Email campaign software is one of the tools used by bulk email marketers to ensure that their products and services get sold through the medium of the internet and more specifically, email. This tool can either be purchased as an offline option, with the requisite database server and mailing application, or can also be signed up for online at a cost. Both of these options come with their pros and cons and the decision about which option is the best for your business is a result of the size and scalability of your business; the bigger your operations, the more reasons for you to invest in the offline option.

There are certain things that you should look out for in either option:

1. Tracking and reporting. This is a functionality that comes with both service offerings but the range and type of reports can vary between the two. Online options tend to be more robust, real time-based, and more customizable and viewable. Offline options may only give you data that you might want to work on further. Neither of these should be the deciding factor when going in for a service offering but should nevertheless be a consideration.
2. Security. Database security is paramount in email marketing. There is always the ever present danger of a spammer sending some malware to your network and then stealing your database for spamming purposes. If this should ever happen it is a direct non-compliance of your guarantee of customer privacy. Online email campaign software should be more secure than an offline version but there is no guarantee this is so, here it is a question of better the devil you know,  in this case, you.
3. Scalability. At some point in your evolution as a business entity, you would have to increase your operations to a point that you are in high volume email marketing. If this is the case, then your email campaign software will have to be robust enough to integrate into a CRM system or something of the sort. When the decision of scaling up does arise, there is also a crucial decision of whether you should move in for the offline option from the online option. This is because an offline operation will be a completely fixed cost for your business and therefore, a logical way to go.
4. Bundled service offerings. When it comes to the difference between online and offline email campaign software, you will notice that the online option gives you more bundled service offering like templates for emails and more robust reports. This should be a consideration for you after thinking deeply about whether manpower investment is something you want to do because offline software requires more human intervention than the online option.

In all these points, tracking and reporting stand out as very important or crucial points. It has to be emphasized that this is the only way that you will know whether your email marketing campaign is going anywhere or not.