How Much Does
ActiveCampaign Cost in 2026?
ActiveCampaign is what you graduate to when Mailchimp's automation feels like a toy and Kit's simplicity isn't cutting it anymore. It's the only email platform in this comparison that includes a real CRM with deal pipelines, lead scoring, and predictive sending — features that blur the line between email marketing and sales software. The learning curve is steeper. The payoff is bigger.
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
Plans & Pricing
Enterprise
$145/mo billed annually
- subscribers 1000
- users 5
- sends_multiplier 15x
Features
Our Verdict
There's a moment in every growing business where you realize you need emails to do more than broadcast — you need them to sell. ActiveCampaign was built for that moment. The automation engine is legitimately the best in email marketing. You can build workflows that trigger based on page visits, email opens, deal stages, lead scores, purchase history — and chain them together into sequences that would take three separate tools to replicate elsewhere. The Starter plan at $15/mo (annual) is surprisingly affordable for what you get. But here's the math that matters: ActiveCampaign charges $79/mo at 5K subscribers, $119 at 10K, and $689 at 100K. Mailchimp charges $75 at 5K, $115 at 10K, and $800 at 100K. So ActiveCampaign is actually cheaper than Mailchimp at scale while offering dramatically better automation. That's the real story. The CRM is good enough to replace HubSpot's free tier for small sales teams. Deal pipelines, contact scoring, and win probability give your sales process structure without another $50/month subscription. The 14-day trial plus 30-day money-back guarantee means you get 44 days to decide — the most generous evaluation window in this category. The downside is real: ActiveCampaign is not simple. If you're a solopreneur sending a weekly newsletter, this is overkill. AWeber or Kit will serve you better at half the cost and a tenth of the complexity.
Pros
- Automation engine is the best in email marketing — page visit triggers, lead scoring, deal-stage workflows that others can't match
- Built-in CRM with deal pipelines eliminates the need for a separate sales tool like HubSpot for small teams
- Actually cheaper than Mailchimp at scale: $119/mo for 10K subscribers vs. Mailchimp's $115, with far better automation
- Predictive sending learns when each subscriber is most likely to open — a feature typically found in enterprise tools
- 44-day evaluation window (14-day trial + 30-day money-back) is the longest risk-free period in the category
Cons
- Pricing at 100K subscribers reaches $689/mo — manageable for businesses at that scale, but it's not cheap
- Learning curve is significantly steeper than Kit or AWeber — expect a week of setup before your first automated campaign runs
- No free plan means you can't build and test before committing, unlike Kit's 10K free subscribers or Brevo's unlimited contacts
Affiliate link — you pay the same price
Compare ActiveCampaign with
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does ActiveCampaign cost per month?
- ActiveCampaign plans start at $19/mo. They offer 4 plans total.
- Does ActiveCampaign offer a free trial?
- Yes, ActiveCampaign offers a free trial for 14 days. No credit card is typically required to start.
- Is ActiveCampaign worth the price?
- With a score of 8.8/10 and plans from $19/mo, ActiveCampaign delivers strong value for the price.
- What are cheaper alternatives to ActiveCampaign?
- Cheaper email marketing alternatives include Brevo ($9/mo), Mailchimp ($13/mo), AWeber ($15/mo). See all options on our [Email Marketing pricing comparison](/pricing/email-marketing/) page.
- Does ActiveCampaign offer discounts?
- Yes. ActiveCampaign saves you up to 21% when you choose annual billing — the Starter plan drops from $19/mo to $15/mo with an annual commitment.