Quick signals
Complexity
Medium
Powerful automation builder with moderate learning curve; CRM and scoring features add configuration overhead.
Common upgrade trigger
Need predictive sending and split automations—requires Professional ($149/mo)
When it gets expensive
API rate limits: 5 requests per second on Lite/Plus; can bottleneck data-heavy integrations
What this product actually is
Mid-market email marketing and automation platform with best-in-class conditional workflows, built-in CRM, and lead scoring. Lite from $29/mo; Plus at $49/mo adds CRM and scoring.
Pricing behavior (not a price list)
These points describe when users typically pay more, what actions trigger upgrades, and the mechanics of how costs escalate.
Actions that trigger upgrades
- Need predictive sending and split automations—requires Professional ($149/mo)
- Need custom objects and advanced CRM features—requires Professional tier
- Site messaging and in-app chat—requires Professional tier
- Contact count beyond 25,000—pricing jumps become significant
- Need advanced attribution reporting—ActiveCampaign's reporting may not be enough; consider HubSpot
When costs usually spike
- API rate limits: 5 requests per second on Lite/Plus; can bottleneck data-heavy integrations
- CRM deal pipeline limited to basic fields on Lite—custom fields need Plus tier
- SMS requires additional credits purchased separately; not included in base pricing
- Transactional email (Postmark) is a separate product—not built into ActiveCampaign
- Migration from other platforms: contact history imports are limited; behavioral data doesn't transfer
- Annual billing required for best pricing—monthly billing is 20–30% more expensive
Plans and variants (structural only)
Grouped by type to show structure, not to rank or recommend specific SKUs.
Plans
- Lite - $29/mo for 1,000 contacts - Email marketing + automation builder
- Professional - $149/mo for 1,000 contacts - Predictive sending, split automations
Plus
- Plus - $49/mo for 1,000 contacts - CRM, lead scoring, SMS, landing pages
Enterprise
- Enterprise - Custom pricing - Custom objects, dedicated account rep
Costs and limitations
Common limits
- Email template design and visual builder less polished than Mailchimp's—more functional than beautiful
- Contact-based pricing still applies: 25,000 contacts on Plus is ~$259/mo; 100,000 contacts is $489+/mo
- No native e-commerce revenue attribution—Klaviyo and Omnisend are better for Shopify ROI tracking
- Landing page builder is basic compared to HubSpot's or dedicated tools like Unbounce
- CRM is capable but less mature than HubSpot CRM or Salesforce for complex sales processes
- Reporting and analytics are solid but lack the depth of HubSpot Enterprise or Marketo attribution
What breaks first
- Contact-based pricing at 50,000+: $489+/mo on Plus; compare Brevo's send-based model at $25–65/mo
- Reporting gaps at scale: teams needing multi-touch attribution outgrow ActiveCampaign's analytics
- CRM limitations: complex B2B sales processes with custom objects need HubSpot or Salesforce
- Email design bottleneck: creative teams find the visual builder limiting compared to Mailchimp
- Landing page quality: conversion-focused teams eventually need dedicated tools
Decision checklist
Use these checks to validate fit for ActiveCampaign before you commit to an architecture or contract.
- Email Simplicity vs Automation Depth: Map your current automation needs: simple drip sequences vs multi-branch conditional flows
- Contact-Based vs Send-Based Pricing: Calculate total contacts vs average monthly sends to model cost on both pricing models
- E-commerce Native vs General Purpose: Determine if revenue-per-email and order-level attribution are must-have metrics
- Upgrade trigger: Need predictive sending and split automations—requires Professional ($149/mo)
- What breaks first: Contact-based pricing at 50,000+: $489+/mo on Plus; compare Brevo's send-based model at $25–65/mo
Implementation & evaluation notes
These are the practical "gotchas" and questions that usually decide whether ActiveCampaign fits your team and workflow.
Implementation timeline
1–2 weeks for basic email + automation; 3–4 weeks to fully configure CRM, scoring, and advanced workflows.
Switching cost
Medium — automation workflows and CRM data export supported but behavioral event history doesn't transfer; allow 2–4 weeks for migration.
Implementation gotchas
- API rate limits: 5 requests per second on Lite/Plus; can bottleneck data-heavy integrations
- Migration from other platforms: contact history imports are limited; behavioral data doesn't transfer
- 900+ integrations → No native e-commerce revenue attribution like Klaviyo
Questions to ask before you buy
- Which actions or usage metrics trigger an upgrade (e.g., Need predictive sending and split automations—requires Professional ($149/mo))?
- Under what usage shape do costs or limits show up first (e.g., API rate limits: 5 requests per second on Lite/Plus; can bottleneck data-heavy integrations)?
- What breaks first in production (e.g., Contact-based pricing at 50,000+: $489+/mo on Plus; compare Brevo's send-based model at $25–65/mo) — and what is the workaround?
- Validate: Email Simplicity vs Automation Depth: Map your current automation needs: simple drip sequences vs multi-branch conditional flows
- Validate: Contact-Based vs Send-Based Pricing: Calculate total contacts vs average monthly sends to model cost on both pricing models
Fit assessment
Good fit if…
- Growing businesses that outgrew Mailchimp and need real conditional automation without enterprise costs
- B2B teams needing lead scoring and CRM in one tool at $49/mo instead of HubSpot's $800/mo
- Marketing teams that prioritize automation workflow depth over email template aesthetics
- Agencies managing multiple client accounts with the agency-friendly account structure
- Solopreneurs and small teams wanting CRM + email + automation in one affordable platform
- Companies migrating from Mailchimp who want similar ease-of-use with deeper automation
Poor fit if…
- E-commerce-first and need native Shopify revenue attribution—Klaviyo is purpose-built for this
- Need enterprise ABM and multi-touch attribution—HubSpot Enterprise or Marketo are better
- Email template design quality is a top priority—Mailchimp's editor is more polished
- Enterprise with 200+ employees needing complex custom objects and advanced reporting
- Need landing page builder as primary tool—HubSpot's or dedicated tools are stronger
- Already heavily invested in HubSpot CRM—switching CRMs adds unnecessary migration risk
Trade-offs
Every design choice has a cost. Here are the explicit trade-offs:
- Best automation builder at mid-market price → Email template design less polished than Mailchimp
- Built-in CRM at $49/mo → CRM depth less mature than HubSpot or Salesforce
- Affordable lead scoring → Attribution reporting not as deep as enterprise tools
- 900+ integrations → No native e-commerce revenue attribution like Klaviyo
- Strong deliverability → Landing page and form builders are basic
Common alternatives people evaluate next
These are common “next shortlists” — same tier, step-down, step-sideways, or step-up — with a quick reason why.
-
HubSpot Marketing Hub — step-upWhen you need native CRM + marketing all-in-one with enterprise attribution—but at 10–15x the cost.
-
Mailchimp — step-downWhen email campaign simplicity and template design matter more than automation workflow depth.
-
Brevo — step-sidewaysSend-based pricing for large lists with moderate automation needs—fraction of ActiveCampaign's cost at scale.
-
Klaviyo — step-sidewaysWhen e-commerce revenue attribution is the priority over general-purpose automation and CRM.
Sources & verification
Pricing and behavioral information comes from public documentation and structured research. When information is incomplete or volatile, we prefer to say so rather than guess.