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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    iContact

    Score6.8 out of 10
    N/AiContact is an email marketing solution that was acquired by Vocus in 2012. The product is integrated with Facebook and Twitter and is aimed at SMBs with unlimited sending as a key feature.

    $14

    per month

    Twilio SendGrid

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/ATwilio SendGrid Marketing Campaigns provides users with segmentation, campaign editing, and deliverability. According to the vendor, Twilio SendGrid Marketing Campaigns is trusted by over 80,000 customers globally, including Airbnb, Spotify and Uber. Twilio SendGrid Marketing Campaigns aims to help users by providing: MORE EFFICIENT EMAIL BUILDING The campaign building process is free from frustrating, rigid step-by-step wizards that slow users down. The vendor says…

    $15

    per month

    Pricing
    iContactTwilio SendGrid
    Editions & Modules
    1500 Users
    $15.00
    per month
    2500 Users
    $25.00
    per month
    5000 Users
    $45.00
    per month
    Basic
    $15
    per month
    Advanced
    $60
    per month
    Free
    Free
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    iContactTwilio SendGrid
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    iContactTwilio SendGrid
    Considered Both Products
    iContact
    No answer on this topic
    Twilio
    Chose Twilio SendGrid
    SendGrid is far and away better in terms of email template building, stock templates, and delivery rates.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    79%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    76%
    Delivers good value for the price
    13 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    74%
    Happy with the feature set
    14 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    68%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    74%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    Features
    iContactTwilio SendGrid
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of iContact and Twilio SendGrid
    Feature
    iContact
    6.6
    26 Ratings
    19% below category average
    Twilio SendGrid
    7.1
    48 Ratings
    11% below category average
    WYSIWYG email editor7.024 Ratings7.035 Ratings
    Dynamic content7.021 Ratings6.838 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content5.021 Ratings5.636 Ratings
    Landing pages7.014 Ratings8.023 Ratings
    A/B testing5.017 Ratings7.228 Ratings
    Mobile optimization7.021 Ratings7.036 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting7.025 Ratings7.448 Ratings
    List management8.025 Ratings7.642 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences6.015 Ratings7.222 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of iContact and Twilio SendGrid
    Feature
    iContact
    8.0
    26 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Twilio SendGrid
    7.6
    48 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Dashboards8.026 Ratings7.446 Ratings
    Standard reports8.025 Ratings8.246 Ratings
    Custom reports8.015 Ratings7.230 Ratings
    Pre-Send Testing
    Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of iContact and Twilio SendGrid
    Feature
    iContact
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    13% below category average
    Twilio SendGrid
    8.2
    10 Ratings
    3% above category average
    URL Validation7.01 Ratings7.410 Ratings
    Link Tracking7.01 Ratings8.210 Ratings
    Image Validation7.01 Ratings9.08 Ratings
    Inbox Display7.01 Ratings7.810 Ratings
    Email Accessibility Tools7.01 Ratings7.810 Ratings
    Spelling and Grammar Check7.01 Ratings8.28 Ratings
    Spam Testing7.01 Ratings8.210 Ratings
    Email Previews7.01 Ratings8.610 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    iContactTwilio SendGrid
    Small Businesses
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Everest (Return Path + 250ok)
    Score10 out of 10
    Everest (Return Path + 250ok)
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Emma by Marigold
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Emma by Marigold
    Score9.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    iContactTwilio SendGrid
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (45 ratings)
    7.9
    (59 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    3.4
    (19 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    8.2
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (9 ratings)
    3.0
    (9 ratings)
    Online Training
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    iContactTwilio SendGrid
    Likelihood to Recommend
    iContact
    I would only recommend it if someone was a small business. I think they are the best suited for companies who will send out a coupon or offer here and there. The most recent updates made it more complicated to use for more complicated processes. It is easy to train someone on the program, and so quick to learn. But I would also only stick to the simpler things. I also think the colorful templates are great, and show great creativity. But again, it is hard to justify recommending the program when it isn't WYSIWYG.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Twilio
    Twilio SendGrid is well suited for those organizations who need to send mass emails very often to their prospects and customers and thus may be wary of a reliable tool that can do that without affecting domain reputation. It may be less suited for organizations which do not have say more than 10,000 target prospects and thus may rely only on 1:few ABM for sending emails.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    iContact
    • Contact management. iContact is really great for entering all your contact. You are able to put them onto different lists, and let them choose which lists they would like to be a part of as well. There are many data fields provided to fill in information.
    • Emailing. We use the email feature at least once a month. They are always improving and adding new features, which is very helpful in presenting content in a new and exciting way to our readers. There are many options with remade templates and themes, or you can add your own.
    • Insights. It is really helpful being able to have the data to see what is working and what isn't. It is nice to be able to go back and see how things went in the past compared to now. Opens, clicks, shares, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Twilio
    • Managing email lists / audiences is easy with features like groups and segments.
    • They provide pre-built email templates that are very easy to modify. It is also super easy to create new email templates with their drag-and-drop email builder.
    • Provides clear / easy-to-read analytics of email campaigns.
    • I can easily import large email contact lists all at once or add a user manually one-at-a-time, when needed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    iContact
    • We also would like to send transactional messages which don't require an opt-out, this is a challenge with iContact. (May be a feature with pro?)
    • The regular version of iContact doesn't support event management or logic flows for automated messaging.
    • Custom form fields have limited field type options (can't build a drop-down).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Twilio
    • Not necessarily their Email API but their email in general - they are currently in beta for automated email sequences but are still bare bones. Much more work is needed before it can be used mainstream and be able to convert everything to SendGrid.
    • Helping with warming up our dedicated IP for the best-sending score.
    • We seem to hit the promotions folder a decent amount (maybe the IP problem above) and even a lot of their emails hit my spam or promotions folder (whether they be transactional or marketing) which isn't a great sign when trusting an ESP.
    • Transactional email sequences would be a huge plus.
    • Now that Twilio owns SenGrid, having an integrated platform where you could see all our transactional emails together.
    • Better reporting and split reporting between transactional and marketing emails.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    iContact
    iContact has been a quick and easy way to send any announcements and news directly to email and social media subscribers. Its tracking and reporting capabilities turn a simple email into a marketing campaign that can be used as a tool to efficiently gauge reader response and customer satisfaction, and ultimately to reach potential customers. The consistency and excellent customer service is what makes this program a pleasant experience.
    Read full review
    Twilio
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    iContact
    I rate iContact as an easy to use program due to its user friendly dashboard and user interface. Most companies of small to medium size do not have a dedicated marketer, therefore it is someone multitasking who may or may not have this kind of experience. iContact makes it relatively simple and can actually expand one's knowledge in the area of business promotion.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Twilio
    It has the potential to be really cool. However, it feels as if it was created by developers for developers (and I work with developers, yet even for me the instrument was somewhat not easy to use - just read SendGrid's help manuals...) However, if you are into data and your way of thinking is more mathematical rather than lyrical, you'll enjoy this instrument
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    iContact
    iContact is regularly up and running. Only once has it been unavailable for maintenance, which is to be expected and even desired for optimal performance when needed.
    Read full review
    Twilio
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    iContact
    They have always been responsive to any issues or concerns that have arisen with our account. Our customer account manager participates in our monthly county-wide communicators meetings via telephone to ensure that we are getting the most from the service. He also analyzes our lists to help us weed out inactive contacts.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Twilio
    Twilio SendGrid Email API is everything we want it to be, and we have no reason to look for any other solution. Features and pricing match exactly what we need. As developers for SaaS products, Twilio SendGrid Email API provides a great service. I hope that they stay this way and don't inflate the service with too many marketing oriented features, because there are other tools for that and Twilio SendGrid Email API is a API for sending email first and foremost.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    iContact
    The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
    Read full review
    Twilio
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    iContact
    i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money
    Read full review
    Twilio
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    iContact
    I didn't have a say in the decision because I wasn't with the company at the time. I listed HubSpot here because I know we used it in conjunction with iContact for email automation, but HubSpot Email was only recently built-out to the point where it is today. Now, iContact and HubSpot are no longer integrated.
    Read full review
    Twilio
    Sendgrid has a lot of features that other providers have and a few more - like the dynamic template builder, which AWS SES doesn't have. We choose the provider based on the scenario of use and the provider we're using. If we're going to be making regular changes to a template, then we'd go with Sendgrid, as the changes will be easier to make and don't necessarily require developer intervention.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    iContact
    iContact stays the same with the number of users added or taken away. It certainly remains reliable despite increased usage, and so, can be considered scaleable in that aspect.
    Read full review
    Twilio
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    iContact
    • We have a template for webinars that we send every month. We just edit it and send. This couldn't be easier (once you know where to find it).
    • We like the breakdown of statistics in the dashboard. They're easy to read.
    • iContact isn't a comprehensive solution, so it is only one of a few products we use for marketing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Twilio
    • As it was cheaper than the transactional service we previously used, it saved costs.
    • The API was relatively easy to work with so it helped us ship the service and test it quickly.
    • We still use the transactional email service, even though we recognize its limits as it meets our immediate needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots