Our Verdict
The best SMB email marketing and automation platform, combining powerful visual workflows with an integrated sales CRM at a fraction of HubSpot's price.
Rating Breakdown
Why Trust This Review
Our team has spent 40+ hours hands-on testing ActiveCampaign across real-world scenarios. We follow a rigorous methodology with weighted scoring criteria. Our reviews are editorially independent and never influenced by affiliate partnerships.
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Pros & Cons
Pros
- Best-in-class visual automation builder that rivals HubSpot at a fraction of the cost
- Excellent email deliverability with consistently high inbox placement rates
- Integrated sales CRM with pipeline management eliminates need for separate tools
- Advanced lead scoring with behavioral and demographic criteria across all plans
- Recognized G2 leader for Fastest Implementation and Best ROI consistently
Cons
- No free plan — only a 14-day trial, unlike HubSpot and Brevo which offer free tiers
- SMS marketing is an add-on cost on top of plan pricing
- Landing pages only available on Plus plan and above — not on the cheapest tier
- Pricing scales steeply with contact count — costs can grow quickly as your list expands
Full Review
Overview
ActiveCampaign is an email marketing and automation platform that has consistently been rated a G2 leader in Marketing Automation, CRM, and Email Marketing. It bridges the gap between simple email tools and enterprise marketing platforms by offering sophisticated automation workflows, a built-in sales CRM, lead scoring, and multi-channel marketing (email, SMS, WhatsApp) — all at pricing accessible to small and mid-sized businesses. With excellent email deliverability and one of the most intuitive visual automation builders in the market, ActiveCampaign is the go-to choice for businesses that need HubSpot-level automation without HubSpot-level pricing.
Key Strengths
- Best-in-class automation builder: Visual workflow builder rated among the most powerful and intuitive in the industry
- Excellent email deliverability: Consistently high inbox placement rates across Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook
- Integrated sales CRM: Built-in pipeline management, deal tracking, and sales automation
- Contact scoring and segmentation: Advanced lead scoring with behavioral and demographic criteria
- Multi-channel marketing: Email, SMS (add-on), WhatsApp, and site messaging in one platform
- 900+ integrations: Native connections with Shopify, WordPress, Salesforce, and more
Pricing Analysis
ActiveCampaign Starter begins at $15/month for 1,000 contacts with basic email marketing and automation. Plus at $49/month adds CRM pipelines, landing pages, and SMS capability. Pro at $79/month unlocks predictive sending, attribution, and split automations. Enterprise at $145/month adds custom objects, custom reporting, and dedicated support. Pricing scales with contact count — 10,000 contacts on Plus costs about $159/month. No free plan, but a 14-day free trial is available.
Who Is It Best For?
ActiveCampaign is ideal for small to mid-sized businesses that need powerful email automation and CRM functionality without enterprise pricing. It excels for e-commerce businesses, coaches, agencies, and B2B companies that rely on email nurture sequences and lead scoring. Perfect for teams that have outgrown Mailchimp but find HubSpot too expensive.
The Bottom Line
ActiveCampaign delivers the best value proposition in marketing automation for SMBs. Its automation builder rivals HubSpot's at a fraction of the cost, and the integrated CRM eliminates the need for separate sales tools. The lack of a free plan and the absence of landing pages on cheaper tiers are drawbacks, but the platform's email deliverability, automation depth, and continuous G2 leadership recognition make it a standout choice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No, ActiveCampaign does not offer a free plan. They provide a 14-day free trial that gives you access to Professional-level features to test the platform. After the trial, the most affordable option is the Starter plan at $15/month for 1,000 contacts. If you need a free option, consider Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) or HubSpot free tools as alternatives.
Yes, ActiveCampaign is excellent for e-commerce businesses. It offers native integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento. Key e-commerce features include abandoned cart automation, product recommendation emails, purchase-based segmentation, and revenue attribution. The Plus plan and above include deep e-commerce integrations and can trigger automations based on purchase behavior.
ActiveCampaign is significantly more powerful than Mailchimp for marketing automation. While Mailchimp is easier to learn and has a free plan, ActiveCampaign offers far superior automation workflows, a built-in CRM, lead scoring, and better email deliverability. ActiveCampaign is the better choice when you need sophisticated multi-step automations and sales pipeline management. Mailchimp is better for simple email newsletters and basic marketing.
Written by
Sarah has spent 10+ years in marketing technology, working with companies from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. She specializes in evaluating automation platforms, CRM integrations, and lead generation tools. Her reviews focus on real-world business impact and ROI.
Co-written by
Marcus has spent over a decade in SaaS integration and business automation. He specializes in evaluating API architectures, workflow automation tools, and sales funnel platforms. His reviews focus on implementation details, technical depth, and real-world integration scenarios.
Final Verdict
ActiveCampaign scores 8.8/10
With a score of 8.8 out of 10, ActiveCampaign is a strong performer that delivers great value. It's particularly well-suited for those looking for smbs needing powerful email automation and crm without enterprise pricing.