# VerticalResponse Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is VerticalResponse the right Campaign Management solution for you? Explore 61 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/61128/VerticalResponse/reviews --- VerticalResponse 3.8 (61) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/61128/VerticalResponse/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of VerticalResponse Ease of use 3.9 Customer Service 4.0 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews SD Samuel D NGO ManagerNon-Profit Organization Management, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Once our team was up to speed in how to use the platform we found it functional and fit for purpose of sending out updates and newsletters to our supporters.“ September 21, 2022 John H Manager Business SystemsBusiness Supplies and Equipment, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Without Vertical Response it would be much more cumbersome to conduct surveys as we'd have to use a combination of software (Survey Monkey, Excel, etc.) and we wouldn't have the option to automatically follow up to nonresponders.“ July 23, 2020 AM Antonio M FrelancerMarketing and Advertising, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “So while you are early in development you can save money and when you develop it can develop with you as far as the number of clients you can track and mail delivery.“ June 8, 2021 Nicole D Demand gen marketing ops specialistMarketing and Advertising, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “To send emails, you have to wait for review from customer support and if you need something out urgent it takes about 48 hours for support to get back to you, completely terrible process and I do not recommend!“ December 23, 2020 AM Antonio M FrelancerMarketing and Advertising, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Likewise, web tools accessible that permit you to make online information exchanges are useful.“ June 8, 2021 BH Brian H OwnerHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I have used Vertical Response for over 15 years but they have become impossible to work with. “ April 8, 2021 SR Sharon R OwnerHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “This feature allows my gym members to access the newsletter from their cell phone or tablet.“ October 8, 2020 RK Randy K ministerReligious Institutions, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “it's rejected as spam. “ December 3, 2020 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 61 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Gregg B. Executive Director Religious Institutions Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great looking e-newsletters!" March 1, 2019 5.0 There are a lot of email campaign tools out there and VerticalResponse is one of the best I've encountered for managing and scheduling e-newsletter distribution at a reasonable cost. Pros With VerticalResponse I was able to go from a spreadsheet of member names and email addresses to send my first e-newsletter in less than an hour. Easy to use templates guide content creation and offers flexible scheduling options that include social media posting. List management lets subscribers opt in and out without manual intervention and includes tools to build landing pages and links for subscription. Simple reporting is included in the free system and shows delivery/open rates. Advanced reporting allows a deeper dive into the analytics of your mail campaigns. Cons I sometimes wish the content blocks used to build the e-newsletter were a little more configurable - such as allowing more free movement of images and better font management - but the system makes clean looking e-newsletter that are actually opened and read! Review Source SD Samuel D. NGO Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best email marketing for budget conscious organisations" September 21, 2022 4.0 Once our team was up to speed in how to use the platform we found it functional and fit for purpose of sending out updates and newsletters to our supporters. The fact they offer there platform unrestricted and for free to charities is a huge benefit to us as other platforms charge huge amounts which eat into our fundraising budget substantially. Pros This software is free for charities and NPO and does not have a limit to the number of contacts which can be uploaded or contacted, we can send 10s of thousands of newsletters and email each month for free which on other platforms would cost us hundreds of dollars. Cons It is not as user-friendly as mailchimp and there appear to be more newsletters and campaign emails ending up in peoples spam folders. But this has to be weight up against the price savings when compared to using other platforms, and we have found it to still be cost-effective. Reason for choosing VerticalResponse Because the provide a free service to charities and NPOs which saves us a lot of money Switched from [Mailchimp](https://www.capterra.com/p/110228/MailChimp/) Mail chimp became to expensive for the number of contacts we have and the number of newsletters we were sending out. Review Source MBM Mary Beth M. Development Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VerticalResponse" October 22, 2025 3.0 We used VerticalResponse at our non profit for almost 10 years before deciding to switch to Constant Contact. The support we received was always helpful and timely and the pricing was aligned with our meager budget for communications. Pros The budget friendly webbased platform helped us to launch our first ever online/digital newsletter. It was so easy to use and gave us great insight into who was engaging in our emails through the metrics. Cons We wished to have more integration with our other platforms (social media channels, Canva, etc) and found it lacking compared to other platforms. Switched from [Constant Contact](https://www.capterra.com/p/31898/Constant-Contact/) We needed more integrations with our other platforms to simplify, streamline and for efficiency. Our team is 1-2 people and communications was a very small part of our daily responsibilities. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Chief Engagement Officer Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Easy To Use" February 10, 2019 4.0 My overall experience has been great. Outside of a few emails being blocked. But, that means the system was being protective and allowed us an opportunity to do additional cleaning of our lists. Pros What I like most about Vertical Response is that it's really easy to use. Once my contacts were imported, we were up and running. They offer many templates that can be used for various types of emails and eblasts. The entire process is simple and you can easily track how your emails are performing. They offer a lot of value for the price. Cons What I like least about Vertical Response is that the platform is limited. It's great for a startup business, but when your needs start to get more complex as your list grows, there's not much room for growth with appropriate features to match. Additionally, the features to allow new subscribers to your lists from outside sources were a challenge and didn't always work. Review Source Michelle M. Marketing Automation Manager Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Gets the job done" March 5, 2018 4.0 Ease of use Pros This tool was very easy to use when we were starting out our email journey. The list upload process and email creation was simple. The software also allowed us to track performance, which contributed to other email tactics to test. It was also relatively inexpensive. Cons At no fault of the product, our needs grew out of the tool, so we upgraded to a marketing automation platform. Review Source BM Ben M. Operations Manager Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Longtime user, might not be the best option anymore" March 18, 2020 3.0 On the whole it does what I need it to, but I always contemplate searching out something cooler. Pros For the money, it gets the job done. We use VR to send out corporate newsletters and special offers a half dozen times a year. Cons I think the interface is lacking and really hasn’t been vastly improved since 2008 when I started using it. Basically, I’ve built my own HTML templates outside of VR and I just change copy and pictures as I need to and avoid using VRs WYSIWYG editor. Their editor and stock templates really aren’t very good. Alternatives considered [Constant Contact](https://www.capterra.com/p/31898/Constant-Contact/) Reason for choosing VerticalResponse The monthly plan on CC was a dealbreaker for us. We prefer a pay as you use it model. Switched from [Constant Contact](https://www.capterra.com/p/31898/Constant-Contact/) Cost and no need for a monthly plan. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Manager Business Systems Business Supplies and Equipment Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Vertical Response - Free, but you get what you pay for." July 23, 2020 3.0 We use Vertical Response to communicate with groups of members of our non-profit organization, and to survey them on various questions relating to our mission. Without Vertical Response it would be much more cumbersome to conduct surveys as we'd have to use a combination of software (Survey Monkey, Excel, etc.) and we wouldn't have the option to automatically follow up to nonresponders. Pros Vertical Response allows us to easily email and survey our membership groups. I like the variety of survey types, and the automatic follow-up emails to non-responders. Cons The email editing is relatively simple, but can be confusing in its simplicity because things you might expect to be in the editing menu aren't necessarily where you'd expect. For example, you want to add a hyperlink to a website - in most software you could either just paste the URL, or right click on a word or phrase and add the hyperlink to it - but in VerticalResponse a pasted URL is emailed out as unclickable text. You have to add a button to add a hyperlink. Also for some reason the default font color for emails is a medium gray instead of black, so every email I have to select and change the font color. Alternatives considered [Constant Contact](https://www.capterra.com/p/31898/Constant-Contact/)[WildApricot](https://www.capterra.com/p/76116/WildApricot/) Reason for choosing VerticalResponse Free! Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Marketing Assistant Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Work Arounds" December 27, 2018 2.0 Pros It sends emails to who I want them to be sent to. Uploading contacts is easy. Cons If you've used another email marketing tool, you'll hate Vertical Response. First, you'll probably lose half your opens due to their emails getting stuck in spam folders. Second, in order to make your emails look as good as, a constant contact or mail chimp email, you better have some photoshop skills. I've had to upload entire sections of emails as images, because Vertical Response fights you every step of the way if you want to do any formatting or customization. Third, there's no garuntee your email will show up the way you intended. I've had three different people send me screenshots of three different formats of the same email. Again, if you want to make sure it's the way you want it, draft it up in photoshop and save the whole thing as an image. I hate Vertical Response. It makes my job more difficult and forces me to spend triple the time I normally would to make a decent email. Constant Contact and Mail Chimp are way better. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Associate Community Manager Real Estate Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Lags behind more modern competitors" April 3, 2019 3.0 VerticalResponse is probably a reasonable tool for smaller businesses and organizations with slim marketing budgets and little need to mass communicate. For larger organizations with greater communications needs and higher customer expectations, this is probably not the optimal platform. Pros VerticalResponse was fairly early on the email marketing scene, so it's got a modest suite of features that have a proven track record. From a cost perspective, VerticalResponse is a pretty efficient method of communicating with customers Cons The flip side of VerticalResponse's early arrival on the email marketing scene is this: it simply hasn't adapted at the same rate as competitors and its overall usability has suffered as a result. Ranked against ConstantContact and MailChimp, VerticalResponse would come in third in user interface, third of visual appeal, and third in automation capability. Review Source Lori G. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "You can't beat free!" December 4, 2018 5.0 Excellent! Pros I am so grateful that Vertical Response offers non-profits a solution at no cost to help us grow and achieve excellence in our communications. Cons I find some of the interfaces a little hard to figure out, but have never been stumped. Review Source DB Diane B. Marketing Consultant Performing Arts Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Limited customization, freezes up often" September 11, 2019 4.0 Pros I like the way the end product (email) appears. They look neat and clean and are easy to read. Cons The work that it takes to achieve the end result seems excessive. You click and drag a block into place then you have to go to the trouble of deleting what is already there in order to add your image or text. Finding the correct block for each aspect sometimes takes trial and error. It would be so nice if an image block could just be reduced or enlarged right there on the screen. When I choose my font, size, color, sometimes VR doesn't "remember" what I was using so I have to re-apply those things multiple times in each email as I proceed. VR also freezes up for me very (too) often. That may be my computer. However, when it does freeze up, even if I have saved my work just before, sometimes that work is gone when I reopen VR. This is the first email program I've used and it was in place when I began in my current position. Everytime I have to produce an email, I keep thinking, "there has got to be an easier way." Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Operations Manager (Systems - Philanthropy) Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "I used Vertical Response to send out newsletters and updates for a small nonprofit." February 6, 2018 5.0 Free and easy to use. Pros Very easy to use, and very easy to get started. I did not have much experience in email marketing or HTML, and still found the templates available straight forward and understandable. Cons I sincerely do not have any negative feedback about this program. I would like to see more of how the reports & analytics could be built out. Review Source MK Meghan K. Marketing Digital Assistant Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Vertical Response provides a convenient and easy way for our company to produce attractive e-blasts." June 27, 2017 4.0 Pros I really appreciate its straightforward and simplistic user interface. It makes it easy to put eblasts together in a snap. Cons It can be difficult to manipulate the layout of elements in the eblast. Sometimes I will move one thing and it will distort the entire layout. Review Source lH lewis H. Sales and Marketing Wholesale Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Email communication made easy" November 27, 2018 5.0 I have created content and emailed to thousands of email addresses . the process is fast easy and professional when done. I can customize lists and it helps me keep track of who has opened my emails. you can schedule follow ups for non-responders and track unsubscribes. Pros This is an amazing package. You can create campaigns from their templates and turn out beautiful professional content. Very customizable and easy to use , if you can type a letter you can use this. Prices are based on the amount of contacts you service and it is the best I have seen. Cons No cons, only wish I had used it sooner. it has made life easier Review Source KM Kevin M. Marketing Team Lead Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Overall a decent email solution" November 14, 2017 4.0 Pros I really like the list building and segmenting functionality, it provides a great email testing solution. Cons Designing emails isn't quite as simple, the templates aren't the highest quality and the customer service is merely adequate. Review Source YF Yan F. Director Management Consulting Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "I've used Vertical Response for about two years. " February 22, 2018 4.0 Excellent community. Pros Vertical Response is a pioneer in email marketing and they had a very good community of marketers. I've learned a ton from them and the software was decent. Also the monthly newsletter "What's the topic, Popick" was interesting and useful. Cons I couldn't top up my account and Customer Service was useless. I just couldn't used their software. I'm sure that now situation changed. Review Source LN Lea N. Business Manager Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Email Campaign Designer" May 14, 2018 3.0 Pros VerticalResponse allows you to create email campaigns and easily distribute them to your contacts and distribution lists. Cons Unfortunately, VerticalResponse's interface is a bit dated and very clunky. Compared to other options on the market, it is not as intuitive or user-friendly. Review Source AL Alex L. Used the software for: ### "Hard to Use, Better Alternatives Available" December 8, 2016 3.0 We used VR for a couple months but were not happy with the reporting features. We were also hoping for A/B testing abilities in order to see which email subject lines, from lines, etc would perform better to our customer lists. Review Source rG ram G. Used the software for: ### "Marketing - Campaign - Analysis" February 23, 2017 5.0 VerticalResponse is a good choice for an email marketing solution when you also need advanced image-editing features. There's no guarantee that your contacts who use Gmail will receive your emails, though. Creating segmented email campaigns is also more difficult with this application than with the best email marketing services. However the templates and marketing responses were quite healthier. Review Source AM Antonio M. Frelancer Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Vertical Response Review" June 8, 2021 5.0 This is an extraordinary system that can expand with your organization. So while you are early in development you can save money and when you develop it can develop with you as far as the number of clients you can track and mail delivery. I go as far as saying that everybody should utilize Vertical Response. Pros I found it extraordinary for keeping a DB of clients and to have the option to refresh rapidly. The devices that they furnish you with for working out messages are especially simple to utilize. I love the simplified capacity that offers anybody the chance to construct elegant-looking messages with no broad experience. Likewise, web tools accessible that permit you to make online information exchanges are useful. Essential is the capacity to make numerous projects without significant delay. Cons The system doesn't permit you to connect to all online media, your only choices are Facebook and Twitter. They ought to incorporate Instagram, Linkedin, and so forth Perhaps be considerably greater with more templates by and large. At times you can discover it takes various links to result in a single change. I wish there was a search field at the highest point of the screen that permitted me to hop straight to a customer's entrance to update it on the spot. Review Source JD Jennifer D. Director of Development Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Frequent Formatting Issues" January 19, 2021 3.0 Overall, with the formatting issues, it became too frustrating to use and work with. I spent more time trying to fix errors. We found a free option that worked far better for our needs. Pros Overall, it was easy to build a professional-looking email. There are a lot of features to make it look cohesive and on-brand with the font and color customizations. You can send to a segmented list or to a larger audience. You don't need coding experience and it's intuitive enough for an everyday user to figure out. It is responsive for viewing on laptop or mobile. Emails can be posted on social. Cons We ran into a lot of formatting issues that couldn't be explained or corrected. For example, in the final email, text was showing up purple, even though it was formatted as black. We would double-check everything, but in the final email, one paragraph would be purple. This happened multiple times and we finally had to switch. It was also sometimes adjust the font size to a different size than we originally had. Review Source DF David F. Managing Partner Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Easy to use, great intro price and hard to integrate in a fast manner to lead pages." July 16, 2017 4.0 Personally I did not receive any benefit but that's not to say that there's not a place for it in the marketplace. For a small business or maybe a small church or small nonprofit doesn't need integrative approaches which I think everybody should but if they don't use them then this would be a wonderful email client for that sort of consumer. Pros They offer a great free option and their layouts are attractive and really easy to use. I had used them in the past and a decade later I return to using the product however although I enjoyed the templates the relationship was short-lived. Cons With one click integrations and the open API there are solutions out there that are much more effective at an integrated approach. I mainly use word press and I have found some great integrations out there but VerticalResponse is not one of them. Further they do not give you a lot of functionality and placement of the web form that collects data and then automates the email chain. Maybe I was missing work to do so, but it was frustrating that the web form only was in one vertical type of a set up and aesthetically it did fit the area on the website that it was dedicated to be placed. So for that reason alone I just continued use and return to a more familiar email client. Review Source BH Brian H. Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Impossible to deal with" April 8, 2021 2.0 I have used Vertical Response for over 15 years but they have become impossible to work with. I built a list using their tools, sign up form, landing page and email verification yet they continue to reject my campaigns because they keep asking me where the list came from. I email regularly to a small group (under 100 emails) and yet they randomly choose not to deliver the emails to the list (verified through their processes). They offer no phone support, only by email which takes 24 hours for a response, and then ask the same questions that were already answered in the previous reply. They have become a horrible excuse for an email marketing company. Pros Easy to build an email. Fairly straight forward WYSIWYG as long as you're using an approved browser Cons The software is fine but the company's policies keep shutting down my campaigns for no good reason and their customer support is almost non existent. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Certified Personal Trainer Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great way to communicate with a large amount of people" April 23, 2019 5.0 I am able to communicate different types of information to many people in a minute or less! Pros Vertical Response has great customization features to be able to group users to send various types of communication. It is an inexpensive (free for most) way to communicate with a large amount of people. Cons I have not had any issues with it so far. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Director Of Operations Chemicals Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Mass emailing made easy!" May 1, 2018 4.0 Pros Vertical Response has great design features and templates to help businesses and organizations convey there messages in appealing ways. They help you organize email lists and contacts so that messages can be targeted to maximize impact. Cons Unfortunately, VR has a slightly higher bounce rate than some of the other softwares out there but it is not the highest. Additionally, it could benefit from an option to organize emails sent into folders. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.