Act-On vs Dotdigital (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dotdigital grades higher than Act-On: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Dotdigital grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Act-On
B2B marketing automation priced by contacts you actually email
Dotdigital
Cross-channel marketing automation for ecommerce and B2B teams
Which one is for you
Pick Act-On if
- Fits if you run a B2B team that wants marketing automation and can commit to a year
- Works for teams with a CRM to connect on the Enterprise tier
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are small: $900 a month for 2,500 active contacts
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial
- Tight if you can't commit, as an annual contract is required
- Watch out: CRM integration and Data Studio are Enterprise items or add-ons
- Watch out: premium support is a paid extra
Pick Dotdigital if
- Fits if you run an online store on Shopify, BigCommerce or Adobe Commerce
- Makes sense if you want email and other channels from one vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a published price, as we could not confirm one
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, because none is shown
- Watch out: loyalty is a separate product from the main platform
- Watch out: the home page does not say which plans include the AI agents
- Skip it if all you send is a monthly newsletter
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAAct-OnWeak | 2.0GPADotdigitalFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DProfessional is $900 a month for up to 2,500 active contacts, $1,375 at 10,000, far above the $149 mark for this category's dearest tenth. It is a marketing automation product, not a newsletter tool. | CNo price could be confirmed, because the vendor's pricing pages refused automated reads. Nothing on record to set against the category. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan or trial is described, and an annual contract is required. | FThe pages that could be read state no free plan or trial. |
| Features | CEmail, landing pages and forms, scoring, journeys and reporting. But CRM integration and Data Studio are Enterprise or add-ons. | BMarketing automation, several channels, AI agents and an MCP server. The listing shows no gap in the core job, though loyalty is a separate product. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Programmes and scoring rules have to be built. | CWeb, with channels and a catalogue to connect. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Salesforce, SugarCRM, NetSuite, Dynamics and Zapier integrations. | BWeb only, with Shopify, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, Shopware and Trustpilot connections. |
| Best for | B2B marketing automation priced by active contacts | retail and ecommerce brands with a sales call |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Act-On and Dotdigital. How we grade
Where they differ
- Act-On also covers workflow automation, forms and reports.
- Dotdigital also covers sMS marketing and whatsApp messaging.
At a glance
| Act-On | Dotdigital | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $900 per month for up to 2,500 active contacts | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Act-On Marketing Automation | dotdigital EMEA Limited |
| Price read from | act-on.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Act-On
- An annual contract is required, per the pricing page.
- CRM integration with Salesforce, SugarCRM, NetSuite and Dynamics, and Data Studio, are Enterprise items or add-ons.
- Professional includes the standard email support package; premium support is a paid extra and is recommended for Enterprise.
- No free plan or trial is described on the pricing page.
Dotdigital
- Prices could not be confirmed: the vendor's pricing pages refused automated reads, so none are listed.
- The pages that could be read state no free plan or trial.
- Loyalty is a separate product, and the home page does not say which plans include the AI agents.
Key features
Act-On
- Active Contacts pricing
- Billing follows the number of contacts emailed in a month, not the whole database, and non-active contacts keep their engagement history.
- Automated engagement programs
- Journey orchestration with behavior-based lists and targeting of emails and messages to segments.
- Landing pages and forms
- Pre-built templates for landing pages, forms and emails, with tracking of website and landing page visitors.
- Scoring and AI
- Scores visitors, prospects and customers, and lists an AI predictive lead score and audience insights.
- Reporting
- Interactive analytics dashboards; Data Studio for BI integration is an Enterprise feature or add-on.
Dotdigital
- Marketing automation
- Customer journeys that trigger messages, such as cart recovery emails and SMS offer reminders, from one platform.
- Channels
- Email, SMS/MMS, WhatsApp, mobile app push, web personalization and ads and retargeting.
- AI agents
- A Segment Agent that builds audiences from a plain description and a Content Agent that writes messaging for any channel.
- MCP server
- A Model Context Protocol server that lets an AI tool read Dotdigital results and add leads to a list.
- Loyalty and retention
- A loyalty product for rewarding and retaining customers, sold alongside the marketing platform.
Plans
Act-On
Professional$900
per month for up to 2,500 active contacts, annual contract
Complete marketing automation program with standard email support. The price rises with active contacts: $1,375 a month at 10,000. Actual pricing may vary with add-ons.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Professional plus CRM integration, Data Studio for BI reporting, account-based marketing and 2x user accounts. Quoted through sales.
Dotdigital
Pricing could not be confirmed. See dotdigital.com.
Ways to pay less
Act-On
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit discounts
The pricing page FAQ says discounts exist for 501(c)(3) nonprofits and asks visitors to contact Act-On for details.
Dotdigital
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Act-On or Dotdigital?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Act-On starts at $900 per month for up to 2,500 active contacts, and Dotdigital has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Act-On or Dotdigital?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Act-On nor Dotdigital has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.