Act! vs Redtail CRM (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Act! grades higher than Redtail CRM: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Act! grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Act!
CRM and email marketing platform for small businesses
Redtail CRM
CRM for financial advisors, with compliant texting and imaging
Which one is for you
Pick Act! if
- Fits if you want your CRM and your email campaigns from one vendor
- Works for teams that want a desktop CRM they run themselves, with offline access, at $40 a user
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to pay monthly, as the pricing page only shows annual billing
- Pricey if you want marketing automation and lead scoring, which need Ultimate at $60 a user
- Not for you if you want a free plan, because there's only a 14-day trial
- Watch out: texting is an add-on from $19 a month, and Desktop Sync adds $10 a user to cloud plans
- Tight if you're on Standard, with 2,500 email sends a month and one designated user for forms, surveys and chat
Pick Redtail CRM if
- Fits if you are a solo advisor or small advisory practice
- Works for firms that must archive client notes, email and texts
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow past 5 users, as Launch caps there
- Skip it if you want workflows or texting on the cheaper plan, because both start on Growth at $59
- Watch out: compliant texting depends on broker-dealer approval
- Watch out: Enterprise has no published price and needs a minimum licence commitment
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAAct!Fair | 2.0GPARedtail CRMFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStandard is $30 a user a month against a $24 middle for CRMs here, which puts it in the dearer quarter, though email marketing, quotes, payments and booking come with it. AI tools wait for Professional at $45, marketing automation for Ultimate at $60, and text messaging is an add-on from $19. | C$39 a user billed yearly ($45 monthly) on Launch and $59 on Growth, where the workflows are. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. There's a 14-day trial that doesn't ask for a card, which is the ordinary arrangement. After that every listed price is billed for the year, so you're deciding on twelve months at once. | DA 30-day trial of Growth for new users, with no word on a card. No free plan. |
| Features | BContact history, a kanban pipeline with KPIs, email campaigns, online quotes, card and ACH payments, booking, web forms, surveys, website chat and event pages. That covers sales and marketing in one place. On Standard, though, forms, surveys, chat and event pages each come with just one designated user. | CContacts, accounts, pipeline, reporting and a mobile app. Workflows, imaging and Speak need Growth. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and this is a big product to settle into: a configurable sales process, campaign templates, lookups and queries, and mailbox and calendar accounts to connect first. | CNo store rating on record. Workflows and integrations to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with a separate self-managed desktop edition for offline access at $40 a user. It works with Outlook, Microsoft 365, Gmail, Google Calendar, Excel and Word, but our listing names no API. | BWeb and a mobile app, with Orion, Schwab, eMoney, Fidelity, Envestnet and Zapier connections. |
| Best for | CRM and email marketing from one vendor | a CRM for solo advisors and small advisory firms |
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! and Redtail CRM. How we grade
Price against what you get
Act! starts at $30 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Redtail CRM starts at $39 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Act! scores higher and starts $9 a month lower. Of the other CRM tools on the chart, 7 score higher than Act! for less, and 30 score higher than Redtail CRM for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Act! also covers booking links, marketing automation, forms and surveys.
- Redtail CRM also covers calendar, workflow automation, documents and business texting.
At a glance
| Act! | Redtail CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $30 per user / month, billed annually | $39 per user / month, billed yearly ($45 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial of the Growth plan, for new users only |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Act! LLC | Redtail Technology |
| Price read from | act.com | redtailtechnology.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Act!
- There is no free plan, and every listed price is billed annually; the pricing page shows no monthly option.
- AI tools, project management and accounting integration start on Professional; marketing automation and lead scoring need Ultimate.
- SMS text messaging is an add-on from $19 a month, and Desktop Sync adds $10 per user a month to cloud plans.
- On Standard, surveys, website chat, web forms and event pages each include only one designated user.
Redtail CRM
- Launch is limited to 5 users and has no workflows, imaging or texting; those start on Growth.
- Compliant texting is subject to broker-dealer approval.
- Enterprise has no published price and needs a minimum license commitment.
- The 30-day trial covers the Growth plan and is for new users only.
Key features
Act!
- Contact and activity management
- Each contact record holds emails, documents, notes and history alongside scheduled calls, meetings and to-dos, with groups, lookups and advanced queries to segment the database.
- Opportunity pipeline
- Opportunities follow a configurable sales process and can be worked on a drag-and-drop kanban board or in a pipeline view with KPIs such as close rate and closed-won value.
- Built-in email marketing
- Email campaigns with a template editor and tracking come with every cloud tier, with monthly send limits of 2,500, 25,000 and 50,000. Nurture campaigns start on Professional.
- Quotes, payments and scheduling
- Interactive online quotes, card and ACH payments through Act! Payments and online appointment booking are included. A shared team booking calendar needs Professional.
- Forms, surveys, chat and events
- Web lead forms, online surveys, website chat and event sign-up pages feed contacts into Act!. Standard includes one designated user for each; higher tiers cover all users.
- AI tools
- AI History Summary recaps recent contact activity and the AI Writing Assistant drafts marketing content. The pricing page lists both from the Professional tier.
Redtail CRM
- Contacts and accounts
- Contact and account management with user-defined fields, segmentation, compliant note entry and archiving, and customizable database lists.
- Workflows and automation
- Process workflows, automation triggers and templates are listed from the Growth plan.
- Sales pipeline tracker
- A pipeline tracker and seminar and event management sit alongside shareable calendars and automated reports.
- Redtail Imaging
- CRM-integrated document management with audit trails, indexes for searching files and 200 GB of storage, included in Growth.
- Redtail Speak
- Archived, searchable texting for advisors, with scheduling, bulk texting and an AI assistant. The page says it is subject to broker-dealer approval.
- Integrations and mobile app
- The vendor lists more than 100 integrations with advisor tools, plus a secure mobile app on both plans.
Plans
Act!
Act! Advantage Standard$30
per user / month, billed annually
Cloud CRM and mobile app, basic email marketing with 2,500 sends a month, quotes, payments, scheduling, reports and 15 GB of storage.
Act! Premium Desktop$40
per user / month, billed annually
Self-managed, on-premises edition with networked and offline access; you deploy the software and control when it updates.
Act! Advantage Professional$45
per user / month, billed annually
Adds 25,000 email sends a month, nurture campaigns, AI History Summary, AI Writing Assistant, accounting integration, project management and 25 GB.
Act! Advantage Ultimate$60
per user / month, billed annually
Adds marketing automation with 50,000 sends a month, lead scoring, custom industry tables, an online customer portal and 35 GB of storage.
Enterprise EngagementCustom
Private hosting, custom deployment, a dedicated project manager and a custom enterprise agreement. Priced by phone quote.
Redtail CRM
Launch$39
per user / month, billed yearly ($45 billed monthly)
Maximum of 5 users. Contact and account management, reporting, segmentation, mobile app and integrations.
Growth$59
per user / month, billed yearly ($65 billed monthly)
Unlimited users. Everything in Launch plus Imaging and Speak, process workflows, automation triggers, permissions and document storage.
EnterpriseCustom
Customizable plans for larger teams and advisor networks, with a minimum license commitment. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Act!
No public discounts listed.
Redtail CRM
- Annual discount
Save with yearly billing
Launch is $39 per user a month billed yearly against $45 billed monthly; Growth is $59 against $65.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Act! or Redtail CRM?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Act! is cheaper to start with: $30 a month for each person, against $39 a month for each person for Redtail CRM. Act! starts at $30 per user / month, billed annually, and Redtail CRM starts at $39 per user / month, billed yearly ($45 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Act! or Redtail CRM?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Act! nor Redtail CRM has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Act! and Redtail CRM run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Act! lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.