iContact Reviews

Pros

iContact is easy to use in most cases. There are tons of different templates and creating your own email template is a breeze. If you get one of the Pro plans they'll even help you make templates for future use, so that's great, too.

There are plenty of ways to upload data and keep track of that data. In fact I tend to use iContact to export my data for use on other platforms because it keeps everything so nicely. My point of sale doesn't even allow the breadth of exports and options that iContact does, so it's more than just an email platform to me.

Automation is visually very simple and means that I know I'm reaching my audience at the correct times. I no longer have to manually send each email, and with the automation there are tons of options to segment in addition. This means I'm not sending frivolous emails, so that keeps our open rate high.

Cons

I have three businesses that have to be kept separate and my only big complaint is that I can't copy automation plans or other things back and forth between them. So a lot of time is wasted redoing certain campaigns between the locations.

I also think the social connectivity needs to be updated. Twitter for one is outdated and the actual website allows much more text to be posted than in-app. They're several updates behind on Twitter.

Pros

The recent upgrade to the platform matches natural workflow (and spots for quality checks to prevent mistakes). We've saved time creating and managing our emails. We have a dedicated advisor that responds quickly when we have needs or questions. It's much nicer than an anonymous "call center" where you get who you get. I especially like the new upgrades to the platform, which reflect the way I/we work in an increasingly intuitive way.

Cons

I would like to see more seamless integrations with other software and extensions, such as a text-to-join feature.

Pros

The new email templates are nice and easy to use once you get the hang of it. The analytics and insights are helpful in gauging how many people are seeing our messages. I also like the ease with which we can add and remove contacts.

Cons

The new templates are easier to use than the original email layout, but there are an awful lot of steps in the formatting. I feel like that process could be streamlined. Also, I understand that our account doesn't allow for tons of file storage, but it would be nice if the individual file/asset upload size was a bit bigger. I also think that there could be a more user-friendly way to re-verify contacts. We have over 8,000 contacts we email regularly but the process to re-verify contacts to keep our lists healthy is really confusing.

Pros

We have not found anything we cannot do with iContact. If we can't figure it out a call to support gets us the answer we need. For those looking for API support, according to a large client of ours the API is very robust and easy to use.

Cons

There are UI areas in the software that can be improved. The creation and management of segments needs to be easier.

Pros

'm really enjoying using iContact as a full-fledged communication tool. It's simple to send out emails and messages to my contacts promptly, plus I can tailor the content to suit my requirements. Moreover, the customer service is excellent, always responding quickly and being helpful. Additionally, I'm impressed with the range of features that come with iContact - such as contact segmentation, email automation, and the analytics tool. The analytics feature is especially helpful, as I can keep tabs on who opened my emails, and from that data, I can make informed decisions about upcoming campaigns.

Cons

I have no complaints about the product so far.

Pros

I like that I can send my weekly blog out to people around the country

Cons

I don't like how I can't align the lines on my document. Wish I had more choices on aligning the lines on the newsletter.

Pros

Our e-mails always get into the inbox, and we have a dedicated account manager. We've saved by switching from a competing ESP. Received same level of service for 1/4 the cost.

Cons

Difficult to get account issues taken care of when your account manager is out of the office. Difficult to do real time segments. For example, if I want to exclude anyone who has not opened any e-mails in the past 180 days, there is not a way for me to create a segment based on that criteria that updates on its own, that is, if someone who was on the 180-day non-opener list decides to open an old e-mail, they should automatically drop off that list. Similarly, someone who was not on the non opener list yesterday who hits 180 days without opening today, should be added to that segment. Other ESPs have this ability.

Pros

I found IContact to be an incredibly user-friendly email marketing service. Its user interface was easy to understand, making it simple to create, customize and personalize newsletters and forms. I was especially impressed with the drag-and-drop design feature that allowed me to produce attractive campaigns quickly and efficiently.

Cons

I can't think of anything that I disliked about iContact. It's a great platform for managing email campaigns and building relationships with customers.

Pros

Ease of use, It is a reliable tool for our business

Cons

I can't think of anything negative right now

Pros

CS picks up the phone great traing video

Cons

no complaints at all - great staff is always there for me

Pros

When our company first switched to Icontact from our email provider, we were very satisfied as their responsive technical support, quick setup, and easy to use interface was a perfect email solution. Icontact is a solid choice for small to medium sized companies looking to grow their list in a comfortable environment. You will get better support from regular technical support and they are more willing to work with you, and quickly resolve any issues. Their email deliverability is above average.

Cons

Their templates leave much to be desired. If you have some html/css knowledge and are creative, then you can modify theirs or create your own. Sometimes our emails would end up in spam, without explanation from Icontact. Icontact is a good company, however if you are considering in moving to Enterprise account, you may consider looking elsewhere. Stick with regular technical support plans due urgent issues being resolved quicker. They have a deliverability team but they may disable sending and removing large amounts of emails without a warning which is very strange especially if you need to send out emails the next day.

Pros

At our business, we appreciate the timed releases, simple platform, and easy-to-access data following an email release.

Cons

The only thing we wish there could be an improvement on is ease of design. It seems like there are some quirks where we try to change a font color and it snaps back to the original, forcing us to go into HTML mode to edit. Thankfully, it's easy to switch between "design-mode" and "HTML mode."

Pros

It's easy to use as long as you don't try to get creative. I also like that you can copy a previous email and use it as a template for a new email - much quicker.

Cons

Sometimes it won't send test messages, and, a few months ago the Facebook connection feature stopped working so I haven't been able to use it. Also, it's a pain to include pictures in an email. The text wrapping feature does not work. I get it looking great in the program, but as soon as I send the email or test it, it gets all messed up. Lastly, the links get corrupted if you try to copy and paste them in a lot, so that is frustrating if you have to redo all the links sometimes.

Pros

I like the ease of selecting all or just some contact lists for individualized messages. Formatting is easy, and you can switch seamlessly between HTML and Design mode while working on your message. Customer service has always been very responsive anytime I have had a problem or question.

Cons

The one thing I wish I could do is edit images within the document if the sizing is not quite right. If they can ever get this functionality going, it will be perfect!

Pros

The software has come a long way from its earlier stages. The editor is VERY user friendly, but of course has its quirks just like any email software. iContact has worked the best for us, and given us the ability to create an email marketing strategy that is fine tuned to our audience and what they respond to. There is a lot of flexibility and functions that make this product easily tailored to your specific needs as a brand or business. One of our favorite things though, is the support team and specifically our own specialist that has an answer for every problem. He has gone above and beyond to make our experience as smooth and effective as possible.

Cons

As we mentioned, there are quirks with any email software. In particular there are some design/layout functionalities in the new editor that sometimes don't line up just right - or at least don't give us the full access to configure the email certain ways. But we always find an alternative way to make it work.

Pros

The new templates are super easy to use and make for very easy team collaboration, even when members of a team are very inexperienced with iContact.

Cons

iContact doesn't have the name recognition that Constant Contact has or even Wordpress to some extent. Thus, I do run into problems trying to convince others that iContact works just as well (and in some cases, better) than those others.

Alternatives Considered

Constant Contact and WordPress

Reasons for Choosing iContact

Cost

Switched From

Constant Contact

Reasons for Switching to iContact

Cost difference and software familiarity

Pros

Rapid distribution is helpful, particularly when time is of the essence- as in an announcement that is time sensitive.

Cons

Limited framework of colors, boxes, etc. The former software had more flexibility in layout. When the changeover was made, the help desk was booked a week out.

Pros

I have been using iContact for over 3 years now and never had any major issues with them. Email marketing gets a whole lot easier with iContact's features and amazing tools.

The best thing about iContact is the ease of use. You can get started without any training. They have kept things simple, user-friendly, and their interface is top-notch.

Drag-and-drop builder is another reason why its hard to switch to other email marketing services. I have tried drag-and-drop email builders of other email marketing services as well (GetResponse, MailChimpl, Mailerlite, etc.) but I personally find iContact the best in the game.

Subscriber management and ability to segment subscribers based on multiple variables is another advantage that has always helped me in understanding my subscribers and sending them relevant emails.

Cons

My only concern is price. It is expensive as compared to other email marketing services. Additionally, they don't have any free plan. Most of their competitors have like MailChimp and mailerlite.

Pros

easy to use, keeping changes without saving

Cons

not enough options (template),not available report of users who opened or not . It would be helpful to have option of 6 month inactivity to easy remove inactive accounts. Also you count one person as 2 or 3 if i put it to different lists. It's the same email and should be counted as 1.

Pros

I love the flexibility this software offers. The drag-and-drop capability makes it possible to create any look you want, and the ability to reuse content from previous sends has made my life easy. We can also manage any number of separate client folders for sends on their behalf. The support team is great and our strategic account manager has been a fantastic resource for understanding the analytics and recommending ways to improve our stats.

Cons

Some of the capability can be tricky as a new user, so that makes it difficult to have others step in and be able to quickly create messages. Training is key. I also wish there was a better way to connect our internal contacts database with the iContact database, right now I have to manually upload contact lists regularly.

Pros

The customer service. It is always excellent and they go above and beyond to help. Day/Evening whatever, I've gotten great service. I use them for my employer for over 5 years, but I was also volunteering for a small non-profit group that had a tiny budget. Their salesperson was fantastic setting us up with what we needed for little money, and thinking about what we might need for the future. I was really impressed. When I have had questions or the rare problem they helped right away, either on chat or the phone.

Cons

Perhaps they might not be as fancy as other companies, but redesigning our newsletters isn't something we do often, so we might not be taking advantage of all the new stuff they have put in place.

Pros

I like that you are easily able to create HTML emails and if you don't know HTML, they have ready-made templates that you can use where you can just plug and send. I also like the rate of deliver where emails are going to inboxes and not junk mail - makes for better metrics when you look at opens and clicks.

Cons

The ability to copy and paste a URL to create a new HTML message does not always work/format the way I'd like sometimes, but I do like that ability.

Pros

The platform is user friendly for people who aren't as versed in HTML. You're able to easily create tables/borders. The service is relatively fast. We pay for an account so we have an account manager that is able to assist us whenever we need.

Cons

Their new drag/drop platform isn't able to create any template you'd like so we have to continue using our old templates.

Pros

I'm very happy with all the great templates and designs! The navigation has also improved a great deal. It's easy to be creative and put out a great informational product to my guests. I also appreciate the information that I can see what worked best within the email I sent, by watching open, clicks, etc.

Cons

This software is a big improvement from the previous software, so it's difficult for me to say what I like least. I don't have any complaints.

Pros

iContact is more that and great platform, the technical assistance/guidance is the best advantage for our company. We have monthly meetings with our rep to help us get better at what we do; Take advantage of the customize-able products and measure our increased success in the industry. Our current open rate is about 30% more than 100,000 active emails.

Cons

icontact 2.0 is a little slow painting our HTML code and has some clunkiness to it, but this is common for any new roll-out. I have no desire to change to any other provider.