Every marketer I know has used ActiveCampaign at some point (or at least tried it out for their campaigns). As of writing, it has surpassed 180,000 customers from across the globe– making it the most significant CRM and automated sales and marketing provider. But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. If anything, I found that there seems to be a mutual frustration regarding its features.
So if you’re thinking of switching from ActiveCampaign, you might be browsing through similar alternatives or competitors that can provide you with a better solution. With more than 450 email marketing automation tools, browsing through each can take forever.
Now you might be wondering, if you can do just about anything with ActiveCampaign, why not go with Activecampaign.
Well, no email marketing tool is perfect. The primary thing that I didn’t like is the ‘tedious’ user interface. ActiveCampaign does all kinds of things, and considering that the UI team has done a great job of design, but is it overwhelming. Personally I cringe at the thought of logging in to use ActiveCampaign. Additionally, editing several emails in an automated way is a pain. Plus the fact that you need to construct everything from scratch with ActiveCampaign. This makes the learning curve challenging for beginners.
Also, I noticed slow performance when I use ActiveCampaign (especially when viewing reports.) Though highly thorough on sales/goal conversions, the platform’s reporting feature can be overwhelming to explore.
Worry no more, as I have examined the top ActiveCampaign alternatives today that can better handle your marketing automation and email campaign needs.
Our List of ActiveCampaign Alternatives
Let’s take an in-depth look at these best ActiveCampaign alternatives to determine which one best fits your business and needs. I’ll cover the features you need to know, the benefits and drawbacks, and their pricing.
1. MailerLite
To start, MailerLite is a personal favorite of mine. This email tool offers 14 customizable landing page templates– perfect for your next marketing campaign idea. Like ActiveCampaign, you also have the option to build your designs from scratch using its drag-and-drop landing page editor. (Related: ActiveCampaign vs. Mailerlite: Which One is Best for Infopreneurs)
The downside? You’ll have limited control over the layout and spacing of the elements. You can conveniently save templates for future use and have your own gallery of ready-to-use customized templates.
MailerLite offers two simple choices when it comes to its pricing:
I am a big fan of MailerLite’s neat interface. There’s no confusion at all– making it beginner-friendly. You’ll have 1,000 subscribers and send up to 12,000 emails monthly for free! Also, you can upgrade to their premium plan if you want to grow your contact list. Other than that, you don’t need to upgrade to use advanced features. Users can easily create basic automation using its workflow editor. Lastly, 24/7 live chat and email support are available.
If you compare it to ActiveCampaign, the email page editor of MailerLite may not be as flexible and you won’t be able to generate several various reports to track metrics. Also, it has more basic automation compared to ActiveCampaign’s features. With that, MailerLite is more of an email marketing tool, so you cannot count on the platform to help you with your omnichannel needs.
2. GetResponse
For my next email marketing platform rec, I consider GetResponse as another excellent ActiveCampaign alternative. Aside from being an email marketing solution, it also has an in-built CRM to help you grow your business effectively.
Like ActiveCampaign, the platform also offers unique features and integrations. But, it is more cost-effective if you’re looking at a similar list size. With its additional built-in functionalities, you won’t need to use external tools to host webinars or develop conversion funnels. (Related: ActiveCampaign vs. GetResponse: Which One is Best for Affiliate Marketing?)
The email marketing plan of GetResponse starts at $19 for 1,000 subscribers. There’s also a free plan that can handle up to 500 subscribers, but naturally, you will only have limited features.
Get Response can cater to your standard email marketing needs: automation, analysis, segmentation, and reports. I also find it easy to navigate, allowing me to build my email list minus the stress.
While ActiveCampaign has a built-in CRM and deal pipeline software, GetResponse doesn’t have one. With that in mind, you will need to integrate it with third-party CRM software.
Also, you can only contact your subscribers via email and live chat, unlike ActiveCampaign’s email, Facebook Audiences, live chat, and SMS. Other users also reported issues canceling their subscriptions to GetResponse, citing terms and conditions.
3. Encharge
Next, I would also encourage you to try Encharge if you’re looking for an ActiveCampaign alternative. Trust me when I say this marketing automation platform just makes email marketing much easier!
You can also send behavior-based email campaigns on Encharge. And just like ActiveCampaign, there’s so much more you can do besides send out emails: automate your lead gen processes, sales tasks, and the like.
Encharge has two pricing levels. The Growth plan ($49) and the Premium ($59) monthly.
I believe trying out Encharge has been a pretty good investment. To me, at least. You will need to spend some time to grasp how the platform works fully, but I recommend this one. Another thing I like about Encharge is that it allows me to connect it with my Facebook page to send emails to my generated leads. You can never go wrong with a platform that offers good integrations – it just makes the lives of many content marketers more streamlined!
Lastly, they also have an excellent customer service team. So if you ever find yourself in an Encharge-related ditch, you won’t need to worry!
If you are used to detailed statistics in your marketing automation provider, you may be disappointed if you switch to Encharge. Some integrations are also missing. For instance, if you upload something wrong – you may be required to reach out to their support to request the deletion of the contacts.
4. SendInBlue
Another favorite ActiveCampaign alternative of mine is SendInBlue. For one, it’s cheaper, but don’t let that fool you into thinking you will get less value. This alternative really offers a complete package: (1) a nice email design tool, (2) reports, and (3) advanced features (A/B testing, streamlined contact management). But you need to subscribe to the premium plans to leverage these advanced features.
SendInBlue has a free plan with a cap of 300 emails daily. There’s also the Starter plan ($25/month) for growing businesses, Business plan ($65/month) for marketing managers and eCommerce pros, and the Enterprise plan ($1,000/month) if you’re looking for tailored solutions to fit your needs. All plans come with unlimited contacts.
I think SendInBlue makes it easy to craft perfect emails for all your marketing campaigns. You can also create separate campaigns to work on one project without editing the other versions. It also has a beginner-friendly, easy-to-use visual email editor, so you can easily drag and drop to create the perfect email.
It also has an advanced contact manager to help you manage large volumes of emails. Since it functions in various layers, you control each contact or group. Users can also opt to segment their audience, making it easier to manage.
Lastly, you can send different emails to specific groups and even automated emails triggered by particular conditions. So when one of your contacts performs a specific action or inaction, you can automatically send them a message.
It lacks the dynamic automation I enjoyed in ActiveCampaign where I can seamlessly use multiple goals and go-to actions to have flexible workflows. SendInBlue doesn’t provide flexible segmentation within automation. Another thing I miss from ActiveCampaign is the proactive recommendations, which I find convenient.
5. EngageBay
This next ActiveCampaign alternative provides different email marketing tools to cater to users: beginners and professionals. If you want to grow your business, this is an excellent platform, from its free CRM to its email marketing and automation tools.
You can choose from several different email marketing templates. Additionally, editing email templates is a breeze thanks to its simple drag-and-drop interface. You can use various filters based on the contact’s country, date, source, and tags!
The good thing is that EngageBay has cost-effective pricing plans. For one, the Growth plan starts at $49 per month with 50,000 contacts and 25,000 branded emails. Meanwhile, the Pro plan has unlimited contacts and 50,000 branded emails at $79/month.
This is a relatively easy-to-use platform, even for beginners. If I recall correctly, it only took me a couple of hours to get the hang of the platform. You can leverage powerful tools, including autoresponders, email broadcasts, and sequences, even in the free plan.
Another good thing about EngageBay is its reliable customer support. If you have any questions, you can expect an answer ASAP. There’s no need to wait in limbo, wondering what you should do next!
Notably, EngageBay is missing features such as Google Meet and location in its calendar event. It also doesn’t have Webinar features and has no option to build your template. Lastly, the landing pages do not support reusable headers and footers as of writing. So, your choices can be pretty limited.
6. SendGrid
Up next, SendGrid is another honorable mention if you’re looking for an email marketing service with powerful features. This platform focuses on analytics (bounces, clicks/opens, deliveries, email sends, and spam reports) so you can keep an eye on your marketing campaign performance. I appreciate SendGrid’s focus on ease of use and top-notch deliverability, making it easier for me to ensure successful campaigns.
Expect the following features:
The monthly price for SendGrid plans starts at $14.95. There’s also a free plan with less functionality. Currently, they offer 4 premium plans:
I love that SendGrid offers an excellent transactional API, and the dynamic template is easy to use, even for beginners. Also, the emails sent from the platform are not marked as spam once they reach the audience’s inbox. If anything, these messages are marked as important emails. The built-in tracking feature is also a nice touch, and it’s not very difficult to configure.
Perhaps the most considerable downside is SendGrid’s unsatisfactory customer service. Some users report that raising their concerns took them as long as two weeks.
7. AWeber
If you’re a small business owner (or a marketer) looking for a straightforward email marketing platform much like ActiveCampaign – consider trying out AWeber. Though it doesn’t have all of ActiveCampaign’s signature features, it’s an excellent, easy-to-use choice for beginners.
Thanks to its excellent features, straightforward pricing, and reliable support, you can rely on AWeber’s free plan to meet your email marketing automation needs more than competitors today. Just be prepared to invest your time in the effort, as the platform takes quite a while to get used to.
Users can send up to 500 emails per month to 3,000 subscribers with AWeber’s free plan. However, neither A/B testing nor automation based on previous purchasing behavior is included. Only one paid pricing option starts at $19 per month. The price changes depending on how many contacts are used. If you pay yearly, you may save up to 14.9%.
Here are some of the most important features that AWeber offers:
Many users are satisfied with AWeber’s excellent customer service. So if there’s trouble in paradise, you can quickly get in touch with their tech support.
Like the other recommendations in this list, AWeber also has its fair share of drawbacks. Some users reported that the emails were sent out in the wrong order, which earned the ire of the customers they spent years fostering good relationships with. It also presented their company in a bad light.