Top 11 ActiveCampaign Alternatives in 2026 for Better Automation

ActiveCampaign has long been a popular choice for businesses seeking robust marketing automation. Still, with rising costs and greater complexity, many companies are seeking alternatives that better fit their needs and budgets. Whether you're a small business owner looking to save money, an e-commerce store needing specialized features, or a growing company seeking simpler solutions, there's likely a better option for you.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ve evaluated 10 of the best ActiveCampaign alternatives by looking at what really matters: pricing, features, ease of use, and migration difficulty. According to the latest email marketing statistics, nearly three-quarters of marketers rely on email as their top ROI channel, with many reporting up to a 2× year-over-year improvement. With email playing such a crucial role in growth, choosing the right platform becomes even more important.

Why Look for ActiveCampaign Alternatives? 

ActiveCampaign remains a powerful marketing automation platform, but it's not the perfect fit for everyone. Here's why businesses are exploring alternatives:

• Rising Costs: Pricing starts at $15/month for 1,000 contacts but jumps to $189/month for 10,000 contacts on the basic plan. For 50,000 contacts, you're looking at $486/month or more.

• Steep Learning Curve: The platform's advanced features require significant time investment and technical know-how.

• No Free Plan: Unlike competitors, ActiveCampaign only offers a 14-day trial with no free tier for testing.

• Limited Features on Lower Tiers: Key features like CRM, landing pages, and advanced automation are locked behind higher-priced plans.

• Better Alternatives Available: Many platforms now offer similar or better features at more competitive prices with easier interfaces.

What Makes a Great ActiveCampaign Alternative?

• User-friendly interface for easy campaign management

• Flexible pricing plans that grow with your business

• Pre-built automation workflows to save time and boost engagement

• Powerful AI automation that makes email marketing effortless

• In-depth analytics and reporting for accurate performance tracking

• Multi-channel marketing (email, SMS, and more) from one platform

• Customizable forms and landing pages to capture leads effectively

• Reliable integrations with CRMs, e-commerce, and other tools

Quick Comparison Table: Find Your Best Match

1. Mailmodo

Mailmodo is an AI-powered email marketing software that helps you create, automate, and optimize campaigns effortlessly. From planning strategy to writing copy and building journeys, Mailmodo’s AI Agents handle it all, with no technical expertise needed. It’s the fastest way to send smart, interactive, and high-performing emails.

Key Features

• Kickstart every campaign with AI. Get strategies, subject lines, and contextual copy ideas by simply chatting with Mailmodo’s AI Agents. No manual planning needed.

• Design on-brand emails in seconds. Generate full layouts or instantly tweak fonts, colors, and content using simple AI prompts.

• Describe your ideal audience, and Mailmodo AI builds accurate segments for you.

• Create entire customer journeys without the overwhelm. Get AI-suggested workflows, pre-filled templates, and editable triggers.

• Send high-volume campaigns to thousands in a click. Ideal for newsletters, product drops, and announcements, fully optimized by AI.

• Mailmodo’s strong infrastructure and smart-send logic improve deliverability and open rates.

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• Interactive AMP emails increase engagement manifold

• It's an AI email marketing tool with AI Agents that automate strategy, copywriting, and campaign creation, saving teams hours of manual effort.

• AI-powered segmentation and journey building make advanced marketing accessible to everyone.s.

Cons

• Slight learning curve when setting up AI agents for the first time.

• Advanced automation requires higher-tier plans

2. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Brevo stands out among ActiveCampaign alternatives with its unique pay-per-email model. Unlike most ActiveCampaign competitor tools that charge based on contact list size, Brevo charges only for emails sent. This makes it one of the most affordable ActiveCampaign alternatives for businesses with large lists but infrequent sending needs.

Key Features

• Multichannel marketing: email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat

• Transactional email capabilities with high deliverability

• Marketing automation workflows with visual builder

• CRM with deal management and pipeline tracking

• Landing page builder with customizable templates

• Contact segmentation and list management

• Drag-and-drop email template designer

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• Generous free plan with 9,000 emails/month

• Pay by emails sent, not contacts stored

• Multichannel capabilities within one platform

• Transactional emails included

• Excellent customer support, even for the free plan

Cons

• Daily sending limits on the free plan

• Basic design tools compared to the competitors

• Less advanced automation compared to ActiveCampaign

• Limited A/B testing on the lower tiers

3. MailerLite

When searching for ActiveCampaign alternatives for small businesses, MailerLite consistently tops the list. This platform is known for its clean, intuitive interface and beautiful email designs. It's built for creators, bloggers, and small businesses who want professional email marketing without overwhelming complexity.

Key Features

• Drag-and-drop email editor with modern templates

• Landing page and form builder

• Email automation workflows with triggers and conditions

• Website builder with hosting included

• Digital product sales capability, sell downloads directly

• Email verifier to clean your list

• Pop-ups & embedded forms with targeting

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• Very user-friendly interface

• Beautiful, modern email templates

• Landing pages and forms included

• Affordable as you scale

• Excellent email deliverability rates

Cons

• Less powerful automation compared to ActiveCampaign

• Limited CRM functionality

• Fewer third-party integrations

• Basic reporting on lower-tier plans

4. Moosend

Moosend provides enterprise-level automation functionality at budget prices, making it one of the top ActiveCampaign alternatives for businesses that need powerful features without the premium price tag. All paid plans offer unlimited email sends, and their advanced segmentation capabilities rival much more expensive competitors.

Key Features

• Advanced marketing automation workflows with 100+ triggers

• AI-powered subject line optimization

• Product recommendation engine for e-commerce

• Real-time website tracking and behavior monitoring

• A/B testing landing page builder

• Advanced segmentation with custom fields

• Email personalization and dynamic content

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• Unlimited email sends on all plans

• Advanced automation workflows included

• AI-driven optimization tools

• Visual automation builder

• Extremely cost-effective

Cons

• Smaller library of templates than the competition

• Less brand recognition

• Fewer native integrations are available

• Learning curve for advanced automation features

5. Klaviyo

For e-commerce businesses, Klaviyo is often considered the best alternative to ActiveCampaign. Built exclusively for online stores, it offers deep integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. This makes Klaviyo one of the premier ActiveCampaign alternatives for e-commerce, with unparalleled data segmentation and predictive analytics.

Key Features

• Powerful e-commerce segmentation with more than 300+ attributes

• Predictive analytics for customer lifetime value

• Dynamic product recommendations based on browsing behavior

• Deep integrations to platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce)

• Automate cart abandonment flows and post-purchase sequences

• SMS marketing with two-way conversations

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• Best-in-class e-commerce segmentation capabilities

• Predictive analytics and revenue attribution

• Dynamic product recommendations

• Deep integration with major e-commerce platforms

• Excellent reporting and analytics dashboard

Cons

• Expensive as your contact list scales

• Complex interface; steep learning curve

• Profile-based pricing can be confusing

• Recent price increases during 2025

6. GetResponse

GetResponse is an all-in-one platform that goes beyond email marketing. Among active campaign competitors, it stands out with built-in webinar hosting, landing pages, and conversion funnels. It's perfect for businesses that want multiple marketing tools unified under one platform without juggling separate subscriptions.

Key Features

• Native webinar platform with up to 1,000 attendees

• Conversion funnel builder with sales pages

• Landing page creator with A/B testing (200+ templates)

• AI email generator for content creation

• Course creation tools for online education

• Marketing automation with a visual workflow builder

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• Native webinar platform included

• Conversion funnel builder for complete campaigns

• Comprehensive landing page builder

• AI-powered email generation

• Built-in course creator for online education

Cons

• The interface seems outdated compared with newer sites

• Marketing automation is locked to mid-tier plans

• E-commerce features require the highest tier plan

• Steeper learning curve due to the breadth of features

7. Omnisend

Omnisend combines email, SMS, and push notifications in a single workflow, specifically developed for online stores. It's one of the best ActiveCampaign automation alternatives for e-commerce businesses, with pre-built automations and a product picker that inserts products dynamically into campaigns.

Key Features

• Email, SMS, and push notifications within unified workflows

• Pre-built e-commerce automations: cart abandonment, welcome series, etc.

• Dynamic product picker for campaigns

• Shopping behavior tracking and segmentation

• Revenue attribution and ROI reporting

• Signup forms and pop-ups with targeting rules

• Gift box and discount code generators

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• True multi-channel workflows: email + SMS + push

• Pre-built e-commerce automation templates

• Product picker makes campaigns easy

• Generous free plan with all features

• Excellent integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce

Cons

• Primarily designed for e-commerce only

• Additional credits are charged for SMS messaging

• Limited functionality for B2B use cases

• Email-to-SMS ratio limits on plans

8. HubSpot

HubSpot boasts an all-in-one business platform with integrated CRM, marketing, sales, and service hubs. While it appears on this active campaign competitors list, it's worth noting that HubSpot's pricing is significantly higher than most alternatives to ActiveCampaign. However, its free CRM is incredibly generous, and strong CRM integration makes it a solid choice for businesses ready to scale.

Key Features

• Free CRM with unlimited contacts and users

• Complete marketing hub with automation

• Sales pipeline management and tracking

• Customer service tools: ticketing, knowledge base

• Large marketplace for integrations, 1,000+ apps

• Content management system for websites

• Social media management and scheduling

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• Free CRM, rich in features, forever

• All business tools in one ecosystem

• Excellent content management system

• Huge integration library, 1,000+ apps

• World-class educational resources and support

Cons

• Very expensive at professional and enterprise tiers

• Overkill for small businesses that just need email

• Features locked behind tier paywalls

• Onboarding fees for Pro and Enterprise plans

9. EngageBay

EngageBay combines marketing, sales, and service automation at rates that a small business could afford. It's a real HubSpot alternative that won't require venture capital funding to use, providing CRM, email marketing, helpdesk, and live chat all under one roof. This makes it one of the most affordable ActiveCampaign alternatives for growing teams.

Key Features

• Built-in CRM with deal pipeline management

• Marketing automation with a visual workflow builder

• Live chat and helpdesk ticketing system

• Landing pages and forms with customization

• Appointment scheduling with calendar sync

• Email sequences and drip campaigns

• Social media scheduling and management

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• True all-in-one platform, at affordable pricing

• Full CRM is included with all plans

• Live chat and helpdesk for customer service

• No long-term contracts required

• Excellent customer support

Cons

• Per-user pricing adds up for teams

• The interface is less polished than the premium competitors

• Fewer integrations than HubSpot or ActiveCampaign

• The template editor needs improvement

10. Campaign Monitor

Campaign Monitor focuses on beautifully designed, brand-consistent emails through powerful design tools and template management. This makes it perfect for agencies or design-focused teams that want their emails to look stunning while maintaining brand guidelines across multiple campaigns.

Key Features

• Advanced drag-and-drop email builder

• Brand asset management and style guide enforcement

• Email preview testing across more than 30 devices and clients

• Visual automation builder with journey mapping

• Template management system for team consistency

• Real-time analytics and engagement tracking

• Team collaboration tools and approval workflows

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• Beautiful, professional email templates

• Robust brand asset management system

• Comprehensive email preview testing

• Strong email deliverability rates

• Clean, intuitive interface

Cons

• Limited automation on the lower-tier plans

• Expensive to access advanced features

• Smaller overall feature set than competitors

• Better suited for campaigns than nurturing

11. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the most widely recognized email marketing platforms, known for its simplicity, strong brand, and beginner-friendly tools. While it appears on this ActiveCampaign competitors list, Mailchimp’s higher-tier pricing and feature limitations can be restrictive for scaling businesses. However, its generous free plan, ease of use, and extensive template library make it a popular starting point for small teams.

Key Features

• Generous free plan for small contact lists

• Easy-to-use email and landing page builder

• Pre-built customer journeys

• Basic segmentation and personalization

• Large template library for emails and landing pages

• Integrations with 300+ apps

• Built-in analytics and reporting

Pricing Comparison

Pros

• Very beginner-friendly

• Generous free plan

• Huge template library

• Simple automations for small businesses

• Strong brand trust and reliable deliverability

Cons

• Pricing jumps sharply on higher tiers

• Automation and segmentation are weaker than ActiveCampaign

• Paywalls for many essential features

• Overage charges when contacts exceed plan limits

Migration Checklist

Before Migration:

1. Export all contacts with tags/segments

2. Document all active automations

3. Screenshot workflow logic

4. Export email templates

5. Download reports for records

6. List all integrations in use

During Migration:

1. Import contacts to the new platform

2. Recreate key segments

3. Rebuild top 3-5 critical automations

4. Test email templates

5. Set up integrations

6. Run test campaigns

After Migration:

1. Run side-by-side for 7 days

2. Monitor deliverability

3. Compare engagement metrics

4. Train the team on the new platform

5. Cancel old subscription

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right ActiveCampaign alternative is ultimately about finding a platform that supports your growth, fits your budget, and simplifies your workflow. Many tools today offer strong automation, helpful AI features, and user-friendly interfaces that make email marketing easier and more efficient. You can still get powerful performance without dealing with unnecessary complexity or high costs.

Take time to compare what each platform provides, such as pricing, automation strength, template quality, integrations, and overall ease of use. The best option will be the one that helps you manage campaigns more smoothly, improve engagement, and scale with confidence. With the right choice, your email marketing becomes more organized, more effective, and far less stressful.