ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign works well for small businesses that are growth-focused and need automation beyond basic email blasts. The Starter plan at $15/month for 1,000 contacts provides an affordable entry point with email marketing, forms, and basic automation. For businesses that have outgrown simple tools like Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign's segmentation, behavioral triggers, and built-in CRM on the Plus plan ($49/month) make it an excellent next step. The platform scales with you, so small businesses can start simple and unlock more powerful features as they grow.

ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial but no permanent free plan. The trial gives you full access to test the automation builder, CRM, and email features with your own contact list. After the trial, the Starter plan begins at $15/month for 1,000 contacts, which includes email marketing, inline forms, and basic automation. To unlock the full power of the visual automation builder, CRM with sales pipelines, landing pages, and lead scoring, you will need the Plus plan at $49/month. The investment is justified by the depth of automation capabilities compared to free alternatives.

ActiveCampaign's Starter plan costs $15 per month for 1,000 contacts (billed annually), which includes email marketing, marketing automation, inline forms, and site tracking. The Plus plan at $49/month adds landing pages, a built-in CRM with sales automation, lead scoring, and advanced automation workflows. The Professional plan at $79/month includes predictive sending, split automations, and attribution reporting. Enterprise starts at $145/month with custom features, dedicated account rep, and custom reporting. Pricing scales with contact count, so costs increase as your list grows.