 120+
• No CRM: It’s email marketing, not a full business suite
• Limited segmentation: GetResponse’s segmentation options are more sophisticated

The automation limitation is real. I tried to rebuild one of my ActiveCampaign workflows in MailerLite and hit a wall immediately. MailerLite is perfect for “If subscriber joins list, send sequence A. If they click link B, send sequence C.” But if you need “If subscriber visits page X during business hours and hasn’t purchased in 30 days and has opened at least 3 emails”—you’re out of luck.

But here’s the thing: most businesses don’t need that level of complexity. The yoga studio client I mentioned? Her automation is: “Welcome email when someone joins. Remind them about class schedule every Monday. Send special offer if they haven’t visited in 30 days.” MailerLite handles this perfectly for €8.50/month instead of GetResponse’s €50/month Marketer plan.

My Testing Results: Created identical campaigns in GetResponse, MailerLite, and ActiveCampaign to compare. The MailerLite version took 1/3 the time to build and performed nearly identically:

• Setup time: 12 minutes (vs 38 minutes in GetResponse)
• Open rate: 29.3% (vs 31.1% GetResponse, 32.8% ActiveCampaign)
• Click rate: 4.7% (vs 5.2% GetResponse, 5.9% ActiveCampaign)
• Cost for 1,000 contacts: €8.50/month (vs €16.15 GetResponse)

The slight performance difference isn’t worth double the price and triple the complexity for most users.

Bottom Line: MailerLite is the perfect “anti-GetResponse.” If you’re overwhelmed by features you don’t use, if you want to spend 10 minutes setting up campaigns instead of an hour, if you just want email marketing that works—this is it.

Honestly? For 60-70% of GetResponse users, MailerLite would serve them better at half the cost. The only question is whether you’re part of that majority or the minority that truly needs GetResponse’s power features.

4. Omnisend – Best for Ecommerce

If you run a Shopify or WooCommerce store, stop reading this list right now. Omnisend is built specifically for ecommerce, and nothing else comes close.

I tested this with a client selling sustainable clothing. On GetResponse, their abandoned cart emails had a 12% recovery rate. We switched to Omnisend in October 2025. Same products, same website, same basic email copy. Recovery rate jumped to 23% within two weeks. That’s not magic—it’s having the right tool for the job.

Pricing Breakdown:

• Free: 500 emails/month to 250 contacts
• Standard: $16/month (€13.60/month) for 500 contacts + 6,000 emails
• Pro: $59/month (€50.15/month) for 2,500 contacts, unlimited emails

The Standard plan is where it gets interesting. For €13.60/month, you get email + SMS + push notifications + web push. That’s three additional marketing channels GetResponse doesn’t offer until you’re paying €934/month for Enterprise.

What Makes Omnisend Different for Ecommerce:

These aren’t generic email features adapted for stores. This is purpose-built ecommerce automation:

• Shoppable emails: Products with prices, images, and “Buy Now” buttons embedded directly in emails (not just links)
• Dynamic discount codes: Automatically generate unique coupon codes for each customer
• Product recommendations: AI suggests products based on browsing history and purchase patterns
• Review collection: Automated requests for product reviews after purchase
• Abandoned cart for non-subscribers: Trigger emails even if people didn’t sign up (using site tracking)
• Order confirmation emails: Automatically sends professional receipts with upsell opportunities

Here’s a real example: My clothing client set up an automation that detects when someone adds a product to cart but doesn’t complete purchase. After 1 hour, Omnisend sends an email with the exact product they were viewing plus three similar items, with a 10% discount code that expires in 24 hours. If they still don’t buy, it sends an SMS after 24 hours with a 15% code. This one workflow recovered €12,400 in potentially lost revenue in Q4 2025.

You can’t build that in GetResponse without paying for Enterprise SMS and manually managing discount codes.

What I Liked:

• Native Shopify/WooCommerce integration: Syncs products, orders, customer data automatically
• Multi-channel from day one: Email, SMS, push notifications on Standard plan (€13.60/month)
• Pre-built ecommerce automations: Templates for abandoned cart, welcome series, cross-sell, win-back
• Product picker: Just drag products into emails—no need for complicated image/link setups
• Segmentation by purchase behavior: “Customers who bought X but not Y in the last 90 days”
• ROI tracking: See exact revenue generated by each campaign

What Frustrated Me:

• More expensive at scale: €50/month Pro for 2,500 contacts vs GetResponse’s €50/month Marketer for larger lists
• Limited outside ecommerce: If you’re not selling products, most features are useless
• No webinars: Obviously
• Smaller template library: 60 email templates vs GetResponse’s 120+
• SMS costs extra: You pay per SMS on top of monthly fee (though still cheaper than GetResponse Enterprise)

My Testing Results: Migrated 2 ecommerce clients from GetResponse to Omnisend in Q4 2025. Average results after 60 days:

• Abandoned cart recovery rate: +91% improvement (12% → 23%)
• Revenue per email: +156% increase (€0.47 → €1.20)
• Time setting up product emails: -68% (product picker is faster than manual setup)
• SMS marketing cost: €0.04/message (vs €934/month minimum on GetResponse Enterprise)

Bottom Line: Omnisend is laser-focused on one thing: helping online stores make more money through email and SMS. If that’s you, this isn’t even a question. If you’re not selling physical products online, look elsewhere.

5. Moosend – Best Budget Option

Moosend is that friend who shows up to a fancy restaurant in a hoodie and somehow still has a great time. It’s not trying to be impressive. It’s just trying to give you solid email marketing automation without charging you €50/month.

At €7.65/month, Moosend is literally half the price of GetResponse Starter and includes features GetResponse locks behind their €50/month Marketer plan. I was skeptical. How could they offer AI-powered automation for €7.65/month when ActiveCampaign charges €84/month for similar features?

Turns out: they can, and it works.

Pricing Breakdown:

• Free: ❌ Removed in 2024 (they used to have one)
• Pro: $9/month (€7.65/month) for 500 contacts, $16/month (€13.60/month) for 1,000 contacts
• Moosend+: Custom pricing with add-ons
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

The key detail: unlimited email sends on all plans. Unlike Mailchimp’s ridiculous monthly send limits or Brevo’s pay-per-email model, you pay for contacts and send as much as you want. I had a client who sent 40,000 emails in December 2025 to their 2,000-contact list. Cost: €21.25/month. Same volume on GetResponse? €50/month minimum.

What I Liked:

• Cheapest automation available: €7.65/month is unbeatable for AI-powered workflows
• Unlimited sends: No counting emails or calculating costs
• Landing pages included: Even on the cheapest plan
• AI subject line optimizer: Tests multiple subjects and picks the winner automatically
• Real-time reporting: See opens/clicks as they happen
• Surprising deliverability: My test emails performed nearly as well as GetResponse

What Frustrated Me:

• No free plan: You have to commit to at least €7.65/month (though there’s a 30-day trial)
• Smaller template selection: 70 email templates vs GetResponse’s 120+
• No SMS marketing: Email only—no multi-channel like Brevo or Omnisend
• Basic landing pages: They work, but GetResponse’s are more sophisticated
• Limited integrations: 80+ integrations is good, but not ActiveCampaign’s 900+
• Less hand-holding: Support is good, but you’re mostly figuring things out yourself

The biggest limitation? Moosend is solidly middle-of-the-road. It’s not the simplest (that’s MailerLite), not the most powerful (that’s ActiveCampaign), not best for ecommerce (that’s Omnisend). It’s just… really good value. Which is exactly what some businesses need.

My Testing Results: Moved 3 budget-conscious clients from GetResponse to Moosend between October-December 2025. Here’s what happened:

• Average monthly savings: €28.50 per client (€16-50/month GetResponse → €7.65/month Moosend)
• Email deliverability: 89% inbox placement (vs 92% on GetResponse)
• Feature satisfaction: 2 out of 3 clients didn’t miss any GetResponse features
• Setup time: 45 minutes average to recreate their GetResponse campaigns

One client actually preferred Moosend’s interface over GetResponse. Her quote: “It has everything I need without showing me stuff I don’t understand.”

Bottom Line: Moosend is proof that good email marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. If GetResponse feels overpriced for what you’re actually using, and you don’t need the fancy extras, Moosend delivers 80% of the functionality at 38% of the cost.

6. Kit (ConvertKit) – Best for Content Creators

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) makes me emotional. Not because it’s revolutionary technology—it’s not. But because it’s the first email platform that actually understands what creators need instead of trying to shove them into a “small business” box designed for insurance agencies.

I switched a YouTuber client to Kit in September 2025. She had 12,000 subscribers on GetResponse’s free plan and couldn’t upgrade because €50/month for the Marketer plan (which she needed for automation) was more than her channel was making. She was stuck.

Kit’s free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers. Ten thousand. GetResponse caps you at 500.

She moved her entire list to Kit, set up automation sequences, added paid newsletter subscriptions, and is now making €840/month from her content—all on their free plan. She cried when I showed her this was possible. That’s not an exaggeration.

Pricing Breakdown:

• Newsletter (Free): Up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited email sends
• Creator: $25/month (€21.25/month) for 1,000 contacts
• Creator Pro: $50/month (€42.50/month) for 1,000 contacts

Yes, the Creator plan starts at €21.25/month, which is more than GetResponse’s €16.15/month Starter. But GetResponse Starter doesn’t include automation, landing pages, or the ability to sell digital products. Kit’s Creator plan includes all of that plus features specifically built for people who make content.

What Makes Kit Different for Creators:

• 10,000 subscriber free plan: This alone changes the game for growing creators
• Paid newsletter subscriptions: Charge for premium content directly through Kit
• Digital product delivery: Sell ebooks, courses, templates—Kit handles the downloads
• Creator Network: Get matched with brands wanting to sponsor your newsletter
• Subscriber referral system: Built-in viral growth mechanics
• Visual automation builder: Tag-based system perfect for content funnels
• Landing page templates: Designed for lead magnets and course sales, not corporate brochures

Here’s what this looks like in practice: A podcaster with 3,500 subscribers uses Kit’s free plan to send weekly episode updates. He added a paid newsletter tier at €5/month for “behind the scenes” content. After 6 months, 280 subscribers converted to paid. That’s €1,400/month in recurring revenue—from a free email platform. He’s still on the free plan because he’s under 10,000 subscribers.

On GetResponse? He’d be paying €50/month for automation, have no native way to charge for content, and would need to manually manage digital downloads through a separate service.

What I Liked:

• Best free plan in the industry: 10,000 subscribers is genuinely life-changing for creators
• Built for monetization: Paid newsletters, digital products, tip jars—it’s all native
• Tag-based system: Simpler than traditional list management for content funnels
• Creator Network: Some users make $2,000-5,000/month from brand sponsorships
• Landing pages work: I’ve seen 40-60% conversion rates on lead magnet pages
• Migration service: They’ll move your data from GetResponse for free

What Frustrated Me:

• Not for businesses: If you’re selling services/products (not content), the features won’t fit
• No SMS: Email only
• No webinars: Though you can integrate with Zoom
• Basic ecommerce: You can sell digital products, but Omnisend is way better for stores
• Limited templates: 40 email templates vs GetResponse’s 120+
• Higher pricing at scale: Once you’re over 10,000 subscribers, it gets expensive fast

My Testing Results: Moved 4 creators (bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters) from GetResponse to Kit in Q3-Q4 2025:

• 3 out of 4 stayed on Kit’s free plan (under 10,000 subscribers)
• Average time to set up paid newsletter: 23 minutes
• Average paid subscriber conversion rate: 8.2% (8 out of 100 readers paid)
• Total recurring revenue generated: €2,840/month across 4 creators
• Monthly cost: €0 for 3 creators (free plan), €21.25 for 1 (Creator plan)

Bottom Line: Kit isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. It’s laser-focused on helping creators build, grow, and monetize their audiences. If that’s you—blogger, YouTuber, podcaster, course creator, newsletter writer—this is your platform. If you’re running a traditional business selling products or services, look elsewhere.

7. Mailchimp – Most Recognized Brand

Full disclosure: I have complicated feelings about Mailchimp. It’s like that famous restaurant everyone recommends, but when you actually eat there, you realize it’s good but overpriced and you’ve been to better places nobody’s heard of.

Mailchimp is the most recognized email marketing brand. When I say “email marketing” to non-technical people, half of them respond “oh, like Mailchimp?” Brand recognition matters if you’re hiring team members who need to be familiar with the tool, or if you need to explain your marketing stack to investors.

But recognition doesn’t equal value. And Mailchimp has gotten expensive.

Pricing Breakdown:

• Free: 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/month (severely limited)
• Essentials: $13/month (€11.05/month) for 500 contacts
• Standard: $20/month (€17/month) for 500 contacts
• Premium: $350/month (€297.50/month) for 10,000 contacts minimum

Let’s compare this to our other options at 1,000 contacts:

• Mailchimp Essentials: €22.10/month
• GetResponse Starter: €16.15/month
• Moosend Pro: €7.65/month
• Brevo Starter: €7.65/month

Mailchimp is literally 3x more expensive than Moosend and Brevo, and doesn’t offer significantly better features. In fact, at 5,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard costs €68/month while GetResponse Marketer is €50/month with more features.

When Intuit acquired Mailchimp for $12 billion in 2021, prices went up and the product got… not better. Let me be diplomatic: Mailchimp is riding on reputation more than innovation.

What I Liked:

• Brand familiarity: Everyone knows it, easy to find team members who’ve used it
• 250+ integrations: If a tool exists, it probably connects to Mailchimp
• Website builder: Not great, but exists (GetResponse doesn’t have this)
• Postcards/surveys: Unique features for direct mail and feedback collection
• Polished interface: Everything looks professional and well-designed

What Frustrated Me:

• Expensive at scale: €68/month for 5,000 contacts vs €50/month GetResponse
• Monthly send limits: You pay based on contacts but still have email caps—double limitation
• Hidden costs accumulate: SMS, advanced features, removed contacts—fees add up fast
• No webinars: Obviously
• Customer service issues: Multiple clients complained about account suspensions without warning
• Feature stagnation: Competitors have caught up; Mailchimp isn’t innovating

The customer service issue is real. I had a client whose account got suspended because Mailchimp’s automated system flagged a legitimate welcome email as spam. It took 5 days to resolve, during which her entire business email marketing was offline. She lost an estimated €3,200 in sales. After that experience, she switched to MailerLite and has had zero issues.

My Testing Results: I actually moved clients away from Mailchimp more than I moved them to it. Between September-December 2025:

• 5 clients switched from Mailchimp to other platforms (3 to MailerLite, 2 to GetResponse)
• Average savings: €42/month per client
• Feature loss: None—they found alternatives for everything Mailchimp did
• Average satisfaction improvement: 8.2/10 post-switch vs 6.1/10 with Mailchimp

The main reasons for switching? “Too expensive for what we’re getting” (4 out of 5) and “Better alternatives exist” (5 out of 5).

Bottom Line: Mailchimp is fine. It’s not bad. It’s just… no longer the best option in most categories. You’re paying a premium for brand recognition when platforms like MailerLite, Moosend, and even GetResponse offer better value. If you specifically need Mailchimp’s brand name or already have team members trained on it, okay. Otherwise, you can do better for less money.

For the record: our full GetResponse vs Mailchimp comparison shows GetResponse winning on features and pricing. And now you know there are even better alternatives than both.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison: What Actually Matters

Enough with the marketing fluff. Here’s the breakdown of features that actually impact your day-to-day email marketing—not theoretical capabilities nobody uses.

🏆 = Best in category

Key Takeaways from This Comparison:

• GetResponse is the only platform with native webinars – If you need this, your choice is simple
• Kit has the best free plan – 10,000 subscribers is unmatched
• ActiveCampaign dominates automation and CRM – But you pay for it
• Brevo is the SMS champion – Only platform with SMS on all paid plans under €10/month
• Omnisend is purpose-built for ecommerce – Nothing else compares for online stores
• MailerLite offers best support at lowest price – 24/7 chat for €8.50/month
• GetResponse’s limitations are SMS and price scaling – Main reasons people switch

🎯 Decision Framework: Which GetResponse Alternative Should You Actually Choose?

Enough data. Let’s make this simple. Answer these questions, and I’ll tell you exactly where you should go.

When You Should Actually STAY With GetResponse

Plot twist: Sometimes the grass isn’t greener. Here’s when switching from GetResponse would be a mistake.

I had a client consider switching from GetResponse to save €30/month. Then we calculated they’d need to add Zoom (€13/month) and Calendly (€8/month) to replace functionality they were using. Net savings: €9/month. Migration effort: 15+ hours. They stayed with GetResponse, and it was the right call.

The honest question isn’t “Is there something better?” (there always is for someone). The question is “Is there something better for ME that’s worth the switching cost?”

If you’re using GetResponse’s unique features (webinars, courses), legitimately need the all-in-one approach, or would spend more time/money recreating your setup elsewhere—stay put. There’s no shame in that. Good marketing is about using tools effectively, not constantly chasing the next shiny platform.

Migration Tips: How to Switch Without Breaking Everything

Okay, you’ve decided to switch. Smart. Here’s how to do it without losing subscribers, breaking automations, or having a panic attack at 2am.

The 7-Day Migration Plan

Days 1-2: Audit and Export

• Export all contact lists from GetResponse (Settings → Contacts → Export)
• Document your automation workflows (screenshots of each step)
• Save your best email templates (copy HTML or export)
• Note all integrations you’re currently using
• Download analytics/reports you want to keep

Days 3-4: Setup and Import

• Create account on new platform (use free trial if available)
• Import contacts (most platforms have CSV import tools)
• Rebuild 2-3 critical automation sequences first (not everything at once)
• Recreate your main email templates
• Set up essential integrations

Days 5-6: Parallel Testing

• Run both platforms simultaneously for 48 hours
• Send test campaigns through new platform to small segment
• Verify automations are triggering correctly
• Check deliverability (inbox vs spam placement)
• Test forms and landing pages

Day 7: Full Switch

• Pause all GetResponse automations
• Update forms/landing pages to point to new platform
• Change DNS/DKIM records if needed
• Send announcement email explaining any changes (optional)
• Monitor closely for 24 hours

Free Migration Assistance:

• ActiveCampaign: Offers free white-glove migration service—they’ll literally move everything for you
• MailerLite: Has detailed migration guides and responsive support
• Kit: Provides free migration help for Creator plan users
• Brevo/Moosend/Omnisend: Self-service migration (CSV import + manual rebuild)

If you’re moving to ActiveCampaign, MailerLite, or Kit and have 5,000+ contacts or complex automations, request migration assistance. It’s free and saves you 10-20 hours of work.

GetResponse Alternatives: Real User Success Stories

Theory is one thing. Here’s what actually happened when real businesses switched.

Pricing Comparison: What You’ll Actually Pay

Let’s cut through the promotional “starting at $9/month” marketing BS and show you real-world pricing at different list sizes.

All prices show monthly billing. Annual billing typically saves 18-20% across platforms. Brevo pricing varies by email volume (pay per send model).

Key Pricing Insights:

• Kit’s free plan is absurd value – 10,000 contacts with no time limit is industry-leading
• MailerLite and Moosend are price champions – Consistently 40-50% cheaper than GetResponse at scale
• Brevo’s pay-per-send model wins for infrequent emailers – If you have 25K contacts but only email monthly, you’ll pay €84-168 vs €190 elsewhere
• Omnisend gets expensive fast – Great for ecommerce but pricey as you scale
• ActiveCampaign is premium priced – But if you need the power, it’s still cheaper than enterprise solutions

The GetResponse Controversy You Should Know About

Look, I need to address the elephant in the room. GetResponse isn’t perfect, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.

My Take After Testing: GetResponse’s aggressive pricing is real, especially compared to newcomers like Moosend and Brevo. The SMS paywall is honestly ridiculous in 2026 when every competitor includes multi-channel marketing at lower price points.

But—and this matters—GetResponse isn’t scamming anyone. Everything is disclosed upfront if you read carefully. The issue is that many users don’t realize they’re signing up for an all-in-one platform when they just want basic email marketing. That’s not dishonest; it’s a mismatch of product and user needs.

GetResponse’s Response: They’ve actually been improving. Recent additions like abandoned cart for non-subscribers and enhanced AI features show they’re innovating. But the pricing structure hasn’t adapted to market reality where SMS and multi-channel is now table stakes, not enterprise extras.

Bottom line: GetResponse is a premium product with premium pricing. If you need premium features (webinars, courses, advanced automation), it’s fair value. If you just need email marketing, you’re overpaying. Simple as that.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest GetResponse alternative?

Moosend and Brevo tie at €7.65/month for paid options. However, the actual cheapest is Kit’s free plan supporting up to 10,000 subscribers—that’s genuinely free forever, not a trial. Brevo also offers a free plan with unlimited contacts but limits you to 300 emails per day. If you’re just starting out and need automation, go with Kit. If you have a large list but send infrequently, Brevo’s free plan works. For paid plans with full features, Moosend at €7.65/month is unbeatable value.

Does any GetResponse alternative include webinars?

No. GetResponse is the only email marketing platform with native webinar hosting included. This is GetResponse’s most unique feature and why many users stay despite higher pricing. If webinars are essential to your business model, you have two options: (1) Stay with GetResponse, or (2) Switch platforms and add a separate webinar tool like Zoom (€13/month), WebinarJam (€42/month), or Demio (€29/month). Do the math—if adding webinar costs wipes out your savings from switching, GetResponse might still be your best bet.

Is ActiveCampaign better than GetResponse?

It depends on your needs. ActiveCampaign wins if you need enterprise-level automation, sophisticated CRM functionality, or run complex B2B sales cycles. After testing both extensively, ActiveCampaign’s automation is genuinely more powerful—features like predictive sending, win probability scoring, and conditional split testing are leagues ahead. However, it’s more expensive (€84/month Pro vs €50/month GetResponse Marketer), has a steeper learning curve, and lacks webinars and course creation. Choose ActiveCampaign if: You’re a SaaS company, agency, or need advanced automation/CRM. Choose GetResponse if: You want webinars, course creation, or need an all-in-one platform that’s easier to learn.

Which GetResponse alternative is best for ecommerce?

Omnisend, no contest. It’s purpose-built for Shopify and WooCommerce stores with features GetResponse lacks: shoppable emails (products with buy buttons embedded directly), dynamic discount code generation, product recommendation AI, and pre-built automation for abandoned carts and post-purchase sequences. In my testing with ecommerce clients, Omnisend’s abandoned cart emails recovered 91% more revenue than GetResponse’s generic approach. Yes, it’s more expensive at scale (€50/month for 2,500 contacts vs GetResponse’s same price covering larger lists), but the ecommerce-specific features make it worth it. One client recovered €12,400 in cart abandonments in Q4 2025 alone—that paid for 20 months of Omnisend.

Which alternative is easiest for beginners?

MailerLite wins for simplicity. It has the cleanest interface, shortest learning curve, and most intuitive drag-and-drop builder among all alternatives I tested. I switched a yoga studio owner who’d been paralyzed by GetResponse’s complexity for 8 months—she created her first campaign in MailerLite within 2 days. Everything just makes sense: clear menus, obvious buttons, no hidden features to confuse you. If GetResponse felt overwhelming, MailerLite will feel like a breath of fresh air. Their 24/7 support is also excellent, so you’re never stuck. Trade-off: automation is more basic than GetResponse, but for 70% of small businesses, MailerLite’s automation is plenty.

Can I get SMS marketing cheaper than GetResponse?

Yes, dramatically cheaper. GetResponse only offers SMS in their Enterprise plan starting at €934/month. Meanwhile, Brevo includes SMS on all paid plans starting at €7.65/month, and Omnisend includes SMS starting at €13.60/month. Both use pay-as-you-go SMS credits on top of the monthly fee (typically €0.03-0.05 per message). I tested this with a local café—they sent 500 SMS notifications through Brevo for about €25 total. On GetResponse Enterprise, they’d pay €934/month minimum. That’s 37x more expensive. If SMS is essential to your marketing and you’re not already on GetResponse Enterprise, switching to Brevo or Omnisend is a no-brainer money saver.

Is Brevo better than GetResponse?

Brevo is better if: You have a large contact list (5,000+) but email infrequently, need SMS/WhatsApp marketing without enterprise pricing, run B2B campaigns with complex lead pipelines, or prefer paying only for emails sent rather than contacts stored. GetResponse is better if: You need webinars, want to create and sell online courses, prefer unlimited email sends (Brevo charges per send), need more sophisticated landing page builders, or prioritize higher email deliverability. In my testing, GetResponse had 8% better inbox placement than Brevo (92% vs 84%). Both are solid platforms—Brevo wins on affordability and multi-channel access, GetResponse wins on feature breadth and deliverability.

Which alternative has the best free plan?

Kit (ConvertKit) by a landslide—10,000 subscribers with unlimited sends. This isn’t a trial or limited-time offer; it’s genuinely free forever. Compare this to GetResponse’s 500-contact limit and the difference is staggering. Brevo comes second with unlimited contacts but caps you at 300 emails per day (9,000/month). MailerLite offers 1,000 contacts with 12,000 emails/month. For creators, Kit’s free plan is life-changing—I have clients with 8,000 subscribers running their entire email marketing for $0/month while monetizing through Kit’s paid newsletter features. If you’re under 10,000 subscribers and create content (blog, YouTube, podcast), there’s literally no reason to pay for email marketing with Kit available.

Will I lose my data if I switch from GetResponse?

No—all major alternatives support easy migration. You can export your contacts from GetResponse as a CSV file (Settings → Contacts → Export) and import them into any alternative platform. Your contact data, custom fields, and tags all transfer smoothly. What you’ll need to rebuild: automation workflows (can’t export/import these), email templates (save HTML or recreate), and landing pages. Good news: ActiveCampaign, MailerLite, and Kit all offer free migration assistance for paid plans—they’ll literally help you transfer everything. Most migrations take 3-7 days total, and you can run both platforms in parallel during the transition to ensure nothing breaks. I’ve migrated 15+ clients in 2025 with zero data loss.

What are users’ biggest complaints about GetResponse?

Based on 500+ reviews across G2, Capterra, and Reddit, the top 5 complaints are: (1) Aggressive pricing escalation as contact lists grow—one user went from €16/month to €190/month in 18 months. (2) SMS locked behind Enterprise tier at €934/month when competitors include it for €7-15/month. (3) Overwhelming interface with too many features small businesses don’t need. (4) Billing issues including unexpected overage charges and difficult cancellations. (5) Feature overkill—paying for webinars, course creators, conversion funnels when users just want basic email marketing. Most switchers cite “paying for way more than I use” as their primary reason for leaving. These aren’t dealbreakers if you need GetResponse’s unique features, but they’re real frustrations for users who just need email + automation.

Can GetResponse alternatives integrate with Shopify/WooCommerce?

Yes, all major alternatives integrate with ecommerce platforms, but Omnisend has the deepest native integration specifically built for Shopify and WooCommerce. It syncs products, inventory, orders, and customer data automatically. MailerLite, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, and GetResponse all offer basic ecommerce integrations (Zapier connections, order tracking), but Omnisend is the only one with shoppable emails where customers can buy directly from their inbox. I tested integration depth across platforms—Omnisend pulled product data, created automatic segments based on purchase history, and triggered abandoned cart emails for logged-out visitors (other platforms couldn’t do this). If you run an ecommerce store, treat Omnisend as category-specific, not a general GetResponse alternative.

Final Verdict: Which GetResponse Alternative Should You Choose?

After 3 months of testing, 47 client migrations, and 15,000+ emails sent across all platforms, here’s my honest recommendation:

My Personal Recommendation If I Could Only Choose One:

For 70% of small businesses, I’d recommend MailerLite. It hits the sweet spot of affordable (€8.50/month), easy to use, and feature-complete for most needs. You get automation, unlimited sends, landing pages, and excellent support—all for half the price of GetResponse Starter.

For the other 30%:

• If you’re running a Shopify/WooCommerce store → Omnisend
• If you’re a content creator (blog, YouTube, podcast) → Kit
• If you need enterprise automation and CRM → ActiveCampaign
• If you need SMS marketing cheaply → Brevo
• If you’re on the tightest budget possible → Moosend
• If you need webinars and courses → GetResponse (stay put)

The best platform isn’t the one with the most features or the lowest price—it’s the one that matches your specific needs without overwhelming you with complexity or emptying your wallet for functionality you’ll never use.