ActiveCampaign (Automation)

Growing SMBs that need sophisticated multi-channel automation with CRM integration

Paidzap Marketing Automation

Visit Website

Reviews

4.6 / 516,897 reviews

G2 Satisfaction Scores

Ease of Use

8.6

Ease of Setup

8.5

Quality of Support

8.8

Meets Requirements

8.8

Ease of Admin

8.5

Rating Distribution

5 star

69%

4 star

25%

3 star

2 star

1 star

+ Industry-leading visual automation builder with conditional logic and branching

+ AI-powered automation builder generates workflows from simple prompts

- No free tier; trial is only 14 days

“ActiveCampaign is the automation engine that runs our entire customer journey — from first touch to post-purchase follow-up. Nothing else is as flexible.”

Pros

+ Industry-leading visual automation builder with conditional logic and branching
+ AI-powered automation builder generates workflows from simple prompts
+ Built-in CRM unifies sales and marketing automation in one platform

Cons

- No free tier; trial is only 14 days
- Can be overwhelming for teams only needing basic email automation
- Contact-based pricing scales up quickly

Pricing

Plan	Monthly	Annual	Limits
Starter	$15	$15	1,000 contacts; 1 user; 5 automations
Plus	$49	$49	1,000 contacts; 3 users; CRM; lead scoring
Professional	$79	$79	1,000 contacts; 5 users; predictive sending; attribution
Enterprise	$145	$145	1,000 contacts; 10 users; custom objects; HIPAA

14-day free trial

Starter from ~$15/mo. Plus from ~$49/mo. Professional from ~$79/mo. 14-day free trial.

Features & Capabilities

One of the most advanced visual automation builders available, supporting branching, conditional logic, and goal trackingCombines CRM and marketing automation in a single platform at SMB-friendly pricingActive Intelligence engine provides 34+ AI capabilities purpose-built for small business marketers

Feature	Available On	Limits
Visual Automation Builder	starter	5 automations on Starter; unlimited on Plus and above
Email Marketing	starter	10x contact list send limit per month
Built-in CRM	plus	Not available on Starter
Lead & Contact Scoring	plus	Not available on Starter
Site & Event Tracking	starter	Unlimited
Conditional Content & Personalization	starter	Unlimited
Predictive Sending	professional	Not available on Starter or Plus
Attribution Reporting	professional	Not available on Starter or Plus
Custom Objects	enterprise	Enterprise only
AI-Powered Content Generation	starter	Unlimited
SMS Marketing	plus	Add-on; credits purchased separately
Landing Pages & Forms	starter	Unlimited

Limitations

! Starter plan is limited to 5 automations and 1 user
! No free plan; only a 14-day trial
! Contact-based pricing increases significantly as lists grow beyond 1,000
! CRM functionality requires Plus plan or higher

Market Intelligence

Who Uses This

Small Business

61%

Mid-Market

29%

Enterprise

10%

Source: G2 reviewer demographics

Top Industries

Marketing and AdvertisingInformation Technology and ServicesE-LearningHealth, Wellness and FitnessComputer Software

Is This Right for You?

Team Size

3–50 people

Sweet spot: 5-25

Complexity

moderate

Best Industries

ecommercesaasagencies

customer retentionlead generationecommerce salesb2b sales

Pairs Well With

hubspot-crm— Use HubSpot for CRM while ActiveCampaign powers advanced email automation

typeform— Form completions trigger multi-step automation sequences

webflow— Website behavior tracking feeds into automation triggers and lead scoring

Not ideal for: Beginners or small teams sending simple newsletters — the automation builder is powerful but requires strategy to use well

Setup & Onboarding

Setup time: days

Learning curve: moderate

Resources: excellentFree migrationMobile app

Company Health

Founded: 2003

HQ: Chicago, Illinois

Size: 900+ employees

Funding: late-stage

growingHiring: stableSentiment: positiveRecent layoffs

Launched Active Intelligence engine with 34+ AI capabilities in 2025
Named Leader in IDC MarketScape for AI-Enabled Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses 2025
Acquired Hilos for cross-channel capabilities (April 2025)
Reports AI saving SMB marketers 13 hours per week

Product Direction

AI: aggressiveRisk: lowAPI availableEcosystem: strongSMB friendly

AI Features

Active Intelligence engine with dozens of specialized AI agents
AI-powered content generation
Predictive sending optimization
AI-driven segmentation and personalization
Feedback Intelligence for AI conversation analysis

Recent Launches

Active Intelligence system-wide AI engine
34+ AI agent capabilities
App Studio for developer self-serve integrations
Cross-channel messaging via Hilos acquisition

Trust & Security

Compliance

ccpagdprsoc2hipaaiso27001

Security Features

ssoenterprise

audit logenterprise

two factorAll plans

ip allowlistNo

role based accessprofessional

encryption at restAll plans

Data Portability

Export formatsCSV

Bulk API exportYes

Lock-in riskmedium

Status page: https://status.activecampaign.com(SLA: 99.9% on enterprise)

Support

Channels

emailstarter

phonepro

live chatstarter

knowledge baseYes

community forumYes

Hours24/7

Response time< 24 hours

Dedicated CSMenterprise

Docs qualityexcellent

Community AcademyCertifications available

Market Position

leaderIndustry-leading visual automation builder with the most advanced conditional logic for SMBs

Top Alternatives

klaviyo— Superior e-commerce automation with deeper Shopify and product data integration

drip— Purpose-built for e-commerce with revenue attribution and shopper behavior tracking

Switching Awayhard

Contacts export via CSV but complex automation workflows, CRM pipelines, and scoring rules require complete rebuilding

Transfers

contactstagscustom fieldsdeal dataemail templates

Doesn't Transfer

automation workflowslead scoring rulesCRM pipelinessite trackingattribution data

Time to Value

2-4 weeksBuilding effective multi-step automation workflows requires planning, setup, and iteration before driving measurable results

Integrations

shopifywordpresswoocommercesalesforce-starterpipedrivestripeslackgoogle-analyticsmeta-adstypeformunbounceleadpagesintercomzapiersegment

+ Zapier compatible (connects to 5,000+ apps)

Alternatives in Marketing Automation

Customer.io

Paid

4.5957 reviews

Product-led SaaS companies and tech-savvy teams that need behavior-driven, multi-channel messaging automation

Drip

Paid

4.4650 reviews

E-commerce businesses that want powerful automation in a cleaner, simpler package than Klaviyo

Keap (formerly Infusionsoft)

Paid

4.22,700 reviews

Established small service businesses that want CRM, automation, and invoicing in one platform

Klaviyo

Freemium

4.71,630 reviews

E-commerce brands (especially Shopify) that want revenue-focused email and SMS automation

Omnisend

Freemium

4.61,883 reviews

E-commerce businesses on Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce who want email + SMS automation built specifically for online retail

Ortto (formerly Autopilot)

Freemium

4.5343 reviews

Mid-stage startups that want marketing automation with built-in customer data platform and analytics

ActiveCampaign (Automation)

Growing SMBs that need sophisticated multi-channel automation with CRM integration

Paidzap Marketing Automation

Visit Website

Reviews

4.6 / 516,897 reviews

G2 Satisfaction Scores

Ease of Use

8.6

Ease of Setup

8.5

Quality of Support

8.8

Meets Requirements

8.8

Ease of Admin

8.5

Rating Distribution

5 star

69%

4 star

25%

3 star

2 star

1 star

+ Industry-leading visual automation builder with conditional logic and branching

+ AI-powered automation builder generates workflows from simple prompts

- No free tier; trial is only 14 days

“ActiveCampaign is the automation engine that runs our entire customer journey — from first touch to post-purchase follow-up. Nothing else is as flexible.”

Pros

+ Industry-leading visual automation builder with conditional logic and branching
+ AI-powered automation builder generates workflows from simple prompts
+ Built-in CRM unifies sales and marketing automation in one platform

Cons

- No free tier; trial is only 14 days
- Can be overwhelming for teams only needing basic email automation
- Contact-based pricing scales up quickly

Pricing

Plan	Monthly	Annual	Limits
Starter	$15	$15	1,000 contacts; 1 user; 5 automations
Plus	$49	$49	1,000 contacts; 3 users; CRM; lead scoring
Professional	$79	$79	1,000 contacts; 5 users; predictive sending; attribution
Enterprise	$145	$145	1,000 contacts; 10 users; custom objects; HIPAA

14-day free trial

Starter from ~$15/mo. Plus from ~$49/mo. Professional from ~$79/mo. 14-day free trial.

Features & Capabilities

Feature	Available On	Limits
Visual Automation Builder	starter	5 automations on Starter; unlimited on Plus and above
Email Marketing	starter	10x contact list send limit per month
Built-in CRM	plus	Not available on Starter
Lead & Contact Scoring	plus	Not available on Starter
Site & Event Tracking	starter	Unlimited
Conditional Content & Personalization	starter	Unlimited
Predictive Sending	professional	Not available on Starter or Plus
Attribution Reporting	professional	Not available on Starter or Plus
Custom Objects	enterprise	Enterprise only
AI-Powered Content Generation	starter	Unlimited
SMS Marketing	plus	Add-on; credits purchased separately
Landing Pages & Forms	starter	Unlimited

Limitations

! Starter plan is limited to 5 automations and 1 user
! No free plan; only a 14-day trial
! Contact-based pricing increases significantly as lists grow beyond 1,000
! CRM functionality requires Plus plan or higher

Market Intelligence

Who Uses This

Small Business

61%

Mid-Market

29%

Enterprise

10%

Source: G2 reviewer demographics

Top Industries

Marketing and AdvertisingInformation Technology and ServicesE-LearningHealth, Wellness and FitnessComputer Software

Is This Right for You?

Team Size

3–50 people

Sweet spot: 5-25

Complexity

moderate

Best Industries

ecommercesaasagencies

customer retentionlead generationecommerce salesb2b sales

Pairs Well With

hubspot-crm— Use HubSpot for CRM while ActiveCampaign powers advanced email automation

typeform— Form completions trigger multi-step automation sequences

webflow— Website behavior tracking feeds into automation triggers and lead scoring

Not ideal for: Beginners or small teams sending simple newsletters — the automation builder is powerful but requires strategy to use well

Setup & Onboarding

Setup time: days

Learning curve: moderate

Resources: excellentFree migrationMobile app

Company Health

Founded: 2003

HQ: Chicago, Illinois

Size: 900+ employees

Funding: late-stage

growingHiring: stableSentiment: positiveRecent layoffs

Launched Active Intelligence engine with 34+ AI capabilities in 2025
Named Leader in IDC MarketScape for AI-Enabled Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses 2025
Acquired Hilos for cross-channel capabilities (April 2025)
Reports AI saving SMB marketers 13 hours per week

Product Direction

AI: aggressiveRisk: lowAPI availableEcosystem: strongSMB friendly

AI Features

Active Intelligence engine with dozens of specialized AI agents
AI-powered content generation
Predictive sending optimization
AI-driven segmentation and personalization
Feedback Intelligence for AI conversation analysis

Recent Launches

Active Intelligence system-wide AI engine
34+ AI agent capabilities
App Studio for developer self-serve integrations
Cross-channel messaging via Hilos acquisition

Trust & Security

Compliance

ccpagdprsoc2hipaaiso27001

Security Features

ssoenterprise

audit logenterprise

two factorAll plans

ip allowlistNo

role based accessprofessional

encryption at restAll plans

Data Portability

Export formatsCSV

Bulk API exportYes

Lock-in riskmedium

Status page: https://status.activecampaign.com(SLA: 99.9% on enterprise)

Support

Channels

emailstarter

phonepro

live chatstarter

knowledge baseYes

community forumYes

Hours24/7

Response time< 24 hours

Dedicated CSMenterprise

Docs qualityexcellent

Community AcademyCertifications available

Market Position

leaderIndustry-leading visual automation builder with the most advanced conditional logic for SMBs

Top Alternatives

klaviyo— Superior e-commerce automation with deeper Shopify and product data integration

drip— Purpose-built for e-commerce with revenue attribution and shopper behavior tracking

Switching Awayhard

Contacts export via CSV but complex automation workflows, CRM pipelines, and scoring rules require complete rebuilding

Transfers

contactstagscustom fieldsdeal dataemail templates

Doesn't Transfer

automation workflowslead scoring rulesCRM pipelinessite trackingattribution data

Time to Value

2-4 weeksBuilding effective multi-step automation workflows requires planning, setup, and iteration before driving measurable results

Integrations

shopifywordpresswoocommercesalesforce-starterpipedrivestripeslackgoogle-analyticsmeta-adstypeformunbounceleadpagesintercomzapiersegment

+ Zapier compatible (connects to 5,000+ apps)

Alternatives in Marketing Automation

Customer.io

Paid

4.5957 reviews

Product-led SaaS companies and tech-savvy teams that need behavior-driven, multi-channel messaging automation

Drip

Paid

4.4650 reviews

E-commerce businesses that want powerful automation in a cleaner, simpler package than Klaviyo

Keap (formerly Infusionsoft)

Paid

4.22,700 reviews

Established small service businesses that want CRM, automation, and invoicing in one platform

Klaviyo

Freemium

4.71,630 reviews

E-commerce brands (especially Shopify) that want revenue-focused email and SMS automation

Omnisend

Freemium

4.61,883 reviews

E-commerce businesses on Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce who want email + SMS automation built specifically for online retail

Ortto (formerly Autopilot)

Freemium

4.5343 reviews

Mid-stage startups that want marketing automation with built-in customer data platform and analytics