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I suppose Moosend was taking a leaf out of Mailchimp’s book when they came up with the name for their email marketing software?
Though not quite on the same scale as Mailchimp, Moosend has seen a sharp rise in popularity in the US since September 2021. No doubt this is a result of its acquisition by Sitecore, an American software company, which took place in May of the same year.
With the potential to become a serious player in the email marketing world, it’ll certainly be interesting to see where this startup from Greece goes from here!
But what about the actual product? How does it perform, and will it serve your marketing needs? This detailed Moosend review will answer all of these questions and more as I take a deep dive into the email marketing software.
Moosend Review Summary
Moosend is on the more affordable end of the spectrum. Prices start at just $10/month and a generous freemium and pay-as-you-go plan are also available. Features include a drag and drop email builder, landing page builder, marketing automation and detailed reporting. It’s a great choice if you require automation workflows at little or no cost.
Let’s talk a bit about marketing automation. This is often seen as a pro feature, reserved for higher-tier plans. What I really like about Moosend is that it’s made available to all customers, even those on its free plan. What’s more, it provides you with a number of detailed automation templates, so the work is pretty much already done for you.
Another one of its key features is reporting, something that is also available across plans. But is this enough to sway you? Read on to find out all the pros and cons of using Moosend as your email service provider.
Moosend screenshots
Moosend Pricing
Note that Moosend also has a very affordable pay-as-you-go plan. In fact, it’s the best deal we’ve come across, starting at just $5 for 5,000 emails.
Pros and Cons
Pro features included for free:
Advanced features such as multi-step marketing automation workflows, tracking and SPAM and design testing are all included on the freemium plan, as well as unlimited emails.
Fast and helpful support:
Support agents are on hand via live chat, which you can access from inside the editors. Responses are pretty immediate, in my experience, and have been helpful in resolving the questions I had.
Excellent reporting:
The reports are detailed and well laid out, with a click heatmap, geolocation insights and information on email clients and devices all included for free.
Not always the most user-friendly tool:
The email editor and signup form builder are in need of a revamp, like Moosend has done with the rest of the software. I imagine this is on their roadmap, so let’s hope it’s prioritized for 2022.
The design templates aren’t brilliant:
The signup form, landing page and newsletter templates could all do with an update. I’d also like to see more of a selection in general.
Is Moosend the right newsletter service for you?
Recommended if:
You’re looking for a free or affordable email marketing service:
With unlimited emails, pro features and branding-free emails, the free plan is one of the best around. Even when you start paying, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by its small price tag.
You need a pay-as-you-go plan:
Moosend’s pay-as-you-go option is the most affordable we’ve seen yet. For just $5 you’ll get 5,000 emails.
You’re in need of excellent marketing automation templates:
The 18 templates offered are detailed and varied, meaning you can set up a number of time-saving workflows in a few minutes.
You need detailed reports:
Offering a whole host of information, Moosend’s reports feature everything you need, including click maps, geolocation, revenue generated by campaigns and email clients.
Not recommended if:
You’re looking for a super smooth tool:
The drag and drop email builder is sometimes a bit slow and buggy. This could do with a design update. The signup form builder is also not the most intuitive.
You’re looking for an emailing service with excellent deliverability:
Moosend scored just averagely in our email deliverability tests. A better alternative at a similar price point would be MailerLite.
Rating details
| criterion | rating | comments |
|---|---|---|
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Ease of Use |
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Moosend is not as easy to use as other tools such as MailerLite. The user interface was recently updated, however, the email editor was not. This means that there is a slight disjoint between the two designs, and the editor is sometimes slow to load. |
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Newsletter Creation |
||
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Editor |
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In the drag and drop email builder, you can set your default settings for everything from text to buttons. All the important content elements are included: video, countdown timer, products, etc., and live chat is on hand to help. The only downside is that you may experience some delays loading a chosen template or adding certain elements. |
|
Personalization |
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You can add custom fields to the subject line and email body. |
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Email types |
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Classic newsletters, autoresponders, A/B testing, recurring newsletters, automated workflows. No SMS marketing available. |
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Choice and Flexibility of Template Designs |
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It’s a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, they’re responsive, but some are quite basic and not very modern. One cool thing is that you can easily import professional photos from Unsplash into your templates. |
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Email Marketing Automation |
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18 excellent marketing automation templates available. The visual automation builder is well-designed, much better than the newsletter editor. |
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List Management |
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Import contacts via .TXT .CSV, excel import, manually, copy/paste, or via Google contacts or Salesforce integration. You can easily copy subscribers to other lists and unsubscribe or delete contacts from single or all lists. |
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Registration Forms/ Opt-in & Opt-out- Process |
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There are 11 responsive signup form templates, which you can add your own custom fields to directly in the form builder. Unfortunately, because there are so many editing options, it can be a little difficult to find what you’re looking for. |
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Deliverability |
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Moosend hasn’t performed particularly well in our email deliverability tests, scoring averagely in the past few rounds. |
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Reports and Analysis |
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Reports are nicely designed and therefore easy to read. You have all the info you need: open, click, unsubscribe rate, bounces, etc. Data on devices, browsers, geolocation and email clients is also shown, as well as a click heatmap. |
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Languages |
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Available in seven languages. |
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Further Features |
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Spam- and Design-Testing |
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Free spam and design testing is available. It checks whether your email will pass the spam filters of all major email clients and offers suggestions for improvements. |
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Bounce Management |
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Shows bounces in reports. Hard bounces are added to a suppression list |
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Blocklist |
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Yes, this is called a ‘suppression list’. Moosend automatically adds hard bounces and complaints, but you can also upload contacts manually and export them. |
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Storage available for data and images |
Unavailable |
There’s no central area where images are stored. |
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Pro Features |
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Authentication |
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SPF and DKIM. |
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Own Domain |
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Yes |
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Different levels of account access |
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Yes, 6 different options with varying levels of access and permissions. |
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Integrations |
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It’s a very thin list, made up of just 18. Missing website and ecommerce builders and major CRMs. |
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Landing Page Editor |
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The mobile responsive templates follow the same design themes as the email templates, so you can replicate the same branding. |
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Support |
4.5/5 |
Detailed, up-to-date knowledge base available. Live chat is fast and helpful. |
|
Overall rating |
3.8/5 |
Though it needs to find a way to make its email and form builder more user-friendly, the generous allowances and excellent marketing automation makes Moosend a great option for small businesses. |
Conclusion
Despite the issues with user-experience and templates, Moosend has a lot to offer for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Considering how affordable it is, and the advanced features, I wouldn’t overlook Moosend when deciding on the right email marketing service for your business.
The fact that all plans come with unlimited emails is a real plus, and you won’t have to put up with any annoying branding on your emails, even on the free plan.
So what have you got to lose?
Moosend Alternatives
MailerLite is one of the most affordable solutions, in fact, its free plan is very generous. Its approach to email marketing design is admirable, offering modern-looking templates that are easy to edit. Overall, it’s one of the easiest tools we’ve ever used.
Sendinblue is another very affordable all-in-one email marketing tool. It comes with advanced automation options and a built-in CRM.
GetResponse is a powerful alternative to Moosend, with loads of pro options (e.g. a webinar tool and sales funnel software). It’s user-friendly and has a good range of well-designed templates.
Still not sure which is the right newsletter tool for you? Try our Smart Finder.
UK-based email marketing software with a focus on simplicity and affordable prices.
About Roberta Phillips
