The 6 best ActiveCampaign alternatives
Short answer
The best ActiveCampaign alternatives are HubSpot, ConvertKit, Mailchimp. HubSpot is our top pick — it scores 8.8/10 and is best for Agencies managing multiple client relationships. The right choice depends on your budget, team size, and which features matter most.
Why look for a ActiveCampaign alternative?
ActiveCampaign scores 8.8/10 in our review and works well for many teams — but it is not the right fit for everyone. The most common reasons readers look elsewhere:
- ✗Steep learning curve
- ✗UI is complex
- ✗No free plan
ActiveCampaign alternatives, ranked
HubSpot
Top pickCRM, marketing, sales, and service platform
HubSpot is the leading inbound marketing and CRM platform. The free CRM is genuinely excellent and used by thousands of agencies. Paid hubs (Marketing, Sales, Service) are expensive but deeply integrated. The affiliate program pays 30% recurring for up to a year — one of the best in SaaS.
Strengths
- ✓Free CRM is genuinely excellent
- ✓All-in-one if you buy hubs
- ✓Best integrations ecosystem in business software
Best for
- →Agencies managing multiple client relationships
- →Teams with dedicated sales/marketing
ConvertKit
Email marketing built for creators
ConvertKit (now rebranding to Kit) is the most creator-focused email marketing platform. It excels at automations, segmentation, and selling digital products directly from email. The visual automation builder is powerful and beginner-friendly. ConvertKit has the deepest integration ecosystem for creators — connecting to Teachable, Gumroad, Shopify, and dozens of other creator tools.
Strengths
- ✓Excellent visual automation builder
- ✓Best integrations ecosystem for creators
- ✓Sell digital products and subscriptions natively
Best for
- →Creators with complex email automations
- →Anyone selling multiple digital products
- →Creators deeply integrated with other tools
Mailchimp
The world's most popular email marketing platform
Mailchimp is the most widely used email marketing tool globally, known for its ease of use and large integration ecosystem. Best for businesses that want a familiar, beginner-friendly option — though competitors now outperform it on value and creator-specific features.
Strengths
- ✓Integrates with virtually everything
- ✓Beginner-friendly drag-and-drop editor
- ✓Large knowledge base and community
Best for
- →E-commerce businesses (deep Shopify integration)
- →Teams already in the Intuit ecosystem
Klaviyo
Email and SMS marketing built for e-commerce growth
Klaviyo is the e-commerce email and SMS marketing platform — the deepest Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce integration available. It pulls purchase history, browsing behavior, and cart abandonment data directly from your store to power precise segmentation and automated flows. Abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase sequences, and predictive analytics are its core strengths. Less relevant for pure creator or service businesses with no product catalog.
Strengths
- ✓Unmatched Shopify integration — pulls real-time store data
- ✓Powerful segmentation using purchase behavior and predictive analytics
- ✓Email + SMS in one platform with unified customer profiles
Best for
- →E-commerce brands using Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce
- →Agencies running email marketing for DTC clients
Omnisend
Email and SMS automation built for e-commerce
Omnisend is an email and SMS marketing platform purpose-built for e-commerce brands, competing directly with Klaviyo. It offers pre-built automation workflows for abandoned cart, welcome series, browse abandonment, and post-purchase sequences — with deep Shopify and WooCommerce integration. The free plan is generous at 500 emails per month with no contact limit, and includes SMS credits. Omnisend is generally considered easier to use than Klaviyo with competitive pricing at lower list sizes.
Strengths
- ✓Generous free plan — 500 emails and SMS credits with unlimited contacts
- ✓Easier to use than Klaviyo while offering similar e-commerce automation
- ✓Pre-built automation workflows for all major e-commerce scenarios
Best for
- →Small-to-mid e-commerce brands that find Klaviyo too complex or expensive
- →Shopify stores wanting email + SMS automation without a steep learning curve
Brevo
Email, SMS, and CRM — generous free tier, European-grade privacy
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a full-featured marketing platform covering email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and a lightweight CRM. Its free plan is exceptionally generous: unlimited contacts with up to 300 emails per day — more than enough for a growing list. Brevo is a European company with strong GDPR compliance built in, making it the go-to choice for EU businesses or any team prioritizing data privacy.
Strengths
- ✓Most generous free plan in email marketing — unlimited contacts
- ✓Email + SMS + WhatsApp + CRM in one platform
- ✓Strong transactional email capabilities
Best for
- →EU-based businesses needing GDPR compliance
- →Businesses wanting email + SMS + CRM without paying per contact
ActiveCampaign vs. the alternatives
| Tool | Score | Starting price | Free plan | Ease of use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign(current) | 8.8/10 | $15/mo | No | 7/10 |
| HubSpot | 8.8/10 | — | Yes | 8/10 |
| ConvertKit | 8.8/10 | — | Yes | 8/10 |
| Mailchimp | 7.5/10 | — | Yes | 8.5/10 |
| Klaviyo | 8.7/10 | — | Yes | 7.5/10 |
| Omnisend | 8.3/10 | — | Yes | 8.5/10 |
| Brevo | 8.2/10 | — | Yes | 8/10 |
ActiveCampaign alternatives — FAQ
What is the best ActiveCampaign alternative?
HubSpot is our top-rated ActiveCampaign alternative, scoring 8.8/10. It is best for Agencies managing multiple client relationships.
Is there a free ActiveCampaign alternative?
Yes — HubSpot, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Brevo offer a free plan you can use to evaluate the tool before paying.