AWeber and GetResponse are two decades old, and the honest 2026 comparison is a study in what age does two different ways: AWeber kept the simplicity and the support reputation but fell behind on features and pricing competitiveness; GetResponse modernized into a marketing suite with webinars, funnels and a permanent free plan, at the cost of a busier interface. The verdict: budget-driven and feature-hungry senders choose GetResponse (free to 500 contacts, paid from around $19); simplicity-and-support-driven senders choose AWeber (Lite from around $13 on annual billing). Here is the real math and the pick for each type of sender.
Both are survivors with loyal user bases, which is exactly why the comparison matters: they represent two legitimate philosophies of email tooling, and the wrong pick is less about quality than about mismatch. AWeber bets you want the tool to disappear; GetResponse bets you want the tool to do more. Everything below, pricing, features, support and the daily feel, follows from that split.
The 60-Second Answer
| Pick... | If you are... |
|---|---|
| GetResponse | Feature-hungry: wants webinars, funnels and automation on a mid-tier budget |
| AWeber | Simple-newsletter businesses that value hand-holding support over feature depth |
Pricing Compared: The Real Math
GetResponse runs a permanent free plan up to 500 contacts (with basic email and a website-builder tier), then Starter from around $19 per month at 1,000 subscribers, Marketer (automation, contact scoring, webinars) from around $59, and higher suite tiers beyond that, with a 30-day trial on paid plans (verify current numbers; the tier names shifted from Basic/Plus to Starter/Marketer recently). AWeber retired its old free plan: a 14-day trial now leads into Lite (around $12.50 to $15 per month on annual billing at 1,000 subscribers, roughly $25 monthly), Plus from around $20 to $30, and an Unlimited tier near $899 for very large senders.
| List size | GetResponse (approx.) | AWeber (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 500 subscribers | Free | Trial only; Lite ~$13/mo annual |
| 1,000 subscribers | ~$19/mo (Starter) | ~$13/mo annual, ~$25 monthly (Lite) |
| 5,000 subscribers | ~$40-55/mo (Starter) | ~$40-60/mo (Lite/Plus) |
| 10,000+ subscribers | Increasingly cheaper | Increasingly expensive |
The shape of the curve decides most cases: AWeber's annual-billing entry undercuts GetResponse's paid tier at the very smallest lists, but GetResponse is cheaper from roughly 1,000 subscribers upward (at scale, comparison sites put the gap at tens of dollars monthly), and only GetResponse has a free floor at all. Third-party comparisons consistently land on the same summary: GetResponse wins price as lists grow, AWeber wins entry-year price if billed annually and every comparison includes its support reputation.
Where Each One Wins
GetResponse wins breadth and the modern stack. Its marketing automation (visual workflows, conversion funnels, contact scoring on Marketer), built-in webinars (genuinely rare at this price), landing pages, and e-commerce integrations make it a suite rather than a sender. The free plan gives new senders a real runway, and the feature trajectory (AI campaign subjects, content monetization experiments) points forward. For a business that wants email plus pages plus webinars under one bill, GetResponse has no equivalent in AWeber's lineup.
AWeber wins simplicity, deliverability heritage and support. Its interface remains one of the easiest in the category: templates, lists and sends with minimal configuration, which reviewers and users consistently name as its core virtue. Its customer support reputation (knowledgeable, reachable, patient with beginners) is the best reason to pay its slight premium, and its deliverability track record spans two decades. The template library and RSS-to-email automation cover the newsletter use case completely without ever opening an automation map.
The Trade-offs Nobody Puts on the Pricing Page
AWeber's feature list is a generation behind. Automation is basic compared with the market (and with GetResponse's Marketer tier especially), advanced segmentation is thin, there is no free plan anymore, and the Unlimited tier's pricing places it in a different conversation entirely. Some plans have historically carried setup fees (waivable or promotional; ask before buying). Buyers choosing AWeber are choosing a service relationship, not a feature race, and should do so with open eyes.
GetResponse's breadth has a learning-curve bill. The interface carries its many features visibly, and new users report needing time to find their way around compared with AWeber's minimalism. The free plan restricts features meaningfully (it is a starter, not a suite trial), and tier gates sit between the useful capabilities (webinars and scoring live in Marketer and above). Support quality is solid but does not carry the personal reputation AWeber's does. The full market context, including cheaper all-rounders, is in our best email marketing software guide.
Support, Deliverability and the Feel of Each
AWeber's support reputation is its genuine moat: reviewers and long-time users consistently describe fast, knowledgeable, patient help, including phone support with humans who know the product, which is rare at any price now. GetResponse's support is competent (email and live chat, 24/7 on higher tiers) without carrying the same service-first reputation. Deliverability at both is reputable and strong; neither gives a decisive edge, and your list hygiene matters infinitely more than either brand's send-button folklore.
The daily feel differs accordingly. AWeber keeps every screen near-minimal: pick a template, write, send, and the RSS-to-email feature turns a blog feed into an automatic newsletter with no automation builder required. GetResponse shows its machinery: workflows, funnels, webinars and landing pages all visible from the dashboard, rewarding teams that will use them and mildly burdening teams that will not. Neither is wrong; they are tuned for different temperaments, and the trial will tell you yours within a week.
Which One Should You Pick
- Beginner wanting free before commitment: GetResponse free (500 contacts), or honestly, a stronger free plan elsewhere; our free tools guide covers the field.
- Newsletter-first small business that phones support when stuck: AWeber Lite on annual billing.
- Business needing webinars, funnels or real automation: GetResponse Marketer; nothing in AWeber's lineup competes at that layer.
- Growing past 10,000 subscribers on a budget: GetResponse on price, verified against your exact list size before the annual commitment.
The bottom line: choose GetResponse for features and price at scale, AWeber for simplicity and the best support reputation in the category, and honestly consider the stronger modern free plans (Brevo, Kit) before paying either. Context against the full field: best email marketing software.
