Nanacast vs. InfusionSoft: Which Is Better?

41 thoughts on “Nanacast vs. InfusionSoft: Which Is Better?”

1. Hey man, I found this review and site in general pretty useful.

   I’ll be referring back to this when I sign up with nanacast in the near future.

   Thanks.

2. Very nice. Thanks dude. I’ve been with InfusionSoft, and yes they are difficult to use. $299 / mo isn’t that bad for me, but it’s so confusing or time consuming as a programmer myself I’m going to go give Nanacast. Only reason why I went with IS is their one click upsells. But if Nanacast can do upsells, then great.

3. Stephen, you’re not going to believe how easy it is to create Upsells in Nanacast compared to InfusionSoft.

   Just the other day I had to bill a client 4 hours to fully setup and test a multiple Upsell in InfusionSoft. I could have accomplished that in 15 minutes flat with Nanacast. 😉

4. Blue,

   I agree with some of the arguments presented in this presentation but not all.

   Even if I don’t agree with the case you are making in favor of Nanacast, I must tell you that your presentation is simply excellent.

   Best,
   Bob

5. Bob, thanks for the input!

   I made this video before I became familiar with your plugin, InfusionWP. Simply put, your WordPress plugin puts a whole new face on InfusionSoft and makes it easier to administer a membership site than ever before. But there’s still the missing issue of 1 Click Upsells. IS really needs to make that process a bit easier. Micah’s solution is great…but a bit pricey for some marketers.

6. Hey great video man, i was initially looking at infusionsoft for a new business to launch, as i know a lot of my friends use it but i know there is also a lot of hassle that goes with it to.

   Then i came across nanacast and i must admit it does look very very appealing.

   Looking forward for anymore videos you do about it, i’m sure it will help me and others make a very informed decision on deciding which platform to use.

   Thanks!

   Dan Briffa

7. Very useful presentation 🙂

   From experience of just setting up Infusionsoft I certainly agree with you that it is complex (understatement!) But it’s a two edged sword really; with complexity comes flexibility and total control.

   I really, really like Infusionsoft but I do admit that it is not for people who want to implement a solution all on their own or possibly those technically challenged as it takes a great deal of effort and planning to get it right.

   I’ve come across Nanacast before and it certainly seems very well thought of from what I have heard. The only thing I would add about your comparison of costs is that Nanacast has NO autorepsonder, which of course Infusionsoft does. So if you are comparing like with like, you have to add in the cost of that to Nanacast. With using something like Aweber, for a big list this can run into several $100’s of dollars. Just another factor to consider when people are making a decision.

   Thanks for some great information though.

8. Garry, great feedback!

   I completely agree with your comments on flexibility and total control that InfusionSoft gives you (if you have access to a $$$ great techie or are techie-enabled already).

   As for the AutoResponder…you’re right. I should have added that to the cost.

   But let’s also keep in mind that InfusionSoft only allows a certain amount of emails per month.

   For example, with the InfusionSoft $299/mth plan, they only allow a total of 75k emails to be sent per month. Each additional email incurs a $0.002 fee.

   This can financially impact frequent emailers with large lists…driving their costs even higher.

   For example, if you have a list of 25k, you can only email them 3 times per month. If you decide to email them a 4th time that month, you’ll get hit with an extra $50 fee. That’s $349 for that month!

   Aweber, meanwhile, will allow you to send unlimited emails to your 25k list for only $149.

   So if you’re using Nancast @ $97 + Aweber at $149, you’re looking at $246/mth (fixed cost) vs InfusionSoft’s $349 (variable cost). That’s a yearly savings of $1,236!

   So I hear you…but I also see the cost savings by outsourcing the mail to the professionals. Sure you lose your ability to control tags, followup, etc…but most marketers I’ve seen don’t even use these advanced feature sets.

9. Great video review.

   Is that a traffic geyser video player?

   I’m glad that I watched your video and I agree time to implement the solution is probably the most important factor.

10. BlueSquares –

    Perhaps I don’t fully understand the hosting side of Nanacast. So they host the site and all your media is hosted at AmazonS3 (which you obviously pay for separately). Is all the content (media files – audio and video) hosted at S3?

    The iTunes integration is interesting if a membership site included a premium podcast (for example), I’m assuming Nanacast would be a terrific solution. It’s that hosting stuff that is hanging me up. For instance, what if Libsyn was the host of choice (presently) for audio? I guess what I’m really wondering is how much hosting that monthly Nanacast plan permits.

    Thanks!

11. @Ryan: I recorded the video using Camtasia Studio and embedded it using the free Hana FLV plugin for WordPress.

    @Leonard, It is a bit confusing, eh? Here’s how it works…

    Nanacast creates your Buy Button.
    You can paste the Button Code on your own website or let them host the salespage for you using a nanacast.com/s/productname page.

    Nanacast only holds your member “text” on their servers (anything you type such as ‘thanks for joining and below are your links’). The “guts” of the content is actually on AmazonS3 for security purposes (uses expiring links that cannot be shared). So…the Mp3’s, Videos, PDF’s, eBooks and Download Links are actually being downloaded from AmazonS3…but it’s being viewed and downloaded from WITHIN the Nanacast Members area. If you want to show a video, it streams from AmazonS3 or your own web server.

    Make sense?

    Let me know. It’s a great system and Kyle Tully has also jumped over and it quite happy.

12. Thanks for experienced and informative comparison between Nanacast and Infusionsoft.

    The video was very useful and gave me a detailed insight into the full technical implications of each option and I agree with the majority of the points you’ve made.

    There are pros and cons for going either way for sure as no system is ever perfect.

    Infusionsoft does have it’s downsides.

    As you’ve rightly pointed out, Infusionsoft does have a large learning curve if you want to make the most of all their system has to offer – but that’s to be expected in a way considering the capabilities of their system.

    However, if you just want to use it for basic follow-up then it’s pretty easy to use and learn. Their user interface just takes a bit of getting used to – especially if you’re used to the easy-to-use AWeber interface.

    Back in April 2009, I went with Infusionsoft because everything is under one roof – especially the customer database, autoresponder, shopping cart and affiliate management.

    Before that, I was using a hotch-potch of different systems like AWeber for my autoresponder and DLGuard for my shopping cart, etc. It was a nightmare because those systems don’t talk to one another very well.

    AWeber is a great basic autoresponder with excellent deliverability and support. However, their database search functionality is poor as it only allows you to search one list at a time – instead of database wide. And their autoresponder only follows-up automatically based on time intervals rather than subscriber behavior.

    As I understand it, Nanacast doesn’t have it’s own autoresponder – but it does integrate pretty well with other third-party systems. like AWeber, etc.

    I want everything to be under one roof – so the management is simpler and smoother.

    Plus, the follow-up capabilities of Infusionsoft blow just about any other provider out of the water – especially with the ability to initiate follow-up sequences based on people’s behavior as well as just time.

    And I can do sophisticated follow-up sequences online and offline (via direct mail, fax broadcasting, voice broadcasting, SMS etc).

    My mine gripe with Infusionsoft is that instead of having a user manual or support system that tells you how to get the most out of all that their system has to offer, their user guide covers the basics only.

    If you want to do more sophisticated stuff that their system can do, then you need to either pay one of their internal or external consultants to do it – or bumble along and try to learn it yourself.

    I wasn’t aware of the full upsides and downsides of Infusionsoft before I went with them. That said, if I had to make the decision again, I’d still choose them again.

    Yes – the downsides can be a pain, but the upside leverage from sophisticated online and offline follow-up is just too big to ignore for me.

    There’s a reason that many top-tier Internet marketers go with Infusionsoft (e.g. Perry Marshall, Rich Schefren, John Reese, Frank Kern, etc). It’s a powerful tool in the hands of a sophisticated marketer.

    However, they’ve also got deep pockets to get the custom work done to do their sophisticated marketing systems.

    I’ve heard good reports about Nanacast too and I’m sure that they’d still be an excellent choice considering the capabilities you’ve outlined.

    I’ve seen a lot of people start off with 1ShoppingCart and AWeber and then move onto something more advanced like Nanacast, Infusionsoft or something else.

    At the end of the day, it’s about choosing the right system for the current stage of your business and recognizing that there are pros and cons to every choice.

    Shaun

13. Thanks for the review of Nanacast.

    I have Nanacast and you know what I’m finding it very hard to use.

    If Infusionsoft is that much harder that must be a MAJOR pain in the rear.

    I think it’s partly because there are so many options. It’s overwhelming. But also I think their training materials could be done a bit better.

    I’m on the fence now. I’m getting quite frustrated with Nanacast but it is one of the best options out there in terms of what it can do.

    I hope some day they improve the membership setup videos as well as the manuals.

    Ideally I should be able to do a quick search and have my questions answered. Actually, telephone support would be the ideal solution.

    It’s WAY more complex than Aweber and yet only email support. That has also wasted a lot of my time as sometimes we have to go back and forth via email because they don’t understand my question the first time.

    Thanks,

    Roger Haeske
    The 42 Year Old Teenager

14. An update to this video in terms of membership sites. If you have an infusionsoft account you can get an account from customerhub.net for $39/per month, per site.

15. Hi Roger,

    Hop on over to the Nanacast support desk and let us know what your specific needs are and we’d be happy to assist you.

    To answer a couple of your concerns:

    1. We do have a fully searchable Knowledgebase with hundreds of helpful answers here: http://nanacast.com/support/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=view

    2. We actually do not provide email based support at all. We have a support staff available through the support desk and each ticket is viewed by multiple people in order to provide you the best answer.

    3. We actually do provide phone support. If a phone call is necessary you can request one at any time through our support desk and we will call you.

    Most often though the best support is acquired through the ticket system itself because multiple sets of eyeballs see it to make sure you get the best direction.

    Thanks for your great feedback and Please be sure to contact us at Nanacast and we will always be happy to assist you.

    Regards,

    Josh Anderson

16. Hello. I have searched for a month now. reading all the comparisons from the following companies: icontact, infusionsoft,aweber,mailchimp, madmimi, and constant contact. I need to send emails out several times weekly. My average list is 6000. I am not savy on computer design. I need a template I can drop in photos, links, and current info. I am on decision overload. Mostly I send an informative newsletter out. Sometimes I host an issue campaign- which I would need to know if folks are opening the emails or forwarding them. Have you got a suggestion- ??Unlimited is best for me as I have 8 lists varing in size based on what folks signed on to recieve. Many thanks,
    Stacy, VP, LibertyTreeConsulting.com

    • I would only use Aweber and GetResponse. iContact is very strict and I’ve had a bad experience with them. MailChimp frowns upon marketers. Never tried Constant Contact. As for template, GetResponse and Aweber provide you with built in templates that work.

17. Really interesting comparison. I jumped onto Infusionsoft at the beginning of this year and the learning curve is massive.

    I’ve always found software pretty easy to pick up (degree in Computer Science kind of helps!) but Infusionsoft has been way harder to use than I could have imagined.

    They’re also incredibly USA-centric, with crazy issues like being unable to send a standard “£” sterling sign in autoresponder messages, which is a known “feature” that they’re in no rush to fix.

    Overall I’m delighted with my purchase, I just wish they’d look at the International needs a bit more.

    As I bought it for the AR functionality alongside the CRM, I think I probably made the right choice.

    Cheers,

    Lee

    • Nice writeup, Lee. Thanks!

18. Wow – I am thoroughly confused. I’m a recent IS purchaser who has actually been pretty impressed with the folks I’ve spoken to their, but haven’t gotten my hands dirty with the actual application yet. I don’t have a tech guy, but do have some cash to be able to hire Infused Systems or Infuzy to do all the set-up. However, what concerns me is all the talk of “learning curve” to get this going. I understand the principles of direct marketing, segmentation, etc. pretty well (above average perhaps) but dont have the time to devote to learning the ins and outs of a system that sounds a little buggy. Moreover, my clients are all university students paying from $500 to $2500 for online and offline courses, so I can’t afford to play around with something that will compromise the relationship with them. All I want is a good direct-response, segmentation-friendly email system that has the tagging / behavior-triggered followup that IS has – that’s it. Not membership, not ecommerce, not upsells, etc. Just an ultra-powerful list manager. Advice, anyone?

    • InfusionSoft is the Very best at segmenting and behavioral followup. You’re in the right place. Don’t even worry about this review. It’s not geared towards you.

19. Hi BlueSquares,

    This is an excellent presentation. It answered many of the questions that I had about Nanacast.

    However, I still have one question left unanswered:

    Will Nanacast allow us to integrate a private forum section within the membership site that is only viewable by members? We would like to integrate the Invision Power Board within our membership site, however we will settle for a vBulletin integration if that is the only option available to us.

    Thanks,

    Jonny

    • No. It doesn’t integrate with any forums. Neither does InfusionSoft. The only solution I’m aware of that integrates with VBulletin is http://www.digitalaccesspass.com.

20. Nanacast will integrate with any forum… including vBulletin that has an API.

    By far the easiest and fastest way is to simply install the Nanacast Member Lock plugin on a WP Blog and install the Simple Press forum plugin in the WP blog which runs off the same database as the blog.

    It takes about 15 minutes to install the blog and the two plugins and requires no additional programming.

    If you go the route of integrating other forums like vBulletin with Nanacast then you just use the Nanacast outbound API to integrate with them.

    This guy does Nanacast + vBulletin integrations for people: http://nanabuilder.com

21. Well done. I almost committed to infusionsoft this week, the heard horror stories from a few respected marketers. Will check out Nanacast now first 🙂

    Cheers!

    Ron

22. Hey .. I am really interested in Nanacast to establish affiliate selling of cutting-edge ( expensive) window cleaning technology. Every window cleaner knows another, and I think they could use an affiliate program to get some benefit from the referral..

    That said .. how do I talk with someone in Nanacast to confirm all this without having to discover it with a 7 day free trial ?

    Am I in the right place ? will Nanacast help me ? If we have problems and I pay the $159 per month, does someone help ?

23. I landed on this review with great frustration as a result of searching for a comparison between IS, icontact and the rest.

    I’m an IT headhunter and my application is that I have a mailing list of 10k that I send monthly newsletters segmented by whether they are candidates or hiring managers.

    Also new subscribers through the form on my website can select to receive a free Job Search eGuide and weekly job search tips OR .

    My history is that I signed up with Infusionsoft a few years ago, took FOREVER and countless hours to figure it out and get it setup but once working it was great as I could set up various “action sets” to launch email sequences or set values in fields depending on what check boxes subscribers chose.

    But my business partner didn’t see the return for the monthly $300 so I moved my list over to iContact for $70/month and am in the process of trying to set up sign-up forms, auto-responders etc.

    Lo and behold it simply can’t do those things the way I want. They don’t have “action sets” and their segmentation solution is to just have multiple lists.

    Can Nanacast help me?

    • Ken, Out of the box, Nanacast doesn’t provide an email solution, they simply integrate with them to add customers to lists. So no…Nanacast won’t perform action sets like Infusionsoft. In that sense, you’ve been spoiled by Infusionsoft. 🙂 There is no other solution in the current market that offers a similar feature to Infusionsoft’s Action Sets. The only one that kinda, sorta comes close is OfficeAutoPilot. But it’s a distant “close” and the pricing is similar. I recommend revisiting the topic with your partner. However, according to your needs, it sounds like you only need to maintain 2 lists. One for candidates and another for hiring manager. The candidates with the Free Job Search Guide can be segmented further at signup in iContact using custom fields. Just present a drop-down box requesting extra qualifiers such as “Is this your first job” or “Select your profession”, etc. Then when you broadcast, you can segment the list based on those custom fields. Good luck.

24. This video was really useful, I’ve used it and some of my own recent experience to stat putting the following “EcoSystem” document for web marketing as a whole.

    Comments welcome…

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApG9Ci8uAEIrdFRDZHdlTzJCcDN1Umh2WGk3RGc1Z3c

25. Excellent video! I learned a lot by watching this, thanks for the breakdown.

26. please contact me please so we will talk about hiring you to help us find the right SFA CRM software

    • You can contact me via my support desk.

27. Lots of interesting information here, but how I wish it was all dated! Is this information current or woefully out-of-date or somewhere in between? Please people, add date stamps to the content on your blogs!

    • It’s all still current. Nothing has changed to warrant rebuilding the video.

28. We tried IS last year. After about 45 days it became clear that running it would be a full time job. That’s fine but then when would I have the time to delivery the product that we were using IS to sell. And their training sucked.

    We canceled and left and asked for a refund.

    We were told that since THEY thought there was value there for us and that their peoduct would work for us, we wouldn’t be getting a refund.

    It would take someone moving heaven and earth to get me to even accept a call from IS, let alone trying them again. I found this thread looking for alternatives to IS. We need something. We can’t afford to pay the big bucks for someone else to run. So IS is out.

29. Thanks for your video. I’m not going to watch it, because your viewers’ comments helped me make up my mind! I’m here because I signed up for infusionsoft two weeks ago, and I’m already looking for an alternative. I hate it. Incredibly unintuitive (like others here, I have experience with sequences and web forms). The help is scattered all over the place– some help refers to the older versions of IS, some help to the newer version. As a new user, I don’t know which is which, so I am reading help on features which have been discontinued, renamed, or redesigned. The fact that you have to pay IS $600.00 for mandatory training shows they know the program is clunky (difficult), and that a whole industry of paid consultants has grown up to help you make it work, is just further confirmation.

    What I have learned here is that IS in the only app with the follow-up sequences that I would like. However, some of this automatic follow-up is overhyped anyway. You, the consumer, know that you’re getting automated emails, and that the writer isn’t really interested in you, and didn’t send it–the computer did.

    Nowadays, you can get a well-designed, attractive, user-friendly CRM for $15/month/user, on a month to month contract. No follow-up sequences or web forms, but at least it’s usable by average workers.

    Maybe it’s time to go back to the phone and a spreadsheet, or even a notepad. You’ll probably get more done. and make more sales–I know I will.

30. Hello Jesus,

    Nanacast or Ontraport?

    I appreciate your input (anyone else’s too)!

    Thanks!

    • Ontraport is in a different category to Nanacast. It’s probably best to compare them to InfusionSoft since they can tag customers and also send out emails. If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution, they’re a great choice along with Sendpepper. If you’re looking for a solution that doesn’t send email (because you already use GetResponse, Aweber, etc), then Nanacast is a better fit.

31. Wow Jesus what an awesome presentation. I have been going in circles for weeks. Do I go with Nanacast, Infusionsoft, iDevaffiliate, 1SC, and many others.

    I am looking for a solution that does everything you outlined here with Nanacast. I love the idea of Nanacast and I enjoy being an affiliate of vendors who use Nanacast.

    BUT… there seems to be one major feature missing that is stopping me from rolling with Nanacast.

    We have a number of sites that run as “stores”. So we use Woocommerce and the customer starts loading up their shopping cart to buy a bunch of products. We like this because MANY customers need multiple products from us. With Nanacast, I don’t believe I can integrate this?

    So if the customer wants 5 items from our catalog, and we use Nanacast, they would have to go through 5 separate transactions… 1 per product.

    Maybe I’m wrong but I think this is the big feature missing. I really wish Nanacast could do this because other than that, it looks perfect.

    Thoughts?

    thanks again awesome post
    Justin

    • Hey Justin! I believe I’ve bought your PLR in the past. Small world!

      As for Nanacast, you’re right…that’s something they don’t offer. You’re looking for a traditional shopping cart mechanism but I don’t think that’s on Nanacast’s radar. They’re focused on the info marketer with an upsell path vs “carts” and adding multiple items at once. Maybe you can take a look at Shopify? They have an upsell addon that might fill your needs. 1SC definitely has a traditional cart and upsells, but last I heard, the upsells were a challenge to set up. Things might have changed since then, though.

      • Haha yeah I actually remember chatting with you in the past. Thanks for the feedback and for the great blog you’ve put together here. Among the best I’ve seen on this topic. Well done 🙂