Best ActiveCampaign Pricing Plan for Your Business

Last Updated on December 8, 2023 by Ewen Finser

When you first land on the ActiveCampaign pricing plan page, there are three things you’re bound to notice right off the bat.

For one, ActiveCampaign is not a basic email marketing solution. Each of its pricing plans packs an impressive array of features, including SMS, email, and social media marketing automation, as well as email segmentation, visitor tracking, CRM, plus AI predictions.

Sadly, however, all that doesn’t come cheap. That’s why the second thing you’ll be picking here is that ActiveCampaign is not exactly the least expensive tool in the email automation space.

In fact, you can go ahead and run the rates against similar packages offered by the leading alternative solutions. A good place to start would be our detailed apples-to-apples reviews of ActiveCampaign vs some of its closest competitors- ActiveCampaign vs Drip, ActiveCampaign vs Keap (Infusionsoft), ActiveCampaign vs Campaign Monitor, ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse, ActiveCampaign vs SharpSpring, Zoho vs ActiveCampaign, Ontraport vs ActiveCampaign, etc. We have it all.

Otherwise, you could also sample a couple of alternatives from our comprehensive roundup of the 11 Best ActiveCampaign Alternatives.

That said, the other thing that’ll hit you is- ActiveCampaign’s pricing plans are not that simple. While the software comes with four main feature packages, their respective rates aren’t fixed. It turns out that the price you end up paying for your selected plan also depends on your contact volume.

In short, therefore, your selected plan’s rates are adjusted based on both the package features plus your preferred contact volume. And that only complicates everything for prospective users.

The fact is, choosing an appropriate ActiveCampaign plan can be an overwhelming experience for both beginners and advanced digital marketers.

Luckily for you though, we’ve got your back. This guide explores all the critical variables when it comes to choosing the best ActiveCampaign pricing plan. And apart from the main package features, it highlights different pricing points for each plan, as well as the accompanying pros and cons you should expect.

Then to top it off, we reveal the ultimate best ActiveCampaign pricing plan towards the end of the article.

But, before we dive deep into all that, let’s start off with the basics. Or rather, what is ActiveCampaign and what exactly does it do?

Best ActiveCampaign Pricing Plan: About ActiveCampaign

Some call it an email marketing service, while others feel it’s more of a CRM tool than anything else.

According to the company though, ActiveCampaign is a solution that does much more than automate your emails. They like to think of it as a tool that can activate your entire customer experience.

And what does that mean?

Well, quite simply, ActiveCampaign is a marketing automation software suite for not only email marketing, but also CRM campaigns, as well as SMS marketing, site messages, plus Facebook conversations. That makes it an all-in-one automation service for messaging your leads and customers.

Some of the accompanying features include site tracking, free image hosting, multi-channel messaging, CRM integrations, machine learning, subscription forms, split testing, reports and analytics, dynamic content, advanced segmentation, an intuitive email builder, autoresponders, email funnels, predictive messaging, contact and lead scoring, event tracking, site tracking, plus automation maps.

Now, having tried out all these functionalities over a prolonged period of time, we can confirm that ActiveCampaign is indeed as solid as they come. You can rely on its tools when it comes to automated email marketing, lead management, SMS marketing, on-site targeting, and Facebook messaging.

As far as the resultant value and ROI is concerned, however, what you get to achieve largely depends on the ActiveCampaign pricing plan you choose.

And to help you with that, here’s an overview of the packages, followed by a comprehensive look into all the core features they come with…

An Overview of ActiveCampaign Pricing Plans

The sad news is, ActiveCampaign marketing automation software doesn’t offer a free package. So, forget about joining the bandwagon if you’re seeking a free ride. You’d be better off with the likes of MailChimp.

On the bright side, however, ActiveCampaign allows you to proceed for as low as $9 a month. That’s the monthly rate for the cheapest plan, but it’s only available to users who choose an annual billing payment schedule.

Otherwise, the lowest the monthly billing schedule can go is $15 a month for the same package- ActiveCampaign’s Lite plan.

And with that, you get accounts for up to 3 users, chat and email support, marketing automation, newsletters, email marketing, and unlimited sending.

If you’d like more capabilities, you can settle for the slightly more superior Plus package instead. It starts at $49 per month for annually-billed subscriptions, while a monthly renewal schedule stretches it to at least $70 per month.

With that, you should be able to supplement all the features on the Lite plan with accounts for up to 25 team members, conditional content, SMS marketing, one on one onboarding, custom branding, custom user permissions, deep data integrations, contact and lead scoring, CRM with sales automation, plus unlimited email sending.

I guess this is pretty much what small to medium-sized businesses would need to automate their digital messaging campaigns.

But, that notwithstanding, ActiveCampaign still gives you the power to take it up a notch.

The third option is the Professional plan, which starts at $129 a month if you choose to proceed with the annual-billing schedule. Otherwise, prepare to pay at least $159 per month if you settle for monthly billing.

This is the level where ActiveCampaign gives you all the features on the Plus plan, as well as up to 50 team members, split automation, win probability, predictive sending, attribution, site messaging, and unlimited sending.

It doesn’t end there though. Turns out you can still upscale further by purchasing the Enterprise package, which happens to be the most superior ActiveCampaign pricing plan.

This is where you find all the features on the Professional package accompanied by an unlimited number of user accounts, uptime SLA, phone support, free social data, free design services, in-depth onboarding, a dedicated account rep, a custom domain, a custom mail server domain, custom reporting, plus a custom sending limit.

The corresponding pricing rate, however, is a bit on the higher side. The least you could pay for the Enterprise package is- get this- $229 a month, which is a discounted rate for annually-billed subscriptions. The alternative rate for monthly renewals, on the other hand, is $279 a month.

Now, when you take a step back and review the entire package schedule, ActiveCampaign seems to have something for every user level.

Beginners and budget-minded teams can start their journey with the cheapest option, while intermediate-level marketers have the mid-level plans to choose from.

Then the Enterprise plan, on the other hand, seems to target advanced marketing agencies, as well as large businesses and enterprises.

But, get this. You don’t have to pay right from the moment you sign up, as it turns out ActiveCampaign is generous enough to offer a free test run for 14 days. That translates to two full weeks of trying out various marketing tools without paying anything.

Don’t be too excited though, as you won’t have the luxury of testing out everything. The free trial only supports the standard features, while the most advanced functionalities are exclusively reserved for users on the highest pricing tiers.

And with that, let’s now explore every single ActiveCampaign pricing plan in detail.

The Features on Each ActiveCampaign Pricing Plan

ActiveCampaign Lite Plan

The Lite plan is the cheapest option on the ActiveCampaign platform since it offers the fewest features.

Its base pricing, as stated on ActiveCampaign’s pricing page, is $9 per month if you choose the annual billing schedule, or $15 a month for typical monthly renewals.

That’s quite a significant discount when you come to think of it. But, make no mistake about it- that’s not all there is to the Lite plan’s pricing.

It just so happens that the base pricing here only covers users with 0-500 contacts. Anything beyond that translates to a higher pricing rate, which is further revised when you surpass 1,000 contacts. 2,500 is the subsequent contact volume limit, followed by 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, and so forth.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of all the rates you stand to pay for the various contact limits within ActiveCampaign’s Lite pricing plan:

• 0 – 500 Contacts: $9 per month with annual billing, or $15 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 1,000 Contacts: $17 per month with annual billing, or $29 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 2,500 Contacts: $39 per month with annual billing, or $49 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 5,000 Contacts: $69 per month with annual billing, or $89 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 10,000 Contacts: $111 per month with annual billing, or $139 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 25,000 Contacts: $179 per month with annual billing, or $225 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 50,000 Contacts: $239 per month with annual billing, or $299 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 75,000 Contacts: $299 per month with annual billing, or $379 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 100,000 Contacts: $369 per month with annual billing, or $459 per month with monthly billing.

Hence, it seems that although the Lite plan offers unlimited sending, building a large contact base comes with repercussions.

Ultimately, users with the highest number of contacts end up paying the highest rates for the package, despite its standard functionalities and lack of advanced marketing automation software features.

And speaking of which, the features you’ll get here include:

• Support and Training – Lite implementation service, managed email delivery (better deliverability rates), data migration service, plus live chat and email based support.
• Integrations – API, web hooks, social media tools and integrations, site and event tracking, basic subscription forms, plus auto import from third-party services.
• Campaign Functionalities – Paid social data, paid inbox preview (email testing), unlimited sending, up to 3 users per account, geo tracking, in-depth reporting, auto responders, import of existing contacts, free email templates, a drag and drop email designer, marketing automation builder, email marketing, and newsletters.

In a nutshell, therefore, the Lite plan offers sufficient features for automated email marketing. It’s particularly ideal for small teams with up to 1,000 contacts. Beyond that, the plan’s value starts to dip unfavorably.

Hosting more than 2,500 contacts, for instance, places you within the same price range as other email marketing solutions with unlimited contact lists. So, you might be better off with a more favorably priced service.

Besides, the Lite pricing plan leaves out sales automation tools, as well as lead scoring capabilities, SMS marketing, conditional content, and customer relationship management.

As such, it’s always a good idea to upscale to the subsequent Plus package if you’re planning to roll out omnichannel marketing campaigns.

ActiveCampaign Plus Plan

The ActiveCampaign Plus plan is all about omnichannel marketing and sales automation builder.

More specifically, it combines email marketing features with SMS marketing, lead nurturing capabilities, as well as customer relationship management, custom branding, and lead scoring.

Then to help you roll out and manage a large-scale campaign, this plan accommodates as many as 25 team members. That makes it the perfect marketing automation platform for small businesses, as well as typical marketing agencies and sales teams.

They get the benefit of leveraging:

• Customer Support and Training – Consultations on automation strategies, in-depth onboarding consultations, managed email delivery, Lite implementation service, data migration service, live chat and email based customer support, plus 1 one-on-one training session per month.
• ActiveCampaignIntegration Options – Rebranding, SMS subscriptions, database syncing, API, web hooks, social media tools and integrations, site and event tracking, basic subscription forms, auto import from third-party service, plus Facebook custom audience integration.
• Campaign Functionalities – SMS sending, paid social data, 5 free inbox preview (email testing) per month, subscribe by SMS, unlimited sending, custom user permissions, up to 25 users per account, conditional content, geo tracking, in-depth reporting, auto responders, import of existing contacts, free email templates, a drag and drop email designer, marketing automation builder, email marketing, newsletters, contact and lead scoring, sales automation, built-in CRM, plus automations map.

In turn, you’re expected to pay at least $49 for the package if you choose to proceed with the annual billing option. A monthly billing schedule, on the other hand, comes with a starting price of $70 per month.

But, just like we’ve seen with the Lite plan, the rate you end up paying here depends on the number of contacts you have.

It’s worth noting, however, that you won’t be starting with a limit of 500 contacts this time round. Rather, ActiveCampaign’s Plus pricing plan accommodates as many as 1,000 contacts by default. The pricing rate then starts increasing from there- with $99 per month being the lowest for 2,500 contacts, while 5,000 contacts will push you to $135 a month and so forth.

All in all, the various pricing points on this ActiveCampaign pricing plan are:

• Up to 1,000 Contacts: $49 per month with annual billing, or $70 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 2,500 Contacts: $99 per month with annual billing, or $125 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 5,000 Contacts: $135 per month with annual billing, or $169 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 10,000 Contacts: $199 per month with annual billing, or $249 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 25,000 Contacts: $319 per month with annual billing, or $299 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 50,000 Contacts and Beyond: Contact the sales team at ActiveCampaign for a special rate.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’d say that this is a well-balanced plan. Although it’s costlier than the Lite plan, it seems to favorably cater to both marketing and sales teams.

So, in a way, it even competes with the most advanced packages offered by other email marketing and CRM solutions.

The only problem is, a contact base of more than 25,000 stretches the plan beyond the reasonable pricing zone. That is where the rates start getting less competitive.

ActiveCampaign Professional Plan

While the Plus package focuses on marketing and sales automation, ActiveCampaign’s Professional pricing plan takes it up a notch with predictive insights to boost customer engagement.

Basically, this is where the machine learning engine goes into high gear by tracking your contacts, analyzing the resultant data, and ultimately using the findings to work out your win probability, run predictive content, plus set up predictive sending.

But, that’s not all. The ActiveCampaign Professional pricing plan is also perfect for targeting your contacts with site messaging. And while you’re at it, you might also want to leverage split automations, as well as customer attribution.

If all that sounds a bit too advanced for you, it turns out the package has got your back too. You’ll get specialized assistance in the form of 3 one-on-one training sessions per month, plus in-depth onboarding consultation.

And if you’re having trouble with your automations, you’ll be pleased that the package further includes a separate consultation for sharpening your automation strategy.

That said, here’s the full set of features available on ActiveCampaign’s Professional plan:

• Customer Support and Training – Pro implementation service, consultations on automation strategies, in-depth onboarding consultations, Lite implementation service, data migration service, managed email delivery, live chat and email based support, plus 3 one-on-one training sessions per month.
• Integrations – Rebranding, SMS subscriptions, database syncing, API, web hooks, social media tools and integrations, site and event tracking, basic subscription forms, auto import from third-party service, plus Facebook custom audience integration.
• Campaign Functionalities – Predictive sending, Site messaging, split automations, SMS sending, paid social data, 5 free inbox preview (email testing) per month, subscribe by SMS, unlimited sending, custom user permissions, up to 50 users per account, conditional content, geo tracking, in-depth reporting, auto responders, import of existing contacts, free email templates, a drag and drop email designer, marketing automation, email marketing, newsletters, contact and lead scoring, sales automation, built-in CRM, automations map, and customer attribution.

Interestingly, there’s not much difference between these features and what you get from the Plus package. In fact you could say the Professional plan is essentially another version of ActiveCampaign’s Plus package, but with a bit of extra seasoning in the form of predictive insights.

That notwithstanding though, the biggest notable difference between the two packages is the number of supported user accounts. While Plus users are limited to a team of 25 marketers and salespeople, the Professional plan allows you to bring in as many as 50.

Quite a reasonable extension, I must admit. However, things are not that rosy when it comes to corresponding price adjustments.

The difference between the starting rates for the two packages is $80. That means the ActiveCampaign Professional plan starts at $129 per month, which is quite a significant bump from the $49 rate on the Plus package.

And with that being the discounted price for annually-billed subscriptions, users who choose to proceed with monthly renewal cycles end up paying a whopping $159 per month.

That should cover as many as 2,500 contacts, which is more than double the default contact volume on the Plus package.

Here’s a breakdown of all the pricing rates available at this level:

• Up to 2,500 Contacts: $129 per month with annual billing, or $159 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 5,000 Contacts: $199 per month with annual billing, or $239 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 10,000 Contacts: $279 per month with annual billing, or $349 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 25,000 Contacts: $479 per month with annual billing, or $599 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 50,000 Contacts and Beyond: Contact the sales team at ActiveCampaign for a custom price.

Certainly not the most reasonably priced option when you compare the overall features with the provisions on other plans.

So, let’s face it- the ActiveCampaign Professional plan is not as well-balanced as the corresponding Plus and Lite packages.

Consequently, only enterprises with large departments and growing marketing agencies would find it worthwhile, considering the package gives them the freedom to add as many as 50 users.

ActiveCampaign Enterprise Plan

While the Plus, Professional, and Lite packages come with a host of high-performing tools, it’s the Enterprise plan that ultimately unleashes the full power of ActiveCampaign.

It supplements all the features we’ve explored with, among other things, uptime SLA, automatic discovery of your contacts’ social media profiles, custom mail server domain, plus custom reporting.

And in case you’re managing an extensively huge campaign team, then get this- the Enterprise pricing plan allows you to add an unlimited number of users. That means you can introduce as many collaborators as you want.

So, in short, the ActiveCampaign Enterprise pricing plan was developed specifically for high volume users, such as large businesses with multiple sales and marketing departments. They get to use the tools here to streamline their omnichannel lead generation and lead nurturing campaigns.

Then to help you seamlessly deploy the ActiveCampaign system within such a large organization, the Enterprise package further provides specialized support.

In essence, it goes beyond the standard support options to give you personalized services like unlimited one-on-one training sessions, as well as a dedicated account representative, reputation monitoring, and a customized marketing strategy.

What’s more, even the standard tickets raised via email, live chat, and phone support channels are expedited for quick assistance and resolution. This subsequently keeps organizations operating at optimum level at all times.

And with that said, here’s a breakdown of the core features you should expect on the Enterprise pricing plan:

• Support and Training – Custom implementation service, uptime SLA, personalized deliverability and reputation monitoring, Pro implementation service, consultations on automation strategies, in-depth onboarding consultations, Lite implementation service, data migration service, managed email delivery (better deliverability rates), live chat and email based support, one-on-one training sessions, expedited phone, live chat, and email support, a dedicated account rep, customized marketing strategies (with quarterly updates), plus phone support.
• Integrations – Custom SMS number, Custom mail server domain,rebranding, SMS subscriptions, database syncing, API, web hooks, social media tools and integrations, site and event tracking, basic subscription forms, auto import from third-party service, Facebook custom audience integration, and custom application URL.
• Campaign Functionalities – HIPAA compliance, Predictive sending, Site messaging, split automations, SMS sending, unlimited social data, subscribe by SMS, unlimited sending, custom user permissions, unlimited users per account, conditional content, geo tracking, in-depth reporting, auto responders, import of existing contacts, free email templates, a drag and drop email designer, marketing automation, email marketing, newsletters, contact and lead scoring, sales automation, built-in CRM, automations map, customer attribution, and unlimited inbox preview (email testing).

On the flip side, however, these provisions don’t come easy. You can expect to find a pretty hefty price tag on the Enterprise package.

Basically, the lowest amount you can spend here is $229 per month. And that’s only if you settle for the annual prepay schedule. Otherwise, the monthly billing option will force you to dig a bit deeper into your pockets, as it starts at $279 per month.

That should, in turn, grant you campaigns involving up to 2,500 contacts. But, if you happen to exceed the default volume, you’ll pay at least $359 per month to extend the limit to 5,000 contacts.

Here are all the cost details available on this ActiveCampaign pricing plan:

• Up to 2,500 Contacts: $229 per month with annual billing, or $279 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 5,000 Contacts: $359 per month with annual billing, or $449 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 10,000 Contacts: $399 per month with annual billing, or $499 per month with monthly billing.
• Up to 25,000 Contacts and Beyond: Get in touch with the sales team at ActiveCampaign for a custom rate

Frequently Asked Questions

Overall Verdict – Which Is The Best ActiveCampaign Pricing Plan?

Now, when you consider all the cost parameters and features we’ve explored, which of these packages would you say is the best ActiveCampaign pricing plan?

Lite? The subsequent Plus plan? Or would you rather settle for Professional? And if not, perhaps the Enterprise option seems like a better pick?

Well, if you’re thinking about Lite, the good thing is that you’re heading towards the right direction. That’s a reasonably great pricing plan. But, the sad bit is, you’re not there yet.

You see, while the Lite package is the cheapest and happens to provide a decent array of features, it’s not exactly what you’d want for a serious business. It’s only suitable for beginners who’d like to learn how email automation works.

ActiveCampaign’s Plus, Professional, and Enterprise plans, on the other hand, have what it takes to create, run, and manage well-automated omnichannel marketing and sales campaigns.

Plus, the Professional package is exceptionally ideal for sales teams because of all the intelligent lead predictions it provides. The Enterprise plan then manages to supplement all these goodies with well-personalized support, and custom branding. It’s the one plan that packs all the advanced functionalities.

Sadly, however, ActiveCampaign’s Enterprise plan is a reserve for the exclusive league of high budget users who can afford to splash hundreds of dollars every month.

And that leaves us with just two options- the Plus plan, and the Professional plan.

Well, as it turns out, they offer pretty much the same range of features, with ActiveCampaign’s Professional package throwing in a few extras here and there.

But, despite its feature superiority, it loses out to the Plus plan when you compare their respective cost-feature balance.

So, in the end, it’s the Plus package that manages to offer the best of both worlds- a perfect balance of omnichannel automation features at affordable pricing for both marketing and sales teams. Hence, we can officially crown it the best overall ActiveCampaign pricing plan.

Do you agree?

Further Reading:

• How to Find the Best Email Marketing Software for Your Business

 

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