Act! vs EngageBay Comparison
Compare Act! vs EngageBay features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Act!
5.4/10
Act! is a long-running CRM with contact management, sales pipelines and built-in marketing automation, sold to small and midsize businesses in cloud and Windows desktop editions.
EngageBay
6.3/10
EngageBay is an all-in-one CRM that combines marketing automation, sales pipelines, and a helpdesk for small businesses and startups on tight budgets.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.4/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 4/10 | 4/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $30/user/mo Act! Premium Cloud | $15/user/mo Basic |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $300/mo Act! Premium Cloud | Free Free |
| Features | ||
| Contact Management | ||
| Customer Support Management | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Lead Management | ||
| Marketing Automation | ||
| Mobile Access | ||
| Opportunity Management | ||
| Reporting & Analytics | ||
| Sales Automation | ||
| Built-in Calling | Not listed | |
| Collaboration | Not listed | |
Act! vs EngageBay cost by team size
EngageBay costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Act! | EngageBay |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $30/moAct! Premium Cloud | FreeFree |
| 5 users | $150/moAct! Premium Cloud | FreeFree |
| 10 users | $300/moAct! Premium Cloud | FreeFree |
| 25 users | $750/moAct! Premium Cloud | $375/moBasic |
| 50 users | $1,500/moAct! Premium Cloud | $750/moBasic |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Act!
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for mid-market (6/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose EngageBay
- Has a free plan (Act! does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $300/mo
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (7/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
Act!
Pros
- Contact management is detailed and copes with large contact databases and big imports.
- A desktop and hybrid deployment allows offline work, which most cloud-only CRMs do not offer.
- Basic marketing automation is included in Premium, with drip campaigns, lead scoring and web visitor tracking.
- Fields and sales processes are highly customisable.
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android are included at no extra cost for Premium Cloud subscribers.
Cons
- Reviewers describe the interface as dated and dense, comparable to older Windows software.
- Pipeline and profit reporting is a recurring complaint, and the date-based pipeline can hide open deals.
- Users report freezing and slowness, especially with remote databases.
- There is no native Mac desktop app.
- Enhanced support and several capabilities cost extra on top of the per-user fee.
EngageBay
Pros
- The free plan covers up to 15 users, which is generous next to HubSpot or Zoho free tiers.
- Marketing, sales pipelines, and helpdesk sit in one dashboard, so small teams avoid buying three separate tools.
- Paid tiers are priced well below HubSpot's equivalent suites, and multi-year billing saves up to 15 percent.
- Many reviewers describe support as responsive during setup, and free migration and onboarding are included.
- The integrations directory is broad, covering ecommerce, accounting, and telephony, plus Zapier and Make for automation.
Cons
- Contact limits are low: 500 on Basic and 10,000 even on Pro.
- Marketing automation needs Growth or above, and custom reporting, SSO, and role management are Pro-only.
- Reviewers report bugs, slow loading, and occasional reliability problems, including a 2025 Capterra review titled 'Lots of features but unreliable'.
- Reporting and customization are described as basic for complex sales cycles.
- Some users report email deliverability problems and a past price increase.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
EngageBay scores higher on our CRM criteria: 6.3/10 against 5.4/10 for Act!. The largest gap is in Cost: 6/10 for Act! and 8/10 for EngageBay.
EngageBay costs less for 10 users: free on its Free plan, against about $300/mo on its Act! Premium Cloud plan for Act!, billed monthly.
EngageBay has a free plan; Act! does not list one.
EngageBay is the better fit for freelancers: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 4/10 for Act!.
