Are you paying more than you should for email and marketing tools? This article gives a clear, data-backed look at the plan tiers and real cost drivers so you can decide if switching saves money without hurting campaigns.
We’ll start with the facts: the platform offers a free tier and paid plans that scale by contacts and features. You’ll see exact numbers like $19 and $59 per month at the 1K-contact level, how auto-bumping works, and why duplicates across lists raise the total cost.
This section frames the decision around your list strategy and the features you actually need. You’ll learn which marketing features are must-haves and which add little value to daily email marketing.
Key Takeaways
- You’ll compare price per contact across plans and identify real cost drivers.
- Understand how auto-bumps and duplicate contacts inflate your bill.
- Match features to growth stages to avoid paying for unused tools.
- See quick side-by-side comparisons with other marketing platforms.
- Get a practical checklist to compute total cost as your list grows.
Quick take: Is GetResponse good value for small businesses right now?
For lean teams that send regular emails, the entry plan offers broad tools that punch above their cost. The $19/month tier (1,000 subscribers) includes unlimited email sends, landing pages, a website builder, basic automation, and 24/7 chat.
The jump to $59 unlocks advanced workflows and webinars. At $119 you get ecommerce tracking, abandoned-cart flows, recommendations, and transactional messages. Annual discounts (~18%) and nonprofit 50% off can change the math significantly.
Practical angle: if your use is newsletters and simple journeys, the starter plan delivers strong value. But multi-step automation, webinar hosting, or cart recovery push you into higher tiers fast. Auto-bumping when you exceed contacts makes monthly totals less predictable as you grow.
- Starter: best for regular newsletters and landing pages.
- Mid-tier: needed when you require complex automation or live events.
- Ecommerce: for stores that need cart and transactional emails.
| Plan | Price (1,000 subs/mo) | Key features | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing | $19 | Unlimited emails, landing pages, basic automations | Newsletters, simple funnels |
| Marketing Automation | $59 | Advanced workflows, webinars (100 attendees) | Lead nurturing, event campaigns |
| Ecommerce Marketing | $119 | Abandoned cart, product recommendations, transactional emails | Online stores tracking revenue |
| Discounts & Notes | ~18% annual, 50% nonprofit | Auto-bumping by contact count | Plan selection should reflect growth |
GetResponse pricing too expensive for small business: what’s driving the cost?
A few common account habits are the main drivers of sudden cost jumps. Know where charges come from and you can reduce surprises next billing cycle.
Active subscribers vs duplicates across lists
Charges apply to active subscribers, which sounds fair. But when the same contact sits in multiple lists, the platform counts that person more than once.
That duplication inflates your contacts and can push you into the next price tier mid-campaign.
Feature tiers that push you up a plan
Advanced automation, webinars, and ecommerce triggers live in higher plans. Even with a small list, needing cart recovery or product recommendations forces an upgrade.
- Duplicate lists increase billed contacts; clean list architecture lowers hidden cost.
- Auto-bumping raises your bill the moment you cross a threshold that month.
- Key features like automation workflows or webinars require higher plans.
- Add-ons (extra seats, event tools) add to the monthly total beyond base prices.
| Trigger | Typical result | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| List duplication | Higher contact count | Immediate tier jump |
| Webinars or deep automation | Plan upgrade | Higher per month charge |
| Ecommerce cart triggers | Move to ecommerce plan | Large price increase |
Watch contacts, match features to real campaign needs, and read the review complaints if you see unexpected bumps.
GetResponse pricing and plans explained by list size and features
Understanding how contact counts and feature sets pair lets you pick the right subscription tier. Start by matching how many active contacts you manage to the specific tools you need.
Free plan
The free plan gives 500 contacts and 2,500 monthly newsletters. You also get one website (5 GB), one landing page capped at 1,000 unique visitors, platform branding, and 30-day trials of premium features.
Email Marketing — from $19/month
This option covers 1,000 subscribers and unlimited emails. It includes landing pages, a site builder, basic automations, and 24/7 live chat support — a solid starter choice if your focus is regular newsletters and simple journeys. With this plan, you’ll also have the opportunity to engage your audience with valuable content, such as home design tips and ideas, helping to build a loyal subscriber base. Additionally, the customizable templates make it easy to create visually appealing newsletters that can showcase your latest offerings or promotions. This all-in-one package ensures you have the tools needed to grow your email marketing efforts effectively.
Marketing Automation — from $59/month
At this plan level you unlock advanced workflows, behavioral segmentation, and webinars (100 attendees). It also adds limited push notifications, three users, and support for multiple sites.
Ecommerce Marketing — from $119/month
Designed for stores, this tier adds ecommerce tracking, abandoned cart recovery, product recommendations, transactional emails, unlimited push notifications, five users, and larger webinar caps.
MAX / MAX2 — enterprise options
Enterprise tiers start near $1,099 per month and include SMS, phone support, dedicated IPs, CEM, higher webinar limits, enterprise API, SSO, and unlimited users. These are best when governance, scale, and a white-glove experience matter.
- Tip: compare which premium features you’ll actually use before moving up a plan.
- Watch contact thresholds closely — jumps happen as your contacts grow month to month.
| Tier | Starting | Key benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 500 contacts, 2,500 newsletters, 1 site |
| Email Marketing | $19/month | Unlimited emails, landing pages, live chat |
| Marketing Automation | $59/month | Advanced workflows, webinars, segmentation |
| Ecommerce | $119/month | Cart recovery, product recommendations, transactional emails |
What small businesses actually need: features to prioritize at each growth stage
Start by matching your immediate needs to the features that deliver measurable ROI. Pick tools that support campaigns you run now and leave clear upgrade paths as you scale.
Starter needs
If you are launching outreach, prioritize reliable newsletters, simple welcome and nurture automation, and landing pages to capture leads.
Live chat or embedded chat boosts opt-ins and helps convert visitors into subscribers without added complexity.
Growing lists
When lists expand, add behavioral segmentation, lead scoring, and funnels. These features let you qualify contacts and automate sequencing.
Multi-user access helps teams run campaigns and hand off workflow ownership cleanly.
Ecommerce needs
Stores should focus on abandoned cart recovery, product recommendations, and revenue tracking to tie email touches to sales.
These capabilities typically live in more advanced plans and directly improve average order value.
- Rule of thumb: avoid buying features you won’t use in the next 3–6 months.
- Confirm forms, A/B testing, and reporting meet baseline needs before upgrading.
| Stage | Key features | Typical plan match | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Newsletters, landing pages, basic automation, chat | Email Marketing | Low cost, fast setup, steady list growth |
| Growing | Segmentation, tagging, scoring, funnels, multi-user | Marketing Automation | Improves targeting and lead qualification |
| Ecommerce | Abandoned cart, recommendations, revenue tracking | Ecommerce Marketing | Drives recovery, AOV, and clear ROI |
Monthly cost benchmarks: how prices scale as your subscriber list grows
A clear snapshot of per-month costs at common contact milestones shows where jumps occur. Use these anchors to model spend and decide when to move plans or add segmentation tools.
1K, 2.5K, 5K, 10K, 25K, 50K, 100K at a glance
Email Marketing: $19, $29, $54, $79, $174, $299, $539 per month at 1K → 100K.
Marketing Automation: $59, $69, $95, $114, $215, $359, $599 per month across the same tiers.
Ecommerce Marketing: $119, $139, $169, $199, $299, $444, $699 per month.
Annual and biennial discounts vs month-to-month
Annual billing cuts the effective monthly rate by ~18%; biennial plans reduce it more. If your retention and growth are predictable, annual billing lowers total cost and smooths budgeting.
- Jumping from 10K to 25K often nearly doubles monthly fees—plan ahead.
- Keep a buffer below thresholds to avoid auto-bumps during acquisition spikes.
- If segmentation or ecommerce automation is imminent, price the next plan into your quarterly forecast.
| Contacts | Email Marketing | Marketing Automation | Ecommerce Marketing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1K | $19 | $59 | $119 |
| 10K | $79 | $114 | $199 |
| 100K | $539 | $599 | $699 |
Comparing GetResponse with popular email marketing tools for SMBs
Brevo and MailerLite usually undercut at mid-size lists. If you send fewer campaigns and need light automation, they lower your monthly cost while keeping newsletter and basic automation needs covered.
ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp trade higher prices for deeper automation. ActiveCampaign adds CRM-like scoring and advanced journeys. Mailchimp can cost more at scale but still suits teams that want an all-in-one content and campaign workflow.
Omnisend and Klaviyo target ecommerce. They include cart recovery, product feeds, and revenue attribution. Retailers often see better sales ROI with these platforms than with generalist marketing tools.
AWeber and HubSpot serve opposite ends: AWeber is simpler and cheaper for basic email campaigns, while HubSpot bundles cross-channel marketing and can quickly raise your bill when users and premium features scale.
- Tip: Balance headline price against automation depth, users, and expected sales lift.
- Brevo’s send-based model can beat contact-based plans if send volume is low.
| Platform | Example at 2K | Example at 10K | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | $29 | $39 | Low-send volumes, low-cost newsletters |
| MailerLite | $25 | $73 | Light automations, clean UI |
| ActiveCampaign | $39 | $149 | Deep automation, CRM features |
| Klaviyo / Omnisend | $— (ecommerce focus) | $— (ecommerce focus) | Stores needing cart and revenue tracking |
Ecommerce angle: abandoned cart, recommendations, and transactional emails
Ecommerce teams see the clearest ROI when abandoned cart and recommendation tools live in one platform. That consolidation reduces tool overlap and speeds time to first recovery sale.
When a cart is left, quick, branded emails and product suggestions close the gap between browse and purchase. The Ecommerce Marketing plan includes abandoned cart recovery, product recommendations, and transactional emails. It also adds ecommerce tracking, unlimited push notifications, webinars (300 attendees), and five users.
Why this matters: native tracking links orders to email touches so you can measure which automation and content drive real sales. Integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento sync product catalogs and revenue reporting for accurate segmentation and faster optimization.
When the plan beats stitching together add-ons
- Less tool fragmentation: transactional emails and cart flows live under one roof, improving deliverability and branding.
- Faster setup: native product sync reduces manual feeds and speeds automation launch.
- Clear attribution: revenue tied to email journeys helps prioritize high-performing content and segmentation.
| Capability | Ecommerce Plan | Add-on approach |
|---|---|---|
| Abandoned cart recovery | Included, native workflows | Third-party plugin + manual sync |
| Product recommendations | Built-in recommendation engine | Separate recommendation service |
| Transactional emails | Included, consistent deliverability | External SMTP/add-on service |
| Integrations | Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento sync | Custom connectors, higher setup time |
Hidden costs, limits, and discounts to know before you commit
Hidden charges and limits often change the real cost of an email and marketing account more than headline numbers do. Read the rules on contact counting and add-ons before you buy so your monthly forecast matches reality.
List duplication charges and auto-bumping to higher tiers
Active subscribers duplicated across multiple lists are billed multiple times. That single contact can inflate your contacts and push you into the next tier.
If your list crosses a threshold during the month, expect auto-bumping to the higher per month price immediately. That can create an unexpected cost spike during acquisition campaigns.
Nonprofit 50% off, 18%+ annual discounts, and limited refunds
Nonprofits can combine a 50% discount with annual billing to cut the effective rate. Annual plans also typically save ~18% versus month-to-month.
Note: refunds are rare. Verify refund and cancellation policies before you commit, especially if you plan short trials or heavy ramp-up periods.
Add-ons: webinars, team seats, AI recommendations, transactional emails
Add-ons change the headline price. Webinars start at about $40/month for small events and range higher for larger caps. Extra user seats often add a fixed fee plus a per-user charge.
| Addon | Typical cost | When to include |
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | $40–$99 per month | Live events, lead gen |
| Team seats | $20 + $5/user | Multiple campaign owners |
| Transactional / AI | Quoted or MAX add-on | Stores, automation intelligence |
- Keep segments in one list and use tags to avoid duplicate billing across lists.
- Plan acquisition to stay below thresholds or budget the temporary bump during peaks.
- Combine nonprofit and annual discounts if eligible to materially cut your annual cost.
- Price add-ons like webinars and extra users into your total account budget—headline prices rarely cover everything.
Live chat, support, and user seats: how service and access differ by plan
Support access and seat limits shape how teams use an email platform day to day. Paid plans include 24/7 chat support, which helps when launches or automations need quick fixes.
Starter accounts normally allow one user and live chat. That is often enough for a solo marketer sending regular email campaigns.
The mid-tier plan raises seats to three users and adds webinar capacity (100 attendees). This helps teams divide work and run coordinated marketing workflows without handing over a single login.
Ecommerce plans include five users and larger webinar caps (300 attendees). That extra access reduces bottlenecks when designers, analysts, and marketers all touch the same account.
- MAX: phone support, 10 users, dedicated CEM—good when you need SLA-backed response.
- MAX2: unlimited users, priority support, and SSO for enterprise governance and faster escalation.
| Plan | Users | Support level | When to upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing | 1 | 24/7 chat | Solo marketers, simple setups |
| Marketing Automation | 3 | 24/7 chat + webinars (100) | Small teams needing collaboration |
| Ecommerce Marketing | 5 | 24/7 chat + webinars (300) | Stores with multi-role teams |
| MAX / MAX2 | 10 / Unlimited | Phone, dedicated manager, priority | Enterprise-level support SLAs |
Practical tip: plan user growth before adding seats. Reliable support and proper access often prevent delays that cost more than the plan upgrade itself.
Best lower-cost alternatives if GetResponse is over budget
Not every brand needs an all-in-one enterprise suite; many find better value in focused, lower-cost tools.
Budget picks for newsletters and basic automation
MailerLite and Brevo are solid options when you prioritize newsletters, landing pages, and low send frequency.
They cut monthly price while keeping simple automation and reliable deliverability.
Best-value automation for SMBs
ActiveCampaign earns its place when automation depth matters.
It gives advanced builders, segmentation, and multistep journeys without forcing you into the highest tier too soon.
Top picks for ecommerce stores with carts and product feeds
Omnisend and Klaviyo focus on abandoned cart flows, product feeds, and revenue attribution.
These platforms often lift conversion rates enough to offset subscription cost.
- AWeber remains a practical option for straightforward newsletters and lean teams.
- Compare plans, users, and support tiers to make sure the cheaper option covers your list and campaigns as you scale.
| Use case | Best option | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletters | MailerLite / Brevo | Low monthly price, simple tools |
| Advanced automation | ActiveCampaign | Deep workflows, segmentation |
| Ecommerce | Klaviyo / Omnisend | Cart recovery, product feeds, attribution |
Migration and setup: moving contacts, lists, and campaigns without losing data
Migrating an email account takes planning—do it in stages to protect deliverability and history.
Start by auditing your data model: contacts, lists, tags, and segmentation. Consolidate duplicates and preserve engagement history before any export.
Export critical content next—templates, automations, landing pages, and funnels. Document the logic and timing of campaigns so you can rebuild flows quickly in the new platform.
- Map fields and consent: align consent statuses and custom fields to maintain deliverability and compliance.
- Time DNS and warmup: plan DNS changes and a warmup schedule to avoid inbox placement dips when you switch senders.
- Use vendor support: enterprise plans often include hands-on migration support; leverage documentation and assistance to cut risk.
Remember: deletions are permanent and refunds are rare. Export contact lists and content before canceling any account.
Quick checklist: audit data, export content, map fields, schedule DNS/warmup, and engage support to keep your marketing and ecommerce campaigns running smoothly.
Decision checklist: match your features, contacts, and budget to the right plan
Start with your highest-value email and marketing goals, then work backwards to the plan that covers them.
List the must-have features for the next 3–6 months. Keep this list tight: automations, segmentation, cart recovery, or simple newsletters.
Map current subscribers and expected growth to the tier breakpoints: $19 (Email Marketing), $59 (Marketing Automation), $119 (Ecommerce Marketing). Add a buffer to avoid auto-bumping when contacts spike.
If ecommerce is on your roadmap, estimate the extra monthly sales from abandoned cart and recommendations to justify stepping up to an ecommerce plan.
- Score each option by segmentation depth, campaign complexity, and support level.
- Model per-month spend with annual discount (~18%) factored in.
- Check list deduplication rules so duplicate contacts don’t push you into a higher tier.
| Decision step | What to check | When it matters | Quick action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature match | Automation, segmentation, cart tools | 3–6 month roadmap | Choose lowest plan covering must-haves |
| Contact math | Active subscribers, duplicates, growth rate | Monthly billing cycles | Model spend + buffer |
| ROI test | Estimated sales from cart recovery | Launching ecommerce flows | Run a pilot before upgrading |
| Review cadence | Plan fit vs usage and cost | Quarterly | Adjust plan or migrate |
Pro tip: gather community feedback via the review thread before you commit. Revisit the decision quarterly and pivot if campaign ROI slips.
Conclusion
Prioritize actions that increase revenue or save time before upgrading any subscription. Match your email and email marketing goals to a single plan that covers immediate needs like automation and newsletters.
Start on the free plan to validate lists and flows, then upgrade only when premium features or added users clearly lift ROI. Watch contact counts and duplicate entries to avoid surprise billing changes in monthly pricing.
Choose a platform with reliable live chat and fast support so your team and users stay productive. If the plan’s feature set outpaces your use, compare focused tools and platforms that may deliver better value.
Bottom line: be data-driven, keep lists clean, and let measured campaign results guide upgrades rather than feature FOMO.