Unclaimed: Are you working at Act!?
Act! Reviews: 3.9/5 — Good for the Price
Act! is one of the pioneer brands in its space that evolved into a customer relationship management platform, and cloud-app with a browser-based front end. It offers an integrated email marketing platform that is ideal for small to mid-sized companies. The software also has an easy-to-use dashboard designer with a good marketing automation workflow builder.
| Capabilities |
API
|
|---|---|
| Segment |
Small Business
Mid Market
|
| Deployment | Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, Desktop Windows, Mobile Android, Mobile iPad, Mobile iPhone, On-Premise Linux |
| Support | 24/7 (Live rep), Chat, Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support |
| Training | Documentation |
| Languages | English |
Act! sells three cloud tiers at $30, $45, and $60 per user, and what actually separates them is how many marketing emails you can send. Standard allows 2,500 a month, Professional 25,000, and Ultimate 50,000. The CRM underneath is broadly the same product throughout. Understand that and the pricing page stops looking like a capability ladder and starts looking like what it is — an email volume plan with a CRM attached.
- What it is: A long-established CRM for small and mid-sized businesses, bundling contact management with email marketing and, unusually, still offering an on-premise option.
- Best for: Small businesses that want CRM and email marketing from one vendor, and organizations with a genuine need to host data themselves.
- Pricing: Cloud Standard $30, Professional $45, Ultimate $60 per user monthly, billed annually. Premium Desktop $39. Verified July 2026.
- The honest catch: Premium Desktop costs $39 — more than the $30 entry cloud plan — so choosing on-premise is a premium, not a saving.
What Is Act!?
Act! is one of the oldest names in contact management, dating to the late 1980s and passing through several owners since. That history explains both its strengths and its reputation: it is deeply featured and genuinely mature, and it carries an interface lineage that reviewers routinely describe as dated next to newer competitors.
What distinguishes it in 2026 is scope. Most CRMs at this price handle contacts, deals, and activities and expect you to buy email marketing separately. Act! bundles both, and at the higher tiers adds marketing automation, lead scoring, quotes and payments, appointment scheduling, forms and surveys, website chat, event management, project management, and accounting integration. For a small business that would otherwise assemble four subscriptions, that consolidation is the real argument.
It is also one of very few CRMs still selling a genuine on-premise product. Act! Premium Desktop runs on your own infrastructure with networked access, which matters to businesses with data residency requirements or a firm preference for not putting their customer list in someone else’s cloud.
How Act! Works
- Cloud or desktop. Act! Advantage is the hosted line; Act! Premium Desktop is installed and managed by you.
- Email sends as the metering dimension. 2,500, 25,000, or 50,000 per month by tier — the clearest differentiator between plans.
- Contact and pipeline management. The core CRM, full-featured on every tier including the cheapest.
- Bundled marketing. Campaigns and nurture sequences from Professional, full marketing automation with lead scoring on Ultimate.
- Quotes, scheduling, forms, and chat. Standard versions from the entry plan, advanced versions from Professional.
- Cloud storage by tier. 15 GB, 25 GB, and 35 GB respectively.
Act! Pricing
Captured from Act!’s pricing page in July 2026, in US dollars. All plans bill annually.
| Plan | Price/user/mo | Email sends/mo | Storage | Key additions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Standard | $30 | 2,500 | 15 GB | Full CRM, mobile app, Office 365 and Gmail, standard quotes, forms, chat |
| Premium Desktop | $39 | — | On your servers | On-premise deployment with networked access |
| Cloud Professional | $45 | 25,000 | 25 GB | AI writing assistant, nurture marketing, accounting integration, project management |
| Cloud Ultimate | $60 | 50,000 | 35 GB | Marketing automation, lead scoring, customer portal, custom industry tables |
What this means for your decision:
- The upgrade trigger is email volume, not CRM capability. Standard is described as a “full-featured CRM,” and it is. If you send 2,000 marketing emails a month, Professional’s extra $15 per user buys you send headroom and some marketing tooling, not a better CRM. Work out your send volume first — it is the number that picks your tier.
- 2,500 sends is genuinely tight. A list of 1,000 contacts emailed twice a month exhausts it. Any business doing real email marketing lands on Professional, making $45 the practical entry price.
- Desktop costs more than entry cloud. $39 against $30. On-premise is often assumed to be the cheaper, no-frills option; here it is a deliberate premium for control. Choose it because you need to hold the data, not to save money.
- Everything is billed annually. There is no monthly option advertised, so the free trial is the only low-commitment evaluation.
- Per-user pricing compounds normally. Five users on Professional is $225 a month, ten on Ultimate is $600.
- Consolidation is the value case. At $45 per user you are getting CRM, email marketing, quotes, scheduling, forms, surveys, chat, and project management. Assembled separately from best-in-class tools, that stack costs considerably more.
Who Should Use Act!
- Small businesses wanting one vendor. The clearest case. CRM plus email marketing plus quoting from a single subscription genuinely simplifies both billing and integration.
- Organizations needing on-premise. Act! Premium Desktop is a rare option in a category that has almost entirely moved to cloud.
- Established businesses with existing Act! data. Decades of contact history is a real reason to stay, and migration is genuinely painful.
- Teams doing moderate email marketing. Professional’s 25,000 sends covers most small-business campaigning without a separate platform.
It fits poorly for teams that prize interface quality, where Pipedrive and monday CRM are markedly more pleasant; for businesses wanting a free tier, which HubSpot CRM and Zoho CRM provide; and for sales-led organizations needing deep pipeline analytics, where dedicated sales CRMs go further.
Honest Pros and Cons
Strengths
- Genuine breadth. CRM, email marketing, quotes, scheduling, forms, chat, and project management in one subscription.
- Full CRM on the entry plan. The cheapest tier is not a crippled version of the product.
- On-premise option. Rare, and decisive for organizations with data residency requirements.
- Mature and stable. Decades of development show in feature depth.
- Bundled marketing automation. Lead scoring and progressive profiling at Ultimate, without a separate platform.
- Dedicated onboarding specialist included from the entry tier.
Limitations
- The interface shows its age. The most consistent criticism, particularly against newer competitors.
- Tight email allowance at entry. 2,500 sends pushes most marketing-active businesses to $45.
- Desktop costs more than entry cloud. $39 versus $30, which surprises buyers expecting on-premise to be cheaper.
- Annual billing only. No monthly option for a low-commitment start.
- No free tier. Where several major competitors offer one.
- Bundled tools are adequate, not best-in-class. The forms, chat, and project management are convenient rather than excellent.
Act! Alternatives and How It Compares
- Zoho CRM is substantially cheaper with a free tier, and far stronger if you use other Zoho applications.
- HubSpot CRM has a genuinely free CRM tier and a more modern interface, with costs rising sharply as you add marketing.
- Pipedrive is the better sales-focused pipeline tool, with a cleaner interface and less bundled marketing.
- Keap is the closest philosophical competitor — CRM plus marketing automation for small business — at a higher price.
- Insightly combines CRM with project delivery, which suits services businesses.
- Freshsales and monday CRM are the modern-interface options at comparable cost.
For a broader survey, browse our CRM directory.
The Verdict
Act! is a consolidation play, and judged on those terms it holds up. For $45 per user a small business gets a full CRM, 25,000 monthly marketing emails, quotes and payments, appointment scheduling, forms and surveys, website chat, event management, project management, and accounting integration. Buying those capabilities separately from category leaders would cost noticeably more and require the integrations to be your problem. If you want one vendor, one invoice, and one support number, that is a legitimate and underrated reason to choose it.
The way to price it correctly is to start from email volume rather than user count. Standard at $30 includes the full CRM, so the $15 step to Professional is buying send headroom — from 2,500 to 25,000 a month — plus marketing tooling. A business emailing a list of a thousand contacts twice a month has already exhausted Standard, which makes $45 the realistic entry point for anyone doing marketing at all. Conversely, if you genuinely only need contact and pipeline management, Standard is a complete CRM and there is no reason to move up.
Two honest caveats. The interface is the most consistent criticism in reviews, and if your team has used Pipedrive or monday, Act! will feel dated — that is a real cost in daily use, even if the functionality is there. And note that Premium Desktop at $39 costs more than entry cloud at $30; on-premise here is a deliberate premium for holding your own data, not a budget option. Choose it for control, and if control is not your requirement, the cloud plans are both cheaper and less work.
FAQ
How much does Act! cost?
Act! Advantage cloud plans are $30 per user per month for Standard, $45 for Professional, and $60 for Ultimate, all billed annually. Act! Premium Desktop, the on-premise option, is $39 per user per month. Prices were captured from Act!’s pricing page in July 2026 in US dollars. A free trial is available; there is no free tier.
What is the difference between Act! plans?
Primarily email send volume and bundled marketing. Standard includes the full CRM with 2,500 monthly sends and 15 GB storage. Professional raises that to 25,000 sends and adds an AI writing assistant, nurture marketing, accounting integration, and project management. Ultimate provides 50,000 sends plus marketing automation, lead scoring, a customer portal, and custom industry tables. The core CRM is full-featured on every tier.
Is Act! Desktop cheaper than Act! Cloud?
No — it costs more. Act! Premium Desktop is $39 per user per month against $30 for the entry cloud plan. On-premise deployment here is a premium option for organizations that need to host their own data, rather than a budget alternative. It also means you take on hosting, backups, and updates yourself, which the cloud plans include.
Is Act! still a good CRM in 2026?
It remains functional and unusually broad, bundling CRM with email marketing, quoting, scheduling, and project management in a way few competitors match at the price. Its weakness is the interface, which reviewers consistently describe as dated relative to newer tools. It suits businesses valuing breadth and vendor consolidation over daily polish, and existing Act! customers with substantial contact history.
What is Act! best for?
Small and mid-sized businesses that want CRM and email marketing from one vendor rather than assembling a stack, and organizations with a genuine requirement to host customer data on their own infrastructure. It is a weaker fit for teams prioritising interface quality, for anyone wanting a free tier, and for sales-led organizations needing deep pipeline analytics.
Compare Act! with other popular tools in the same category.
integrations with Zapier, the ability to send text messages straight from the computer
the bugs that are often present with new releases.
the ability to get in touch with the right clients quickly. Such as sending a survey like this one to the correct people but not the wrong people ie ACC's.
ACT is a great data base to house all our customers information. At the touch of a button I can easily create a mailing list for current active customers. Act is a CRM must have!!!
You have to pay extra for customer support. For a small company like mine there are a lot of added features we don't necessarily need but because the amount of contacts we have is high we have to use the Pro version of ACT!
I don't have to give my employees access to my QuickBooks to access customer information, that is well worth every penny I pay for the program right there. You can utilize ACT as little or as much as you like, so if you don't need the marketing aspect you don't pay for it. Organizing customer information, making mailing lists and being able to search by field are key aspects of ACT!
I have used ACT when it was available on the large floppy discs. ACT continues to evolve and still keep its user-friendly characteristics. I have put ACT into companies with a large number of users and I maintain it on our not-for-profit systems. It has enormous flexibility so a user can utilize the characteristics that fits the needs of that company or user. Michael V. Franchell Executive Director CBBIC.org
Some time I need larger fonts in certain blocks
Costomer communications
I was referred to ACT! from another advisor. Before I purchased the software I was given a good overview of the functionality and capabilities the program offered. That way I knew that it was going to meet my requirements before I had to purchase it. I also liked the fact that I could pay for the program rather than having to pay a monthly rental. It was Canadian friendly ie: Postal Code vs Zip Code. Easy to keep organized with Activity Series and daily To Dos! I love the Emarketing capabilities for sending out Newsletters, Monthly Tips and Birthday Wishes!
I ask another advisor in the office if there was any thing that they just liked and the comment was “No, I love the program!” In the history on what type of an activity it is I would like a drop-down menu to make the titles that I would prefer
Being able to know where I’m at in the sales cycle.
The ACT! program, while being a very comprehensive and powerful database, is the primary resource I use for scheduling and record keeping. The interface with OUTLOOK is seamless and saves time and effort in setting meetings, calls and appointments. I use it for documenting my interactions with clients and have used it for legal back-up since 1995. The program is simply the Master of My Day - I do what it tells me to do!
Formating the contact screen layout is a very involved, time consuming and complicated process. If it were more user friendly, the customizing of the programs personal utility for me would be easier and I would use it more effectively. The complexity is more cumbersome than it should be.
The business benefits that I reap from using the program have varied through the last twenty years I have used it. I have had several job descriptions over that period of time and the impact of the ACT! program has differed slightly between each one. Generally speaking, it is the time management aspect that I consistently benefit from. Other similar programs are not as easily applied to what I do.
I can use ACT as a simple contact management tool, looking up basic info. Or I can utilize more and more features as I need/learn them. I am now a "power" user and look forward to adding even more handy tools like event management. I have the desktop version.
The online version did not "play well" with my Windows 7 PC and I was never able to access it online from laptop (also Windows 7) and phone (a Blackberry).
Capturing emails for each client, making notes on the fly while on the phone, scheduling follow-up. I love Groups! I look forward to using email marketing in the near future.
I have used ACT since it began and it only improved. It is the easiest to use and can had customization for searches. I am not using version 20 and it is a real tool in developing business and creating relationships. Best CRM program.
The database configuration can be testy.
It is a log of activity and helps me remember important information I can search and sort.
The knowledge these techs have to be able to solve my issues fast is incredible.
The wait on hold before getting connected to tech support.
I am new to ACT! so I had set up issues. But all have been solved with the help of the techs.
The fact that I was able to create my own letters and/or campaigns to send to my clients and prospects. Plus the fact that I knew exactly when to send things out using the calendar on a daily basis. I also liked the fact that the program was able to integrate all my e-mails to my contacts and that I am able to save any attachments in the contact's history. That way I didn't need to "search" in any other are of my computer files.
Although I don't use the on-line version that often, I find it doesn't really have everything thing available to me at the click of a key stroke. I am also finding it a little more confusing now that I'm using is as an Administrator to 2 of my associates. I can't seem to separate my contacts from my associates' when I create a lookup from the calendar. I'm also not so sure each associate does NOT see what the other has or what I have as "private".
The biggest benefit I see is that I can keep each email and attachment with each contact. Once I get to know how to work as an Administrator to my 2 associates, it will benefit all of us in keeping in contact with one another and knowing that they are keeping up with their work.
I love the layout /coloring/ ease of use . I like that it allows me to use numerous queries and search methods to find tiny bits of information on my customers /clients. Its also customizable to your specific company needs.
I feel as if the platform could run faster if there were more updates to the program. I think it is built for smaller less complex companies but it has done us well so far and I look forward to its evolution.
Runs slower the larger the company.
It syncs all my contacts with my iPhone and reminders come up automatically 30 minutes in advance - Never miss an appointment!
It runs a little slow with selection contacts from a task list
Keeping track of clients and potentional clients and timing to call or reach out again.
Makes my life easy to stay in touch with my customers. I have been using ACT since the 1980s over that time they are always making it better to stay current or better than other CRM systems.
If I have a complaint is that it takes longer to talk to their support department than I like! Now that being said once you talk to the support person they are very knowledgeable and professional and have always helped me with any of my questions.
With over 9000 contacts in my ACT data base the features of the system and the interfacing of Outlook help me stay current with all all my customers and the projects that i"m working on ! Standard form letters and emails out make my also help with customer management..
ACT keeps my business tidy if I allow it to. As long as I make quick notes on the way out of a business meeting, I have those notes forever to recall or to pass along to associates - forever. The back ups and ease of reporting is phenomenal! Adding companies and contacts is simplistic.
I have yet to get more people in my company to sign on so that we are all sharing information the same way. Some are simply pencil and paper and will never change.
Keeping up with contacts who move about in large companies as they are no longer desk-bound. I can catch them on the fly.
I like how it allows me to add everything I need in my customers file with more options than I knew about. Its so easy to use.
There's nothing i dislike. It is great for what I need it for. For my postion not all of ACT options do I use. Great for what I need it for
Benefits would be that all customer info is all in there i don't need extra folders to keep their info in. ACT allows me to keep it all together
ALL my information about each client is in one easily accessed location. I can segment by industry, area of the country, past programs, budget, etc. And, I can send an e-newsletter to 3,000 quickly and efficiently.
I am honestly completely satisfied - and have been since the mid-90's when I first chose ACT! as my contact management program.
Being a professional speaker who has spoken throughout the U.S. and 17 foreign countries, I have A LOT of clients and A LOT of information about the needs of each. It is imperative that I answer their questions as imy seminars relate to their needs rather than a generic response. Having my client's complete record at my fingertips , even when I receive an unexpected phone call, allows me to help clients in a timely manner and show them that I genuinely care about them and their goals.
Technical Support is always available to help you with any problems you have and to teach you how to use all the new features that ACT has.
When we updated to Windows 10 ACT has a few issues but they fixed everything within a couple of days.
Email issues Synchronizing data base
It is simple to use and manage contacts. Lists can be imported and managed for group or individual contact.
Though Act is able to import standard .csv files, it does not export easily.
I have used act for 10 years. I use it to manage my sales pipeline, then follow up contacts with existing customers.
Now that our database has been finally set up correctly to work for us. We can now get more use of the of data that has been input. The negative was our issue not ACT! we were lacking in knowledge of creating our database. It holds plenty of data and gives us options to tailor the database to our benefits. There is plenty more for us to learn and use we are only use a very small section of the system.
It has taken sometime to understand how to design and set up. User friendly instructions would be good for the less IT lit person. Our IT set up was somewhat cumbersome as each computer holds the database and not the server. Not sure if that's our IT issue or this is how ACT works.
Great to add data and hold data for our company, it has given us more flexibility to create tabs that work for each department. Our training department and recruitment departments use the database constantly to ensure they are up to date.
I love that all my clients are in 1 customizable CRM program.
There is nothing that I dislike - Nothing at all.
This is great way to track sales and products!!
ease of use, customisable fields dropdowns layouts etc
when using the cloud version there is a lag depending on your internet speed. I would prefer to use Act! in the cloud but because of the internet lag I cannot
Keeping track of purchases time orders are open and order tracking in general
Act does everything I need in one program. When I needed help the customer service team has been a great help whenever I needed them. I can access the information anywhere.
I have not found anything I dislike with Act yet.
Keeping track of leads and customer information.
The Customer Service is exceptional. I highly recommend the Ultimate Support Plan. The technicians respond immediately and are very pleasant and helpful. You actually feel like you are speaking to person who is interested in solving your problem instead of a person reading from a script.Once you get a feel for your way around the site, customization is fairly simple.
I had some trouble in the beginning setting everything up, but again, the tech support was amazing. i wouldn't call it a dislike. I had some problems in the beginning with creating merge fields in templates, but was able to sort it out using the tech support.
Mail Merge is amazing, as well as being able to create documents, notes, etc. withing the contacts. Makes communication and record keeping SO much easier. I am a relatively new user, but I'm excited to find out all the ways we can use Act!
We have used Act! since the DOS version to maintain the student records for our nontraditional Seminary. From consultations to maintaining student records and transcripts, it does a great job!
Sometimes MS SQL and Windows are a little touchy. Nothing that cannot be overcome by restarting the MSSQL under "Services.exe"
Maintaining student records and CRM for our student body. Saves us thousands on specialized software designed for academic records.
I like having the ability to customize the database so that I can use it exactly how it best works for my business.
I use the ACT Cloud and I have had some technical difficulties.
I am able to use it for candidate database, client database, as well as job database.
The ability to search different sections of act.
Act tends to shut down a lot when you are in the middle of things.
Act helps me produce great prospects to call and get appointments set up.
ACT! remembers all calls and emails and allows me to interact with clients as if they are my only contact.
Nothing. It's all good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ACT! enables me to close opportunities and track all my interactions.
ACT is easy to create new fields and drop downs so we can sort and find things simply.
I dislike the update speed. If more than one person is working in it, you have to refresh in order to see any changes.
ACT helps us connect our teams in both offices. I can put notes in a company and so can other team members so, we know who touch based last and so on.
Been using Act for over 20 years every day Manages clients, prospects, and others Email and fax them any time in seconds. Currently using Act 13
I do not like paying for tech support, but who does
Customer contact and control Have over 125,000 people in my db
I like the steady unrelenting professional assisting me, ever so patient and focused on getting what needed done, with no evidence of impatience or pressure to terminate the call before all problems were fixed to my full satisfaction. The best technical assistance I have ever experienced online before.
I don't like the complexity of the database
My database was very out of sync and needed updating on my computers
Simplicity of the Act!'s program to evaluate and use your own method of programing and setting up your own database to evaluate and follow up with your contacts
Program malfunctions not being addressed properly when information has been sent to Acts! to reevaluate and add other benefits that would help their software be more effective.
Communication >Income Dollars