Last Updated on November 20, 2022
TLDR: GetResponse is the Best Autoresponder for Affiliate Marketing in 2022
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Autoresponders are vital when it comes to any kind of online marketing. From big e-commerce companies to the blogger next door trying to monetize their blog by affiliate marketing, autoresponders are not a luxury but a necessary requirement for success.
Anyone who has been in the affiliate marketing niche for a while knows the value of building a strong list and utilizing it properly, which can only be done with an autoresponder unless you have superhuman email skills.
If your abilities are only human, you would need an autoresponder to facilitate your affiliate marketing business.
However, finding the best autoresponder for affiliate marketing can be a bit complicated as many major autoresponders are actually not that friendly for affiliate marketers.
Fortunately, this guide will help you understand everything you need to know about autoresponders and find the best one for you when it comes to affiliate marketing.
Table of Contents
What do Autoresponders do?
According to Hubspot, 59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI. Autoresponders are the easiest email sequence that you can get started with. However, just cause it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s not effective.
So, what exactly is an autoresponder? As the name suggests, an autoresponder is essentially a tool that automates your email marketing process completely.
This is particularly important when you’re dealing with huge email lists as it is just not possible to send every single email manually when you’re dealing with thousands of subscribers.
Modern autoresponders not only help you send automated emails but they also provide useful analytics and data that can help you optimize your entire process.
Autoresponders also come with useful features like split testing, landing page builders, and more that add extra value and give you a lot more to play with.
Autoresponders and Affiliate Marketing
So, now that you have a basic idea of what autoresponders are, let’s take a look at some of the reasons why you must use an autoresponder when it comes to affiliate marketing and why autoresponders will play a crucial role in determining the success of your affiliate marketing initiatives:
1. Autoresponders allow you to convert visitors into subscribers
One of the key features of autoresponders is the sign-in and opt-in forms that let you convert visitors of your website to turn into subscribers. With autoresponders, you can collect the email addresses, names, and additional information about your visitors so you can start building and growing your email lists.
2. Autoresponders make your sales funnel work
In order to be really successful at affiliate marketing, you need to be persistent. This is why most successful affiliate marketers use sales funnels that provide a convincing journey for all your buyers. Autoresponders help in automating your sales funnel with automated sequences and emails that guide them through the different steps in your funnel.
3. Autoresponders helps you build a personal relationship with every single subscriber
While having a gigantic mailing list is extremely important for affiliate marketing, what’s even more important is creating authentic relationships with the subscribers on that list. As you might have guessed already, cultivating and nurturing a personal relationship with thousands of subscribers is not possible without automation.
Autoresponders come with a number of features that allow you to cultivate a personal connection with every single subscriber with features like sequences, advanced segmentation, and funnels.
4. Autoresponders allow you to measure results effectively
Most autoresponders, and all the autoresponders on this guide, provide analytics and reporting that help you in understanding your results precisely.
Having detailed analytics helps in not only assessing your current performance but also optimizing your funnel so it performs better.
5. Autoresponders save you a ton of money in the long-run
While some autoresponders might charge a premium price for their services, the value they offer is definitely worth it. For example, with the correct autoresponder, you can almost automate your entire marketing process which would traditionally require an entire team! Considering the number of business costs they save in terms of office rent, salary, and other fees, autoresponders definitely help you save a ton of money.
Why some Autoresponders are bad for affiliate marketing
If you’ve been researching autoresponders for affiliate marketing, you might have come across the fact that some of them are actually not that friendly to affiliate marketers.
Many major autoresponders like MailChimp and MailerLite are actually known for banning activities relating to affiliate marketing. The justification for this is often that these companies believe that affiliate marketers do not share an “authentic” relationship with their subscribers.
This is kind of ironic considering the fact that many “regular” users of the platform do send a lot of affiliate links in their emails. However, even though it might not be fair, it is a fact that certain autoresponders are not really a choice for most affiliate marketers. Keep reading this guide to find out the ones that do work reliably for affiliate marketing.
The autoresponder for affiliate marketing checklist
Before we finally start taking a look at the best autoresponders for affiliate marketing, it is a good idea to take note of a few things you should keep in mind while finding the perfect autoresponder for your affiliate marketing initiatives.
Here’s a quick checklist of things you should keep in mind when it comes to autoresponders for affiliate marketing:
1. Keep an eye out for the unique features
Almost every major autoresponder comes with similar-sounding features. However, naturally, some autoresponders are better at some particular things than others. It is a good idea to understand the unique features of autoresponders on this guide to really leverage their true power for your affiliate marketing initiatives.
2. Go for the free trial first
The worst thing you can do is to invest in an autoresponder only to be disappointed by it further down the line. Most autoresponders offer a free trial of their services and it is better to use the free trial to get a feel for the autoresponder before paying for it so you know exactly what you’re paying for.
3. User experience is vital
While features such as deliverability, automation, contact management are all important but one of the aspects that you should be on the lookout for when it comes to autoresponders is how user-friendly they are. The entire concept of using an autoresponder is to save time and not waste more of it getting lost in cluttered menus or outdated design.
4. Take your budget seriously
Honestly, with the autoresponder market being so saturated, you have a lot of options these days and most of them are actually pretty decent.
It might be tempting to use the most expensive tool out there but more often than not, you could probably get the job done with a cheaper option too. This is why you should be mindful of your budget when choosing the autoresponder you plan on using.
Best Autoresponders For Affiliate Marketing 2022
Now that we’ve gone through all the things you need to know when it comes to autoresponders for affiliate marketing, let’s take a look at some of the best autoresponders available for affiliate marketing today!
1. GetResponse – Best Autoresponder for Affiliate Marketing in 2022
GetResponse is one of the most widely used autoresponders used in the world and is one of the best autoresponders you can use for email marketing.
One of the most impressive things about GetResponse is that it provides excellent value for money as it comes with a number of important and powerful features. For example, along with the basic autoresponder features, you also get a sales funnel builder and one of the best landing page builders in the market currently.
Other features include great automation that allows you to send emails based on time-based or action-based triggers such as when the subscriber opens an email, clicks a lick, subscribes to a link, etc. The automation can be managed by a drag-and-drop builder that makes the entire process super easy.
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GetResponse also comes with a very impressive deliverability rate and detailed analytics and reporting.
When it comes to pricing, GetResponse has four different paid plans and offers a 30-day free trial. Here’s a quick breakdown of the different plans offered by GetResponse:
- BASIC (Starts at $15/month for 1000 subscribers): Send emails and build an engaged contact base
- PLUS (Starts at $45/month for 1000 subscribers): Generate leads, sell products, and grow your profits.
- PROFESSIONAL (Starts at $99/month for 1000 subscribers): Optimize your results with pro automation and integrations.
- ENTERPRISE (Starts at $1199/month): Generate high profit with solutions tailored to your needs.
While the basic plan is pretty good in itself and comes with features like unlimited automated templates, unlimited landing pages, unlimited lead funnels, and more, the Plus and Professional plans unlock some additional features.
For example, webinars and webinar funnels are unlocked in the Plus and Professional plans. There is also an Enterprise plan if you have more than 100,000 contacts.
Here are some quick pros and cons for GetResponse:
- The basic plan is quite affordable and is packed with great features.
- Allows for single and double opt-ins.
- Good data segmentation features.
- Excellent landing page builder.
- No customer support available over the phone.
- The CRM feature is still very basic.
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2. Aweber – Popular Affiliate Marketing Autoresponder
When it comes to autoresponders for affiliate marketing, AWeber is another great option. It has been around for a long time and is a trusted service used by a huge number of businesses around the world.There are a lot of things to like in AWeber – for example, the easy-to-use interface and drag and drop email builder. You also get pretty decent features when it comes to contact management, analytics, and creating sign-up forms and landing pages.
Additionally, AWeber also has strong automation features that allow you to create effective automations, personalize your communications, and save a ton of time!
Lastly, AWeber also offers really great customer support and along with being designed to be easy to use, it is the perfect autoresponder if you’re just getting started with affiliate marketing.
As for pricing, AWeber keeps it simple too by charging based on the number of subscribers you have and allows you to use all the features of the tool regardless of how many subscribers you have. So there’s basically just one paid plan that comes with all the features and the price is decided by the number of users on your list.
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Here’s a quick breakdown of AWeber’s pricing:
- Up to 500 subscribers: $19/month
- Up to 2.5k subscribers: $29/month
- Up to 5k subscribers: $49/month
- Up to 10k subscribers: $69/month
- Up to 25k subscribers: $149/month
- Bigger Lists: Depends on size
Here are some quick pros and cons when it comes to AWeber:
- It is really easy to use.
- It comes with a huge library of ready-to-go themes.
- The pricing is pretty reasonable.
- It integrates natively with a number of third-party tools.
- It provides single or double opt-ins.
- It has one of the best customer support when it comes to autoresponders.
- The RSS features could be a bit better.
- Some of the templates might look a bit dated when it comes to design.
3. Convert Kit – Best Autoresponder For Bloggers
There are many things that make ConvertKit an excellent autoresponder for affiliate marketing. Firstly, ConvertKit has a very narrow target focus which is to be one of the best autoresponders for content creators. Secondly, it is also one of the easiest and simplest email autoresponders to use out there.Other than being extremely easy to use, it also comes with really great automation features which, in my opinion, are simply unbeatable considering the pricing.
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In fact, there are not many email autoresponders out there that can match the cost/value ratio that ConvertKit provides.ConvertKit also has decent reporting and analytics features and is an excellent choice for both beginners and experts alike. This is an important thing to consider as changing your autoresponder is not really something you would want to do after using it for a long while.
When it comes to pricing, ConvertKit provides two different options – you can either go with the Free plan that allows you to manage up to 500 subscribers with most of the features available or you can choose the “Complete” paid plan that comes with additional features like visual automation, premium support, and advanced reporting.Here’s a quick breakdown of the pricing offered by ConvertKit:
| Subscribers | 1,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 25,000 |
| Cost per month | $29 | $79 | $119 | $199 |
Some of the pros and cons when it comes to ConvertKit include the following:
- It is very easy to use and made specifically for content creators.
- It has powerful automation features that provide excellent value for money.
- The customer support is pretty decent too.
- You can only A/B test the email subject lines.
- The analytics could be a bit better.
4. SendLane
SendLane is another great choice when it comes to autoresponders that are great for affiliate marketing. It is much more compatible with affiliate marketing than the big email marketing solutions like MailChimp which are mainly targeted towards large corporations and e-commerce businesses.
It comes with all the standard features that you would ideally want in an email autoresponder such as an easy-to-use email builder that uses the drag-and-drop approach.
You can quickly design and execute email marketing campaigns on SendLane and it also comes with a machine-learning approach that optimizes the performance of your emails based on tracking the patterns of your subscribers. The deliverability rate is also pretty decent with SendLane.
As for the pricing, SendLane offers a 14 days free trial and two different plans – growth and pro. The Growth plan starts at $79 per month and is limited to 5,000 subscribers. If you have more than 5,000 subscribers, you’ll have to use the Pro plan that starts at $125 per month. As for the Pro plan, here’s a quick breakdown on how much you’ll be charged based on how many subscribers you have:
| Subscribers | 5,000 | 10,000 | 25,000 |
| Cost per month | $125 | $208 | $266 |
Currently, you can also find a Starter plan that requires only a one-time payment of $497 and allows you to grow up to 5,000 subscribers. The Starter plan also comes with a lot of educational tools that can help you with affiliate marketing.
Here are some quick pros and cons of SendLane:
- It was created by affiliate marketers.
- Real-time reporting and analytics.
- It allows you to set up workflow automation which helps in personalizing.
- The pricing is pretty high when compared to the other autoresponders listed in this guide.
5. Actionetics aka Clickfunnels Follow Up
Actionetics is a pretty powerful autoresponder but there’s a lot of catches when it comes to using it for affiliate marketing. Actionetics, now called Clickfunnels Follow Up, is Clickfunnels’ integrated email marketing tool.
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In case you’re not aware of it, Clickfunnels is one of the biggest sales funnels builders in the world and comes with a lot of powerful features including integrated tools like Actionetics.
However, Clickfunnels’ plans are also a lot more expensive than most of the other tools listed on this guide above.
However, in the event that you’re already using Clickfunnels, Actionetics can be a pretty obvious choice for an autoresponder.
Some of the reasons why this is the case include:
- You can add as many contacts as you want.
- It is extremely friendly when it comes to affiliate marketing as Clickfunnels itself is a great platform for affiliate marketers.
- The deliverability rate is really good.
- It comes with decent automation tools.
And lastly, - It comes with an integrated all-in-one marketing suite that can power your entire affiliate marketing business.
However, on the other hand, there are also a lot of reasons for picking any other autoresponders listed here over Actionetics such as:
1. The pricing is really expensive if you just need the functionality of an autoresponder.
2. You are stuck with using Clickfunnels as your main marketing platform.
3. As a standalone autoresponder, its features are pretty mediocre.
Tools like GetResponse and ConvertKit provide a much better value for money when compared to Actionetics and if you’re not using Clickfunnels, the other options would be much better for you any day.
6. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is one of the most popular email marketing tools out there. Using in the top 5 in terms of use. In terms of features and usability, it’s right between Aweber and Convert Kit.
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It may not have the same amount of features that Aweber does, but it’s much easier to use with it’s beautiful drag and drop builder.
Constant Contact’s email marketing plans start at $20/month (and comes around to $65/month for an email list of 5000 people) and have one of the highest deliverability rates in the email marketing space.
7. Drip – Best Autoresponder For E-commerce Store
If you’ve spent any time in the online marketing space, you’re bound to have come across drip. It’s got one of the best email marketing service and automation in the industry.
However…. I wouldn’t use drip for any of my projects.
It’s geared mainly towards massive eCommerce stores, and the features (and price) match that.
Anything over 5000 subscribers puts you in the “enterprise” category wherein you have to contact their sales to get a quote.
Things like that may work at the enterprise level but I’ve run side businesses that have grown to >5000 leads and it would suck to have to get on a call just to use an email marketing tools.
When they started out I would’ve recommended them as an “Autoresponder” however, now I still recommend Drip but only if you’re looking for an all in one eCommerce CRM (because it’s amazing at that!)
8. MailChimp – Popular Free Autoresponder
MailChimp is one of the most popular email marketing tools out there! In fact, it’s the first email marketing tools I used where I built my first email list on my travel blog. However, when I first signed up for MailChimp they didn’t have an autoresponder in the free plan (which is why I switched to Aweber).
MailChimp released auto-responding for even their free plan in 2017.
MailChimp Free only allows Up to 2000 subscribers and you can send 10k emails every month (that’s only 5 per person!)
Also, if you go for their paid plans you have to sign up for their “standard” plan which costs $50/month for 2500 subscribers. And the automation with MailChimp gets complicated as you scale making it a good choice ONLY if you are small and don’t have a budget at all and need a free autoresponder.
9. MailerLite – Best Budget Autoresponder
If you are on a tight budget and can invest in a tool but most of the autoresponders are too expensive, than MailerLite is your savior.
For a list of 15,000 people, MailerLite only costs $50/month. In comparison, all the other options in this list cost over $150 for a list of that size (that’s 3x cheaper than their competition)
Now, considering the price you obviously won’t get all the features that you would in a powerful tool, however, it’s not that bad as you may imagine. It’s due to MailerLite that I would recommend you stay away from Mailchimp because of one single reason.
Mailchimp’s free plans are worth it (it’s free so duh!)
Mailerlite has a free plan (of 1000 people which is half of Mailchimp) but as you grow, it’s actually worth it to pay and use Mailterlite! MailerLite has all the automation you would need along with features like abandoned cart emails, Follow up on a purchase and segmentation.
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What Autoresponders to avoid for Affiliate Marketing?
Now that we’ve gone through the best autoresponders for affiliate marketing, let’s take a look at some of the autoresponders that you must absolutely avoid if you do not want to run into problems like getting banned.
It is also important to note that the following are not really bad autoresponders but rather they are not suitable particular for affiliate marketing:
- MailChimp: MailChimp is one of the most widely used email autoresponders in the world. However, they are not really the most supportive when it comes to affiliate marketing and it is a good idea to avoid it as a whole for affiliate marketing purposes.
- ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is one of the best marketing automation solutions out there but there is a pretty big risk of getting your account suspended if they notice something. Overall, even though you might not get suspended on the platform as some users do get lucky, it is a good idea to avoid ActiveCampaign too if you want to be safe.
- MailerLite: MailerLite is one of the cheapest email autoresponders and it might be tempting to use it for your affiliate marketing needs but there’s a pretty big risk of getting your account suspended if you use it for affiliate marketing.
Some other autoresponders that you should stay away from if you want to pursue affiliate marketing include SendinBlue, Constant Contact, and Benchmark.
Autoresponders for Affiliate Marketing: FAQs
It’s natural to have a few questions when it comes to affiliate marketing and autoresponders so I’ve compiled a list of the most commonly asked questions and answers here:
1. What is the best autoresponder for affiliate marketing in 2022?
To be honest, any of the autoresponders listed in this guide is pretty good for affiliate marketing in 2022. In my opinion, the best three autoresponders for affiliate marketing are GetResponse, AWeber, and ConvertKit when you consider all the factors. It might be a good idea to take the free trials offered by each of them to see which one fits your needs the best!
2. Can I use a free autoresponder for affiliate marketing?
While some famous autoresponders like MailChimp offer free plans, they are fairly limited and if you really want to make serious income with affiliate marketing, I would suggest using a paid autoresponder. For example, with ConvertKit’s free plan you can only handle up to 500 subscribers which is basically nothing.If your budget is really an issue, I would suggest going with a cheap option like GetResponse instead of trying to use a free autoresponder for affiliate marketing as free plans will definitely not provide the features you need to be successful.
3. Do I need a landing page builder?
Initially, email marketing tools didn’t really have landing page builders. However, as the industry got more competitive, landing page builders and drag-and-drop editors have become common features among the top email autoresponders.To be honest, landing pages are really useful when it comes to getting people to sign up for your list as they provide a distraction-free area where the user is forced to take action. Some email marketing tools also allow you to provide lead magnets which are another effective way of getting people to sign up for your list.
4. Can I be successful at affiliate marketing without using an autoresponder?
Yes but the chances of that happening are very, very low. In the online marketing game, your email list can be the difference between success and failure. Again, it is possible to grow your email list without using autoresponder but the moment your list is sufficiently filled with enough subscribers, you will have to use some sort of autoresponder in order to manage everything.
As affiliate marketing is largely a number’s game, you ideally want your list to be as huge as possible. And without using automation, it is not really possible to manage the relationship you have with your subscribers.An autoresponder not only automates the entire process but also helps you in sending personal emails to every single subscriber on your list!
You can set up automated email sequences that ensure every subscriber in your list will go through the specific journey you set up for them. Email marketing has been around for a long time but what makes it really effective and successful are autoresponders as the work they do cannot be duplicated manually without investing a huge amount of resources. Overall, it is very unlikely you’ll find any success in affiliate marketing without using some kind of an autoresponder.
The Best Autoresponder for Affiliate Marketing
I hope this guide was helpful in guiding you towards taking your first steps with affiliate marketing and autoresponders. As mentioned above, the top three autoresponders for affiliate marketing, in my opinion, are the following:
- GetResponse
- AWeber
- ConvertKit
While all three of them are different in terms of features they offer and the pricing, overall they are extremely suitable for all affiliate marketing needs.
There are many factors that might affect your choice such as your budget, the features you want, the level of customer support you require, etc. I would suggest taking a free trial of the different tools you consider before pulling the trigger and paying for one.
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