A Complete GetResponse Review: Is it Actually the Best?

Launch Your Online Business in Just 7 Days

GetResponse was founded way back in 1998 and is one of the grandfathers of email marketing.


Today, the software company has shifted focus and promotes itself as an all-in-one marketing platform that generates leads and boosts your sales.


But can you teach an old dog new tricks?


Check out our in-depth review and find out if GetResponse can keep up with the rest of the digital marketing pack.

1. What is GetResponse?

GetResponse’s logo

GetResponse’s logo

GetResponse is a digital marketing platform that promises to empower its clients and make medium to large businesses grow.


They claim that their email marketing platform is the easiest to use and that this is where their expertise lies.


But what about GetResponse’s newer services?


And why have they completely forgotten to throw small business owners a bone?


Keep reading as we dig into some of GetResponses’s features and whether they could be useful for you.

2. GetResponse’s features

2.1. Email marketing

Examples of GetResponse’s email marketing tools

Examples of GetResponse’s email marketing tools

In 2019, there were 3.9 billion email users worldwide — that’s over 1 billion more than Facebook, the leader in social media statistics.


Because of this, email marketing remains essential to any digital marketing strategy.


GetResponse offers an impressive selection of email-related tools to its customers.


The full email marketing suite includes:

  • Newsletters — Once-off broadcast messages and special offers
  • Autoresponders — Automated email sequences to nurture leads
  • Automation emails — Action-based emails that sell for you
  • Blog digest — Automatically share your blog via email and social media
  • Templates — Use pre-designed newsletters to save time and effort
  • Transactional emails — A paid-for add-on to send receipts and payment reminders

The prefix “auto” has probably got your tail wagging — who wouldn’t want software that makes your business work for you while you kick back?


Unfortunately, while autoresponders are available on every plan, the more advanced automation builder is only available on GetResponse’s pricey plans (Plus or higher), and even then it’s limited.


The sophisticated sequencing comes at a cost and doesn’t link directly to their conversion funnels, leading to some dissatisfaction among users.


GetResponse’s library of varied templates employs user-friendly drag and drop functionality — however this tool is still in development and there are some occasional glitches.


While the basic editing of the emails is easy, the template editor doesn’t allow you to save your style choices for headings, etc ― you have to spend precious time editing them individually.


In the case of email marketing, it seems GetResponse needs to upgrade what’s outdated because this feature is looking a little dog-eared.

2.2. Marketing automation

GetResponse’s automation possibilities

GetResponse’s automation possibilities

As we mentioned before, automation is your best friend when it comes to digital marketing.


You get to set the automation rules, choose the tricks, and have your workflows do the work for you.


This saves you time and effort and can even help you increase your conversion rate.

GetResponse’s automation capabilities include:

  • Welcome emails for new subscribers
  • Abandoned cart reminders to encourage customers to complete their purchases
  • Product recommendations for a personal touch
  • Personalized messages within campaigns to make your leads feel special

All these features add to your leads’ user experience (UX) and improve your relationship with your audience.


GetResponse also offers automated email list segmentation, by using conditions that you set up.


The advanced options (not available on the Basic plan) take this a step further and assign users to different marketing campaigns based on their actions.


While GetResponse’s automation tools are more elaborate than what most email marketing platforms offer, you have a small number of workflows at your disposal, unless you max out for the Max plan.


If you’re new to marketing automation, this is a hefty price to pay for a tool that will take some trial and error.


Why not experiment with automation for free on systeme.io?

2.3. Conversion funnels

Examples of GetResponse’s conversion funnel elements

Examples of GetResponse’s conversion funnel elements

Conversion funnels are more commonly known as sales or marketing funnels.


Funnels are visualizations of the sales journey(s) you present to people who interact with your content. It helps you detail the steps that convert viewers into leads, and leads into customers.


GetResponse’s conversion funnel software boasts the following funnel templates:

  • Opt-in funnels to capture new leads
  • Lead magnet funnels to grow your list by sharing fresh, relevant content
  • Sales funnels for digital product promotions and sales
  • Webinar funnels to create and sell your expertise

There are many different elements available to build your funnel, including landing and sales pages, pop-ups and forms, and ecommerce plug-ins.


GetResponse’s funnel builder is geared more towards small business owners and does support you if you’re looking to create an online store.


However, if your business has more complex ecommerce needs, then this tool may be oversimplified and might struggle to cater to you.


The inclusion of the conversion funnel feature has also overloaded GetResponse’s dashboard — “the upgraded interface is cluttered,” according to users.


A/B or split testing is a standard feature on funnel-building tools and forms a significant part of the analytics.


The analytics available on GetResponse focuses on their email marketing and sales funnels, illustrating your conversions on a single dashboard display.


GetResponse claims that its analytics dashboard is intuitive, but many users disagree — stating that reporting was inconvenient and that some data disappeared entirely.


While the sales funnel builder is a smart addition, if funnel building is what you’re after, you may be barking up the wrong tree.


Check out this more intuitive and affordable option.

2.4. Website builder

GetResponse’s website capabilities

GetResponse’s website capabilities

Another feature that targets small business owners is GetResponse’s site-building capabilities.


This website builder requires no coding knowledge and can be built using their impressive AI wizard — just answer a couple of questions and you’ll have a purpose-built website framework for you to populate as you please.


There are templates available as well, so you can make use of GetResponse’s drag and drop functionality here too — bearing in mind that this is a common area of complaint amongst users.


GetResponse also assists you in purchasing a domain or making use of one of the free ones available.


They don’t offer support to import your website, but according to their features page, this is being developed.


As the website builder is GetResponse’s newest feature, it's still in the teething phase and will hopefully be fully functioning soon.

2.5. Landing pages and forms

GetResponse’s landing page builder

GetResponse’s landing page builder

Landing pages are necessary elements of any sales funnel.


They let online business owners:

  • Create an online presence with fresh content marketed to your target audience
  • Grow your mailing list and convert more leads
  • Promote your products and sell more digital products and webinars

GetResponse has over 200 landing page templates with a built-in editor and their occasionally unreliable drag and drop design tools.


There are also embedded pop-ups and templates for forms available on GetResponse.


These forms include consent fields that will help keep you General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant — but be sure to read GetResponse’s resources on this as not all their templates include it.


These templates have become more mobile responsive in answer to user complaints, but the loading times on these are still very slow.


70% of consumers state that landing page load time is the top deciding factor that affects their purchase — GetResponse’s slow pages might mean fewer sales.


There are plenty of other dogs in this race so why not look at the alternatives for building landing pages and forms that are faster and easier to use?

2.6. Push notifications and live chat

GetResponse’s live-chat capabilities

GetResponse’s live-chat capabilities

GetResponse offers you push notifications to boost your conversions by bringing people back to your content.


These notifications are able to reach your audience with relevant messages that encourage them to subscribe, even after they have moved on from your site.


Remember, push notifications can irritate your prospects, and cause them to avoid your site as well, and these push notifications are only available on the two more expensive price plans.


The stand-out feature offered by GetResponse is the live-chat capabilities — this allows you to connect with and support your audience directly, in real-time.


This feature is freely available on all GetResponse plans as of writing this article, but that's likely to change when they realize how lucrative it can be.

2.7. Webinars

GetResponse’s webinar tool

GetResponse’s webinar tool

Webinars are an excellent way for you to turn your expertise into a marketable product — you could even start your business this way!


GetResponse’s webinar creator has the following capabilities:

  • Host unlimited webinars
  • Up to 1,000 attendees
  • Up to three presenters
  • Up to 20 hours of recording storage

While webinars can be an excellent way to sell your skill-set, creating online courses is a much smarter option.


They offer the same production value but are better structured, more flexible, and last a lot longer — you can keep selling the course to new customers.


In this dog-eat-dog world, you can’t afford to limit yourself to webinars when you could have an online coaching empire at your fingertips.

2.8. Social media ads

GetResponse’s paid ad capabilities

GetResponse’s paid ad capabilities

There’s no denying that we are obsessed with social media — 53.6% of the world’s population are regular users, spending an average of 145 minutes of their day on it.


GetResponse gives you access to these social media minutes through their built-in paid ad creator.


These targeted ad campaigns can:

  • Engage existing contacts with content that you know they will like
  • Reach new audiences by targeting people with similar interests to your contacts
  • Encourage return visits by retargeting people who didn't convert with fresh content
  • Increase sales by promoting your products and services

The GetResponse ad creator builds adverts for Facebook, Instagram, and Google — and the content is shareable across platforms.


However, GetResponse doesn't promise that your content will translate to the different audiences on each platform or that the content is mobile responsive.


If you plan to use social media in your marketing strategy, you may want to turn your nose up at this potential problem.

2.9. Affiliate program

GetResponse’s affiliate marketing assets

GetResponse’s affiliate marketing assets

Affiliate marketing is the easiest and fastest way to make money online — promoting the product often costs you nothing and you get paid for generating leads for another brand.


GetResponse has its own affiliate program that you can sign up for, and if you like their product, why not?


However, remember that affiliate programs create the biggest benefit for the business running them — it’s a cheap way to use other people’s mailing lists to their advantage.


So if you’re a savvy business owner, you’d want to run your own affiliate marketing program too, right?


There is no support for your own affiliate program on GetResponse.


In fact, many platforms (like Mailchimp) penalize you for running an affiliate program of your own — not fair at all.


To switch to a platform that’s not so petty, head over to systeme.io and we will happily support your affiliate program — and automate it.

3. What support does GetResponse offer?

What Support Does GetResponse Offer?

Source: GIPHY.com

Support offerings are usually a software company’s safety net — there to catch complaints and turn issues into upgrades to the platform.


GetResponse is a big dog in the digital marketing industry and as such should have a dedicated and responsive support system to match.


Here are some of the options available to GetResponse’s customers when they need help.

3.1. Help center

GetResponse’s help center

GetResponse’s help center

GetResponse offers a dedicated help center that catalogs tutorials, how-to guides, and other resources.


The layout of the help center is straightforward and includes guides for newbies, alphabetized links, and a search bar if you're looking for some really specific assistance.


However, according to users, the search bar will simply guide you to a general post about your query, rather than a dedicated response.


For more involved service, you’ll need to contact GetResponse’s support team directly via email.

3.2. Resources and case studies

Some of GetResponse’s resources

Some of GetResponse’s resources

Like most digital marketing platforms, GetResponse makes use of a blog to post insights, reviews, and guides on how to use the features available — they’re linked to their help center.


GetResponse also posts extensive case studies and videos detailing their success stories and inspiring you to join their pack.

3.3. Live-chat and email support

The GetResponse support promise

The GetResponse support promise

Live-chat is an innovative way to keep in contact with your audience — GetResponse believes this because they offer it as part of their packages and make use of it themselves.


However, to engage in their live chat, you have to give them your name and contact details, so this isn’t a great option if you just wanted strings-free advice about the software.


The biggest pet peeve amongst users is the irregular response times and the harsh stance taken.


The 4% of users who don’t love their customer success team make up more than half of the reviews online.


Their gripes include slow response times, unfairly locked-down accounts, and suspended service.


If you're new to any software, you're bound to make mistakes.


You deserve a support team that understands, not one that immediately sends you to the doghouse — and charges you for it.

4. GetResponse’s price plans

GetResponse’s pricing options

GetResponse’s pricing options

This may seem like a hot diggity deal, but beware — each plan’s price increases in proportion with your email list, and your account will automatically be debited.


They do offer the option of saving 15% if you pay for a year in advance or 30% if you pay for 2 years upfront.


Because of the costly plans available and the lack of a real free option, GetResponse appears to be targeting larger businesses and neglecting the start-up market.

4.1. Is there a Free plan?

GetResponse does offer a free plan but it is very limited — 500 contacts and 1 landing page won't get you very far at all.


The freebie only offers a taste of the basic features, so you won’t know what you’re getting unless you’re willing to pay up.

5. The all-inclusive alternative: Systeme.io

systeme.io logo

systeme.io's logo

For a true all-in-one solution that really cares about your business, big or small consider systeme.io.


Our digital marketing software can:

  • Host your mailing list and support email marketing
  • Build and optimize funnels
  • Build your website
  • Support e-commerce
  • Build your own online courses
  • Run affiliate programs
  • Automate your marketing at every level

We are ready to be your faithful companion and help you, and your business, succeed.

5.1. What makes systeme.io better?

What Makes systeme.io Better?

The reason systeme.io takes first prize is simple — we were built to be an all-in-one platform.


You won’t need to tack on any extra tools to our robust software, we were made to be fully integrated.


Our platform is best-in-show for newcomers and marketing professionals because we are super easy to use.


Our user interface is seamless and intuitive, and our customers rave about our support — we’re there for you 24/7.

systeme.io testimonial

A systeme.io testimonial

The best part? We’re the most affordable option out there, and our pricing is simple to understand — no sneaky hidden costs.

6. Systeme.io’s price plans

systeme.io’s pricing options

systeme.io’s pricing options

All of our plans also come standard with the following unlimited features:

  • Emails
  • Blog posts
  • File storage
  • Membership site members
  • Stripe and Paypal integration
  • Affiliate program support
  • 24/7 email support

We don’t want to limit you, we want your business to soar!

6.1. Our Free plan

That’s right, we offer a real free option — and it’s free forever!


This plan costs $0/month and includes:

  • 3 sales funnels and 10 steps
  • 1 blog and membership site
  • 1 workflow and automation
  • 1 email campaign and tag
  • An order bump, a 1 click upsell, and an A/B test

That gives you a true taste of what our platform is capable of and is a great option if you are just starting out.


Systeme.io is also running a 30% discount if you pay for a year upfront — just another way we are saving you money.


Already sold on systeme.io as the solution to your pain points? Click here to start your journey with us today!

7. Conclusion

Final thoughts

While GetResponse has an established presence in email marketing that spans more than 20 years, that doesn’t mean that they are still the top dog.


Excellent user experience (UX), customer service, and intuitive features are what you deserve from your digital marketing platform.


Don’t let high prices get you down — choose the platform that will be your dogged companion at a fraction of the cost.


Choose systeme.io, the online businessman’s best friend.


If we can’t convince you, our glowing testimonials might.

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