Is there such a thing as a free Auto Responder?

55 replies
Hey Warriors. Is there such a thing as a free auto responder? Or even just a way to collect email address's? Like a form I can put on my website?

If not what is the best AutoResponder to go with?
#auto #email list #free #responder #subscribtion #thing
  • Profile picture of the author Dexx
    You get what you pay for...you list of customers/leads....not really something you want to be cheap with when it comes to how its handled...y'know?
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    • Profile picture of the author Micheallatour
      Originally Posted by Dexx View Post

      You get what you pay for...you list of customers/leads....not really something you want to be cheap with when it comes to how its handled...y'know?
      I agree, most of the "free" auto responders will pound your list with adds in your mailings, and that's something you don't want.
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  • Profile picture of the author mywebwork
    Hi Jesse

    There are a few free autoresponders but I can't really recommended that you use them. Although the price is right they often have problems with deliverablity, especially if you are on a shared hosting plan.

    AWeber and GetResponse are two services that many people on this forum use as autoresponders, they have good reputations as they have a high deliverability rate and a lot of advanced feature.

    If you're really set upon hosting your own though you can check out the following links:

    Infinite Responder - Free Autoresponder Script

    phplist.com : Homepage : home

    I've used both and can confirm that they work well and are easy to setup and use, however I use AWeber now - it's just part of the cost of doing business on the Internet.

    Best of luck with whatever path you choose

    Bill
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  • Profile picture of the author Jag82
    If you take your online business seriously, there is only 1 option - the paid route.

    You are talking about a precious business asset here - your list.

    You want a professional service to take care of it.

    What about managing your subscribers and gathering important
    marketing statistics?

    Services like Aweber/Get Response/Mail Chimp etc
    are the way to go.

    Jag
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    • Profile picture of the author carlos123
      Originally Posted by Jag82 View Post

      If you take your online business seriously, there is only 1 option - the paid route.
      I don't know about that. I mean are any of us taking business seriously given that most of us are running websites off a free server called Apache? Or using the open source MySQL database which doesn't cost us a penny?

      Though of course hosting companies charge us for use of these free programs on their servers.

      Or phpMyAdmin, Linux (in my case), the GIMP, the Chromium browser, Firefox, and I could name another 100 free programs that glue the internet together and allow people like me to not pay a penny for a wonderful operating system running on my local computer instead of Windows?

      I mean if free is an indication of not taking business seriously then I definitely am not taking business seriously though I know without a doubt that this is not true.

      I think it has everything to do with our mental attitude and very little to do with how much or how little money we pay for things.

      Oh I know the oft cited proverb that if one does not pay for something they don't value it. Well I don't buy it.

      Carlos
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  • Profile picture of the author JeffLam
    Yes, there are indeed free autoresponders out there.

    But as many have said: the free autoresponders have rather lousy efficiency such as:

    1) Lousy user interface
    2) Low or slow messages broadcasted
    3) Tend to be blocked by most email SPAM filters as spammers uses these free autoresponders to do their spamming
    4) Etc

    In the case of autoresponders, the best things aren't free.
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  • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
    Mailchimp offers a free service for a limited number of subscribers. Cant recall what it is offhand..maybe a 1000?
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    • Profile picture of the author dougp
      Free can be tempting when your first starting off, but i wouldn't recommend using a free autoresponder. Most of them will be submerged with advertising to make up for the free costs, and the quality/support will be light years away from paid services.

      Make sure to actively test and track all of your marketing campaigns to optimize expenses. With that being said, phplist is an opensource email broadcaster that i can recommend. I don't think that an autoresponder feature was ever added to it. Lastly, aweber is what i would recommend for a paid autoresponder service.
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    • Profile picture of the author TheJedi
      Originally Posted by LilBlackDress View Post

      Mailchimp offers a free service for a limited number of subscribers. Cant recall what it is offhand..maybe a 1000?
      Mailchimp's free service allows up to 500 subscribers and 3000 mailings per month, so it's a good way to start, and they do offer several paid plans that you can grow into once your business starts to take off.
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  • Profile picture of the author paulie888
    If there is one IM expense you should never skimp on, it's the autoresponder. While you may be able to build a small list with a free solution, would you really trust one of your most valuable resources (your list) to it? What if your list gets deleted/corrupted somehow? Also, consider the possibility that the free autoresponder might not be set up properly and consequently hurts your deliverability rate, causing your emails to hit the spam folders instead of your prospects' inboxes? As you can see, this 'free' solution could actually cost you money!

    I have tried both aweber and getresponse, but I ultimately prefer aweber's interface and additional features which seem easier to access. It is just a tad more expensive than getresponse, but I feel that many people will be happier with aweber, and this is probably why I believe it remains the market leader over getresponse.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Atkins
    Originally Posted by jesseray View Post

    Hey Warriors. Is there such a thing as a free auto responder?
    Yes.

    Is there a good free autoresponder?

    No. If you really want to make money from leads, then
    I strongly suggest that you use aweber, getresponse, or
    some other reputable autoresponder.

    You don't wanna lose your leads... :/ It happened to me
    once and it was a real downer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr. Enthusiastic
    Aweber has a $1 first month trial. Not free, but if you tried to make your own system work as well as theirs, wouldn't that cost more than $1 worth of your time?

    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author Arun Pal Singh
    Do not opt for free autoresponders. You are at risk of loosing your leads to someone else.

    I mean they send ads with your content.
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  • Profile picture of the author markshields
    There are so many auto responder software.. I could even think that all you need is possible for the thousands of software made by people having their monster brains.. So you can just google it and you can personally choose which is best.
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  • Profile picture of the author Richnana
    There are a couple of free ones that are good. Warner Autoresponder is good and helps you build your list by being able to give away the free autoresponder. Until you have over 500 people in your list, you can maintain you rlist on an excel spreadsheet.

    Then there is Narabots which offers a $9.95 option for a autoresponder. You probably trying to keep your outgo per month to a minimum and when you are starting out, a free autoresponder will work for you. Good luck. If you can't find these by doing a Google search, PM me and I will provide the links.
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  • Profile picture of the author dsmpublishing
    Hi guys

    yes of course there is such a thing as a free autoresponder but they are never as good as the paid premium versions.

    I've used aweber for years but have also tried a few free ones and they are just too poor. Its one part of the internet business that is worth putting the money into.

    Kind regards


    sam
    X
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  • Profile picture of the author soconnor
    I have tried the free responder route and it didn't work...
    I then tried Get Response which I found a bit cumbersome and awkward.
    I was then recommended Aweber and have used that ever since. I have
    found them to be very easy to work with and with full training details
    and videos, you cannot beat the $19.00/month.

    Best of Luck

    Sidney
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  • Profile picture of the author SandraLarkin
    Banned
    There are many free php scripts that can be installed on your own server and used to collect email address for free. However aweber is much easier obviously. If you really wanted to save money look up free php auto responders.
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  • Profile picture of the author mahesh2k
    You have some good options:

    1) Phplists
    2) Mailchimp

    I have seen some security issues with aweber, so i don't think you should jump into that one.
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  • Profile picture of the author StevenBernard
    If you have a wordpress blog installed there is a free plugin for an autoresponder. I think its called GWAutoresponder or somthin like that. Just do a google search for wordpress autoresponder plugin.

    I think going with aweber would be your best bet tho
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  • Profile picture of the author Victoria Gates
    Yes but I suggest using Aweber or GetResponse. I use Aweber and love it!
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    • Profile picture of the author theimdude
      I use parabots enterprise version and it works well . The stand alone version is available free now Parabots Autoresponder System
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  • Profile picture of the author steve-wilkins
    I went for free/cheap auto-reposnders when I first started out a few years ago and ended up losing a lot of leads. My advice would be to go with a decent paid service. I use Aweber who are top notch at $19 a month. The service they have provided so far had been second to none!

    Best of luck choosing yours!
    Steve
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  • Hi Jesse,

    In the past I've used a free autoresponder from FreeAutoBot dot com. They're not bad for a free service, and yes, you do have to carry their ads in your mailings.

    It's sad but true that the only reliable way to look after you list is with a paid mailing system. Many use GetResponse, I've used Aweber before (they just increased their rates), and one or two others.

    Now I use a self-hosted system from Interspire. You have to be careful with self-hosted systems too. A spam accusation in the wrong place can be very damaging.

    If you fancy getting the Interspire system, PM me and I'll help you set it up, etc. (No charge, I like to help).

    All the best, Bruce
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  • Profile picture of the author digigo
    you have to pay one way or the other.. you either carry their sponsored ad, or you do not have the features paid counterparts have.. or they do not have the clout or expertise working with big three when blacklist/non-delivery issue arises.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nathan Alexander
    Hey it'll be free when you put it to use and it start's helping you make money.
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  • Profile picture of the author trevor75
    I was like you a while back...should I get an autoresponder..should I not. Everybody kept telling me about Aweber. You know what..they were right. It really is the best for service, products, education and customer service. To handle a list of about 500 people its only $20 per month. Thats nothing, so check them out, trust me you won't regret it.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnben1444
    Of course there are few auto-responder but not without limitation. Truth is, there have to be a way for a business to sustain itself.

    Paid member are entitle to better services than the free.
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  • Profile picture of the author newbim
    I use Mailchimp - each site I start a new account, so 500 free subscribers, then you start paying for them - it's a good way to test the waters.

    Good luck with that,

    Newbim.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marketstriker
    I believe that really good products are worth to pay for them, especially when they help you to earn money. Auto Responders do it. I dealt personally with Aweber and can't say anything bad. I earned more that spent on this software.
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    • Profile picture of the author farotto
      Yes, there is no free autoresponder wthout limitations. Usually these limitations allow you to start a small business online, sometimes not.

      You need to pay to get a professional autoresponder without limitations. WRONG.

      I found an autoresponder offering a free account and a free upgrade to the paid service. By registering a free account to one of their partner services and using it actively, I got all the free account limitations removed.
      This way I'm using the full upgraded version of the autoresponder without paying any monthly fee.

      Is there a thing such as a free autoresponder? Yes, there is.
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      • Profile picture of the author TheJedi
        Originally Posted by farotto View Post

        I found an autoresponder offering a free account and a free upgrade to the paid service. By registering a free account to one of their partner services and using it actively, I got all the free account limitations removed.

        This way I'm using the full upgraded version of the autoresponder without paying any monthly fee.
        Care to share which service you're talking about?
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I tried a free autoresponder service with humorous results. Now I use iContact. Cheaper than the others but works great.
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  • Profile picture of the author babarapho
    Any serious online marketer will not opt for a free autoresponder. Go for a paid one and get the trust of your subscribers.
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    • Profile picture of the author carlos123
      Originally Posted by babarapho View Post

      Any serious online marketer will not opt for a free autoresponder. Go for a paid one and get the trust of your subscribers.
      Sounds logical but the truth is that most people don't care what autoresponder is used. The only one's that pay attention to that are internet marketers I think.

      I don't give a hoot as to which autoresponder is used by any subscription I have ever signed up for. All I care about is getting my newsletters on time and having them be interesting and value filled.

      Who cares what autoresponder they use.

      Carlos
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  • Profile picture of the author marcdonovan
    I just released a free autoresponder. Go to vertuso dot com (cant post links yet, Im a forum newbie). It will give you the basics. More to come since I am working on it daily.

    It's very true that you get what you pay for, but giving stuff away for free is the name of the game in Internet marketing. I will make money off of this one day, probably off of the high-volume mailers that are already making big bucks. Everyone else will get a free ride.
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Morgan
    Originally Posted by jesseray View Post

    Hey Warriors. Is there such a thing as a free auto responder? Or even just a way to collect email address's? Like a form I can put on my website?

    If not what is the best AutoResponder to go with?
    Is it just me or has this question being asked every week? lol

    All i can say is you pay for what you get for.
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    • Profile picture of the author duncanb
      Originally Posted by Matt Morgan View Post

      Is it just me or has this question being asked every week? lol

      All i can say is you pay for what you get for.
      Too true.

      And more importantly i always seem to continually comply and answer it! doh
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  • Profile picture of the author duncanb
    I would seriously only avail of autoresponder services tat require payment of some sort. It is a business expense. You really should not mind spending money on such a vital tool. Try AWEBER I have used them for what seems like an age!
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  • Profile picture of the author NateDesmond
    I have only used Aweber for a week or so, but they have a very user-friendly interface and have great recommendations.

    With their $1 sale for the first month, I would highly recommend investigating.
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  • Profile picture of the author DanGTD
    Every webhost with cPanel offers a ready-made autoresponder.

    The PHPList script is a good option too.
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  • Profile picture of the author costos gohdohb
    Does anybody use Shout Response? Probably it is a good thing, because it seems to look good...
    If anybody uses it - share your valuable opinion with us!

    it is cheaper than Aweber, or iContact, or Mad Mimi. - And if the quality is great - why pay more?

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  • Profile picture of the author kendrickyi
    Hmm.

    I was just wondering which to choose... Aweber or GetResponse. After reading this thread, I guess most people would choose Aweber over GetResponse.

    However I'm still not totally convinced on choosing Aweber over GR.

    So rather than creating a new thread, can I ask my question here?

    Would you recommend Aweber or GetResponse, and why?

    Well for those who chose Aweber over GR, why did you choose that?


    P.S. I've tried mailchimp (for free).

    I hate the interface. Took me quite some time to figure out how to use it.
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  • Profile picture of the author spearce000
    I use Infinite Responder and it's great (and free). Infinite Responder - Free Autoresponder Script Best if you have a VPS or dedicated server to use it, though, as some shared hosting compnies limit the number of e-mails you can send in a day.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paleochora
    Does anyone here know if there's a decent one out there that accepts paypal? Aweber (and its branded minions) and the other big ones say no for some reason.
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    • Profile picture of the author rahmscorp
      Going for something that's free is false economy! In the long run you are better off investing money and getting a paid service. Especially if you are serious about making money and building your list! XMail Pro gets my thumbs up!
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave_J
    If you want to be able to get the most out of your list then you need to go with one of the big guns - Aweber do the first month for $1 - will give you enough time to make some $$$ to pay for your subscription.
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  • Profile picture of the author costos gohdohb
    hey ...
    Many of you mentioned Mailchimp
    - - however be careful - their TOS don't allow affiliate marketing

    So, it's not suitable for everyone!
    :rolleyes:
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    • Profile picture of the author carlos123
      I've been doing a lot of reading and looking around and believe I have found one that will suit me just fine. It's called Infinite Responder (Google it if you are interested).

      It's a self-hosted sequential autoresponder written in PHP.

      Incidentally AWeber is no more reliable than the SMTP they use. As far as I know the SMTP used by my shared server is just as reliable. And given that Infinite Responder is free (GPL open source) it makes absolutely no sense for me to go with AWeber.

      Hostgator...my host also does not allow more than 500 emails to be sent out per hour so for really huge lists it might not be a good solution.

      I had thought of rolling my own autoresponder in PHP but the nice thing about Infinite Responder is that it is written for me already and open source. So I can change the code to more adequately suit my needs IF I feel a need to do that.

      The other quirky thing about it is that it requires a confirmation link to be clicked on when a subscriber is unsubscribing. I suppose that's a good thing (to keep anyone from unsubscribing anyone else without their consent) but still...something I don't usually see with newsletters I subscribe to from AWeber.

      Carlos
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  • Profile picture of the author costos gohdohb
    somewhere in the forum there was mentioned an e-commerce suite all-in-one
    & it includes autoresponder too:
    "suite with Shopping Cart, Affiliate System, Email Management, Product Management, Autoresponders, Ad Trackers And Much More! All In One Box!"
    and it is all FREE as you want http://1merchantcart.com/

    I haven't tested it personally
    but probably this is what you need.

    And if you like it you can install it yourself or hire someone

    hope that helps!
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    • Profile picture of the author carlos123
      1merchantcart does not appear to be very capable, very easy to use, or very good.

      While I have not actually used it I did sign up for it and I did start clicking around their menus. It is confusing to use and does not appear to be very capable of being used as a sequential autoresponder for any serious list.

      I still recommend using Infinite Response or rolling your own PHP autoresponder.

      Carlos
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  • Profile picture of the author soniia21
    We use aweber. Wouldn't recommend free autoresponders - building a list takes time and effort and you can risk losing all your hard work.
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    • Profile picture of the author carlos123
      Originally Posted by soniia21 View Post

      We use aweber. Wouldn't recommend free autoresponders - building a list takes time and effort and you can risk losing all your hard work.
      That's like saying that one shouldn't use a hard disk because there is a risk of it crashing. Or not using your monitor too much because it might burn out.

      A free autoresponder is no worse than aweber just because it's free than the Apache server is no worse for being free than Microsoft's IIS server. Free has little of anything to do with it.

      The real question is the backbone supporting the SMTP email capabilities of an autoresponder and the features that it provides.

      AWeber has no better email server backbone than that of many web hosting companies. A free autoresponder that has the capabilities you need, making use of an SMTP server running on a good hosting backend is just as reliable as AWeber.

      No more and no less chance of losing your list to malfunction or otherwise.

      If the features are there, if one is inclined to save the $20 a month paid to AWeber, and if one has the know how and inclination to install their own autoresponder under their own domain...well...there is no reason to not go with a free one or to roll your own.

      Mind you...I said installing their own. I don't think any of the free one's that are made available through a web interface are any good. Stay away from those. But there are free one's that can be installed under a domain and are thus under one's control that are capable enough, albeit with some code modifications, of doing the job.

      Carlos
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  • Profile picture of the author ShaneRQR
    Interesting little thing I encountered yesterday: In his newest video, Frank Kern says, and I quote:

    "My refusal to use autoresponders has saved me a lot of money."

    Now, I don't know what's behind this, but he says autoresponders aren't such a great thing and that there is a better solution. He obviosly did use autoresponders at some point (see some of his older videos), but apparently, doesn't use them anymore.
    I don't know what his solution is and unfortunately, I'm not interested in the service you need to sign up for to get that little piece of information.

    I just thought it's interesting that Frank, of all people, apparently doesn't advocate autoresponders.
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