8 ActiveCampaign Alternatives
Compared on real list sizes, automation capabilities, included users, AI pricing, and the licensing details that can change what you actually pay.
The Short Answer
ActiveCampaign is a capable marketing automation platform. Its combination of behavioral triggers, segmentation, branching logic, and campaign optimization gives businesses legitimate reasons to stay. If you are using those capabilities, migrating purely to reduce your subscription bill may be a mistake.
But not every business needs that much automation. And as your contact database, team, and sending requirements grow, ActiveCampaign's pricing deserves another look.
First, understand the user pricing. ActiveCampaign Plus includes one user, while Pro includes three. However, Plus customers can purchase additional seats without automatically upgrading to Pro. The correct comparison is your current plan plus the actual seat add-on price versus upgrading to a higher tier.
Second, understand contact-based billing. ActiveCampaign's newer billing rules count stored contacts toward subscription limits regardless of their subscription status. A large database of contacts you rarely email may therefore contribute to your bill even if your actual sending volume is modest. Legacy accounts may have different terms.
Our recommendations: Brevo for large audiences with relatively infrequent sends. Zoho for CRM-connected sales and marketing. MailerLite when you need simpler automation. Klaviyo or Omnisend for e-commerce. HubSpot for a broader integrated marketing and CRM platform. Kit for creators and newsletters. Mailchimp for familiar email marketing workflows and integrations.
And if ActiveCampaign already does everything you need, there is a ninth possibility worth considering: stay, clean up your account, and optimize your existing plan.
The Two Pricing Details Worth Checking
ActiveCampaign's pricing depends on your contact tier, subscription edition, billing frequency, and optional add-ons. The included user count is not necessarily the maximum number of users the plan supports.
| Plan | Included users | Additional seats | Monthly email allowance | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1 | 1 additional seat available | 10× contact limit | 5 actions per automation; maximum 25,000 contacts |
| Plus | 1 | Additional seats available | 10× contact limit | More extensive automation and marketing capabilities |
| Pro | 3 | Additional seats available | 12× contact limit | Advanced segmentation, predictive sending, and attribution |
| Enterprise | 5 | Additional seats available | 15× contact limit | Enterprise governance, premium integrations, and support |
Current ActiveCampaign plan structure for newer subscriptions. Additional-seat pricing is quoted through the account's billing interface and can vary. Legacy plans may have different entitlements. Sources: ActiveCampaign plan overview, user-seat management, and sending limits.
The second seat does not automatically mean Pro. If your team needs two ActiveCampaign logins, obtain the actual cost of adding a seat to Plus before comparing plans. Pro may still be worth the difference because of its additional capabilities and included seats, but it is not the only option. Run your numbers.
What Happens at 10,000 Contacts
ActiveCampaign has published examples of its Plus and Pro pricing at 10,000 contacts. These illustrate the difference between subscription tiers, not the cost of adding a single user.
| Plan | Monthly equivalent | Annual subscription | Included users | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign Plus | $189 | $2,268 | 1 | Additional seats can be purchased separately |
| ActiveCampaign Pro | $375 | $4,500 | 3 | Advanced automation, segmentation, and reporting |
| Difference | $186 | $2,232 | 2 more included | Not the price of one additional seat |
Published examples for 10,000 contacts on annual billing, excluding applicable taxes and optional add-ons. Verify the current checkout quote before purchasing. Source: ActiveCampaign's published 10,000-contact comparison. A Pro upgrade also purchases features that Plus does not include, so the subscription difference is not a like-for-like seat charge.
ActiveCampaign also has email-sending limits. For example, at a 10,000-contact tier, Plus generally includes 100,000 monthly marketing email sends while Pro includes 120,000. Going over your allowance can result in overage charges unless you increase the sending limit.
Older pricing snapshots have also shown unusual contact-tier differences, including an example where Starter was priced slightly above Plus near 25,000 contacts. Because these contact-specific amounts are subject to change and may differ by contract, confirm your actual pricing rather than treating historical figures as guaranteed current offers.
Why Teams Actually Leave
- Contact-based pricing. For newer accounts, ActiveCampaign counts stored contacts toward subscription limits regardless of subscription status. Companies with large dormant databases can end up paying for contacts they rarely market to.
- Additional seats and add-ons. One included seat on Plus may be sufficient for a solo marketer. Teams need to account for additional-user charges, higher subscription tiers, and any separately licensed functionality.
- No permanent free plan. ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day trial rather than a free subscription that can be used indefinitely.
- Advanced features they do not use. Many companies purchase sophisticated automation capabilities but primarily send newsletters, welcome emails, and a handful of basic sequences.
- CRM and operational requirements. ActiveCampaign supports CRM functionality and sales-related automation, including enhanced CRM capabilities. But organizations with extensive sales, service, finance, or operational workflows may prefer a different architecture.
- AI and usage-based extras. ActiveCampaign includes AI capabilities, but some enhanced actions consume credits. SMS, transactional email, additional sending capacity, and other optional features can also change the total cost.
How we compared these. We evaluated pricing models, included users, contact limits, sending allowances, automation depth, integrations, and migration requirements. A lower starting price does not automatically mean an equivalent product. We also identify a genuine shortcoming for every option, including Zoho. Zenatta is a Zoho Premium Partner, which is relevant context when evaluating our recommendations.
The Eight Alternatives
Brevo
Free plan; Starter from $9/mo; Standard from $18/moBrevo is one of the most interesting alternatives for businesses whose ActiveCampaign bill is driven by database size rather than email volume.
Instead of pricing marketing subscriptions primarily by the number of contacts, Brevo focuses heavily on sending volume. That can work particularly well for businesses with substantial customer databases that communicate only occasionally.
The distinction is not unlimited contact storage at every price. Brevo's Free plan supports storage of up to 100,000 contacts and 300 email sends per day. Paid Starter and Standard plans have storage allowances associated with the selected sending tier. You must choose a combination that accommodates both your database and your monthly email volume.
Brevo also offers SMS, WhatsApp, sales tools, and automation, but availability and charges depend on the subscription and add-ons. Standard includes more extensive automation capabilities than Starter, while larger deployments may require Professional or Enterprise.
Where it wins
- Send-oriented pricing can favor infrequent campaigns
- Free storage for up to 100,000 contacts
- 300 daily emails on the Free plan
- Marketing automation available on paid plans
- Email, SMS, and other channels in one ecosystem
Where it falls short
- Paid contact-storage limits vary by send tier
- Additional marketing seats can cost extra
- Advanced automation requires appropriate plans
- High sending volume can erase the pricing advantage
- Messaging credits and other add-ons are not unlimited
Our take: Brevo is worth evaluating first when you have a large database but comparatively low email volume. Model both stored contacts and monthly sends. Do not assume its lowest paid tier can store your entire database.
Official sources: Brevo pricing and plan limits and add-ons.
Zoho Campaigns with Zoho CRM
Campaigns Free or paid contact tiers; CRM Standard $14/user/mo annuallyZoho is a different type of alternative. Rather than replacing ActiveCampaign with one application, businesses can combine Zoho Campaigns for email marketing with Zoho CRM for sales and customer records.
This is particularly useful when marketing decisions depend on CRM information such as deal stage, lead ownership, territory, account classification, or renewal-related fields.
Zoho Campaigns integrates with Zoho CRM to synchronize contacts, leads, and selected information. The integration can also return marketing engagement to CRM and support workflows involving CRM data. The precise triggers and actions depend on the application's edition, configuration, and integration.
ActiveCampaign can also use CRM and behavioral data, so this is not a capability unique to Zoho. Zoho's appeal is the breadth of its CRM application and its connections to the rest of the Zoho ecosystem.
Zoho Campaigns 3.0 matters here. The newer product experience includes updated segmentation, automation capabilities, CRM connections, and support for additional marketing channels such as SMS and WhatsApp where the applicable entitlements and add-ons are available. Zia-powered assistance is also part of the platform's evolving functionality.
However, Zoho Campaigns and Zoho Marketing Automation are separate products. Organizations needing more sophisticated cross-channel journeys should compare both rather than assume Campaigns provides every capability available in Marketing Automation.
The free-plan allowance changed in November 2026. For new Zoho Campaigns accounts covered by the change announced on November 11, 2026, Free supports up to 2,000 marketing contacts and 2,000 email sends. Older accounts may retain the previous 6,000-email allowance. Zoho's general pricing page may still display that older figure.
Paid Campaigns editions also have user limits: Standard supports up to 10 users and Professional supports up to 20 users according to the published edition comparison. Advanced segmentation, scoring, workflows, and other functions differ by edition.
Zoho CRM Standard is separately priced at $14 per user per month when billed annually, or $20 per user on monthly billing. CRM subscriptions are licensed by user rather than by the number of marketing contacts, although CRM storage, edition, and usage limits still apply.
Zoho One is another option, but licensing matters. Zoho One Standard includes both Zoho CRM and Zoho Campaigns. Zoho One Essentials includes Campaigns and Bigin, not the full Zoho CRM application.
For Zoho One Standard, published US All Employee Pricing is $37 per employee per month billed annually, requiring licenses for the eligible workforce. Flexible User Pricing is $90 per selected user per month billed annually. Monthly-billed rates are higher. These are suite licenses, not standalone Campaigns prices.
Bundled applications have their own usage limits. Zoho One's published Campaigns allowance is 5,000 contacts per employee license. Do not assume every standalone edition feature or unlimited marketing contacts are automatically included in Zoho One.
Where it wins
- Deep integration with Zoho CRM records
- CRM licensed per user rather than marketing-contact count
- Campaigns Standard supports up to 10 users
- Sales and marketing processes can share customer data
- Broader integrations across Zoho applications
- Zoho One Standard can consolidate multiple subscriptions
Where it falls short
- Two applications introduce additional configuration
- Campaigns is not identical to Marketing Automation
- Advanced automation varies by edition
- CRM integration requires careful field and workflow mapping
- Zoho One has workforce licensing and app-specific limits
- Standalone CRM costs must be included in comparisons
Our take: If marketing and sales are tightly connected, Zoho Campaigns with Zoho CRM deserves a serious look. If your primary requirement is complex email automation, evaluate the actual workflow requirements before assuming the Zoho combination will be a direct replacement for ActiveCampaign.
Official sources: Zoho Campaigns pricing, Campaigns 3.0 subscription changes, Zoho CRM pricing, Zoho One licensing, and application limits.
MailerLite
Free to 250 subscribers; Comfort from $12/mo; Power from $25/moMailerLite is the straightforward alternative for organizations that do not need ActiveCampaign's more elaborate automation and reporting.
If your email program consists primarily of newsletters, welcome sequences, subscriber tagging, and a few automated follow-ups, MailerLite may provide what you actually need at a lower cost.
MailerLite changed its free subscriber limit in June 2026. The Free plan now supports up to 250 active subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, and two user seats. Free automation is available, but with restrictions that do not match paid-plan capabilities.
Its current paid editions are Comfort, Power, and Enterprise. Comfort includes three user seats and a sending allowance based on the subscriber tier. Power adds unlimited user seats and broader automation capabilities, with unlimited email sending subject to fair-use terms.
MailerLite publishes a 10,000-subscriber Comfort example of approximately $89 per month before an applicable annual discount. That is materially different from the older $73 estimate sometimes found in comparisons.
Where it wins
- Accessible email and automation builders
- Free plan includes basic automation
- Two user seats on Free
- Three seats on Comfort and unlimited seats on Power
- Landing pages, forms, and website tools
- Competitive pricing for simpler email programs
Where it falls short
- Free plan limited to 250 active subscribers
- Free automation has meaningful restrictions
- Comfort has sending and feature limits
- Subscriber-based pricing still grows with audience size
- Less suitable for complex CRM-connected sales processes
- Account approval and compliance reviews can affect onboarding
Our take: MailerLite is a good choice when ActiveCampaign's sophistication is mostly going unused. The tradeoff is less elaborate automation and a more limited operational data model.
Official sources: MailerLite pricing and published subscriber-tier examples.
HubSpot
Free tools; Starter from $20/seat/mo at standard monthly pricing; Professional from $800/moHubSpot is not usually the budget escape from ActiveCampaign. It is better understood as an investment in a broader CRM-centered sales, marketing, and service platform.
Marketing Hub connects campaigns, contact records, forms, lead management, automation, and reporting within the HubSpot ecosystem. Organizations already using HubSpot CRM may find that consolidation particularly valuable.
But the subscription economics need to be presented correctly. Marketing Hub Professional is not a $90-per-month product. Its published starting price is $800 per month on an annual commitment, or $890 per month under the listed monthly-payment terms.
Professional includes three Core Seats, 2,000 marketing contacts, and 3,000 HubSpot Credits. Additional marketing contacts, users, and premium capabilities can increase the total cost.
HubSpot also requires a $3,000 one-time onboarding fee for Marketing Hub Professional. At the $800 monthly-equivalent subscription starting point, that produces a first-year baseline of $12,600: $9,600 in subscription fees plus $3,000 onboarding, before additional contacts or optional charges.
Enterprise starts at $3,600 per month and has a separately published $7,000 onboarding fee. Starter is substantially less expensive, but its automation and reporting are not equivalent to Professional.
HubSpot also differentiates between included AI tools and credit-consuming capabilities. Professional includes 3,000 HubSpot Credits, which can be used for eligible premium AI and agent functionality. Additional credits or usage may create further costs.
Where it wins
- Marketing and CRM operate on a shared platform
- Strong marketing, sales, and service ecosystem
- Substantial reporting and attribution functionality
- Three Core Seats included with Professional
- Broad implementation partner and integration ecosystem
- Advanced automation on appropriate paid editions
Where it falls short
- Professional starts at $800/mo on annual commitment
- $3,000 mandatory Professional onboarding
- Additional marketing contacts can increase costs
- Some advanced AI functionality consumes credits
- Premium features are distributed across editions and Hubs
- Costs can grow substantially as requirements expand
Our take: HubSpot makes sense when consolidating systems, improving cross-functional reporting, and expanding marketing operations justify the investment. It is difficult to recommend purely as a cheaper ActiveCampaign replacement once Professional-level automation is required.
Official source: HubSpot Marketing Hub pricing, seats, onboarding, and credits. Promotional Starter discounts may differ from standard pricing.
Klaviyo
Free to 250 active profiles; paid email plans scale by active profiles and sendsKlaviyo is a strong specialist for businesses that sell online. It combines customer profiles, purchase history, browsing behavior, segmentation, and automated marketing flows in an e-commerce-focused platform.
Where ActiveCampaign offers flexible general-purpose marketing automation, Klaviyo places particular emphasis on customer purchasing activity, product recommendations, and revenue attribution.
The Free email plan supports up to 250 active profiles and 500 monthly email sends. Paid marketing plans scale according to active profiles and email volume. SMS, advanced analytics, additional data products, and other capabilities can carry separate charges.
The billing distinction matters. Klaviyo's email/profile billing is based on active, reachable profiles. Suppressed email profiles do not count toward the active-profile allowance. An active profile may still be billable even if the business rarely emails that individual.
Klaviyo also offers AI functionality, including content generation and Composer. Its Free offering advertises $5 of Composer usage per month, rather than unrestricted agent usage. Other AI, analytics, and service capabilities may have separate subscriptions or consumption limits.
Where it wins
- Customer profiles connected to purchasing behavior
- Strong Shopify and other e-commerce integrations
- Revenue attribution for campaigns and flows
- Advanced product and customer segmentation
- Automations based on shopping activity
- Suppressed profiles excluded from active-profile billing
Where it falls short
- Costs rise with active-profile and sending requirements
- Additional products can have separate charges
- AI usage is not universally unlimited
- Less naturally suited to traditional B2B sales operations
- May be excessive for businesses without an online store
Our take: If online purchasing behavior drives your marketing strategy, Klaviyo belongs on the shortlist. If your primary workflow involves sales pipelines, account management, and service processes, other platforms may be a better fit.
Official sources: Klaviyo pricing and free and paid plan entitlements.
Mailchimp
Free to 250 contacts; Essentials from $13/mo; Standard from $20/moMailchimp remains one of the most widely recognized email marketing platforms. Its template editor, campaign tools, landing pages, integrations, and reporting make it a practical alternative for many small and midsize businesses.
The platform has also expanded its automation capabilities over time. It would be inaccurate to characterize every Mailchimp edition as limited to simple autoresponders. The more capable marketing automation features are concentrated in higher editions.
Mailchimp's Free plan currently supports 250 contacts, one user seat, and up to 500 monthly email sends, subject to daily limits. Paid plans include Essentials, Standard, and Premium, with different seat entitlements and sending limits.
Essentials includes three seats, Standard includes five, and Premium provides broader team access. Those differences can be important when comparing Mailchimp against ActiveCampaign Plus.
Mailchimp's contact billing also deserves attention. Subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts generally count toward paid contact limits. Cleaned and archived contacts do not. The same email address stored in separate audiences can also contribute more than once to billable totals.
Standard includes additional marketing automation, predictive, and generative AI capabilities. Availability depends on the edition. Promotional pricing, contact-tier increases, send overages, and add-ons should be accounted for when comparing actual quotes.
Where it wins
- Accessible campaign editing and template tools
- Broad third-party integration ecosystem
- Three seats on Essentials and five on Standard
- Established reporting and campaign management
- Marketing automation on appropriate editions
- Familiar interface for many marketing teams
Where it falls short
- Unsubscribed contacts can remain billable
- Multiple audiences can complicate contact billing
- Advanced automation requires higher editions
- Sending limits and overages need attention
- Promotional prices may not reflect renewal costs
- Not a full replacement for a dedicated sales CRM
Our take: Mailchimp is reasonable for companies prioritizing email campaign production, familiar tools, and a large integration ecosystem. Evaluate its Standard automation features against your actual ActiveCampaign workflows before treating it as a direct replacement.
Official sources: Mailchimp marketing pricing and contact billing definitions.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Free to 10,000 subscribers; Creator from $33/mo on the published annual exampleKit is built for creators, publishers, educators, and businesses that primarily grow an audience through content.
Its tag-based subscriber model, signup forms, landing pages, newsletters, paid subscriptions, and digital product features fit businesses whose marketing operations center on content rather than complex sales pipelines.
One of Kit's most compelling differences is its free plan. Kit currently offers a free subscription supporting up to 10,000 subscribers. That can be attractive for newsletter-first businesses with substantial audiences.
However, the Free plan is not equivalent to ActiveCampaign's advanced automation editions. Creator introduces unlimited visual automations and email sequences, with pricing that scales according to subscriber count.
Kit's published Creator example is $33 per month on annual billing for 1,000 subscribers. That figure should not be applied to a 10,000-subscriber account without selecting the corresponding pricing tier.
Kit also advertises migration assistance for eligible paid customers, including support with forms, templates, and automations. The scope of assistance should be confirmed before committing to the migration.
Where it wins
- Free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers
- Audience tagging and segmentation
- Strong forms and landing-page functionality
- Digital products and creator monetization tools
- Unlimited visual automations on Creator
- Migration assistance for qualifying paid accounts
Where it falls short
- Free automation functionality is limited
- Paid pricing scales with subscriber count
- Not designed as a full sales CRM
- Less suitable for complex B2B account structures
- Advanced operational workflows may require other tools
Our take: Kit deserves consideration when ActiveCampaign is functioning primarily as a newsletter platform with automation attached. Its free subscriber allowance is attractive, but do not confuse free email broadcasting with unrestricted automation.
Official source: Kit pricing and migration assistance.
Omnisend
Free to 250 contacts; Standard from $16/mo; Pro from $59/moOmnisend is another credible alternative for e-commerce businesses, particularly those that want ready-made automations for shopping and purchasing activity without building every workflow from scratch.
It supports email campaigns, audience segmentation, e-commerce automations, signup forms, and web push notifications. Higher plans add additional personalization, AI functionality, and messaging capabilities.
The Free plan allows up to 500 monthly emails sent to a maximum of 250 unique contacts. Standard starts at $16 per month at its entry tier and includes monthly email sends equal to 12 times the selected contact tier.
Pro starts at $59 per month at its entry tier and includes unlimited monthly emails, subject to fair-use terms. Its higher-tier capabilities include more advanced AI personalization and SMS availability.
The SMS licensing changed in 2026. For customers subscribing under the newer terms introduced May 4, 2026, SMS requires Pro and a separate SMS credits subscription. New Standard customers cannot simply add an SMS subscription to their plan.
Some legacy Standard customers who maintained an eligible SMS subscription have different terms. Omnisend's SMS pricing also depends on message volume and recipient country; advertised low per-message rates are associated with higher-volume tiers.
Omnisend offers AI tools including forms assistance, reporting support, dynamic content, product recommendations, and personalized sending times, with availability depending on plan and any applicable add-ons. Some advanced personalization functionality can be purchased separately on Standard.
The platform also advertises migration services. Confirm exactly which automations, forms, templates, and segments are included in the service before assuming the migration is fully hands-off.
Where it wins
- E-commerce-specific automation workflows
- Free plan includes access to core marketing tools
- Standard includes 12× contact-tier email sends
- Pro supports high-volume email and SMS workflows
- AI-based product personalization on eligible plans
- Migration assistance and 24/7 support
Where it falls short
- Paid pricing scales with billable contacts
- SMS requires Pro for new subscriptions
- SMS credits are billed separately
- Advanced AI features vary by plan or add-on
- Pro's unlimited emails remain subject to fair use
- Less appropriate for non-e-commerce B2B operations
Our take: Omnisend is an attractive alternative when e-commerce automation and email marketing are the primary requirements. Compare it directly with Klaviyo, particularly around customer data, automation sophistication, SMS pricing, and your required integrations.
Official sources: Omnisend pricing and 2026 plan and SMS licensing details. Temporary promotional discounts are not used as standard starting prices.
What It Costs at 10,000 Contacts
This is where comparisons become difficult. Ten thousand stored CRM records, ten thousand marketing contacts, ten thousand active profiles, and ten thousand email subscribers do not necessarily mean the same thing to different vendors.
A platform that appears inexpensive may also have fewer included seats, limited automation, a lower sending allowance, or no CRM functionality. The following table distinguishes published examples from prices that require a current contact-tier or usage-based quote.
| Platform | 10,000-contact pricing | Billing model | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign Pro | $375/mo published annual-billing example | Contact tier | 3 included users; 12× contact-tier sends |
| ActiveCampaign Plus | $189/mo published annual-billing example | Contact tier | 1 included user; additional seats purchasable |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional | From $800/mo; higher at 10,000 marketing contacts | Platform, marketing contacts, and seats | Base includes 2,000 marketing contacts; $3,000 onboarding extra |
| Klaviyo | Current 10,000-active-profile quote required | Active profiles and sends | Additional products and AI usage may cost extra |
| Omnisend Standard | Current 10,000-contact quote required | Billable contacts | 12× contact-tier sends; new Standard plans do not include SMS access |
| Mailchimp Standard | Current 10,000-contact quote required | Billable contacts | 5 included seats; sending allowance applies |
| MailerLite Comfort | Approximately $89/mo before annual discount | Active subscribers | 3 included seats; sending and automation limits |
| Zoho Campaigns Standard | Current 10,000-contact quote required | Marketing contacts | Up to 10 users; Zoho CRM licenses separate |
| Brevo | Quote by monthly sends and contact-storage tier | Email volume with storage limits | Can be economical for infrequent sending; seat and automation charges vary |
| Kit | Free up to 10,000 subscribers; Creator requires a paid tier quote | Subscribers and plan | Free automation is limited; not a full-feature equivalent |
US pricing and plan information checked November 2026. Figures exclude taxes, optional add-ons, and migration services unless specifically stated. ActiveCampaign examples use annual-billing equivalents. MailerLite's published Comfort example is a monthly price before an annual discount. Vendors with dynamic selectors or account-specific pricing are identified rather than assigned unverified amounts. This table is not a like-for-like feature comparison.
Compare an actual operating scenario, not just contact count. For example, a two-person marketing team managing 10,000 contacts and sending four campaigns to 5,000 recipients each needs roughly 20,000 campaign emails per month before automated sends. That requirement could produce very different quotes from Brevo, MailerLite, Zoho Campaigns, and ActiveCampaign.
If the same company also needs two CRM users, deal-stage automation, SMS campaigns, or advanced reporting, those requirements must be priced separately or included in the selected edition.
Don't Forget AI Pricing
AI is increasingly included in marketing platforms, but "AI included" can mean very different things. A built-in writing assistant is not the same as an autonomous agent, personalized content generation at scale, or AI actions running inside customer journeys.
| Platform | AI positioning | Cost consideration |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | Active Intelligence and AI-assisted marketing | 500 monthly AI credits included per paid plan; extra packs start at $10 for 100 credits |
| HubSpot | AI assistance and credit-consuming agents | 3,000 HubSpot Credits included with Marketing Hub Professional; additional usage may cost extra |
| Zoho Campaigns | Zia-assisted marketing and content capabilities | Availability depends on edition, provider configuration, and applicable usage terms |
| Klaviyo | AI content tools and Composer | Free offer includes $5 of Composer usage; other products and usage may cost extra |
| Omnisend | Forms, reporting, and personalization AI | Advanced personalization depends on Pro or eligible paid add-ons |
| MailerLite | AI writing and marketing assistance | Advanced features and usage depend on the selected plan |
| Mailchimp | Generative AI and predictive marketing tools | Edition-specific access; not all features are included on Free |
| Brevo | AI send-time optimization and marketing assistance | Capabilities vary by subscription, with some advanced functions on higher tiers |
| Kit | Creator-focused tools and integrations | Check individual AI features, integrations, and third-party usage costs |
ActiveCampaign's credit model is particularly worth understanding. Its documentation states that every paid plan includes 500 Active Intelligence credits per month. Additional packs begin at $10 per month for 100 credits. Core AI-assisted operations remain available in their standard form when credits are exhausted, while advanced actions or enhanced functionality may pause or be reduced.
AI credits do not automatically generate additional overage charges. Customers choose whether to purchase more. However, usage-heavy workflows involving translations, image generation, automation AI actions, or external agents can consume credits more quickly than occasional content assistance.
Sources: ActiveCampaign AI credit documentation, updated November 2026, HubSpot Credits, Klaviyo Composer, and Omnisend AI entitlements.
Before Migrating, Check Whether You Should Stay
Clean Your List and Review Your ActiveCampaign Plan
No new platform required; effort depends on account complexityContact-tier pricing creates an obvious opportunity: review the contacts you are storing but rarely engaging.
Before migrating, audit your current database for obsolete records, invalid addresses, repeated bounces, outdated segments, and contacts who no longer have an appropriate reason to remain in your marketing audience.
Do not rely on email opens alone. Privacy features such as Apple Mail Privacy Protection can make open-based engagement signals unreliable. Consider clicks, purchases, website activity, explicit preferences, and recent customer interactions before deciding which contacts should be suppressed, archived, or removed.
Also review your current contract. ActiveCampaign's contact-counting rules changed for accounts created on or after November 3, 2025. Older accounts may have different terms. Confirm what actually counts toward your subscription rather than assuming all accounts are billed identically.
Then examine user access. If your team needs another login, obtain the additional-seat price before upgrading to Pro. Compare that quote against the value of Pro's advanced features.
Finally, inventory the automations currently running. If ActiveCampaign is handling complicated workflows effectively, the time and cost of rebuilding them elsewhere may exceed the subscription savings for a considerable period.
Where it wins
- May reduce contact-tier charges
- Avoids rebuilding automations
- Preserves existing integrations and data history
- Can improve list hygiene and deliverability
- Avoids platform migration risks
- May reveal a better existing plan configuration
Where it falls short
- Does not change ActiveCampaign's pricing model
- Additional users and add-ons may still cost extra
- Contact growth can move you into higher tiers again
- Does not solve missing CRM or operational functionality
- Account cleanup may require substantial review
Our take: If pricing is the only reason you want to leave, audit the existing subscription before committing to a migration. Staying with a platform that already meets your requirements can be the better decision.
What Leaving Actually Involves
Subscription pricing is only one part of a platform migration. The more heavily you use ActiveCampaign's automations, custom fields, and integrations, the more important the implementation plan becomes.
- Your automations generally need to be rebuilt Do not expect an ActiveCampaign automation to transfer directly into another platform with identical logic. Document triggers, branching conditions, goals, wait steps, lead scoring, conditional content, and external actions. Some migration services can assist with rebuilding, but equivalent functionality must be verified and tested in the destination.
- Export suppression and consent information Unsubscribed contacts, bounces, suppression lists, and relevant consent records need special attention. A migration that imports contact addresses but loses opt-out status can create serious compliance problems. Confirm exactly how the destination preserves and applies suppression before sending.
- Tags and custom fields require mapping ActiveCampaign tagging is central to many segmentation strategies. Determine whether each tag should become a destination tag, list membership, custom field, segment condition, or CRM attribute. Document field types and required values before importing records.
- Not every record exports through CSV Contact CSV exports are not complete backups of every related data object. ActiveCampaign's documentation identifies contact notes as information not included in standard contact exports. Review deals, activities, automation history, consent evidence, reporting, and integration data separately where those records matter.
- Forms and integrations must be reconnected Inventory website forms, embedded scripts, pop-ups, ecommerce integrations, CRM synchronization, API connections, webhooks, and third-party automation services. Replacing the email marketing platform can affect workflows well beyond the campaign builder itself.
- Set up domain authentication and sending reputation Configure SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and any required branded tracking domains. If you are changing sending infrastructure, begin with engaged audiences and increase sending volume appropriately. A new platform does not automatically inherit your established deliverability performance.
- Validate results before switching off the old system Test representative automations end to end, including contact enrollment, exits, suppression behavior, field updates, CRM synchronization, and reporting. Confirm that production workflows function before decommissioning ActiveCampaign.
Technical reference: ActiveCampaign contact export guidance. Export and migration capabilities should be confirmed against the current account and destination product before implementation.
How to Actually Choose
Start from why you are leaving
- Large audience, low sending frequency → Brevo
- Marketing needs CRM and sales data → Zoho Campaigns with Zoho CRM
- Simpler newsletters and automations → MailerLite
- Broad integrated CRM and marketing operations → HubSpot
- Customer purchase behavior and e-commerce analytics → Klaviyo
- Familiar email marketing and broad integrations → Mailchimp
- Creator newsletters and audience monetization → Kit
- E-commerce email automation with SMS requirements → Omnisend Pro
- Pricing is the only problem → Review your existing ActiveCampaign account first
Then check these
- Count the people who need their own user accounts
- Distinguish stored contacts, active subscribers, and marketing contacts
- Calculate average and peak monthly email volume
- Identify every automation that is currently running
- List your required CRM, ecommerce, and service integrations
- Verify the features included in the exact subscription edition
- Price SMS, AI credits, sending overages, and add-ons
- Include onboarding, migration, and implementation expenses
- Compare annual versus monthly billing and promotional versus renewal rates
- Evaluate the total first-year cost, not only the monthly headline price
A practical example: Consider a business with 10,000 marketing contacts, two marketing users, and a sales team using deal-stage data to determine when campaigns should run.
ActiveCampaign Plus may be sufficient if an additional user seat and the existing CRM integration meet the requirements. Zoho Campaigns with Zoho CRM may make more sense when the business wants additional CRM-connected processes across sales and operations.
HubSpot could be the stronger option for a company standardizing its entire customer-facing operation on one platform, provided its budget supports the higher cost. Brevo or MailerLite may be the better value when the requirements are primarily email campaigns and simpler automations.
There is no reliable winner without knowing which features the business actually needs.
Common Questions
What is the best ActiveCampaign alternative?
It depends on why you are leaving. Brevo is worth considering for large lists with relatively low email volume. Zoho Campaigns with Zoho CRM is a strong option for CRM-connected marketing. MailerLite suits simpler newsletters and automations. Klaviyo and Omnisend are strong e-commerce specialists. HubSpot suits organizations seeking a broader integrated platform, while Kit is particularly attractive to creators and newsletter publishers.
How many users does ActiveCampaign Plus include?
ActiveCampaign Plus includes one user seat, but additional seats can be purchased without automatically upgrading to Pro. Pro includes three seats. Compare the actual additional-seat quote against the cost of upgrading, because an extra user does not necessarily require a different plan.
Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan?
No. ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial rather than a permanent free plan. Alternatives with free plans include Brevo, Zoho Campaigns, MailerLite, HubSpot, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Kit, and Omnisend. Their contact limits, email allowances, automation features, and user entitlements differ.
Is ActiveCampaign worth the price?
Yes, for businesses that actively use its advanced automation, segmentation, behavioral triggers, and optimization features. If your account primarily runs newsletters and a few simple sequences, a less expensive platform may be sufficient. Compare the features you actually use before migrating.
What is the cheapest ActiveCampaign alternative for 10,000 contacts?
There is no universal cheapest option because vendors count contacts differently and include different sending allowances. Kit offers a free plan supporting up to 10,000 subscribers, but its automation is limited. Brevo can be economical for infrequent sending if the selected plan supports the required contact storage. MailerLite is another option for simpler email marketing. Compare full-feature quotes rather than headline prices.
Does Zoho One include Zoho Campaigns and Zoho CRM?
Zoho One Standard includes Zoho CRM and Zoho Campaigns, subject to bundled application entitlements and usage limits. Zoho One Essentials includes Campaigns and Bigin rather than the full Zoho CRM application. All Employee Pricing requires licensing the eligible workforce, while Flexible User Pricing allows selected users. Zoho One also has application-specific limits, including a published Campaigns contact allowance of 5,000 per employee license.
Count Your Users and Your Dormant Contacts
Before replacing ActiveCampaign, understand how many contacts are actually in use, how many people need access, and which automations deliver real value.
Tell us your contact count, monthly sending volume, required users, current CRM, and the workflows you need to preserve. We can help compare the real cost and capabilities of ActiveCampaign against the alternatives, including the implementation work involved.
If ActiveCampaign remains the best fit, we will tell you. If Zoho or another platform makes more sense, we can help you understand why.
Book a Free Strategy SessionNo obligation. Pricing and product entitlements can change; recommendations are based on your actual requirements and current vendor terms.