ActiveCampaign
6.5/10Marketing automation platform with email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns plus optional deal-pipeline CRM add-ons, aimed at small and mid-sized businesses.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
ActiveCampaign started in Chicago in 2003. It is mainly a marketing automation tool, and its CRM features sit around that core. Every plan includes multi-step automations, email campaigns and AI campaign builders. Higher tiers add landing pages, predictive sending, conditional content, attribution and, on Enterprise, SSO, HIPAA support, custom objects and a Salesforce integration. Deal pipelines, lead scoring and sales reporting are sold as add-ons. Pipelines is aimed at B2C sales and Sales Engagement at B2B teams, and only Sales Engagement lets reps send one-to-one emails from their own inbox. Pricing depends on plan and contact count. At 1,000 contacts on annual billing, the four plans start at about 15, 49, 79 and 145 US dollars a month, and costs rise as the list grows. Monthly billing costs more than annual. SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email and the CRM add-ons are all extra. It suits marketing-led small and mid-sized teams that want automated nurturing linked to a simple sales pipeline. The main limitation is that ActiveCampaign is not a full sales CRM. Reviewers say its reporting customisation is limited, deals cannot be exported without the API, and teams focused on calls and forecasting may prefer a dedicated sales CRM.
Our Rating
Who ActiveCampaign is best for
Good fit
The product is built around multichannel automation, segmentation, predictive sending and attribution.
Low entry prices at small contact counts and a 14-day free trial suit small teams, but costs rise quickly as lists grow.
- Mid-Market7/10
Pro and Enterprise add more users, advanced segmentation and premium integrations, but reporting customisation is limited.
Less suited
Strong automation is useful for agencies running client campaigns, but contact-based pricing per account adds up.
Enterprise adds SSO, HIPAA support, custom objects and an uptime SLA, but the platform is mainly aimed at SMBs.
Pipelines and inbox sending require paid CRM add-ons, and reviewers suggest dedicated sales CRMs for teams focused on calls and forecasting.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Every plan, including Starter, has multi-step automation and AI campaign builders, so small teams can run nurture sequences cheaply.
- Pro adds predictive sending, conditional content and attribution tracking at a list price of about 79 USD a month for 1,000 contacts on annual billing.
- Enterprise covers compliance-heavy buyers with SSO, HIPAA support, custom objects and a Salesforce integration.
- Review sites rate it highly, at about 4.4 on G2 from around 14,700 reviews and 4.6 on Capterra.
- iOS and Android apps let users create and manage deals, assign tasks and log calls on the go.
Cons
- Pricing is tied to contact count and rises sharply as lists grow, and there is no permanent free plan.
- Deal pipelines and inbox sales email cost extra through CRM add-ons, which adds a lot to the total cost for sales teams.
- Starter allows only 5 actions per automation and 1 user, and it has no landing pages.
- Reviewers often mention a steep learning curve and slow support on lower tiers.
- Reporting customisation is limited, and deals cannot be exported without the API.
Key Features
ActiveCampaign Pricing
Plus
- 1 user
- Cross-channel marketing
- 25 active business goals
- Landing pages and site messages
- Generative AI for content and images
- Price shown is for 1,000 contacts billed yearly
Pro
- 3 users
- Predictive sending
- Conditional content
- Advanced segmentation
- 200 active business goals
- Attribution and conversion tracking
- Price shown is for 1,000 contacts billed yearly
Starter
- 1 user
- 250+ email templates
- 15 active business goals
- 10,000 email sends per month
- Multi-step automation with AI builders
- Price shown is for 1,000 contacts billed yearly
Enterprise
- 5 users
- SSO and HIPAA support
- Dedicated account team and uptime SLA
- Custom objects and premium segmentation
- Premium CRM integrations such as Salesforce
- Starting price shown is for 1,000 contacts billed yearly
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact management is included in every plan. Deal pipelines, lead scoring and sales reporting come with the paid Pipelines or Sales Engagement CRM add-ons, which are available on Plus, Pro and Enterprise.
Pricing depends on plan and number of contacts. At 1,000 contacts on annual billing, the plans start at about 15 USD a month for Starter, 49 for Plus, 79 for Pro and 145 for Enterprise. Monthly billing costs more.
Starter and Plus include 1 user, Pro includes 3 and Enterprise includes 5. The CRM add-ons come with their own seat counts and charge for each extra user.
ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. There is no permanent free plan.
Only with the Sales Engagement CRM add-on, which connects reps' inboxes for individual sales emails. The Pipelines add-on does not include this.
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