If you’re retired and considering starting an online business, you’re probably looking for cost-effective tools to help you grow.

One of the biggest must-haves is an email marketing service—it’s essential for reaching and engaging with your audience.

Remember, online no-one knows who you are, and how to distinguish you from so many others. It’s said that it can take an average of 7 follow-up contacts before anyone will remember / trust you. So you need to build an email list of subscribers who you can contact regularly and give help and support.

An auto-responder is how you do that, and because they integrate with different services that I recommend, I have ended up with four. That’s pretty nuts and you don’t need four, but each was serving a different purpose so I was happy to let them run along in parallel.

But I just found out that Aweber, which is excellent and reliable, is raising its price to $55 a month for even my small list.

OUCH!

I’ve used Aweber for a while and love their features, but honestly, I don’t need all those bells and whistles. For anyone just getting started, a simpler, more affordable option can get you just what you need without the high monthly cost.

So, after taking stock of what I’m already using, here are a few alternatives that are fantastic for anyone looking to keep costs down, and I’d love to share them with you.

SendShark

For $25 a month, you can manage a big list, up to 25,000 subscribers. That’s amazing value, especially for anyone just starting out. Plus, there’s some free training included to help you get going, which is great if you’re still learning the ropes.

However, even better, join within the umbrella of the Easy Commission Funnel (which is free) and you’ll get a special offer of a massive 50,000 subscribers for that same $25 per month.

Pros and Cons of SendShark as an alternative to Aweber

Pro: extremely affordable for such a large number of subscribers, long established business with a good track record. Lots of training videos. Prompt replies to support tickets. Good page builder included. Includes a very clever affiliate commission system that could cover the cost of your monthly fee — explained inside the free training here.

Con: Fairly dated interface and I didn’t find it very intuitive to use at first, but as you get more experienced it grows on you. You may think you don’t want to pay for all those subscribers when you’re starting out, but that single price should cover you for many years to come as your business grows.

LeadsLeap

LeadsLeap actually has a free option, and you can start earning as a free member, with no risk. You get unlimited subscribers, but limited facilities in the free acount. Start with that until you need the extra facilities and then you can upgrade for $27 a month, or if you see the value of the upgraded account within 48hrs you can have a locked in discount.

Leads Leap is also part of the Easy Commission Funnel and if you build the Easy Commission Funnel properly, the commissions you earn from LeadsLeap upgrades will mean that its subscriptions are a thing of the past.

Cons: Just one, but it’s a big one. Only supports double optin, which isn’t very common these days, so I worry I may lose subscribers who ‘forget’ to confirm. However, you can add HTML code to the pages you build and direct your subscriber to a different auto-responder, or give potential subscribers such a valuable ‘lead magnet’ that they’ll be scurrying to find it.

Pros: Superb support and unobtrustive explanations and prompts at every stage to get set up. Long established business (since 2008). Earn even as a free member. Extra advertising included inside and ways to earn. Flexible page builder that makes it really easy to design and amend unusual pages. So many features that a beginner online marketer doesn’t realise they need, until they DO need them, and LeadsLeap has them. Open a free account here — nothing to lose even if you choose a different auto-responder.

MailerLite

MailerLite is a super affordable auto-responder, that I’ve used for several years, and you can even get started for free if you have a small list. It’s straightforward and does what you need—no frills, just a solid email service and good support. There are enhancements if you need them.

Open your free MailerLite account here.

Systeme.io

Systeme.io is another great tool that you can start using completely free, especially if you’re also thinking of creating courses or funnels for your business.

It’s an all-in-one system, so you can do email and even build websites without extra software.

Although I emember being very impressed with the facilities, and know others speak highly of it, I’m not very experienced with Systeme.io and not a current user. I started using it to build my own course, then stopped doing that when I realised that it was more efficient to use a ready built one. (The Easy Commission Funnel – why reinvent the wheel when someone has already done a better job than I could ever do?)

GetResponse

GetResponse is a reliable option if you’re looking for something a bit more established. They offer flexible pricing as your list grows, and it integrates well with many training programs for affiliate marketers.

This was another auto-responder I have fond memories of but stopped using it purely to thin down the number of monthly subscribers. It’s worth serious consideration as a replacement for Aweber and integrates with the other course I recommend: Master Affiliate Profits (MAP).

You can have a look round by opening a free GetResponse account here.

Email Marketing Without Breaking the Bank!

So there you have it! These options are affordable, user-friendly, and have all the basics covered for anyone starting an online business, especially if you’re looking to keep costs low. Take a look and see which one might fit your needs best. Why pay more for features you may not even use?

“Aweber, with, regret, you’re fired”. I just can’t afford that $55 monthly price, and the facilities it offers for that price are beyond what I need. Clearly I am too small for their notice at whatever price I WAS paying.

I have enjoyed using Aweber and may revert to being a free user for the one program integrated into it that will take quite a while to change over.

If you are a large email marketer, I still recommend Aweber, as the only thing I have against it is the price for small startups. Check Aweber out here.

Recommended Aweber alternatives (all affiliate links):

• SendShark (special price only within the free Easy Commission Funnel)
• LeadsLeap
• Systeme.io
• MailerLite
• GetResponse

If you’re looking to promote, or learn from, a ‘learn list building’ course and you’d like to discuss whther MAP or The Easy Commission Funnel is best for you, please contact me on Facebook with your questions. But ONLY after you’ve watched the videos on both sites.