Unclaimed: Are you working at ActiveCampaign for Marketing?
ActiveCampaign for Marketing Reviews: 4.5/5 — Highly Rated
ActiveCampaign is an integrated marketing tool that easily automates email marketing strategies and creates targeted campaigns. While automated marketing is a core component of the system, ActiveCampaign is a powerful tool that can do so much more. The software is known for being able to deliver a personalized experience across all customer touchpoints, track buyer behavior and preferences, customize send-outs, and gather data from every stage of the customer lifecycle, just to name a few.
| Capabilities |
AI
API
|
|---|---|
| Segment |
Small Business
Mid Market
Enterprise
|
| Deployment | Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, Mobile Android, Mobile iPad, Mobile iPhone |
| Support | 24/7 (Live rep), Chat, Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support |
| Training | Documentation |
| Languages | English |
ActiveCampaign for Marketing Pros and Cons
- Powerful email builder
- Machine learning enabled helps boost marketing results
- Seamlessly integrates with automations
- On-site chat is an additional, paid add on
- Advanced feature are complicated to use and navigate.
ActiveCampaign’s $15 Starter plan limits each automation to five actions. On a platform bought specifically for automation, that is the number that decides your plan — a welcome sequence, a lead-scoring flow, or an abandoned-cart journey all run past five steps quickly. And the discount you get for accepting that limit shrinks as your list grows: at 25,000 contacts, Starter is displayed at $391 a month while Plus, which has no action cap at all, is $389.
- What it is: A marketing automation platform combining email, automation, CRM, and now WhatsApp, built around a visual automation builder.
- Best for: Businesses whose value comes from behavioural automation rather than from sending newsletters.
- Pricing: Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79, Enterprise $145 per month at 1,000 contacts, billed annually. Verified July 2026.
- The honest catch: Starter and Plus are single-user plans; three users arrive at Pro.
What Is ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign’s reputation rests on its automation builder, which is genuinely one of the best in the category: branching conditions, goals, split tests, wait steps, and CRM actions arranged visually. Where most email tools bolt automation onto a newsletter product, ActiveCampaign is an automation product that also sends email.
The 2026 lineup adds two structural things. Channels are now chosen before plans — Email, WhatsApp, or Email + WhatsApp are separate price families — and “Active Intelligence”, the AI layer, appears on every tier but carries unstated limits on Starter and Plus. The page also offers a results guarantee: 30 days or your money back.
Prices are set by contact count through a selector, so every published figure describes a list size rather than a plan.
How ActiveCampaign Works
- Priced by email contacts, chosen from a dropdown that runs from 1,000 to 150,000.
- Automation actions are the Starter cap — five per automation, unlimited from Plus.
- Users ladder late. One on Starter and Plus, three on Pro, five on Enterprise.
- Landing pages start at Plus, not Starter.
- Attribution and conversion tracking start at Pro.
- WhatsApp is a separate plan family, priced independently of email.
ActiveCampaign Pricing
Captured from ActiveCampaign’s pricing page in July 2026 in US dollars, Email plans, billed annually, reading the contact selector at each size.
| Contacts | Starter | Plus | Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $15 | $49 | $79 | $145 |
| 5,000 | $79 | $145 | $205 | $375 |
| 10,000 | $149 | $189 | $375 | $589 |
| 25,000 | $391 | $389 | $629 | $879 |
| 50,000 | $391 | $609 | $969 | $1,169 |
What actually decides your plan:
- Five actions per automation is a hard ceiling, not a soft one. A welcome series that sends three emails with waits between them has already spent its budget. If automation is why you are here — and it usually is — Starter is an email tool with a decorative automation feature, and Plus is the first plan that does the job.
- The Starter discount evaporates with list size. At 1,000 contacts Plus costs 3.3 times more; at 10,000 it costs 27% more; at 25,000 the pricing table shows Starter at $391 against Plus at $389. Whatever the reason for that crossover, nobody with a 25,000-contact list should be choosing Starter over Plus on price.
- Starter’s displayed price stops rising at $391. It reads $391 at 25,000, 50,000, and 75,000 contacts while every other tier keeps climbing. That may be a deliberate ceiling or a quirk of the selector; either way, confirm it with ActiveCampaign before building a budget on it.
- Landing pages require Plus. Starter sends and automates but does not host pages, which matters if you were planning to run campaigns end to end.
- One user until Pro. Both Starter and Plus are single-seat, so a second marketer means $79 at 1,000 contacts — a fivefold step from the headline.
- Attribution is a Pro feature. Knowing which campaign produced revenue starts at $79, which is worth weighing if proving ROI is part of the job.
Who Should Use ActiveCampaign
- Businesses running genuine behavioural automation. The clearest case, and where the builder outclasses most competitors.
- Ecommerce operators. Deep store integrations plus abandoned-cart and post-purchase flows are a core strength.
- Teams wanting email and CRM together. The built-in CRM removes an integration for smaller sales teams.
- Companies adding WhatsApp to the mix, now a first-class channel rather than an integration.
It fits poorly for simple newsletters, where MailerLite or Kit cost far less; for large lists mailed infrequently, where Brevo’s send-based pricing is structurally cheaper; and for teams needing multiple seats early, since three users requires Pro.
Honest Pros and Cons
Strengths
- The best automation builder in its price range. Conditions, goals, and split tests done properly.
- A real CRM included, not a contact list relabelled.
- Deep ecommerce integrations for cart recovery and post-purchase flows.
- WhatsApp as a native channel rather than a bolt-on.
- A 30-day results guarantee, unusual in the category.
- Transparent contact-based pricing, published across the full list-size range.
Limitations
- Five actions per automation on Starter, which undercuts the reason to buy it.
- Starter’s value collapses as lists grow, and inverts against Plus at 25,000 contacts.
- Single user on Starter and Plus.
- No landing pages below Plus.
- Attribution requires Pro at $79.
- AI limits on Starter and Plus are unstated — “limits apply” without a number.
ActiveCampaign Alternatives and How It Compares
- Mailchimp is better known and easier to start with, but weaker on automation logic at comparable prices.
- Brevo charges by emails sent rather than contacts stored, which is structurally cheaper for large, rarely-mailed lists.
- Klaviyo is the ecommerce specialist, stronger on store data and more expensive as profiles accumulate.
- GetResponse and Omnisend occupy similar ground, the latter ecommerce-focused.
- MailerLite and Kit are the cheaper options for creators and simple sending.
- HubSpot Marketing Hub is the heavier all-in-one, with costs that escalate quickly.
For a broader survey, browse our marketing automation directory.
The Verdict
ActiveCampaign earns its reputation. The automation builder handles branching logic, goals, and conditional content with a fluency that most competitors at this price cannot match, the CRM is genuinely useful rather than nominal, and the ecommerce integrations make cart-recovery and post-purchase flows straightforward. If your marketing depends on what individual contacts do rather than on what you send everyone, it belongs on the shortlist.
Ignore the $15. Starter caps every automation at five actions, and five actions is not an automation — it is a short sequence. Three emails with a wait between each has consumed the allowance before you have added a condition or a goal. Since automation is the entire reason to prefer ActiveCampaign over a cheaper email tool, buying Starter means paying for the product’s reputation while being locked out of the thing that earned it. Plus at $49 is the honest entry price.
Then set the contact selector to your actual list size, because the plan gap behaves strangely as lists grow. At 1,000 contacts Plus costs 3.3 times Starter; at 10,000 it is only 27% more; and at 25,000 the table shows Starter at $391 against Plus at $389 — the entry plan costing more than the tier above it. Starter’s displayed price then holds at $391 while everything else climbs, which is odd enough that it is worth confirming directly with ActiveCampaign rather than planning around. The practical conclusion is unchanged either way: the cheapest plan is only meaningfully cheap on a small list, and on a small list its automation limit is exactly what you cannot afford.
FAQ
How much does ActiveCampaign cost?
Captured in July 2026 in US dollars for Email plans billed annually at 1,000 contacts: Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79, and Enterprise $145 per month. Prices rise with contact count — at 10,000 contacts they are $149, $189, $375, and $589. WhatsApp and Email + WhatsApp are separate plan families with their own pricing. A 30-day results guarantee applies.
What is the 5-action limit on ActiveCampaign Starter?
Starter permits five actions per automation, where an action is any step — sending an email, waiting, applying a tag, updating a field, or branching. A three-email welcome sequence with waits between the emails reaches the limit immediately. Every plan from Plus upward includes unlimited automation actions, which is why Plus is the realistic entry point for anyone buying ActiveCampaign for automation rather than for sending.
Why does Starter cost more than Plus at 25,000 contacts?
That is what ActiveCampaign’s own contact selector displays: $391 for Starter against $389 for Plus at 25,000 contacts. Starter’s shown price then remains $391 at 50,000 and 75,000 while the other tiers keep rising. It may be a deliberate ceiling on the entry plan or a quirk in the pricing table, so confirm it before budgeting — but at that list size there is no price argument for Starter over Plus in any case.
How many users does ActiveCampaign include?
Starter and Plus are both single-user plans. Pro includes three users and Enterprise five. That makes Pro the practical entry point for any marketing team rather than a solo operator, and at 1,000 contacts that is $79 per month against the $15 headline — worth establishing before you compare it against competitors that include several seats lower down.
Is ActiveCampaign better than Mailchimp?
For automation, clearly yes — the builder handles branching conditions, goals, and split tests with more depth than Mailchimp offers at comparable prices, and the built-in CRM is a real one. Mailchimp is easier to start with, better known, and has a free tier. Choose ActiveCampaign when behavioural automation drives revenue, and something simpler when you mostly need to send good-looking campaigns to a list.
Compare ActiveCampaign for Marketing with other popular tools in the same category.
CRM automation was the main reason for choosing AC
Pages functionality is still new, and doesn't have all the benefits of traditional funnel builders yet.
CRM funnel assistance. More accurate tracking of leads.
The staff is very helpful and gets back to you in a timely manner.
May be a little complicated but it works great once you understand it
Keeping in contact with my clients. Creates very streamlined automations
I love the functionality of active campaign and the visual campaign builder, the trigger options and the market place. I love the field options and sections to allow for full customisation. The email templates are great to use too. The functionality is up there with confusionsoft, but the user experience and price make this a must have.
My least favourite thing about active campaign is the way that new contact alerts hit my email with a bunch of unnecessary fields. I also don't like the fact that when I delete a form, data taken via the fields on that form can also be deleted - not sure if this has been rectified? I believe the field should belong to the client record and not associated with the form.
Active Campaign is great for running a consulting business and automating different lists, I love the segmentation via tags feature.
The fact It's very understandable even if you don't know how to use email -marketing automation. It is user friendly and I had to change my domain in the past. The help service did it in 15 minutes. I loved this!
Maybe I would add more customizable templates for the forms
I found it cheap and affordable for someone who just started with a blog/website!
When it comes to running an agency you need two skills, sales and systems. Sales is an ongoing struggle but if you do it right the system shouldn't be. That is what makes active campaign so amazing for me. I set it up once and I know it just works.
I think the system to design the emails takes a little to get used to. You need to play with it for a while to understand the logic of the design. If
Follow up follow up and Follow up! we use a two call close for our clients well if you have 20 clients in the pipeline you don't have time to follow up with them on a regular basis. You need a system to "keep them warm" between call one and two, active campaign is that syatem.
How easy it is to use, the support has be good when i ran into some issues.
No downsides so far. 1 issued I did have was the help bar was in the way.
Helping with saving me time as i can automate all my emails on one day.
I love the simplicity of Active Campaign, the attractive interface, the video tutorials and the support which is second to none.
It's difficult to say there's something I dislike. The only thing I've found that is not'ideal' is thatyou can't create a list of tags to see as one list.
It does all my email marketing and it's a really simple, user-friendly CRM.
Our experience with ActiveCampaign has been great. The training and onboarding helped us identify the best ways to use the platform for our specific needs. A year later since then, we are still identifying new ways to optimize our marketing using all of the tools and options Active offers.
Wish the profile for each Deal had more customizable options, but there have been great improvements over the past few months.
Reporting where our leads are coming from and tracking their activities. Pulling detailed reports. Tracking our teams efficiency. Creating personalized marketing paths
I am not a tech person at all but Active Campaign is so easy to use and I am actually enjoying setting up and send emails to my list! This is helping me to grow an audience and make more sales which is obviously really valuable in any business
I think the reports could be better - possibly a full view of unsubscribes, I cant seem to access that information
I am now able to keep in touch with my prospects and clients via regular emails and I particularly like it that you can have multiple lists - this has saved me so much time.
It is very simple, the support is great, has lots of APIs and all functionalities for marketing automations.
Unfortunately, you can't buy specific modules (ex. only SMS with your basic plan), but the basic plan has a lot to offer for not much money.
Great marketing automation tools to create automatic email funnels and a newsletter module is the hearth of active campaign.
My business needs to keep in touch with customers who have a wide array of interests. ActiveCampaigns tagging and segmenting workflow is powerful but easy to use. I can send forms to new subscribers to learn about their interests, send follow-up reminders if they haven't completed the forms (and different reminders if they opened the form but didn't submit), and then segment their follow-up campaigns depending on what they want to see. It lets me be hyper-targeted and personal without adding to my workload.
I found it challenging to style some of my embedded follow-up forms to be consistent with my brand.
I'm using ActiveCampaign to write personalized emails to a wide range of customers. I've been able to sound personable and authentic while still being automated.
Easy to segment by customer and create nurture emails
There's not anything that I overly dislike about AC.
Nurturing customers with emails.
I love how simple and easy ActiveCampaign is! I am not very tech savvy, but this platform is truly amazing and the ease is just amazing.
There's not much I don't dislike! I am happy with all features!
I am able to use Active Campaign for all my email needs, and automate more so I don't have to worry about follow up.!
The ability to completely customize and control almost every aspect of my marketing campaigns.
Slight learning curve. but once you learn the system you're able to take advantage of all the features to their full extent.
Automating email marketing workflow
The amount of features included is amazing! I love the automation and tracking capabilities for onboarding new customers.
It took a little while to learn but there are plenty of tutorials!
Marketing and Deal automation
Great documentation and the support team are on hand for in depth help.
ActiveCampaign has no integration with Versoly yet.
I appreciate being able to track subscriber engagement. We can experiment with blog content and see what resonates with our readers, which means we're always improving.
AC bietet mir umfangreiche Möglichkeiten und Automatisierungen für mein Email Marketing, die Newlettervorlagen sind toll auch ohne Designkenntnisse zu haben
Die zahlreichen Möglichkeiten erschlagen mich als Anfängerin fast manchmal.
Ich mache als Solopreneurin mit AC mein Newsletter Marketing und handle meine Webinareinladungen und Automatisationen
I like that it has so many option. I like the email camgaign it is easy to use and I like how I can create different types of list. It helps me keep track of how the subscriber found me.
I have not experience any dislikes at this time. I am taking my time getting to know the system.
The problem Active Campaign solves is keeping all my different list in one platform and how it is easy to use.
I love that ActiveCampaign allows me to work less and with all the functionality of different email paths to use that are all super intuitive, I know that whatever idea I come up with for my email sequences, ActiveCampaign's functionality will allow me to set it up with ease.
It took a minute to get used to ActiveCampaign's user interface, but after about a week, I fully got it and loved it!
I am solving the problem of constantly following up with people. As a coach who has taken her business online within the last 6 months from exclusively being offline, it feels so good to know that ActiveCampaign allows me to be "there" for my clients even when I'm not on the phone with them.
Simple to use yet highly intuitive. Excellent for building multiple email campaigns simultaneously. Tagging method for list management makes contact scoring and organization simple and useful. We left a huge complex system for Active Campaign and never looked back.
My only complaint is that running queries is hard to figure out if you’re new to the system. Would love a better query system.
We needed better ways to nurture our contacts and Active Campaign enables us to do so effectively and with little complexity.
I like how easy it is to use. I have tried MailChimp and others, but AC is the first mailer that is actually easy to get to do what I need it to. I have recommended it to others.
I don't have any particular dislikes. It works.
I have two companies where I do email campaigns, one is still stuck and doesn't send any emails, the one where I use AC, people get their mails. So basically it solves the problem it claims to.
I have been an active user of Active Campaign for many years. Basically all of my e-mail marketing campaigns use ActiveCampaign. I have a Website with a lot of customer interaction and many of my responses and actions are successfully automated with ActiveCampaign. The ActiveCampaign platform offers a myriad of options to make everyday interaction with my users easier. There is also a load of help material to help use their platform and, very importantly, they are constantly updating and improving of the offer.
There is some work to do on flexibility when creating a campaign template. This has been shared with them.
I can reach all my database/customers easily and effectively. I can target my messages and keep track of results. It makes managing my small business much easier
ActiveCampaign is not only easy to use but has every feature I could possibly need for emails with my business. Best of all, the price is unbeatable.
There is nothing about it that I dislike. Support will quickly solve any problems.
Email automations with my previous software was a colossal disappointment. ActiveCampaign made it much easier.
It is a very solid product. Active Campaign has really impressed me by the number of training sessions and resources they have available.
not too many I have seen as of yet as we still migrating.
Campaign Management, Email Marketing, Remarking
The automation features are great and the dashboard
Mobile view is not so good for admins. Contact list cannot be seen on mobile
Email nurture campaigns, Automations, tagging
Active Campaign makes automations simple and easy for even the most complex email journeys. Their support team is very accessible and helpful in assisting and providing recommendations. The options within the tool are really endless!
No complaints! Active Campaign meets all of our needs.
With Active Campaign we're able to send timely date based communications, eliminating manual processes previously in place.
What I like the most is having almoust endless automation combinations
The interface and graphics could be more modern
With ActiveCampaign I managed to build automations that bring me leads like on a conveyor belt.
As a new business I needed something easy to navigate and use to set up marketing funnels, AC was recommended to me and I find it straightforward to use - which is a plus for a total newbie. I haven't explored all the features yet but look forward to doing so in the the future. So far, so good.
Nothing that I can think of, so far it has been a great platform with competitive pricing.
I am mainly using AC for marketing funnels and it provides an easy way to do this, I have a high open and click through rate.
ActiveCampaign has very helpful email templates for beginner small business owners. I've reached out to customer support before and they're very helpful. Emails are easy to create with drag and drop elements, and there's a vast library of help and content suggestions on their website.
I wish their flow mapping had safe checks on them, so sometimes troubleshooting is needed.
I'm steadily growing my warm leads and my email list, and ActiveCampaign helps me keep in touch with them. The pricing of ActiveCampaign is great for my tiny, one-person business, so I can maintain a professional look without using my whole business budget.
I love launching automations based on tags and moving prospects to different email sequences based on actions they've taken in previous emails.
The learning curve can be a bit much when first starting. With automations, it took me a little while to wrap my head around some of the logic required.
I am able to stay in touch with visitors to our website in a manner where my messaging is targeted to their interests. How they join our email list effects the types of emails they'll see from us, allowing us to better put the exact right products in front of people.
