Self Hosted Autoresponder Vs. Aweber/Getresponse

18 replies
Does anyone know the reality of claims made by Aweber and Getresponse? If I have an autoresponder hosted on my own, will it have less deliverability than large hosting services who supposedly campaign major email providers to assure them they don't spam people?
#autoresponder #aweber or getresponse #hosted
  • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
    I think you'll find you have better deliveabilty rates if you have your autoresponders set up with a third party.

    Hosting your own may also land you in trouble with your hosting service, especially if you are on shared hosting

    Kim
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  • Profile picture of the author Jhf14
    I'm not entirely sure, I don't know why your self hosted responder would be any worse... If you are worried about it and don't want to pay for service, you can use a free autoresponder... i know there are some good ones out there (i used to use Sendfree for a long time with some good success).
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    • Profile picture of the author radhika
      If you are non-techie, go with third party autoresponder.

      If you know/want to learn and optimize your site, then go with your own autoresponder. Some of my clients using their own VPS with domain keys, SPF record etc with excellent deliverability.

      So it entirely depends on YOU and your comfort zone.

      .
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  • Profile picture of the author jonhel
    You'll need your own dedicated server if you go the self-hosted route because you have no avenue to remove yourself from blacklists etc. in a shared environment.

    Jonathan
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    • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
      If you try and run an autoresponder script from a shared server, they will shut you down faster than you can say subscriber.

      And yes I agree about the dedicated server, even then your deliverabilty is going to be on the poor side. Companies such as aweber, 1shopping cart etc work very hard with organisations such as spamhaus etc to ensure their deliverabilty. Even then they don't always get through

      Originally Posted by jonhel View Post

      You'll need your own dedicated server if you go the self-hosted route because you have no avenue to remove yourself from blacklists etc. in a shared environment.

      Jonathan
      Tim

      I use my own server and had my own script installed, I'd only sent out a few emails (And I certainly don't send out spam), and my server was blacklisted so I speak from experience.

      It took my web master a few days to get the blacklisting removed.

      All it needs is a couple of people to reach for the spam button because they are too idle to unsubscribe.

      Kim

      Originally Posted by Tim Franklin View Post

      That is the Biggest MYTH online today...

      The idea that any single email service provider, who send out thousands of emails every day so much so that they have to be white listed by servers.

      Any company in the position of sending out thousands of emails every day will have just the same amount of problems with the so called deliverability issue.

      the only difference is that they have staff that works on keeping the IP addresses off the black list, basically you are paying someone to do that for you.

      So the idea that only a big Email Service Provider can accurately deliver email is not only a myth it is a LIE,

      I know many people that use yahoo and successfully deliver hundreds of emails every day with no problems, and yahoo is free, so you can believe the lie and pay the 20 or 50 bucks depending on the service or you can use develop one of your own and get the same success rate with much less of a headache,

      Please note if you do not read the following sentence, you will look like a fool when you reply with flames.

      ( Most users have less than 3000 on their lists and so do not need a managed service )

      There are certain situations where some marketers will need the managed service, if you are sending out 100 thousand emails a day then yes, you need it, but 98 percent of the time, most marketers are just paying out the 20 bucks for nothing.
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  • Profile picture of the author karum
    You have to get a autoresponder script for your self hosting.Others are doing it for you. Also; They are checking their service status periodly.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim Franklin
    That is the Biggest MYTH online today...

    The idea that any single email service provider, who send out thousands of emails every day so much so that they have to be white listed by servers.

    Any company in the position of sending out thousands of emails every day will have just the same amount of problems with the so called deliverability issue.

    the only difference is that they have staff that works on keeping the IP addresses off the black list, basically you are paying someone to do that for you.

    So the idea that only a big Email Service Provider can accurately deliver email is not only a myth it is a LIE,

    I know many people that use yahoo and successfully deliver hundreds of emails every day with no problems, and yahoo is free, so you can believe the lie and pay the 20 or 50 bucks depending on the service or you can use develop one of your own and get the same success rate with much less of a headache,

    Please note if you do not read the following sentence, you will look like a fool when you reply with flames.

    ( Most users have less than 3000 on their lists and so do not need a managed service )

    There are certain situations where some marketers will need the managed service, if you are sending out 100 thousand emails a day then yes, you need it, but 98 percent of the time, most marketers are just paying out the 20 bucks for nothing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brad Gile
    I've thought about going the self hosted route myself. I currently use GetResponse and like them. But I'm thinking of switching and using this company pretty soon Follow Up Autoresponder and Mailing List Software - AutoResponse Plus (not affiliated in anyway)

    Sometimes I wonder if would be better to have your autoresponder setup on a dedicated hosting account with your own ip address instead of sharing one with others.
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  • Profile picture of the author JesseT
    So if you created your own auto responder you could get blacklisted? Even if you built your own list instead of buying one? I guess some people want the free e-books you give them without all the spam. I would assume as long as you can prove you are CANSPAM compliant and have proof that you have done business with the email in question in the past any blacklisting would get dropped.
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    • Profile picture of the author jacktackett
      If you're on a shared hosted environment that's a bad assumption. Domains typically are not blacklisted - its ips. As kim has stated trying this on a shared hosted account is just asking for trouble.

      You really need to understand your lists - e.g. I would never buy a list and use it - either self hosted or using a service provider. No reputable company will sell a list anyway. They'll JV with you and send an email out to the list using their system. That's why almost all service providers will not allow you to use a purchased list.

      If you have a list of folks who really know you and are not liable to hit the spam button instead of the unsubscribe link - then self hosting is doable - but on a dedicated server. Going that route I can highly recommend Autoresponse Plus. The program works well and I've used it for years.

      Most service providers are going to have about the same delivery rate and service levels, so it comes down to your preference and the add ons they provide. I've used most of the top providers and at the moment am using iContact since their community offers some great Google back linking.

      If you want to see what others have said here please use the search feature in the forum - this question gets asked very frequently with lots of good responses.

      good luck,
      --Jack

      Originally Posted by JesseT View Post

      So if you created your own auto responder you could get blacklisted? Even if you built your own list instead of buying one? I guess some people want the free e-books you give them without all the spam. I would assume as long as you can prove you are CANSPAM compliant and have proof that you have done business with the email in question in the past any blacklisting would get dropped.
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  • Profile picture of the author Renate
    You can get your own autoresponder script from Parabots Autoresponder System (I am no afiliate) for free and install on your own server. I am using the same autoresponder script hosted from a third party and I like it. The past 2 years I had my own autoresponder on my own hosting, but the script I used had too many bugs. And I was only able to send 500 mails per hour. The third party I use is norabots.com (using the script which is offered for free by parabots) for $10/months. Only restriction, you cannot import any leadlists because of bad experiences with bouncing mails. The monthly fee will keep this way no matter how big your lists grow.
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  • Profile picture of the author Richelo Killian
    Let me try and shed some light from the perspective of been there, and done that.

    I used to be with Aweber, but, there were some things I was not happy with.

    While still with them, I got a separate shared hosting account, and installed PHPList.

    The 1st issue I ran into is the fact that MOST shared hosting accounts will only allow you to send a limited number of emails per hour from your account. In my case it was 200 per hour.

    My list was growing quickly, so, I moved to a dedicated server.

    I started missing some of the advanced stats and features I had in Aweber, and moved from the free PHPList to ARP3.

    Things were still "OK" on the deliverability front, but, emails to Yahoo took longer and longer to get delivered.

    Then I started researching ways to get delivered to Yahoo quicker. I started hitting stuff like DKIM, Domain Keys, sender ID, Feedback Loop, SPF, reverse DNS, and a host of other things.

    Now, I am VERY techie, but, it took me a couple of months to study up on how all these things work, as well as get them setup correctly.

    Once all was done, my deliverability rate GREATLY improved not only to Yahoo, but, to many other ISP's.

    Then, it happened..... One of my emails was marked as SPAM by quite a few users on Yahoo, and 1 of these users reported my server to a black list org.

    This is where a MAJOR learning curve started, as well as extensive relationship building with Yahoo, as well as many other ISP's.

    I did get the black list lifted, and sorted things with Yahoo.

    I then started learning about white listing, and learned that white listing is VERY expensive, BUT, it does guarantee that if your mail content is clean, your message WILL get delivered.

    I also outgrew ARP3, and ended up doing my own thing.

    Total time taken.... Around 3 years.

    Total cost, including white listing, etc..... about 100 times what I would have paid Aweber had I stayed with them for 3 years.

    Trust me when I tell you that there is a reason companies like Aweber charge you a monthly fee, and there is ALSO a reason why most marketers use companies like Aweber. The time and money investment in keeping a server in the clear with ISP's is astronomical.

    For those running their own scripts, and saying Aweber and such is a lie.... It's only a matter of time until ONE subscriber gets you completely shut down.

    O, and by the way, for those believing that ONLY the IP gets blacklisted..... NOT ANYMORE!!!! Both Yahoo and Gmail have begun an initiative to block a domain as well as the IP!
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    • Profile picture of the author Jesus Perez
      Originally Posted by Richelo Killian View Post

      Let me try and shed some light from the perspective of been there, and done that...

      O, and by the way, for those believing that ONLY the IP gets blacklisted..... NOT ANYMORE!!!! Both Yahoo and Gmail have begun an initiative to block a domain as well as the IP!
      I can backup all this information as completely accurate as someone that also does, and has done this.

      And he's right...domains do get blacklisted...especially on AOL. I know this to be a fact.
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    • Profile picture of the author netmanec
      Thanks for that. Very useful.
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  • Profile picture of the author eidoan
    I used phpList on my own dedicated server for years, and it's ok software, but slow sending, constant settings or database issues that need to be fixed, poor deliverability and constantly getting black listed made me try Aweber. I've been using it exclusively for about 2 years now and it's awesome, price, service, and deliverability is great.

    It's not perfect of course, it's has problems like everything else, once in a while, but the problem have never been more than minor headaches that passed quickly, unlike what I was dealing with when using phpList.
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    • Profile picture of the author jamawebinc
      Self hosting an autoresponder does not make sense for the person who is a 1 man company.

      If you have a staff dedicated to working on the autoresponder (making sure deliverability is high, establishing relationship with the large domains, etc) then it makes more sense.

      What you are doing when you use a service such as aweber or getresponse, or any of them, is you are essentially hiring them.

      This lets you compete with huge companies that have large staffs. Amazon has a large staff so they can afford to have a custom email list solution.

      By using a mailing list service you can compete because you now have access to their entire staff and all their departments.

      And the cost is nill compared to what it would cost you if you had to hire people individually to do the same thing.

      So, the monthly fee is nothing compared to the service you get and the headaches you save. It only becomes a problem for people barely making any money or not making money at all.

      When I see people complain about paying a monthly fee - I think of the quote:

      "A cynic is one who knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing"

      The benefits are so numerous.

      a) you don't have to worry about deliverability
      b) any background technical problems, are not yours to worry about and get fixed
      c) Customer support to walk you through any other problems
      d) many of them can integrate seamlessly with the right shopping carts

      As far as deliverability goes, it is not that your own hosted script won't work, but unless you are devoting a lot of time to keeping an eye on your autoresponder, deliverability will start to be compromised.

      You will then have to spend even more time trying to fix it.

      Mailing list / autoresponder services do not get a pass on deliverability. The same thing happens with them.

      They make sure you follow certain policies they have implemented so their deliverability does not suffer.

      Things like double opt-in, automatically removing people who click "spam" etc.

      If deliverability suffered, there would be no point in people signing up for their service.

      These companies understand why most people use their services...These companies understand what their biggest benefit is, and their staff is in place to do the work so you don't have to.

      And you can hire them for only a small monthly fee.
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  • Profile picture of the author billaaa777
    Let me try and shed some light from the perspective of been there, and done that.

    I used to be with Aweber, but, there were some things I was not happy with.

    While still with them, I got a separate shared hosting account, and installed PHPList.

    The 1st issue I ran into is the fact that MOST shared hosting accounts will only allow you to send a limited number of emails per hour from your account. In my case it was 200 per hour.

    My list was growing quickly, so, I moved to a dedicated server.

    I started missing some of the advanced stats and features I had in Aweber, and moved from the free PHPList to ARP3.

    Things were still "OK" on the deliverability front, but, emails to Yahoo took longer and longer to get delivered.

    Then I started researching ways to get delivered to Yahoo quicker. I started hitting stuff like DKIM, Domain Keys, sender ID, Feedback Loop, SPF, reverse DNS, and a host of other things.

    Now, I am VERY techie, but, it took me a couple of months to study up on how all these things work, as well as get them setup correctly.

    Once all was done, my deliverability rate GREATLY improved not only to Yahoo, but, to many other ISP's.

    Then, it happened..... One of my emails was marked as SPAM by quite a few users on Yahoo, and 1 of these users reported my server to a black list org.

    This is where a MAJOR learning curve started, as well as extensive relationship building with Yahoo, as well as many other ISP's.

    I did get the black list lifted, and sorted things with Yahoo.

    I then started learning about white listing, and learned that white listing is VERY expensive, BUT, it does guarantee that if your mail content is clean, your message WILL get delivered.

    I also outgrew ARP3, and ended up doing my own thing.

    Total time taken.... Around 3 years.

    Total cost, including white listing, etc..... about 100 times what I would have paid Aweber had I stayed with them for 3 years.

    Trust me when I tell you that there is a reason companies like Aweber charge you a monthly fee, and there is ALSO a reason why most marketers use companies like Aweber. The time and money investment in keeping a server in the clear with ISP's is astronomical.

    For those running their own scripts, and saying Aweber and such is a lie.... It's only a matter of time until ONE subscriber gets you completely shut down.

    O, and by the way, for those believing that ONLY the IP gets blacklisted..... NOT ANYMORE!!!! Both Yahoo and Gmail have begun an initiative to block a domain as well as the IP!

    Now that was a great post and pretty much settles this issue.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Mayhew
    Originally Posted by netmanec View Post

    Does anyone know the reality of claims made by Aweber and Getresponse? If I have an autoresponder hosted on my own, will it have less deliverability than large hosting services who supposedly campaign major email providers to assure them they don't spam people?
    I've not found this to be so. Been using Autoresponse Plus on a shared server since early 2003 and deliverability has never been a problem.
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