ActiveCampaign vs SharpSpring (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ActiveCampaign grades higher than SharpSpring: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
ActiveCampaign grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ActiveCampaign
Email marketing and multi-step automation priced by contacts
SharpSpring
Marketing automation and CRM for agencies and small businesses
Which one is for you
Pick ActiveCampaign if
- Fits if your marketing is mostly automated sequences, like onboarding, nurture and win-back emails
- Works for stores on Shopify or WooCommerce that want email and a sales CRM on the same contacts
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan to grow into, as there isn't one after the 14-day trial
- Tight if you're on Starter, since each automation stops at 5 actions, there's 1 user and lists stop at 25,000
- Pricey if your list is big, at $149 a month for 10,000 contacts even on Starter
- Watch out: SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email, sales pipelines and extra users are paid add-ons
- Watch out: landing pages need Plus at $49 and conditional content Pro at $79, both for 1,000 contacts billed yearly
Pick SharpSpring if
- Fits if you run an agency that wants a CRM beside email
- Makes sense if you want ad retargeting from the same tool
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a price, as none could be confirmed
- Skip it if you want to try it free, since only a demo is offered
- Watch out: pricing links now point to Constant Contact's Lead Gen and CRM product, so it may be sold under that name too
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAActiveCampaignFair | 1.8GPASharpSpringWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$15 a month for 1,000 contacts on yearly billing, or $19 monthly, a little above the middle of what email tools charge. Starter has 1 user and 5 actions per automation, though. Unlimited steps and landing pages need Plus at $49, and Starter is $149 a month at 10,000 contacts. | CNo price could be confirmed: the Pricing link leads to a Constant Contact page we couldn't read, so we place it in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan at all, but there's a 14-day trial with no credit card needed. That's two weeks to build an automation or two before you pay. | FNo free plan or trial is stated on the pages we read. The main call to action is a demo. |
| Features | BMulti-step automations, a drag-and-drop designer with 250+ templates and A/B tests, segmentation, forms, reports and AI drafting. It covers the whole job. SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email and sales pipelines cost extra on top. | BEmail, automation, a CRM, sales engagement, social and retargeting ads, tracking and analytics. Nothing in the listing shows a gap. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record, and this is a web app where the work is building automations and segments. Expect a learning curve before it pays off. | CNo store rating on record. A suite with a CRM and automations to build and connect. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Salesforce, Stripe, Slack, Zapier and Calendly, and has an API. No desktop or phone app is listed. | CWeb only, with no integrations listed on the pages we read. |
| Best for | long automated email sequences | agency marketing automation and CRM |
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: ActiveCampaign and SharpSpring. How we grade
Where they differ
- ActiveCampaign also covers forms.
At a glance
| ActiveCampaign | SharpSpring | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $15 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($19 monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card needed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | ActiveCampaign | SharpSpring |
| Price read from | activecampaign.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ActiveCampaign
- There is no free plan; after the 14-day trial every plan is paid.
- Monthly email sends are capped at 10 times your contact limit on Starter and Plus, 12 times on Pro and 15 times on Enterprise.
- SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email, sales pipelines and extra users are paid add-ons on top of the plan price.
- Starter has one user and stops at 25,000 contacts; landing pages need Plus and conditional content needs Pro.
SharpSpring
- Pricing is not shown on SharpSpring's own site: the Pricing link leads to a Constant Contact page that blocks automated reading, so no plan or price could be confirmed.
- The site lists a demo as its main call to action; no free plan or trial is stated on the pages read.
- The pricing links now point to Constant Contact's Lead Gen and CRM product, so the product may be sold under that name too.
Key features
ActiveCampaign
- Multi-step automations
- A visual builder links actions, waits and branches into automations. Starter allows 5 actions per automation; Plus and above have no limit.
- Email designer and AI tools
- Drag-and-drop and HTML designer, 250+ templates and A/B testing, plus an AI campaign builder and AI text and image generation.
- Segmentation and personalization
- Segmentation runs from limited on Starter to premium on Enterprise. Conditional content and predictive sending start at Pro.
- CRM and pipelines
- Every plan keeps contact profiles, tags and custom fields. Pipelines, deals, lead scoring and win probability come with the paid CRM add-ons.
- Forms, landing pages and site messages
- Starter has standard and inline forms only; Plus adds landing pages. Site messages and Google, Facebook and LinkedIn ad audiences are also available.
- Reporting and attribution
- Campaign, automation and contact reports on every plan. Attribution starts at Pro; custom reports are included on Enterprise and an add-on on Plus and Pro.
SharpSpring
- Email marketing
- Sends email content tailored to each lead's interests and behavior.
- Marketing automation
- Rule-based workflows that personalize messages by buyer behavior and timing.
- Built-in CRM
- Tracks sales opportunities and contacts alongside the marketing data, with productivity tools for sales teams.
- Sales engagement
- Built-in messaging and task automation for follow-ups.
- Social media and retargeting ads
- Posts to social channels, tracks mentions, and shows targeted content on sites leads visit after leaving yours.
- Tracking and analytics
- Reports across marketing and sales activity, including campaign results tracked through the life of a lead.
Plans
ActiveCampaign
Starter$15
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($19 monthly)
1 user, limited segmentation, 5 actions per automation, up to 25,000 contacts. Price rises with the list: $149 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually.
Plus$49
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly)
1 user, unlimited automation actions, standard segmentation and landing pages. $189 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually.
Pro$79
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($99 monthly)
3 users, advanced segmentation, conditional content, predictive sending and attribution. $375 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually.
Enterprise$145
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($179 monthly)
5 users, premium segmentation, custom objects, single sign-on and a dedicated account team. $589 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually.
SharpSpring
Pricing could not be confirmed. See sharpspring.com.
Ways to pay less
ActiveCampaign
- Annual discount
About 20% off with annual billing
At 1,000 contacts, annual billing brings Starter to $15 a month from $19 monthly, Plus to $49 from $59 and Pro to $79 from $99.
- Nonprofit
20% off for nonprofits
ActiveCampaign's FAQ offers nonprofits a 20% discount on proof of nonprofit status, requested from the sales team or, for existing accounts, from support.
SharpSpring
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or SharpSpring?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ActiveCampaign starts at $15 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($19 monthly), and SharpSpring has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, ActiveCampaign or SharpSpring?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither ActiveCampaign nor SharpSpring has a free plan. ActiveCampaign has a free trial.
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.