Review of Remotely-Hosted Autoresponders in the Market What is a remotely-hosted autoresponder? A remotely hosted autoresponder is hosted on and work from the provider's website via a web-based subscription service. The provider usually provides a HTML form and an email address (usually the provider's) for you to receive emails and to send follow-up messages. There are probably thousands of remotely-hosted autoresponders in the market. But not all of them are big and have established track records. In this review, four remotely-hosted autoresponders are covered. The first three are leading brandnames in the market, while the last is showing good potential. 1. Get Response. 2. Aweber. 3. Royal Responder. 4. Email Aces. Get Response Of all the remotely-hosted autoresponders in the market, GetResponse and Aweber are recognized to be among the best. In terms of features, GetResponse has probably outmatched Aweber in a few key aspects, and at a cheaper price too. GetResponse currently provides unlimited use of its autoresponders with unlimited follow-up messages and number of subscribers. It provides 19 alternative domain names for sending messages. It has a spam-check feature to avoid detection by other ISP's spam filters, and provides a list builder service to help you build your opt-in list (at a cost). However, prospects can see your account name when they want to unsubscribe. So you must choose an account name which help others to associate with your business. The price starts at $17.95 per month for a basic account, with a refund period of 30 days. They provide a toll-free phone support. Prices are discounted to $47.85, $87.70 and $145.40, respectively, if you pay 4, 6 or 12 months in advance. Getresponse is a reputable company with a proven track record. Its main attraction is it provides an autoresponder with lots of features at a competitive price. You can sign up for a free account which is ad-supported (five-line ad) and limit you to only five follow-up messages. Give it a try, if you really like it you can upgrade to a paid account. Aweber Aweber, founded in 1998, is recognized as the leader in the autoresponder business because of its features and its proven track record. Like GetResponse, Aweber provides unlimited use of its autoresponders with unlimited follow-up messages. But unlike the former, you can store only the first 10,000 subscribers free, each additional 10,000 costs $9.95. One good thing about Aweber is they always come out with new features based on the latest technology. It provides ad tracking features for all types of advertisements, a spam checker and good graphical statistics. However, prospects can see Aweber in the unsubscribe link. So they will know you are using the service of a remote host. The price is $19.95 per month. Prices are discounted to $53.85, $101.70 and $179.40, respectively, if you pay 4, 6 or 12 months in advance. Unlike GetResponse, there is no free trial at Aweber. The "test drive" feature on Aweber does not really let you try out the system. Instead, it sends out a series of emails. However, there is a 30 day refund period. They also provide a toll-free phone support. Royal Responder Royal currently provides unlimited use of its autoresponders with unlimited follow-up messages, but additional charges if you exceed a certain number of subscribers. The price starts at $9.95, $15.95 and $21.95 per month for 1, 5 and unlimited autoresponders. However, if you exceed 30,000-10,000 subscribers you must upgrade by paying $29.95 a month. It comes with a 30 day refund period. Prices are discounted to $99.95, $159.95 and $219.95, respectively, for 1, 5 and unlimited autoresponders if you pay 12 months in advance. It has the same good features found in other autoresponders. You can sign up for a free account which is ad-supported. Give it a try, if you really like it you can upgrade to a paid account. Email Aces Email Aces is relatively new in the market. The company appears to be very strict about spam, and this is a plus. It has a very competitive pricing for the same great features provided by others, including a spam-checker. The price starts at $8.95, $14.95 and $19.95 per month for 1, 10 and unlimited autoresponders, respectively. But they impose limits of 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000 subscribers and 500, 2,000 and 5,000 subscriber imports a month for 1, 10 and unlimited autoresponders, respectively. Like GetResponse and Royal Responder, Email Aces provides a free trial which includes about themselves. But you need to click the P.S.S. link at the bottom of the index.htm page to be able to find it. There is a 30 day refund period. So you can sign up and go for a test drive. |
