Infusionsoft Vs. Ontraport

Selecting the right email marketing platform can make a major impact on your business, revenue, and bottom line.

Use this software comparison guide to review Infusionsoft vs. Ontraport. We tackle the pros and cons of each platform, plus we cover the top features, pricing models, and ease of use for users.

Both Infusionsoft and Ontraport utilize “tags” to categorize and assign properties to the members within your CRM. In each platform, these tags are automatically applied and function according to the parameters that you set. Within both platforms, these tags can be used for a variety of purposes.

For example, you might choose to segment your email list or grant a user specific permissions based on a purchase or opt-in. Tagging is invaluable when you’re ready to really start targeting specific client groups and provide a more personal experience for them.

Infusionsoft has a nice feature that allows you to categorize the tags within the system. So if you’re dealing with a large volume of tags and conditional funnels, the categorization is a total lifesaver.

This comes in handy if you find yourself using a wide variety of tags to fine-tune your system and funnels. You can also add multiple tags within the same category at the same time in the tag creation interface.

In terms of automation and custom sequences, Infusionsoft and Ontraport are on pretty equal footing. They both automate the email marketing process by allowing you to use a drag-and-drop sequence builder.

With Infusionsoft, the campaigns are a little more “open-ended,” in the sense that you can create a lot more complex automation sequences to attend to the needs of your clients and your business, but Ontraports builder is more intuitive, especially for less complicated campaigns.

If you are planning to sell products on your website, this part of the Infusionsoft vs. Ontraport debate is going to be important in your decision-making process. Both marketing automation systems have built-in e-commerce with some of their plans.

Within Infusionsoft, you can set up a product and sales form. Once added to your website, this sales form will enable you to collect the payment information, at which point Infusionsoft automatically connects with a payment processor like PayPal or other merchant account.

Although there’s a kind of “digital handshake” that happens in the purchase process for your clients, Infusionsoft does a great job of making it a truly automated process. Just set up your products and any necessary tags and email sequences within Infusionsoft, and let the software do the rest.

Your clients will be treated to a seamless purchase, and you can set up any necessary funnels to follow up (or upsell) with clients after the purchase.

In addition to offering you a streamlined experience for your e-commerce needs, you can also set up a tagging sequence that is triggered when a payment isn’t made on time. Since Infusionsoft handles a part of the transaction (aside from the actual monies exchange), you can find your stats and reports inside Infusionsoft itself. At a glance, you can see who’s paid, who hasn’t, and how much.

However, this feature is only available for certain Infusionsoft subscription levels.

Setting up an affiliate program can be a great way to boost your sales and business reach. Of course it also includes an entirely different set of responsibilities for you to manage, including unique affiliate links, sales, and refunds.

Ontraport includes a Partner (Affiliate) feature that will allow you to manage a unique set of permissions that can be applied to your affiliates. You can use PilotPress to drop the Partner Center behind a password-protected area of your site for affiliates to login and grab their links and promotional assets.

If you’d like more flexibility with the layout of your Partner Center, AccessAlly’s affiliate features fully integrate with Ontraport and give you a wider range of flexibility when it comes to design and organization of your affiliate materials.

With Infusionsoft, on the other hand, it’s a convenient, built-in gig that’s ready for you to take advantage of. Your affiliates will login to Infusionsoft directly.

The Infusionsoft Affiliate Center makes it convenient for you to track your affiliate sales and payments without having to switch platforms.

If you run into any problems throughout the process, the Infusionsoft staff is always on hand to help with the tech stuff.

Upfront, Ontraport requires a smaller financial investment. Ontraport’s pricing is divided into four tiers so you only have to pay for the features you need and you can upgrade your account at any time if you’re outgrowing your current plan.

Take time to look through each of their pricing pages to see which area you fall into.

Infusionsoft does come with a sign-on fee, called Expert Coaching in addition to monthly subscription fees. (At the time this article was written, the sign-up fee was $999.)

But here’s what’s good about it: with that sign-on fee, you get the tech help you need to be off to a strong start at setting up and getting familiar with your Infusionsoft account.

So, how will the price difference affect your decision?

For smaller businesses who are just getting started, the sign-on fee for Infusionsoft might be a bit daunting.

While I can’t make the decision for you, I hope that now you have a better understanding of what each system is best used for, and which one you’ll want to investigate further.

In terms of when the right time to make the move is… I say before you’re ready. Because it takes awhile to make a big move to a new platform like this. I’ll also say that it’s best to be running from a profitable place, because these monthly fees are in the triple digits.

Take a look at both Infusionsoft and Ontraport’s websites and try their demos or talk to their representatives to get a feel for what they can offer.