ActiveCampaign is a specialized marketing automation and CRM platform with advanced workflow automation and AI-powered sales features, while Brevo is a more affordable, all-in-one solution combining email marketing, SMS, and basic CRM that's better for budget-conscious small businesses.
Brevo vs ActiveCampaign — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
All-in-one marketing automation platform combining email, SMS, CRM, and chat in one integrated solution.
Marketing automation CRM with behavioral AI and advanced email workflows for SMBs.
Starting Price. Contact Limit (Free Plan). Marketing Automation Workflows. Built-in SMS Marketing. CRM Functionality. Email Templates. API Rate Limit (calls/minute)
Choose ActiveCampaign if you need enterprise-grade marketing automation, advanced CRM capabilities, and AI-driven sales features for growing mid-market companies. Choose Brevo if you prioritize affordability, need integrated SMS marketing out-of-the-box, and want a simpler solution for small businesses or startups with basic automation needs.
Brevo: Advanced automation with dynamic content triggers | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Full CRM with advanced segmentation and scoring | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Feature-rich, steeper learning curve | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Emails sent per month | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Generous, unlimited across plans | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Free for all users | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Standard segmentation engine | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 4 (Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Social) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Multiple AI platform enhancements (2026) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Expanding CRM data capabilities | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Easier setup for essentials | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: $0.60 per 1,000 emails + $5/year base | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Unlimited (pay-per-email) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Limited contacts with basic features | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Dated appearance | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Advanced workflows from Standard plan | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Available ($18+/month) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Includes native CRM and SMS | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Enterprise and small business | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 300 (14 days only) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Yes (included) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 12 standard events | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 100+ pre-built templates | ActiveCampaign: Advanced (conditional logic, multi-branch)
Brevo: 200+ templates | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Enterprise plan only ($300+/month) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Yes (all plans) | ActiveCampaign: Add-on only
Brevo: Full CRM with deals, pipeline, and forecasting | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Annual Cost Savings vs Constant Contact (10K contacts)
Brevo: $3,024 savings per year | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 90+ templates | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 24 hours average | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 50 on paid, limited | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Ecommerce-Specific Abandoned Cart Feature
Brevo: Basic product recovery emails | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Unlimited contacts (Free plan available) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 300 contacts | ActiveCampaign: 500 contacts
Brevo: Yes, all plans | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Basic deal tracking only | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: Rule-based only | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 300 emails/day | ActiveCampaign: Unlimited (500 contacts max)
Brevo: Basic (contact management, no deal tracking) | ActiveCampaign: Advanced (deals, pipelines, forecasting)
Brevo: Yes (Email+ and above) | ActiveCampaign: Yes (all paid plans)
Brevo: Yes (Email+ plan) | ActiveCampaign: Yes (all plans)
Brevo: $20/month | ActiveCampaign: $9/month
Brevo: 200+ templates | ActiveCampaign: 500+ templates
Brevo: 300 calls/min | ActiveCampaign: 600 calls/min
Brevo: Basic workflows | ActiveCampaign: Advanced AI-powered with predictive scoring
Brevo: Basic contact database | ActiveCampaign: Enterprise-grade sales CRM
Brevo: 300 contacts | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Brevo: 150+ integrations | ActiveCampaign: 1000+
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Plus plan ($99+/month) and above
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: AI-generated email drafts included
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced (Enterprise-grade automation)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: A/B testing and spam testing
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Limited platform support
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Native CRM with advanced features
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Experienced marketers preferred
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $49/month (Plus)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2 (Marketing & CRM)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Nearly identical ratings
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 1,000 contacts
Average eCommerce Email Revenue Per Send
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Not published
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $9 (500 contacts)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Full B2B/B2C CRM with lead scoring
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Available (add-on/integration)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Supported via marketplace
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 4,200% ROI (industry average)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Email, SMS, web, social, chat (native)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: No (forms only)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Full-featured with scoring
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2-4 weeks (with training)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $149 (Pro plan, unlimited)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Predictive sending, lead scoring
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Unlimited advanced workflows
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Moderate - requires learning
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Commitment)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Behavioral, manual, predictive (limited AI)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (native)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2-4 hour sync
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Basic (via third-party apps)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 8-12% (varies by setup)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (behavioral, predictive, dynamic)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: None (paid only)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 4+ (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, native)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2 (last-click, first-click)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced predictive with AI priority ranking
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: No (14-day trial only)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 10-300 calls (tier-dependent)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 100+ (plan-dependent)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced with A/B testing, dynamic content, behavior triggers
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Predictive send time, contact scoring, revenue attribution
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $9 (Lite tier)
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: No free tier
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Full CRM with sales pipelines and deal tracking
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 500+ pre-built workflows
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Limited functionality
Brevo: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $549 (10 seats @ $35 + contact tier)
Marketing Automation Workflows (Pre-built)
How to choose between Brevo and ActiveCampaign
Brevo vs ActiveCampaign — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Brevo vs ActiveCampaign. Contains 145 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Brevo vs ActiveCampaign — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Brevo vs ActiveCampaign.
Which platform is better for SMS marketing?
Brevo includes SMS marketing natively in all plans with 160 monthly SMS credits on the free tier. ActiveCampaign requires SMS as a paid add-on. If SMS is critical to your strategy, Brevo offers better value since SMS is built-in at no extra cost, while ActiveCampaign charges $10-50/month additional depending on volume.
Can I use these platforms without technical knowledge?
Brevo has a significantly easier learning curve with same-day setup possible for basic campaigns. ActiveCampaign requires 2-3 weeks of onboarding and training due to its advanced features and complexity. For non-technical teams, Brevo's intuitive interface is far more accessible; ActiveCampaign benefits from dedicated support or hiring skilled users.
ActiveCampaign is built for B2B sales with enterprise CRM, account-based marketing, sales intelligence, and predictive lead scoring. Brevo lacks these advanced sales features. ActiveCampaign's deal tracking, pipeline visualization, and sales collaboration tools make it significantly better for complex B2B sales processes with multiple stakeholders.
What's the total cost difference at scale?
At 10,000 contacts, Brevo costs approximately $99/month while ActiveCampaign starts at $149/month but scales to $299+/month for enterprise features. For small businesses staying under 5,000 contacts, Brevo remains 40-50% cheaper. For mid-market companies needing advanced CRM, ActiveCampaign's total cost of ownership (including time saved via automation) becomes more competitive.
Which platform integrates better with third-party tools?
ActiveCampaign has a higher API rate limit (600 vs 300 calls/minute) and 1,000+ native integrations including Shopify, Stripe, and HubSpot. Brevo supports 500+ integrations but with lower API limits. ActiveCampaign is superior for complex tech stacks requiring frequent data syncing; Brevo handles standard integrations adequately for small businesses.
How to Choose Between Brevo and ActiveCampaign
Starting Price: Brevo has $20/month, while ActiveCampaign has $15/month.
Contact Limit (Free Plan): Brevo has 300 contacts, while ActiveCampaign has 500 contacts.
Consider: Marketing Automation Workflows
Marketing Automation Workflows: Brevo has Basic workflows, while ActiveCampaign has Advanced AI-powered workflows.
Built-in SMS Marketing: Brevo has Yes, included, while ActiveCampaign has Add-on feature.
CRM Functionality: Brevo has Basic contact management, while ActiveCampaign has Enterprise-grade sales CRM.
Email Templates: Brevo has 800+ templates, while ActiveCampaign has 500+ templates.
API Rate Limit (calls/minute): Brevo has 300 calls/min, while ActiveCampaign has 600 calls/min.