Last Updated: November 10, 2025
It was 9 AM on a Sunday when I logged into GetResponse for the first time. I’d been using Systeme.io’s free plan for months, building funnels and email sequences without spending a dime. But I kept seeing GetResponse everywhere—”professional,” “enterprise-grade,” “AI-powered everything.”
So I signed up for their 14-day free trial (no credit card required, thank god) to see if paying $69/month was actually worth it. They do have cheaper tiers, but this is the level I would choose if I were to switch (More on that later).
Spoiler: GetResponse is genuinely impressive. The AI tools work better than I expected. The dashboard customization is legitimately cool. And the visual funnel builder actually makes sense of how everything connects.
But here’s the thing—I’m still using Systeme.io.
Over two weeks, I built identical funnels in both platforms, tested their AI features side-by-side, and calculated the true cost difference at every revenue stage. This isn’t a “which is better” article—it’s a “when does paying $69/month actually make sense vs staying at $0-$17/month” breakdown.
Full transparency: Both links in this article are affiliate links. I earn a commission if you upgrade. But I tested both extensively and I’m going to tell you exactly when NOT to pay for GetResponse.
Let’s dive in.
The TL;DR:
GetResponse ($69/mo) is better if:
- You’re making $10K+/month consistently
- You value AI-powered campaign builders that actually work
- You need 100+ email templates and don’t want to DIY everything
- Dashboard analytics and premium integrations matter more than price
- You run live webinars regularly with 50+ attendees
Systeme.io (Free-$47/mo plans) is better if:
- You’re pre-revenue or under $10K/month
- Budget is your primary concern (save $264-$828/year)
- You need to test fast without monthly payment pressure
- Simple, functional tools beat “enterprise-grade” features you won’t use
- Evergreen webinars work for your business model
My pick: Systeme.io Startup ($17/mo) for broke entrepreneurs. GetResponse Creator for established businesses with consistent revenue.
Bottom line: If you can’t comfortably afford $828/year ($69/mo x 12), you’re not ready for GetResponse. Stay with Systeme until your revenue justifies the upgrade. Every dollar you spend on software is a dollar you can’t spend on marketing.
Keep reading for the tier-by-tier breakdown with real screenshots and honest cons.
How I Actually Tested Both (Not Just Reading Marketing Pages)
I didn’t just sign up and click around for 20 minutes. Here’s what I actually did:
What I tested:
- Signed up for GetResponse free trial.
- Built a complete lead magnet funnel in both platforms
- Tested AI campaign builder, landing page creator, form builder
- Explored every menu, timed my builds, documented frustrations
- Calculated true costs at different list sizes and revenue stages
Time invested: I spent just under 9 hours total in GetResponse, clicking through every feature, testing every AI tool, and building a complete campaign. Then I rebuilt a similar funnel in Systeme.io in about 1 hour 15 minutes (faster because I already knew the flow).
What I was looking for:
- Are the AI features actually good or just marketing hype?
- Does $69/month solve problems Systeme doesn’t?
- At what revenue stage does the price make sense?
- Would I personally switch? (Spoiler: Not yet)
Before we dive into the tier-by-tier comparison, let me show you what I found in GetResponse…
What I Found After 2 Weeks in GetResponse
The Sign-Up Process
Sign up took 3 minutes. No credit card required (huge plus—I hate having to set a calendar reminder to cancel trials). They asked basic questions about my business to auto-populate email footers, which is a nice touch that saves time later.
What impressed me:
- Super simple onboarding
- 7 video tutorials right on the dashboard
- Customizable widget dashboard where you can track everything
The dashboard customization is legitimately cool. You get 15 different widgets to choose from—student sign-ups, landing page conversions, email open rates, all customizable. For someone managing multiple campaigns, this would be incredibly useful.


The AI Campaign Builder (Color Me Surprised)
Okay, this is where GetResponse surprised me. Most AI tools are hot garbage—they spit out generic templates that need 2 hours of fixes. I’ve rage-quit many AI features (looking at you, most website builders).
But GetResponse’s AI campaign builder? Actually decent.
What I tested:
- Built complete campaign (landing page + thank you page + welcome email)
- Start to finish: under 5 minutes
- Asked 3 questions, picked a color scheme, done
The results:
- Landing page: 6.5/10 (weird hero image with glass beverages for my tech business, but fixable in 5 minutes)
- Welcome email: 8/10 (actually usable immediately with minor tweaks)
- Newsletter template: 5/10 (too generic, needs substantial work)
Honest take: The AI gets you 80% of the way there. For broke entrepreneurs who value speed over perfection, that’s huge. But there’s a catch: “unlimited AI” is only on paid plans—free trial limits you to 3 uses total.
Three. Total.
So if your first AI generation sucks (and mine did with that weird glassware), you’ve used 1 of 3 chances. That’s… limiting.
Still, when the AI works, it saves 1-2 hours per campaign. At $69/month, that’s potentially worth it IF you’re launching campaigns weekly.


Landing Pages & Forms
Templates: Over 130 landing page templates. Probably 100+ form templates. If you like choices, you’ll love this. If you suffer from analysis paralysis (I do), you’ll hate it.
I spent 45 minutes just comparing designs instead of building my funnel. That’s on me, but it’s worth noting.
The drag-and-drop editor:
- Standard stuff, comparable to Systeme and most other tools
- Nothing revolutionary, nothing bad
- Build time: 20-30 minutes for a custom page
The AI builder for landing pages: I ran it twice. First time with generic prompts = generic results. Second time with specific business description = actually decent. The AI landing page builder is better than the campaign builder AI.
It created a clean page with decent copy in under 5 minutes. You’ll need some tweaks, but if you’re short on time and need SOMETHING launched, it works. Way faster than starting from scratch.
Rating: 9/10 for landing pages (when using templates, not relying solely on AI)
The Funnel Builder (This Impressed Me)
This is where I went from “GetResponse is nice” to “oh, this is actually really well thought out.”
What makes it special: GetResponse shows you a VISUAL MAP of your entire funnel on one page:
- Top: Sign-up form (with direct link to build it)
- Middle: Thank you page (linked to create)
- Next: Welcome email (linked to write it)
- Bottom: Analytics
Why this matters: If you’re new to the business side of running an online business—understanding what a funnel actually IS and how the pieces connect—this visual representation is brilliant. Most tools make you figure out the connections yourself. GetResponse literally draws you a map.
Plus:
- Pre-loaded lead magnets available (generic topics, but useful)
- Can upload your own obviously
- Everything connects automatically
- Clear visual workflow
My reaction: For someone building their first funnel, this removes a ton of confusion. You see exactly what you need to build and how it all connects. No guessing, no “wait, where does this email go?”
Rating: 10/10 for funnel visualization

Email Marketing & Automations
Standard email marketing stuff. Visual automation builder, autoresponder sequences (that’s what they call email sequences), newsletter creator.
Template library:
- 100+ email templates (estimated—way more than Systeme’s ~30)
- Good variety, professional designs
- Fully customizable with drag-and-drop editor
Automations:
- Visual workflow builder (same as most tools)
- Event-based triggers
- Works as expected
My take: Nothing revolutionary here, but nothing bad either. If you’ve used ConvertKit, Systeme, or any email tool, this feels familiar. The extra templates are nice if you value variety, potentially overwhelming if you want simplicity.
Webinars & Courses
GetResponse includes webinar hosting (up to 100 attendees on Creator plan) and a course creator (up to 500 students).
I didn’t fully test these because:
- Don’t have a course to upload
- Haven’t run webinars yet
But good to know:
- Features exist if your business model needs them
- Free trial limits webinars to 10 people
- Can’t actually SELL courses on free trial (only create them)
- Webinars are LIVE, not evergreen like Systeme
If you’re running live weekly webinars with 50+ people, GetResponse’s built-in webinar hosting at $69/month is actually competitive with Zoom Pro ($15/mo) + your marketing tool. But if you only do webinars occasionally, paying $69/month year-round doesn’t make sense.
Now The Tier-by-Tier Comparison
Okay, now that you know what GetResponse offers, let’s compare it to each Systeme.io plan. Because here’s the thing—GetResponse’s $69/month means something very different depending on where you’re starting.
GetResponse ($69/mo) vs Systeme.io FREE: Is $828/Year Worth It?
Price Comparison:
GetResponse Creator
Systeme.io Free
That’s enough for: 16 months of Facebook ads at $50/month.
What you get with Systeme FREE:
- 2,000 contacts
- 3 sales funnels
- Unlimited email sends
- Email marketing with basic automation
- Course hosting (unlimited students)
- Membership sites
- Blog
- Affiliate program management
What you get with GetResponse Creator ($69/mo):
- 1,000 contacts (starts at 1k, price increases as list grows)
- Unlimited funnels
- AI campaign builder (limited uses)
- 130+ landing page templates
- Webinar hosting (live, up to 100 attendees)
- Course creator (up to 500 students)
- Premium newsletters
- Advanced integrations
- Customizable dashboard analytics
The Real Comparison:
Features GetResponse has that Systeme Free doesn’t:
- Live webinar hosting
- AI campaign builders (hit or miss, limited uses on trial)
- 130+ templates vs ~30 (but do you need 130 options?)
- Advanced dashboard customization
- Multi-user access (up to 5 users)
Features Systeme Free has:
- Actually free (GetResponse is $828/year after trial)
- 2,000 contacts vs 1,000
- 3 complete funnels (enough to test your idea)
- Unlimited course students (GetResponse limits to 500)
- Unlimited emails with no monthly sending caps
My honest take: If you’re at $0 revenue, paying $69/month is backwards. That’s $828/year you could spend on Facebook ads, hiring a VA, or actually marketing your business.
Systeme Free gets you live fast—build your funnel, capture emails, test your idea, make your first sales. Once you’re making $10K+/month consistently, THEN consider upgrading.
Who should choose GetResponse over Systeme Free:
- Nobody. Seriously. If you’re comparing paid vs free at the pre-revenue stage, stay free.
- Unless you absolutely NEED live webinar hosting with 100 attendees AND have budget
Who should stay with Systeme Free:
- Pre-revenue entrepreneurs
- Anyone testing a business idea
- Solo founders who need to move fast without monthly costs
- People who’d rather spend money on marketing than software features they don’t need yet
Verdict: Systeme Free wins for 95% of people reading this
GetResponse ($69/mo) vs Systeme Starter ($17/mo): Save $624/Year (But Should You?)
Price Comparison:
GetResponse Creator
Systeme.io Starter
That $624/year is enough for:
- 12+ months of Facebook ads at $50/month
- A part-time VA for 3 months at $200/month
- 37 months of Systeme Startup (that’s over 3 years)
What Systeme Starter adds (vs Free):
- 5,000 contacts (up from 2,000)
- 10 sales funnels (up from 3)
- Removes Systeme branding
- A/B testing
- 5 custom domains
- 5 blogs
Still includes:
- Unlimited emails
- Unlimited courses with unlimited students
- Everything from Free plan
The Comparison:
At this point, you’re already paying for software. So the question isn’t “free vs paid”—it’s “is GetResponse worth $52/month MORE than what I’m already paying?”
What GetResponse Creator offers over Systeme Starter:
- AI features (if you value speed over control and learning)
- Live webinars with up to 100 people
- 100+ more template choices
- Premium integrations
- Customizable analytics dashboard
- Multi-user access (5 users vs 1)
What Systeme Starter offers over GetResponse:
- $624/year in savings
- Simpler interface (less overwhelming for beginners)
- Unlimited course students (vs 500 limit)
- Everything you actually need to scale a validated business idea.
My take: If you’re making $2K-10K/month, Systeme Starter is the smarter play. You save $52/month that you can reinvest in ads, content, or tools that directly drive revenue.
GetResponse feels “premium” and polished. But premium doesn’t pay your bills—customers do. And $624/year in Facebook ads will bring you more customers than a prettier dashboard.
When GetResponse makes sense here:
- You run live webinars weekly with 50+ attendees
- You have a team of 3-5 people needing access
- $52/month genuinely isn’t a budget concern
- You value AI speed over learning how funnels work
When Systeme Starter makes sense:
- You’re bootstrapping and $624/year matters
- You want simple, functional tools that get out of your way
- You’d rather spend money on marketing than software bells and whistles
- You have time to build campaigns manually
Verdict: Systeme Starter wins for most entrepreneurs under $10K/month
GetResponse ($69/mo) vs Systeme Webinar ($47/mo): Now It Gets Interesting…
Price Comparison:
GetResponse Creator
Systeme.io Webinar
What Systeme Webinar adds:
- 10,000 contacts
- 50 sales funnels
- Webinar hosting (evergreen)
- Advanced automation features
- 10 workflows
- Priority support
- Still unlimited emails, courses, everything else
The Plot Twist:
This is where the decision gets harder. We’re only talking about $22/month difference now ($264/year). At this level, FEATURES matter more than price.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison:
The Webinar Question:
This is the key decision point. Do you need LIVE webinars or are evergreen webinars enough?
Live webinars (GetResponse):
- Interactive Q&A in real-time
- Higher perceived value
- Creates urgency and FOMO
- Requires you to show up at scheduled time
- Better for high-ticket offers
- Can record and repurpose
Evergreen webinars (Systeme):
- Always available 24/7
- Fully automated once set up
- Scalable without your time
- No scheduling stress
- Works while you sleep
- Can fake “live” countdown timers
My take: If you’re running live webinars weekly with 50+ attendees, GetResponse justifies the $22/month premium. That live interaction, the Q&A, the real-time engagement—it matters for conversions on high-ticket offers.
But if you’re doing evergreen funnels or only running webinars occasionally, Systeme Webinar saves you $264/year while handling 99% of what you need.
The AI Features Consideration:
GetResponse’s AI campaign builder saves 1-2 hours per campaign. If you’re launching campaigns weekly, that’s 4-8 hours saved per month. Is your time worth $22/month? Maybe.
But Systeme forces you to build manually, which means you actually learn how funnels work. There’s value in understanding the mechanics before you automate them.
When GetResponse Creator wins at this level:
- You run live webinars regularly (weekly or more)
- AI speed matters more than $264/year savings
- You want maximum template variety
- You have a team of 3-5 needing multi-user access
- $22/month is negligible in your budget
When Systeme Webinar wins:
- You’re doing evergreen funnels primarily
- $264/year still matters to your budget
- You prefer simplicity over enterprise features
- You have time to build campaigns manually (and want to learn)
- Unlimited course students matters (vs 500 limit)
Verdict: Split decision—depends entirely on your webinar strategy
If webinars are central to your business model and you need them live, GetResponse wins. If evergreen works or webinars are occasional, Systeme Webinar saves money while delivering what you need.
GetResponse ($69/mo) vs Systeme Unlimited ($97/mo): Plot Twist—Systeme Costs MORE
Price Comparison:
GetResponse Creator
Systeme.io Unlimited
Wait, what?
What Systeme Unlimited gives you:
- Unlimited contacts
- Unlimited funnels
- Unlimited automation workflows
- Unlimited courses with unlimited students
- Unlimited everything
- All features unlocked
- No limits whatsoever
The Comparison:
At this level, we’re not talking about budget constraints anymore. If you’re paying $97/month, you’re likely making $20K-30K+/month. Price isn’t the primary concern—features, workflow, and efficiency are.
Why you’d choose GetResponse at this level:
- Live webinar hosting included
- AI features save time at scale
- More premium integrations out of the box
- Better for teams (5 users vs need workarounds in Systeme)
- It’s $336/year CHEAPER
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Enterprise-level support options
Why you’d choose Systeme Unlimited anyway:
- Truly unlimited (no hidden caps or scaling costs)
- Simpler interface even at scale
- Better for course-heavy businesses (no student limits)
- You’ve already built your entire system in Systeme
- Switching platforms is expensive in time, not just money
- Unlimited automation workflows (no restrictions)
My honest take: If you’re at this revenue level, you should honestly test both. GetResponse is cheaper and has more features. But if you’ve already built your entire business on Systeme.io and everything works, the migration hassle might not be worth the $28/month savings.
Platform switching is always expensive—not in money, but in time, broken integrations, retraining yourself and your team, and inevitable bugs during transition.
Verdict: GetResponse actually wins on value at this tier
But the switching cost might keep you on Systeme if you’re already there and humming along. New businesses at this scale should probably start with GetResponse.
Let’s Do the Math: What You’re ACTUALLY Paying
GetResponse’s pricing model is different from Systeme’s, and it matters as you scale.
GetResponse Pricing Reality:
GetResponse Pricing Reality
Watch your monthly bill grow as your list grows
The key difference: GetResponse pricing scales automatically with your list size. Every time you add contacts, your monthly bill increases. Systeme pricing stays flat until you manually upgrade plans.
Systeme.io Pricing Reality:
Systeme.io Pricing Reality
Flat pricing per tier – upgrade only when you need to
The key difference: Systeme.io pricing stays flat at each tier. No surprise price increases as your list grows. You only pay more when you manually choose to upgrade to the next plan.
The Key Difference:
GetResponse pricing scales automatically with your list size. Every time you add contactsover 1000 contacts, your monthly bill increases. Systeme pricing stays flat until you manually upgrade plans.
That’s 47 months of $50/month Facebook ads. Or a semester of college courses. Or just… money in your pocket.
Let’s Talk About What Sucks (Because Nothing’s Perfect)
GetResponse Cons:
1. The AI limits are annoying Three AI uses on free trial. That’s it. Then “unlimited” on paid plans. But “unlimited” AI isn’t actually that useful—the novelty wears off after your 10th AI-generated campaign. They all start looking the same.
2. Price increases automatically with list growth Your list grows from 1,000 to 10,000? Congratulations, your monthly bill just more than doubled (from $69 to $159). Systeme keeps pricing simple—you manually upgrade when ready.
3. Have to contact support to downgrade Easy to upgrade (one click). Want to downgrade? Contact support. That friction is intentional—they don’t want you downgrading. I hate that.
4. Template overload can be paralyzing 130+ templates sounds great until you’ve spent 45 minutes comparing designs instead of launching your funnel. Analysis paralysis is real.
5. Starter plan feels like a trap At $19/mo with extremely limited features and only basic automation, I can’t figure out who this plan is for. Either use the free plan or jump to Creator. The middle tiers don’t make sense.
Systeme.io Cons:
1. No live webinar hosting Evergreen only. If you need live interactive webinars with real-time Q&A, you’ll need Zoom or another tool on top of Systeme.
2. Fewer templates About 30 templates vs GetResponse’s 100+. Not a dealbreaker if you’re comfortable with simple designs, annoying if you want variety.
3. No AI features You’re building everything manually. Good for learning, time-consuming when you’re in a rush and just want to launch.
4. Less “premium” feel GetResponse feels polished and enterprise-grade. Systeme feels functional and scrappy. Both work, but perception matters to some people (and clients).
5. Dashboard isn’t as customizable You get what you get with the dashboard. GetResponse’s widget customization is more flexible for tracking specific metrics.
The honest truth: GetResponse feels premium because it IS premium. Systeme feels lean because it IS lean. Neither is “better”—they solve different problems for different business stages.
How to Actually Choose (No More Fence-Sitting)
Choose Systeme.io FREE if:
- ✅ You’re at $0-2K/month revenue
- ✅ You’re testing a business idea
- ✅ You need up to 3 funnels to validate your concept
- ✅ Every dollar matters more than premium features
- ✅ You value speed and simplicity over enterprise tools
Bottom line: Don’t pay for software until you’re making money. Period.
Choose Systeme.io STARTER ($17/mo) if:
- ✅ You’re at $2K-10K/month revenue
- ✅ You’ve validated your idea and need to scale beyond 3 funnels
- ✅ You want to remove Systeme branding
- ✅ $204/year is reasonable, $828/year is not
- ✅ Simple tools that work > complex features you’ll never use
Bottom line: The sweet spot for most bootstrapped entrepreneurs. Save $624/year vs GetResponse to spend on actual marketing.
Choose Systeme.io WEBINAR ($47/mo) if:
- ✅ You’re at $10K-25K/month revenue
- ✅ Evergreen webinars fit your business model
- ✅ You need 10,000+ contacts
- ✅ $564/year is affordable for your business
- ✅ You don’t need live webinar hosting
Bottom line: Solid choice for established businesses doing automated evergreen funnels. Save $264/year vs GetResponse.
Choose GetResponse CREATOR ($69/mo) if:
- ✅ You’re making $15K+/month consistently
- ✅ You run live webinars weekly with 50-100 attendees
- ✅ AI speed matters more than $264/year savings
- ✅ You have a team of 3-5 needing multi-user access
- ✅ Premium polish aligns with your brand positioning
Bottom line: Worth it for established businesses with consistent revenue where $828/year isn’t a primary concern.
Choose Systeme.io UNLIMITED ($97/mo) if:
- ✅ You’re making $30K+/month
- ✅ You need truly unlimited everything with no caps
- ✅ Your business is course-heavy (unlimited students matters)
- ✅ You’ve already built your entire system in Systeme
- ✅ $1,164/year isn’t a budget concern
Bottom line: Makes sense at scale, but GetResponse Creator is cheaper at this level. Consider switching costs before moving platforms.
The real decision: Choose based on where you are NOW, not where you hope to be in 6 months. Start lean, upgrade when revenue justifies it, not when hope justifies it.
Questions I Had (And You Probably Do Too)
Q1: Can I really run a business on Systeme.io’s free plan?
Yes. I am (currently). The free plan includes 3 funnels, unlimited emails, and course hosting. That’s enough to validate your idea, make your first sales, and scale to $5K-10K/month.
The only limitation is 2,000 contacts. Once you hit that, upgrade to Starter at $17/month. But most beginners won’t hit 2,000 contacts for 6-12 months.
Real talk: If you can’t make sales with 3 funnels and 2,000 contacts, your problem isn’t the tool. It’s your offer, your copy, or your traffic. Don’t upgrade hoping software will fix a business problem.
Q2: Is GetResponse’s AI actually good or just marketing hype?
Honestly? Better than I expected, but not magic.
The AI campaign builder gave me an 80% complete funnel in under 5 minutes. The landing page AI created decent copy with minimal input. The newsletter builder was generic garbage.
Here’s the catch: The AI is limited to 3 uses on the free trial, then “unlimited” on paid plans. But after your 10th AI-generated campaign, they all start looking the same. You’ll be manually editing anyway.
Bottom line: The AI saves time, but it’s not a reason to pay $69/month by itself. It’s a nice-to-have, not a must-have.
Q3: Which has better email deliverability?
Both are solid. GetResponse has slightly better infrastructure (they’re older and more established), but Systeme.io’s deliverability is good enough for 99% of users.
The truth: Deliverability depends more on your email practices than the tool:
- Warming up your list gradually
- Not buying email lists (ever)
- Writing good subject lines that aren’t spammy
- Keeping engagement high
If you’re following best practices, both will deliver to inbox fine.
Q4: Can I switch from Systeme to GetResponse (or vice versa) easily?
Switching email platforms is always annoying, but both make it relatively easy:
Export/Import contacts: Both support CSV exports and imports (easy) Email sequences: You’ll need to rebuild these manually (time-consuming) Funnels/pages: You’ll need to rebuild everything (this takes the most time) Integrations: Reconnect all your Zapier/webhook integrations (tedious)
My take: If you’re pre-revenue, don’t stress about lock-in. Start with Systeme free, build your system, THEN decide if you need to switch later.
Switching platforms mid-growth sucks, but it’s doable. Just budget 20-30 hours for a full migration.
Q5: Does GetResponse have a free plan like Systeme.io?
No. GetResponse has:
- A 14-day free trial (no credit card, full features)
- A “free forever” plan with 500 contacts and 2,500 emails/month
Systeme.io has an actually-free plan that you can use indefinitely with 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, and unlimited emails.
That’s the key difference: Systeme lets you build and test without monthly pressure. GetResponse’s free plan is more of an extended trial.
Q6: Which is better for selling courses?
Depends on scale:
Systeme.io wins for:
- Unlimited students on all plans (even free)
- Simpler course setup
- Lower cost ($0-$97/mo vs $69/mo minimum)
- Course + funnel + email all in one simple interface
GetResponse wins for:
- Premium newsletter subscriptions (paid newsletters)
- Up to 500 students (plenty for most)
- AI course creation tools
- Better for course + live webinar combo model
Bottom line: If courses are your PRIMARY business, Systeme makes more sense. If courses are secondary to other marketing/webinar activities, GetResponse could work.
Q7: I’m making $15K/month. Which should I choose?
At $15K/month, you can afford either. The question is what you VALUE:
Choose GetResponse if:
- You run live webinars regularly
- AI speed matters and saves you time
- You want maximum template variety
- Premium polish aligns with your brand
- You have a team needing multi-user access
Choose Systeme Webinar if:
- You prefer simplicity over features
- $264/year savings still matters
- Evergreen webinars work for your model
- You value unlimited course students
Honestly? At this revenue level, test both. GetResponse has a 14-day trial. Systeme has a free plan. Spend a weekend building a funnel in each and see which FEELS better for your workflow.
Q8: Can I use GetResponse just for email and Systeme for funnels?
You COULD, but why complicate your life?
The whole point of an all-in-one tool is avoiding the hassle of duct-taping 5 different platforms together with Zapier. Pick one tool and commit.
Your future self will thank you when you’re not troubleshooting API integrations at 2 AM because one of your 6 tools stopped talking to another.
Q9: Which has better customer support?
GetResponse: 24/7 live chat in multiple languages, email support, extensive knowledge base, and dedicated account managers on enterprise plans.
Systeme.io: Email support, knowledge base, Facebook community. Response time averages under 2 hours.
GetResponse wins on support availability and options. But honestly, both tools are intuitive enough that you won’t need support often. I’ve used both for 2+ weeks and haven’t needed to contact support for either.
Q10: What are you personally using right now?
Right now? Systeme.io Starter at $17/month.
Why? Because I’m at $0 revenue. I’d rather spend $52/month on Facebook ads testing my offer than on GetResponse’s premium features I don’t need yet.
Systeme Starter gives me:
- 10 funnels to test different offers
- 5,000 contacts (I’m at ~200 currently)
- Everything I need to build, test, and scale
For $204/year vs GetResponse’s $828/year, the choice is obvious at my stage.
When would I switch to GetResponse? When I’m consistently making $15K-20K+/month and running live webinars weekly. At that point, the time savings from AI, the live webinar hosting, and the premium integrations justify $69/month.
But right now? I’m keeping that $624/year for ads.
My Honest Take: Here’s What I’d Do
If you’re reading this, you’re probably a broke entrepreneur trying to figure out if paying $69/month makes sense. Here’s my answer:
Not yet.
GetResponse is legitimately impressive. The AI features work better than I expected. The funnel visualization is brilliant. The dashboard customization is really nice. The live webinar hosting at this price point is competitive.
But here’s the truth that no affiliate marketer wants to tell you: Premium features don’t make you money. Marketing makes you money.
If you’re at $0-10K/month: Start with Systeme.io Free. Build your first funnel. Test your idea. Make your first sales. Once you’re consistently making $5K-10K+/month, upgrade to Systeme Starter at $17/month. Save the $52/month difference for Facebook ads.
If you’re at $10K-25K/month: Systeme Webinar at $47/month is probably enough unless you specifically NEED live webinars with 100 attendees. Save $264/year for marketing instead of marginally better tools.
If you’re at $25K+/month: Now GetResponse makes sense. You can afford $828/year. The AI features save time at scale. The live webinar hosting is useful. The premium integrations matter. The 5-user access helps your team.
What I’m using: Systeme.io Starter ($17/mo)
Why: I’m at few hundred revenue and new still to the venture and testing. $204/year makes sense for where I am. $828/year doesn’t. Once I’m consistently making $15K+/month and need live webinars, I’ll switch.
The principle: Use the tool that matches your CURRENT stage, not your dream stage. Start lean, upgrade when revenue justifies it, not when hope justifies it.
Ready to Test?
Try Systeme.io Free: Start Free Trial → No credit card required, actually free forever. 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, unlimited emails.
Try GetResponse Free Trial: Start 14-Day Trial → No credit card required, full premium features for 14 days. Then defaults to limited free plan.
P.S. – Some links above are affiliate links. I earn a commission if you upgrade to a paid plan. But I told you the truth throughout this article: Most of you should start free or cheap. That’s the whole point.
GetResponse is impressive. It’s well-built, feature-rich, and polished. But at $828/year, it’s not for broke entrepreneurs still testing their ideas.
Start with what’s free or cheap. Spend money on marketing, not software. Upgrade when revenue justifies it.
Now go build something.


