ActiveCampaign
Email marketing and multi-step automation priced by contacts
ActiveCampaign report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for long automated email sequences
ActiveCampaign is built for automations: long chains of emails, waits and branches that run on their own, with a CRM on the side if you sell. It starts at $15 a month for 1,000 contacts on yearly billing. But there's no free plan, and the cheapest plan stops each automation at 5 actions, so the good stuff starts at $49.
Who ActiveCampaign is for
- Great if your marketing is mostly automated sequences, like onboarding, nurture and win-back emails
- Handy when you want email and a sales CRM sharing the same contacts
- Good for online stores on Shopify, WooCommerce or Square that tie orders to emails
Who ActiveCampaign is not for
- Skip it if you want a free plan to grow into, as there isn't one
- Tight if you're on Starter, since each automation stops at 5 actions and there's only 1 user
- Pricey if your list is big, at $149 a month for 10,000 contacts even on Starter
Why ActiveCampaign gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$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.
- CFree plan and trialNo free plan at all, but there's a 14-day trial with no credit card needed. Long enough to build an automation or two and see if it clicks.
- BFeaturesMulti-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.
- CEase of useNo App Store rating on record, and this is a web app where the work is building automations and segments. Powerful, but expect a learning curve before it pays off.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from ActiveCampaign's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/activecampaign#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/activecampaign.svg" alt="ActiveCampaign: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where ActiveCampaign stands among email marketing and newsletter tools
ActiveCampaign's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 5 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on features (B, above 3 of 24) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $13 for the category: 12 of the 22 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 25 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. ActiveCampaign’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 24, level with 12
- CFree plan and trialAbove 2 of 24, level with 17
- BFeaturesAbove 3 of 24, level with 21
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 24, level with 20
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 24, level with 24
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 23 email marketing and newsletter tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep ActiveCampaign, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace ActiveCampaign you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 10 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools grade higher. It costs $180 a year.
What you could make
- Forms, sales pipeline and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
- It plugs into other products, Shopify, WooCommerce and WordPress among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. ActiveCampaign’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign is an email marketing and automation platform for small and mid-sized businesses. Its visual builder chains emails, waits, branches and CRM updates into multi-step automations, and AI tools draft campaigns, copy and images. SMS, WhatsApp, sales pipelines and transactional email are sold as add-ons to the four contact-based plans.
ActiveCampaign is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $15 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($19 monthly). See every plan
Good for
- Businesses that run long automated sequences rather than one-off newsletters
- Teams that want email marketing tied to a sales CRM
- Online stores on Shopify, WooCommerce or Square that tie orders to email
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
ActiveCampaign pricing
- Starts at
- $15 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($19 monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial, no credit card needed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $15per 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 | $49per 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 | $79per 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 | $145per 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. |
Read from activecampaign.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with ActiveCampaign before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountAbout 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.
Stated on activecampaign.com - Nonprofit20% 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.
Stated on activecampaign.com
Works with
ActiveCampaign alternatives
- ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp
Free plan · from $13/mo
- ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse
Free plan · from $19/mo
- ActiveCampaign vs Brevo
Free plan · from $9/mo
- ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo
Free plan · from $20/mo
- ActiveCampaign vs Drip
Free trial · from $39/mo
Common questions
Is ActiveCampaign free?
No, ActiveCampaign is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial, no credit card needed.
How much does ActiveCampaign cost?
ActiveCampaign lists 4 plans. Starter: $15 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($19 monthly). Plus: $49 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($59 monthly). Pro: $79 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($99 monthly). Enterprise: $145 per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($179 monthly). Prices were read from activecampaign.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does ActiveCampaign work on?
ActiveCampaign is available on Web.
Does ActiveCampaign offer any discounts?
ActiveCampaign publicly lists the following: About 20% off with annual billing; 20% off for nonprofits.
Does ActiveCampaign have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. ActiveCampaign is listed for Web.
Does ActiveCampaign have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. ActiveCampaign is listed for Web.
Is ActiveCampaign open source?
ActiveCampaign is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does ActiveCampaign have an API?
Yes. ActiveCampaign offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does ActiveCampaign integrate with?
ActiveCampaign's listing names Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Salesforce, Stripe, Slack, Zapier and Calendly. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign is made by ActiveCampaign. It dates from 2003.
What are the alternatives to ActiveCampaign?
The closest alternatives to ActiveCampaign in our directory are Mailchimp, GetResponse, Brevo, Klaviyo and Drip. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with ActiveCampaign.
How does ActiveCampaign compare with other email marketing and newsletter tools?
ActiveCampaign's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 5 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 9. It stands best on features (B, above 3 of 24) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1).
Is ActiveCampaign good value for money?
ToolGPA grades ActiveCampaign C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $13 for the category: 12 of the 22 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of ActiveCampaign?
To replace ActiveCampaign you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 10 of the 24 other email marketing and newsletter tools grade higher. It costs $180 a year. What you could not make: Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox. It plugs into other products, Shopify, WooCommerce and WordPress among them, and has an API. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.