VerticalResponse Email Marketing Review: Pros & Cons, Features, Ratings, Pricing and more
VerticalResponse has been in the email marketing game since 2001 — long enough to earn a reputation as one of the more dependable names in the space. The platform has powered campaigns for over 1.4 million businesses and it's easy to see why. It strips away the complexity that puts so many people off email marketing and makes the whole process approachable, even if you've never run a campaign before.
That said, the platform has evolved considerably since its early days. Alongside its core email tools, VerticalResponse now offers landing page creation, survey functionality, automated follow-up emails, and an AI-powered content assistant to help you write faster and smarter. In this review, we take a close look at where VerticalResponse stands today, including its updated pricing, newer AI features, and whether it still holds its own against a crowded field of competitors.
Plans and pricing
|
Plan |
Starting Rate |
|---|---|
|
Basic |
$13/month (up to 500 contacts) |
|
Pro |
$19/month (up to 500 contacts) |
|
Surveys Free |
$0/month |
|
Surveys Basic |
$19/month |
|
Pay as You Go |
From $30/1,000 credits |
VerticalResponse currently offers two email marketing plans, Basic and Pro, along with a Pay as You Go option for occasional senders. Pricing is contact-based, meaning your monthly rate increases as your list grows. Both plans allow unlimited email sends, so you're never penalized for sending more.
The Basic plan starts at $13/month for up to 500 contacts, and includes core email tools, unlimited landing pages, live customer support, automated follow-up emails, and customizable pop-up forms. Test Kit credits (for email previewing) are available as an add-on purchase.
The Pro plan starts at $19/month for up to 500 contacts and adds advanced reporting, delivery rate review, A/B subject line testing, and 10 included Test Kit credits per month.
For those who send emails occasionally, Pay as You Go lets you purchase credits rather than commit to a monthly plan. The starting rate is $30 per 1,000 email credits (for purchases of 200–1,000 credits), with the cost per thousand decreasing significantly for larger volumes.
VerticalResponse also offers a Surveys add-on. The free tier supports unlimited surveys with up to 10 questions and 100 respondents each. The paid Surveys Basic plan costs $19/month and removes those limits entirely.
A 60-day free trial is available with no credit card required. Non-profit organizations can apply for a 50% discount on all Pro plans.
AI tools
VerticalResponse has added an AI Content Assistant to its platform, designed to help you write email copy faster. It can generate a subject line, draft body text, and come up with a call to action. You describe what you're looking for and the assistant produces ready-to-use content, which you can then refine within the email editor.
The assistant is integrated into the existing editor rather than sitting as a separate tool, which keeps the workflow smooth. You don't need to leave your draft to use it. This kind of embedded AI assistance is increasingly standard across email platforms, but the implementation here is straightforward enough to suit the platform's non-technical audience. You don't need to know anything about prompting or AI to get useful results from it.
That said, the AI features here are more foundational than what you'd find on platforms like Mailchimp or HubSpot, which have invested heavily in predictive send-time optimization, AI-driven segmentation, and personalization at scale. VerticalResponse's AI Content Assistant is focused squarely on content generation, making it best suited to users who want a writing shortcut rather than a sophisticated intelligence layer across their entire campaign strategy.
Features
VerticalResponse is firmly focused on doing a handful of things well rather than trying to be everything to everyone. You get a clean drag-and-drop email editor, contact list management, HTML editing, mobile-responsive templates, automated follow-up emails, A/B subject line testing, and a landing page builder. It's a well-rounded core set that covers the needs of most small to mid-sized businesses.
One area where VerticalResponse stands out is its Test Kit, which lets you preview how your email looks across 50+ apps, devices, and browsers before you hit send. It operates on a credit system, which makes it accessible without locking it behind expensive plan tiers. The landing page builder is another highlight, offering SEO tools, self-hosting options, and web forms. It may prove useful for businesses that want to create a campaign destination without a full website.
Where the platform shows its limitations is in automation. The workflow builder doesn't offer the kind of visual, branching logic you'd find in more advanced tools like ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo. Automated follow-up emails are included, but building complex conditional sequences isn't really what this platform is designed for. Similarly, the template library is relatively modest in size, and some users have noted the designs feel dated compared to competitors.
Integrations cover essentials like Salesforce, Ecwid, JotForm, and Magento along with a developer API for custom connections. For a platform pitched at non-technical users, though, the integration ecosystem is less robust than some rivals. At its current price point, VerticalResponse delivers genuine value for straightforward email campaigns, but growing businesses with more complex needs may find themselves outgrowing it sooner than expected.
Setup
When we tried it, we found the setup process to be quick and simple. It started with entering our email address into the Start Free Trial box on VerticalResponse’s homepage, and then we were instantly redirected to a standalone sign-up page.
Next, we entered our login credentials and were given instant access to the Get Started page on the VerticalResponse web app. There’s options to follow the prompted setup instructions, or to explore the site independently. Follow the prompts, and in short order you’ll be asked to create your first email list. If you don’t want to do this, then just cancel the pop-up, and simply explore the site manually, as we did.
Performance
For the creation of emails and landing pages, the steps are particularly straightforward- with quite professional results. Those new to email marketing will feel comfortable using this interface with a minimal learning curve.
The VerticalResponse interface is quite clean, simple, making it very easy to navigate. Tabs get arranged over two tiers: the upper with Messages, Contacts, Forms, and Surveys, and below is Upload New List, Create Sign Up Form, Create Segmentation–or sub-groups, and Create Landing Page.
This thoughtful layout is organized, and ensures all key features are easily accessible. This makes the whole process, from creation of a bespoke email template, to sending it out, as easy and time-efficient as possible.
Adding contacts can be done individually, or imported in bulk. This process is quick and easy, and as the contact information gets added it is instantly displayed.
Security
It took plenty of digging to get some info on how VerticalResponse protects the data it handles. Frustratingly, we were unable to locate any references to security on its website.
To find out ultimately, we had to do a Google search. This query led us to an obscure, dateless post on VerticalResponse’s help site regarding the company’s intended migration from SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to TLS (Transport Layer Security) to mitigate SSL cyberattacks.
Also of note, this platform uses the privacy policy of its parent company Deluxe. It is explicit in its compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is a crucial piece of legislation for digital marketers.
Support
For information outside of office hours, support is available via email contact, but don’t expect an instant reply.
You can access help and support in-session by selecting the question box in the top left corner of the screen. There is the option to choose help for the page you are on, a useful feature, or consult the full index. In either case, you get redirected to the VerticalResponse help center.
This standalone website certainly contains a lot of information while being well organized, but we found some of the categories, like A/B testing, to be a little light on articles. Still, there is plenty of content, such as “Create a List of Non-responders,” and “How to add a Pop Up to a Landing Page.”
VerticalResponse has a live chat for a paid plan, but they only operate Monday-Friday 8 am-4:30 pm CST. When we submitted our question, Kimberly C, a live support person came in about a minute, and gave us our answer efficiently, and also wished us a good afternoon. We did not find phone support.
The competition
VerticalResponse does arguably offer good value for money at the low end of its price plans. However, as the contact scales up, the price quickly ramps up. Therefore, GetResponse might be better suited to a growing business, with its Basic plan starting at $15.58 per month for 1,000 contacts.
Yet another industry veteran is AWeber. This service is similarly priced, and also aims to simplify email marketing, but we prefer VerticalResponse as it offers a far greater range of features.
Final verdict
VerticalResponse is feature rich and well suited to first-time users not familiar with digital marketing strategies. The newly added AI features bring more value to a platform that's already carved out a market segment simply for being consistent and user-friendly throughout its existence.
That said, established businesses that need to run multiple complex email campaigns with deeper personalization and analytics built-in might be at a loss here. If you fall into that category, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or Brevo are newer alternatives worth looking into that still don't compromise on trust.
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