How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- ActiveCampaign starts at $15 per month for Starter with 1,000 contacts, but its Starter plan caps each automation at five actions, so most teams need Plus at $49 to $79 per month.
- No alternative replicates ActiveCampaign's complex B2B automation depth at a lower price, so teams with heavy automation investment should weigh rebuilding cost against switching savings.
- Brevo bills by emails sent rather than contacts stored, making it unusually cheap for large lists that email rarely, while MailerLite offers the cleanest predictable tiers.
- The cheapest paid plan is not always the cheapest tool at scale, because most platforms bill by contacts or sends and the bill climbs as the list grows.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 HubSpot | B2B teams connecting marketing and sales | $20 per seat/month (Marketing Hub Starter) | Yes (free CRM) |
 Mailchimp | Beginners and simple campaigns | $13 per month (Essentials) | Yes (500 contacts) |
 Klaviyo | Ecommerce email and SMS | $20 per month (500 profiles) | Yes (250 profiles) |
 Brevo | Large lists on a small budget | $9 per month (Starter, 5,000 emails) | Yes (300 emails per day) |
 MailerLite | Low-cost email with automation | $10 per month | Yes |
 GetResponse | Landing pages and funnels plus email | $19 per month | Yes |
 Constant Contact | Small businesses and nonprofits | $12 per month | Free trial (30 days) |
 Drip | Ecommerce automation with flexibility | $39 per month | Free trial (14 days) |
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The best ActiveCampaign alternatives
Starting price$20 per seat/month (Marketing Hub Starter)
Free planYes (free CRM)
HubSpot is the all-in-one alternative, bringing marketing, sales and customer service tools together around a shared customer record, which suits businesses where winning a customer takes several conversations across multiple people. Its visual automation builder uses CRM data such as lifecycle stage and deal status to guide follow-ups, and in-app guidance helps teams exploring complex features.
Full marketing workflows require Marketing Hub Professional or Enterprise, with Professional at $800 per month plus $3,000 onboarding in one guide, or $890 per month in another. HubSpot fits B2B teams that need a shared system across teams, and it makes less sense when ActiveCampaign's cost alone is the frustration.
What we like- Full CRM plus marketing in one system
- Shared customer record across sales, service and marketing
- Deal tracking in free plan
Watch out for- Full marketing workflows need Professional at $800 per month plus $3,000 onboarding
- Steep jump from Starter to Pro
#2Mailchimp
Best for: Beginners and simple campaigns4.4/5 on
G2 (5,436 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit mailchimp.com
Starting price$13 per month (Essentials)
Free planYes (500 contacts)
Mailchimp suits beginners who want a visual email builder and simple campaigns, with a free plan for 500 contacts and Essentials at $13 per month. Its ecommerce sends and templates cover newsletters and small-store campaigns without automation complexity.
Costs rise fast at scale: Essentials reaches about $75 at 5,000 contacts and Standard about $135 at 10,000 and $270 at 25,000 in one cost model, and archived contacts count on some tiers. Mailchimp fits beginners, newsletters and small audiences that do not need deep automation.
What we like- Visual email builder
- Simple campaigns and ecommerce sends
- Free plan for small lists
Watch out for- Archived contacts count on some tiers
- Costs rise fast at scale, near $135 Standard at 10,000 contacts
#3Klaviyo
Best for: Ecommerce email and SMS4.6/5 on
G2 (1,368 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit klaviyo.com
Starting price$20 per month (500 profiles)
Free planYes (250 profiles)
Klaviyo owns ecommerce email and SMS, with automation based on shopping behaviour, deep customer data, and a strong Shopify integration that triggers flows from browsing, cart abandonment and purchase history. Free covers 250 profiles, email starts at $20 per month for 500 profiles with 5,000 sends, and SMS is billed separately.
Contact-based pricing climbs fast: about $45 at 1,000 contacts in one model, $100 at 5,000, $175 at 10,000 and $400 at 25,000. Klaviyo fits Shopify stores and DTC brands where email drives revenue and automation depth justifies the price.
What we like- Deepest ecommerce automation
- Shopping-behaviour triggers
- SMS alongside email
- Strong Shopify integration
Watch out for- Contact-based pricing climbs fast, near $175 at 10,000 contacts and $400 at 25,000
- SMS billed separately
#4Brevo
Best for: Large lists on a small budget4.5/5 on
G2 (2,747 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit brevo.com
Starting price$9 per month (Starter, 5,000 emails)
Free planYes (300 emails per day)
Brevo bills by emails sent rather than contacts stored, which makes it unusually cheap for startups with a large list that emails rarely: Starter costs $9 per month for 5,000 emails, with about $19 to $25 at 5,000 contacts equivalent, $29 to $35 at 10,000 and $59 or more at 25,000 in one cost model. The free plan allows 300 emails per day with unlimited contacts.
Automation depth trails ActiveCampaign for complex branching, and some guides note contact caps on lower tiers. Brevo fits large lists on small budgets, high-volume senders, and teams that want multichannel sending in one bill.
What we like- Send-based pricing, unlimited stored contacts on paid plans
- Cheapest at scale for rarely-mailed lists
- SMS, WhatsApp and CRM included
Watch out for- Automation depth trails ActiveCampaign
- Monthly volume shared with transactional sends
- Contact caps on lower tiers in some guides
#5MailerLite
Best for: Low-cost email with automation4.6/5 on
G2 (1,114 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit mailerlite.com
Starting price$10 per month
Free planYes
MailerLite offers low-cost email with automation at clean, predictable tiers: about $10 at 1,000 contacts, $32 at 5,000, $54 at 10,000 and $109 at 25,000 in one cost model, with a free plan for small lists. Its simplicity suits newsletters and content monetisation without enterprise complexity.
Automation depth trails ActiveCampaign, and another guide lists $12 per month for 500 subscribers, so confirm the current tier. MailerLite fits simple email newsletters, creators and small businesses that want low cost and predictable pricing over advanced automation.
What we like- Clean predictable tiers
- Simple email newsletters and content monetisation
- Low cost at every list size
Watch out for- Automation depth trails ActiveCampaign
- $12 per month for 500 subscribers in another guide
- Fewer advanced features
#6GetResponse
Best for: Landing pages and funnels plus email4.3/5 on
G2 (1,143 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit getresponse.com
Starting price$19 per month
Free planYes
GetResponse suits content creators and small businesses that need landing pages, funnels and webinars alongside email, with plans from $19 per month and a free plan for starting. Its webinar feature is a genuine differentiator for creators running live events as part of their funnel.
Costs rise with list size, reaching about $54 at 5,000 contacts, $79 at 10,000 and $174 at 25,000 in one model, and webinar seats cost extra. GetResponse fits creators and small businesses that want pages, funnels and webinars in the same tool as email.
What we like- Landing pages, funnels and webinars alongside email
- Content creator friendly
- Webinar seats for live events
Watch out for- Costs rise with list size, near $79 at 10,000 contacts and $174 at 25,000
- Webinar seats cost extra
Starting price$12 per month
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Constant Contact is the simple option for small businesses and nonprofits, from $12 per month with a 30-day trial, offering easy templates and straightforward campaigns without automation complexity. Its local-business focus suits shops, restaurants and community organisations that email customers regularly.
Automation depth trails ActiveCampaign and HubSpot, and advanced personalisation features are fewer. Constant Contact fits small businesses and nonprofits that want simple, reliable email without learning an automation builder.
What we like- Simple email for local businesses
- Nonprofit friendly
- 30-day trial
- Easy templates
Watch out for- Automation depth trails ActiveCampaign
- Fewer advanced features
- Smaller ecosystem
#8Drip
Best for: Ecommerce automation with flexibility4.4/5 on
G2 (480 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit drip.com
Starting price$39 per month
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Drip suits online stores that want advanced ecommerce automation with flexibility, offering Klaviyo-style flows at $39 per month with a 14-day trial. Its store-focused automation covers browsing, purchase and post-purchase flows without the full Klaviyo price curve at small list sizes.
The entry price exceeds MailerLite and Brevo, and the ecosystem is smaller than Klaviyo's. Drip fits ecommerce brands that want advanced automation with more flexibility than Klaviyo's structure, and that can justify $39 per month from the start.
What we like- Advanced ecommerce automation
- Klaviyo-style flows with flexibility
- Online-store focused
Watch out for- Higher entry price than MailerLite or Brevo
- Smaller ecosystem than Klaviyo
- 14-day trial only
How we chose
We compared tools on automation depth, pricing model, cost at four list sizes, CRM integration and the limits reviewers cite most often. Sources included an ActiveCampaign alternatives cost model with published pricing as of mid-2026, a startup marketing automation comparison, and a marketing CRM guide. Where prices conflicted across guides, the article uses the most recent figure and notes the range. We did not claim hands-on testing, and rebuilding cost may exceed switching savings for teams with heavy ActiveCampaign investment.
What to check before you sign
Start with the automation you actually use. If your primary use case is complex B2B automation with conditional branching, goal-based triggers and multi-dimensional lead scoring, no alternative here replicates it at a lower price with the same depth, and staying on ActiveCampaign may be right. Audit your automations before switching, and price the rebuild.
Next, model cost at your list size in six months, not only at sign-up. Contact-based pricing rises with list size on most tools, while Brevo's send-based pricing stays flat for rarely-mailed lists. Run the four-size model: 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 contacts, and check whether archived or non-marketing contacts count.
Finally, protect deliverability during migration. Established sender reputation takes months to rebuild on a new platform, so warm the new sending domain gradually, migrate automations in stages, and run both platforms in parallel until delivery and open rates stabilise. A rushed migration costs more in lost deliverability than it saves in subscription fees, so schedule the switch during a quiet sending period and keep the old platform warm until the new one proves itself.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best ActiveCampaign alternative?
For all-in-one CRM plus marketing, HubSpot. For ecommerce, Klaviyo or Drip. For low cost, Brevo or MailerLite. For simplicity, Mailchimp or Constant Contact. For pages plus funnels, GetResponse. No alternative matches ActiveCampaign's automation depth at a lower price.
How much does ActiveCampaign cost?
ActiveCampaign Starter costs $15 per month for 1,000 contacts on annual billing, with Plus at $49 to $79 per month and higher tiers beyond. Starter caps each automation at five actions, so most teams need Plus.
Should I switch from ActiveCampaign to save money?
Only if the savings exceed rebuilding cost and deliverability risk. Teams with complex automations, CRM pipeline dependence and strong deliverability often lose more in migration than they save in subscription fees. Audit automations and model six-month costs first.
Is Brevo really cheaper than Mailchimp at scale?
For large lists emailed rarely, yes: Brevo bills by sends, not contacts, so a 25,000-contact list emailed monthly costs far less than Mailchimp's contact-based tiers. For lists emailed frequently, the gap narrows and Mailchimp's features may justify its price.
Do I need a CRM with my email tool?
Not always. HubSpot and ActiveCampaign pair CRM with automation, which suits B2B teams tracking deals. Ecommerce teams often need only Klaviyo or Drip plus their store platform, while newsletter creators need only MailerLite or Mailchimp.
What happens to my sender reputation if I switch?
It resets on the new platform's domains and IPs, so warm the new sending domain gradually, authenticate with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and run both platforms in parallel until delivery rates stabilise. Expect months, not days, to rebuild full reputation, and monitor bounce and complaint rates daily during the whole transition period.
Sources we checked (6)
- https://www.beltcreative.com/articles/activecampaign-alternatives
- https://rankite.com/blog/best-marketing-automation-platform-for-startups
- https://www.constantcontact.com/blog/activecampaign-alternatives/
- https://rankite.com/blog/best-marketing-crm-software
- https://rankite.com/blog/best-marketing-automation-platform
- https://www.mailjet.com/comparisons/mailchimp-alternatives/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.