ActiveCampaign sits in the marketing automation category: email campaigns, behavioral workflows, segmentation, and (often) a sales pipeline layer. When people look for alternatives, it is usually because they want a different balance of automation depth, CRM, multichannel messaging, ecommerce focus, or pricing structure. This guide keeps the comparison practical and data-led, so you can shortlist options without guessing.
A Practical Way to Pick an ActiveCampaign Alternative
If you want a CRM-first setup, look at HubSpot, Keap, or Salesforce Account Engagement. If you are ecommerce-led, Klaviyo and Drip are built around customer behavior and store signals. If you need simple email automation with a clean UI, tools like MailerLite, Campaign Monitor, Zoho Campaigns, Brevo, or Kit can fit well depending on your workflow style.
ActiveCampaign Baseline: What Many People Try to Replace
ActiveCampaign’s appeal is the combination of email marketing, automation workflows, and broad connectivity. Its pricing page publicly highlights a 14-day free trial and “over 1,000 apps” for integrations. [Source-1✅]
When comparing alternatives, it helps to treat ActiveCampaign as a reference point for: workflow logic, segmentation granularity, and how tightly marketing and sales data stay connected.
- Workflow Depth
- How far you can go beyond “send after X days” (events, conditions, branching, goal steps, scoring).
- Data Model
- How contacts, companies, deals, purchases, and events are stored and related.
- Activation Channels
- Email alone vs. email + SMS + onsite messaging + ads audiences + web personalization.
Alternatives Snapshot
Use this table to match your situation first, then jump into the deeper notes for the shortlist. Most platforms can “send emails,” so the real difference is in automation logic, how customer data is modeled, and what channels you can activate.
| Platform | Typical Fit | Automation Style | Sales CRM Layer | Notable Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Marketing Hub | B2B growth + unified CRM reporting | Journey-style automation with CRM context | Yes (native) | All-in-one suite expansion path |
| Keap | Small-business CRM + automation | Pipeline-linked sequences and follow-up | Yes (native) | Sales + marketing in one workspace |
| Salesforce Account Engagement | B2B orgs standardized on Salesforce | Lead management + nurture programs | Yes (via Salesforce) | Deep Salesforce alignment |
| Klaviyo | Ecommerce segmentation + retention | Behavior-driven flows | Not primary | Store events and lifecycle messaging |
| Drip | Ecommerce teams needing flexible workflows | Workflows tied to onsite + customer activity | Light “ECRM” style | Pricing built around list + send volume |
| Brevo | Email + SMS + WhatsApp in one tool | Campaign + workflow automation | Optional modules | Multichannel messaging focus |
| GetResponse | Marketing platform bundles (email + more) | Workflows with broader toolkit add-ons | Not primary | Includes multiple “platform” modules |
| Kit | Creators + newsletters + simple automations | Visual automations and sequences | No | Audience building + creator workflows |
| MailerLite | Clean UI for email + light automation | Practical automations for common journeys | No | Fast setup + straightforward plans |
| Campaign Monitor | Email marketing for teams and agencies | Campaign-centric automation | No | Integration ecosystem + templates |
| Zoho Campaigns | Email marketing inside a Zoho stack | Campaigns + workflows | Depends on Zoho apps | Works well if you already use Zoho |
| Mailchimp | Broad-use email marketing + automation | Prebuilt journeys and segmentation | Not primary | Large integration catalog |
How to Compare Platforms Without Overfitting Demos
The fastest way to avoid a wrong pick is to compare data and workflow constraints before you compare template libraries. A platform that looks similar in a demo can behave very differently after you import real contacts, tags, events, and purchase history.
- Define your primary object: contact-led, company-led, or purchase-led. Ecommerce teams often need event streams (viewed product, started checkout), while B2B teams often need account context.
- Map your “must-run” automations: welcome, lead qualification, abandonment, reactivation, post-purchase, renewal. Count how many branches and conditions each requires.
- Check channel scope: email-only vs. email + SMS + WhatsApp + onsite messaging. If multichannel is central, avoid tools where it is an add-on afterthought.
- Decide where sales lives: in the same system (native CRM) or via integration. This choice affects reporting, attribution, and handoff speed.
- Confirm integration depth: “has an integration” is not the same as two-way sync with field mapping and event triggers. Focus on the handful of systems that run your revenue.
- Stress-test reporting: you want clarity on what triggered a conversion, not only open rates. Look for reporting that matches how your business actually sells.
Good sign: you can describe a customer journey in plain language, and the tool can model it with clear triggers and conditions.
Also useful: identify what you will not do in year one. Many platforms scale well, but complexity you do not need yet can slow execution.
CRM-First Picks
If your team lives in deals, pipelines, and handoffs, a CRM-first alternative can reduce friction. The goal is not “more features,” it is a single source of truth for marketing signals and sales outcomes.
HubSpot Marketing Hub
HubSpot is often chosen when teams want marketing automation that stays close to CRM data. On HubSpot’s published pricing overview, Marketing Hub Starter is listed at $9 per seat/month (annual commitment), while Professional is shown starting at $800/month. [Source-2✅]
- Best when: you need shared reporting across marketing and sales activity.
- Workflow expectation: structured journeys with CRM context and lifecycle stages.
- Planning note: define the minimum objects you need (contacts, companies, deals) to keep implementation clean.
Keap
Keap is commonly evaluated by small businesses that want CRM and automation tightly packaged. Its pricing page shows plans “from $299/mo,” and it also lists a one-time “implementation services” fee of $1,500. [Source-3✅]
- Best when: sales follow-up and pipeline tasks are as important as campaigns.
- Workflow expectation: consistent lead handling, reminders, and follow-through sequences.
- Budget shape: consider the onboarding/implementation line item early so it does not surprise procurement.
Salesforce Account Engagement
Account Engagement is usually shortlisted by B2B teams that want marketing automation aligned to a Salesforce-based go-to-market. The official pricing page presents it as an edition-based product under Salesforce marketing offerings. [Source-4✅]
- Best when: you need lead management and nurturing with tight CRM alignment.
- Implementation reality: plan for data governance (fields, lifecycle stages, ownership) before building journeys.
- Reporting advantage: strong when pipeline attribution and sales context are the center of decision-making.
Ecommerce-First Picks
If your business is driven by product views, carts, orders, and repeat purchases, the best alternative is often the one that treats events as first-class data. This is where segmentation and real-time triggers matter more than drag-and-drop templates.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo is widely used for ecommerce retention messaging because it focuses on customer behavior and purchase-linked segmentation. Its official pricing page shows a free plan with limits including 250 profiles and 500 email sends. [Source-5✅]
- Best when: you want lifecycle flows tied to store events (browse, cart, purchase, repeat).
- Workflow expectation: behavior-driven flows with strong segmentation and targeting.
- Validation step: confirm your store integration passes the events you actually plan to automate against.
Drip
Drip positions itself as ecommerce-focused with pricing tied to list size and send volume. On its pricing page, the example monthly price shown is $39, and it explicitly states a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. [Source-6✅]
- Best when: you want flexible automations closely tied to customer activity and onsite campaigns.
- Operational detail: pricing is framed as “based on your list size and send volume,” which is useful for forecasting.
- Workflow capacity signal: the same page references “up to 50 workflows” in the included feature list.
Email-First Tools With Automation Options
These options can be a strong fit when you want reliable email execution and automation that stays understandable. Most teams succeed here by keeping workflows clear: fewer branches, stronger segmentation, and consistent measurement.
GetResponse
GetResponse is positioned as a broader marketing platform bundle rather than email alone. Its pricing page states that monthly plans are bracketed by list size, starting at $19 per month for unlimited messages to 1,000 subscribers, and it offers a 14-day premium access period. [Source-7✅]
- Best when: you want email plus a broader toolkit under one subscription structure.
- Workflow expectation: automation that can scale from basic nurturing into more advanced sequences.
- Measurement focus: compare how reporting maps to your funnel (lead capture, nurture, conversion).
Kit (Formerly ConvertKit)
Kit is a common alternative for creators and newsletter-led businesses that want clean automations and audience growth tools. Its pricing page shows a $0 plan and also lists paid tiers at $33/mo (Creator) and $66/mo (Pro), along with a 14-day free trial for paid plans. [Source-8✅]
- Best when: sequences, broadcasts, and creator-style funnels are the core workload.
- Workflow expectation: visual automations that stay approachable for small teams.
- Planning note: decide whether your “customer” is a subscriber, buyer, or member; creator tools often revolve around subscriber relationships.
Brevo
Brevo stands out when multichannel messaging matters. Its pricing page explicitly mentions a free option and states “send 300 emails/day.” [Source-9✅]
- Best when: you need email plus additional messaging channels in a single platform direction.
- Workflow expectation: automation that connects campaigns with triggered messaging.
- Comparison angle: validate which channels are native vs. add-ons so your roadmap stays predictable.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is frequently considered when teams want a broadly adopted email marketing platform with automations and a large ecosystem. On its marketing plans page, Mailchimp highlights “more than 300 integrations.” [Source-10✅]
- Best when: you want a familiar email workflow with plenty of prebuilt connections.
- Workflow expectation: practical journeys for nurturing and engagement.
- Integration sanity check: prioritize the few integrations you need most; a long catalog is helpful, but depth matters.
Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor is often evaluated for email marketing operations, especially when teams care about templates, collaboration, and integrations. Its pricing page references 250+ integrations as part of its ecosystem messaging. [Source-11✅]
- Best when: email production and campaign management are the center of your workflow.
- Workflow expectation: automation that supports campaign operations without overcomplicating setup.
- Agency note: confirm how multi-client structures, permissions, and approvals are handled.
Zoho Campaigns
Zoho Campaigns is a practical alternative when you already operate inside Zoho apps and want email marketing that connects to that ecosystem. Its pricing page lists a free option “up to 2,000 contacts” and “6,000 emails/month,” plus a 14-day free trial for paid plans. [Source-12✅]
- Best when: your marketing stack is already centered around Zoho tools.
- Workflow expectation: email automation that benefits from shared data across related apps.
- Planning note: define which data should sync and which should remain single-source to avoid duplicates.
MailerLite
MailerLite is often shortlisted for teams that want a clean interface and straightforward execution. Its pricing page highlights a 14-day free trial. [Source-13✅]
- Best when: you want fast setup for newsletters and practical automations.
- Workflow expectation: clean journeys that are easy to maintain over time.
- Measurement habit: keep a consistent baseline (deliverability, clicks, conversions) so switching tools does not blur performance trends.
Migration Reality: What Usually Moves Cleanly, and What Does Not
Switching from ActiveCampaign is rarely blocked by “exporting contacts.” The real work is rebuilding logic safely: tags, segments, event triggers, and attribution assumptions. A good migration plan protects customer experience while you re-wire the engine.
- Contacts and fields: move core fields first, then add secondary fields only if they power segmentation or personalization.
- Tags vs. custom fields: keep a consistent rule so you do not recreate the same meaning in two places.
- Automations: rebuild from “high-impact” to “nice-to-have.” Start with welcome, abandonment, reactivation, and post-purchase.
- Consent and preferences: preserve subscription status and preferences exactly; do not treat migration as a chance to reset lists.
- Reporting continuity: define how you will compare performance before and after migration (same KPIs, same time windows).
Simple rule: migrate your data, then recreate your logic. Automations rarely translate 1:1 across platforms because triggers and event models differ.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which alternatives are closest to “marketing automation + CRM” in one place?
CRM-first options are the closest fit. HubSpot Marketing Hub and Keap are commonly evaluated when teams want marketing and sales signals in one system, while Salesforce Account Engagement is often considered when Salesforce alignment is the primary requirement.
Which alternatives tend to work best for ecommerce retention?
Ecommerce-first tools usually do best when store events (browse, cart, purchase, repeat) drive messaging. Klaviyo and Drip are often shortlisted in this category because they emphasize behavior-driven flows and segmentation.
Do free plans and free trials matter for a serious migration?
They matter because you can validate your data model and a small set of core automations before you commit. A trial is most useful when you import a realistic sample and rebuild one end-to-end journey (trigger → segmentation → message → conversion tracking).
How should I compare pricing models across platforms?
Compare the unit that drives cost: contacts, subscribers, profiles, sends, seats, or bundled modules. Two tools with similar monthly totals can scale very differently once your list size, send volume, or user count grows.
What is the fastest way to shortlist alternatives without wasting time?
Pick three must-run automations and one critical integration. If a platform can model those journeys cleanly and sync the required data with the right triggers, it is usually worth deeper evaluation.
Can I move automations from ActiveCampaign directly?
Usually not as a direct import. Most teams rebuild automations because each platform has its own trigger set, event model, and segmentation rules. The practical approach is to migrate data, then recreate logic starting with the highest-impact workflows.
Which tools make sense if I want email plus more channels?
If your roadmap includes multiple messaging channels alongside email, consider platforms that present multichannel as part of their core product direction, not as a disconnected add-on. Validate which channels are available in your plan and how they share segmentation and reporting.
If you are choosing an alternative to ActiveCampaign, the highest-leverage step is to match the platform to your data reality—CRM-led, ecommerce-led, or audience-led—then validate one or two core journeys end-to-end. When the data model and workflow logic fit, everything else (templates, UI polish, add-ons) becomes a simpler decision.