7 Best ActiveCampaign Alternatives

If you only need to send smarter emails, capture leads, and track sales without paying enterprise‑level fees, you need to look for ActiveCampaign alternatives that are easier to learn and kinder to your budget.

This guide compares the best ActiveCampaign competitors that cut costs, speed setup, and still deliver automation, CRM, and multichannel marketing.

We’ll highlight unique features, pricing, and who each platform suits, so you can switch with confidence.

7 Best ActiveCampaign Alternatives

7 best ActiveCampaign alternatives are

1. Retainful
2. GetResponse
3. Mailchimp
4. Klaviyo
5. Brevo
6. Drip
7. EngageBay

Let’s see these ActiveCampaign competitors in detail.

1. Retainful – The best ActiveCampaign alternative for ecommerce

Retainful is the best ActiveCampaign alternative for e-commerce email marketing.

It features easy-to-set-up email automation with a beginner-friendly workflow builder. You can automate all life-cycle emails – from welcome emails, abandoned cart emails, feedback requests, to re-engagement campaigns.

You can grow your email list by capturing visitors’ email addresses with targeted popups and sign-up forms.

This best alternative for ActiveCampaign, suited for small and medium-sized e-commerce businesses looking for easy-to-set-up email marketing without the learning curve.

Standout Features:

• Easy-to-setup email automation
• Targeted popups/sign-up forms
• Send time optimisation
• Auto-list suppression
• Pricing based on active profiles

Retainful vs. ActivCampaign Pricing:

Unlike ActiveCampaign, Retainful has a generous forever-free plan. You get access to 10 pre-built ecommerce automation workflows, email campaigns, sign-up forms, and more.

Pricing Plan	Retainful (Starter)	ActiveCampaign(Starter)
Free Plan	500 emails/month	No free plan
20,000 emails/month	$19/month	$39/month
50,000 emails/month	$34/month	$79/month

2. GetResponse – The best ActiveCampaign alternative for large businesses

GetResponse is an excellent alternative to ActiveCampaign due to its comprehensive suite of marketing tools.

While ActiveCampaign excels in email automation, GetResponse takes it a step further by offering additional features like webinars, sales funnels, and landing page builders, making it an all-in-one solution for businesses looking to streamline marketing efforts.

An integrated CRM allows users to manage contacts, segment based on behavior, and track sales opportunities, reducing the need for third-party CRM tools.

Choose GetResponse if you: Host webinars, challenges, or product demos and want them tightly interwoven with email follow‑ups. Need landing pages, sales funnels, and list growth pop‑ups without paying for multiple apps.

Standout Features:

• Webinar hosting built in (up to 1,000 attendees)
• Drag‑and‑drop conversion‑funnel builder
• AI email subject‑line generator
• Native website & landing‑page creator

GetResponse vs. ActiveCampaign Pricing:

List Size	GetResponse	ActiveCampaign
500 contacts	Free – email + forms + landing pages Email Marketing $15 – basic autoresponders Marketing Automation $49 – full workflows, webinars (100 attendees)	Lite $9 – basic email, no landing pages Plus $49 – automations, landing pages, no webinars
5,000 contacts	Email $45	Plus $149
10,000 contacts	Email $65	Plus $249
25,000 contacts	Email $145	Plus $479

3. Mailchimp – The best alternative to ActiveCampaign for simple automation

Mailchimp is one of the most well-known alternatives to ActiveCampaign, especially for beginners and small businesses that want simplicity combined with powerful features.

While ActiveCampaign is robust in advanced automation, Mailchimp is a great alternative for users who want a simple, user-friendly interface to manage their email marketing campaigns without sacrificing critical automation features.

A standout feature of Mailchimp is its ability to create and manage Facebook and Instagram ads, which makes it a valuable tool for businesses looking to run cross-channel campaigns.

Standout Features:

• No‑code website builder
• Create Facebook, Instagram, Google, and TikTok ads
• Send‑Time Optimization

Mailchimp vs. ActiveCampaign Pricing:

Free Plan: Up to 500 subscribers and 500 emails/month. Includes email marketing, basic automation, and reporting.

	Mailchimp	ActiveCampaign
FREE tier	Free: up to 1,000 contacts	No permanent free plan – 14‑day trial only
Entry paid	Essentials – starts $13/mo for 500 contacts (unlimited sends, A/B tests, 24/7 chat support)	Starter – $15/mo for 1,000 contacts (email marketing, basic automation, CRM)
Mid‑tier	Standard – $20/mo for 500 contacts	Plus – $49/mo for 1,000 contacts
Advanced / Pro	Premium – $350/mo for 10,000 contacts	Professional – $79/mo for 1,000 contacts

4. Klaviyo – The best alternative to ActiveCampaign for large ecommerce businesses

For e-commerce businesses looking for a highly data-driven approach to marketing, Klaviyo is an excellent alternative to ActiveCampaign.

While ActiveCampaign provides good email automation, Klaviyo specializes in advanced e-commerce automation, offering powerful segmentation, customer behavior tracking, and deep integrations with major e-commerce platforms.

Klaviyo’s pricing is higher compared to other email marketing platforms.

Standout Features:

• Customer data platform
• Advanced email automation with more behavior triggers
• Predictive analytics

Klaviyo vs. ActiveCampaign Pricing:

• Free Plan: Includes 500 emails for up to 250 subscribers with basic email marketing features and segmentation.
• Paid Plans: Starts at $20/month for up to 500 subscribers and scales with the number of subscribers and advanced features like advanced segmentation, A/B testing, and personalization.

5. Brevo – The best affordable ActiveCampaign alternative with CRM

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) offers a budget-friendly, all-in-one marketing solution that combines email marketing, SMS, and CRM features in a way that makes it a great ActiveCampaign alternative. It is especially useful for businesses that want a multi-channel marketing approach.

This best ActiveCampaign alternative includes email, SMS, chat, and CRM under one platform, making it perfect for businesses that want to engage customers through different touchpoints.

Brevo is one of the most affordable platforms for businesses that need email and SMS marketing combined with CRM capabilities.

Standout Features:

• Built‑in SMTP for transactional emails
• Email + SMS + WhatsApp + chat under one roof
• Facebook Ads Sync
• Landing page builder

Brevo vs. ActiveCampaign Pricing:

Brevo charges for emails sent, so list size can balloon without slaughtering your budget.

Plan	Brevo	ActiveCampaign
Free	300 emails/day, unlimited contacts, core CRM, chat widget	14‑day trial only
Entry	Starter $25 – 40 000 emails/mo, no feature caps	Lite $29 – 500 contacts, unlimited sends
Mid	Business $65 – 100 000 emails/mo, marketing automation, A/B, Facebook Ads, phone support	Plus $149 – 2 500 contacts, landing pages, lead scoring
High	BrevoPlus (custom) – dedicated IP, SSO, priority support; still volume‑priced	Professional $279 – 5 000 contacts, site messaging, predictive AI

Choose Brevo if you’d rather pay for output (email volume) than each new lead you capture. You want email + SMS + WhatsApp + chat under one roof, and you need simple funnels like welcome, nurture, cart, win‑back.

6. Drip – The best ActiveCampaign alternative with ecommerce CRM

Drip positions itself as an “e-commerce CRM” rather than just an email marketing tool, focusing on the entire customer journey for online retailers.

This best ActiveCampaign competitor offers similar automation capabilities to ActiveCampaign but with an interface and feature set specifically designed for e-commerce use cases. Its revenue attribution features help online retailers understand exactly which campaigns drive sales.

Where ActiveCampaign still wins is complex B2B sales orchestration: lead scoring, task automation, and deal forecasting.

Standout Features:

• Dynamic product blocks
• On‑site pop‑ups
• Pre‑built playbooks (e.g., “Welcome + First‑Purchase Upsell”)

Drip vs. ActiveCampaign Pricing:

List Size	Drip (Flat pricing, unlimited sends)	ActiveCampaign (Lite ↔  Professional)
2,500 contacts	$39/mo – full feature set	$49 ↔ $149/mo (Lite vs. Professional)
10,000 contacts	$154/mo	$139 ↔ $299/mo
25,000 contacts	$369/mo	$289 ↔ $479/mo

7. EngageBay – The best ActiveCampaign alternative with helpdesk + CRM

EngageBay offers a budget-friendly alternative to Alternative that combines marketing, sales, and service functions in a single platform accessible to small businesses.

This best ActiveCampaign competitor offers similar automation capabilities to ActiveCampaign plus CRM and helpdesk functionality at a lower price point. For businesses looking to consolidate multiple tools into a single platform while keeping costs down, EngageBay represents an attractive alternative.

ActiveCampaign remains brilliant for brands with dedicated marketing ops who want event‑level triggers, predictive content, and multi‑step splitter logic. But if you simply need powerful automation and an ecosystem of everyday growth tools without six subscriptions, EngageBay is the practical pick.

For SMBs, agencies, and e-commerce start‑ups that value all‑in‑one simplicity, lower TCO, and faster team onboarding, EngageBay is the best alternative to ActiveCampaign.

Standout Features:

• Native inbox with macros, SLA rules, CSAT.
• 1‑click appointment links + Zoom native.
• Unlimited templates + A/B + built‑in analytics.

EngageBay vs ActiveCampaign Pricing:

Plan	EngageBay	ActiveCampaign
Entry Paid	Growth $14.99 – marketing automation, CRM, 10,000 emails, landing pages, SMS, chat, support desk.	Lite $29 – email automation, basic CRM, no landing pages, no chat, support email only.
Mid Tier	Pro $49.99 – unlimited contacts, marketing + sales automation, proposal & quoting, role permissions, phone support.	Plus $149 – 2,500 contacts, landing pages, Facebook ads, lead scoring, 25 users.
Enterprise	Custom (often < $100 if under 30k contacts).	Enterprise $259+ (2,500 contacts) – SLA support, predictive sending.

8. HubSpot – The best ActiveCampaign alternative for CRM

Hubspot is an all-in-one customer platform with unified marketing, sales, service, content, and ops. HubSpot’s USP is complete business alignment from lead generation to customer retention powered by a single, shared CRM database.

Compared to ActiveCampign’s CRM, HubSpot’s CRM is more advanced and deeply connected to other tools like CMS, email, chat, and service tickets.

This best alternative to ActiveCampaign has a built-in website builder, blog engine, SEO recommendations, dynamic content, smart CTAs, and multilingual support.

Choose HubSpot if, you want one platform for marketing, sales, and service without third-party tools.

Standout Features:

• Full CRM included – contacts, deals, pipelines, quotes, forecasting, reporting, payments,
• Sales Hub includes calls, quotes, proposals, meeting scheduling
• Campaign analytics, multi-touch attribution, revenue tracking, web analytics, advanced dashboards, and custom report builder

HubSpot vs ActiveCampaign Pricing:

Plan	HubSpot Marketing Hub	ActiveCampaign
Free	$0/mo Up to 2,000 emails/mo	No permanent free plan. 14-day trial only
Starter	$20/mo for 1,000 contacts	$29/mo for 500 contacts (Lite)
Mid-Tier	Professional – $800/mo for 2,000 contacts	Plus – $49/mo for 1,000 contacts
Advanced	Enterprise – $3,600/mo for 10,000 contacts	Professional – $149/mo for 2,500 contacts
Enterprise	Custom pricing for 10k+ contacts	Enterprise – $259/mo for 2,500+ contacts

Wrapping up!!

Map your must‑haves channels, automation depth, budget, and pick the best ActiveCampaign alternative that lets you launch fast, grow steadily, and spend every dollar where it counts: on customers, not software.

While trying an ActiveCampaign competitor import a small segment, run one automation, and measure revenue or replies after 30 days. If the numbers feel lighter and the workflow feels calmer, you’ve found your fit. Your email marketing software should power growth, not become another project to manage.

Also Read:

• 8 Best Email Automation Software Comparison (2025)
• 9 Best WordPress Email Marketing Plugins Comparison
• 8 Best Email Capture Software Compared

Frequently Asked Questions