AWeber vs Sendy
AWeber and Sendy are both popular choices in the email marketing platform space. AWeber has been around since 1998, giving it a 14-year head start over Sendy (founded 2012). AWeber starts at $15/mo versus $69 one-time for Sendy. AWeber offers a free plan (500 subscribers, 3,000 emails/month), while Sendy does not. AWeber has the edge with A/B testing, landing pages, ecommerce integrations.
Quick Verdict
AWeber wins on price, deliverability, integrations, free tier.
Best for most users: AWeber (small businesses).
AWeber
Powerfully simple email marketing
AWeber is one of the original email marketing platforms, serving small businesses since 1998. It offers the largest template library (600+) and an impressive integration ecosystem. While its automation isn't as advanced as newer competitors, its reliability and excellent affiliate program make it a solid choice.
Sendy
Self-hosted email marketing that sends via Amazon SES at 100x lower cost
Sendy is a self-hosted email newsletter application that connects to Amazon SES to deliver emails at a fraction of the cost of traditional email marketing platforms. With a one-time $69 license and SES sending costs of roughly $1 per 10,000 emails, it is ideal for high-volume senders who want to avoid recurring subscription fees. It requires technical setup but offers unlimited subscribers, autoresponders, segmentation, and full data ownership.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | AWeber | Sendy |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.2/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Starting Price | $15/mo | $69 |
| Free Plan | 500 subscribers, 3,000 emails/month | No free plan |
| Founded | 1998 | 2012 |
| Email Templates | 600 | 0 |
| Integrations | 750 | 20 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97.8% | 95% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| A/B Testing | ✓ | ✕ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✕ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✕ |
| SMS Marketing | ✕ | ✕ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✓ | ✕ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✕ | ✕ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✓ | ✕ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✕ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✓ | ✕ |
AWeber: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +600+ email templates (largest library)
- +750+ integrations
- +Established and reliable (since 1998)
- +Free plan available
- +Excellent affiliate program (up to 50% recurring)
Cons
- −Interface feels dated compared to newer tools
- −Automation capabilities lag behind competitors
- −Free plan is limited
- −Lite plan restricts automations to 3
- −No SMS marketing
Sendy: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Extreme cost savings — one-time $69 license with Amazon SES sending at ~$1 per 10,000 emails
- +Unlimited subscribers with no tier-based pricing that punishes list growth
- +Full data ownership and privacy since everything is self-hosted on your own server
- +Clean, focused interface without bloated features — does exactly what it promises
- +White-label multi-brand support allows managing multiple client accounts from one install
Cons
- −Requires technical skills for server setup, installation, and ongoing maintenance
- −No built-in A/B testing, landing page builder, or advanced automation workflows
- −UI feels dated and lacks modern design polish compared to SaaS competitors
- −Limited customer support — solo developer product with slow response times reported
- −No drag-and-drop email editor; requires HTML knowledge for custom templates
The Verdict
AWeber and Sendy are closely matched — both score within 0.0 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality. On deliverability, AWeber reports 97.8% compared to 95% for Sendy — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | AWeber | Sendy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $15/mo | $69/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97.8% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.2/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 750 | 20 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | No |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose AWeber if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($15/mo)
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You need built-in landing pages
Choose Sendy if…
- + You're a cost conscious email marketers with large lists
- + You're a technical users comfortable with self hosting and server management
- + Extreme cost savings — one-time $69 license with Amazon SES sending at ~$1 per 10,000 emails