Mailerlite is a simpler, more affordable email marketing platform ideal for small businesses and creators, while ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive CRM and marketing automation suite designed for larger teams requiring advanced workflows and multi-channel capabilities.
Mailerlite vs ActiveCampaign — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
User-friendly email marketing and SMS platform designed for small businesses and creators.
Enterprise-grade CRM and marketing automation platform for sales and marketing teams.
Starting Price. Automation Workflows. CRM Features. API Rate Limits. Max Contacts (Free/Entry). Learning Curve. Multi-Channel Support
Choose Mailerlite if you're a small business, solopreneur, or creator prioritizing simplicity, affordability, and fast setup—its free tier supports up to 1,000 contacts with full automation access. Choose ActiveCampaign if you need advanced CRM capabilities, complex multi-step automations, team collaboration features, or multi-channel marketing—it's built for scaling teams and sophisticated customer journeys.
Mailerlite: Unlimited | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: Standard automation builder with conditional logic | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: Basic contact management | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: Beginner-friendly, intuitive interface | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: $0 (free) | ActiveCampaign: $15/month
Mailerlite: Near-instantaneous (seconds to minutes) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: 600+ | ActiveCampaign: 1000+
Mailerlite: 24-48 (email/chat only) | ActiveCampaign: 24 hours (email)
Mailerlite: 80+ templates | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: Included in Pro plan | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: Email, chat, phone | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: 120 | ActiveCampaign: 600 calls/min
Mailerlite: Yes, native feature | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: $0 (Free tier) | ActiveCampaign: $9 (Lite tier)
Mailerlite: Subject line, send time | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: Included in all plans | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: $0 (Limited to 1,000 subscribers) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: $29/month | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: Basic template suggestions only | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: 25 behavioral triggers | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: 4.8/5 (based on 2,100+ reviews) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: $40/month | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: 97.8% | ActiveCampaign: 97.2%
Mailerlite: 100+ native integrations | ActiveCampaign: 1000+
Mailerlite: Unlimited workflows | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: Included in plan | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: 200+ templates | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: 1-2 weeks | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: 6 (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, Magento, Zapier) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: Yes (paid plans only) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Mailerlite: 1,000 subscribers | ActiveCampaign: No free tier
Mailerlite: 200+ templates | ActiveCampaign: 500+ templates
Mailerlite: Contact management only | ActiveCampaign: Full CRM with sales pipelines and deal tracking
Mailerlite: Basic workflows (limited) | ActiveCampaign: 500+ pre-built workflows
Mailerlite: $85/month | ActiveCampaign: $229/month
Mailerlite: 4.7/5 | ActiveCampaign: 3.9/5
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Plus plan ($99+/month) and above
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: AI-generated email drafts included
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced (Enterprise-grade automation)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: A/B testing and spam testing
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Limited platform support
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Native CRM with advanced features
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Experienced marketers preferred
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $15/month
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $49/month (Plus)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $145/month
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2 (Marketing & CRM)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $49/month
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Nearly identical ratings
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 1,000 contacts
Average eCommerce Email Revenue Per Send
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Not published
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $9 (500 contacts)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $385–$495
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Full B2B/B2C CRM with lead scoring
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Available (add-on/integration)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Supported via marketplace
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 4,200% ROI (industry average)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Email, SMS, web, social, chat (native)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Unlimited
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: No (forms only)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Full-featured with scoring
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced (conditional logic, multi-branch)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2-4 weeks (with training)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $149 (Pro plan, unlimited)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Predictive sending, lead scoring
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Unlimited advanced workflows
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Moderate - requires learning
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Commitment)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Behavioral, manual, predictive (limited AI)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (native)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2-5 days
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2-4 hour sync
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 10,000+
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 4-8 weeks
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Basic (via third-party apps)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 8-12% (varies by setup)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (behavioral, predictive, dynamic)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: None (paid only)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 4+ (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, native)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 1 week
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2 (last-click, first-click)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $25-50
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced predictive with AI priority ranking
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: No (14-day trial only)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 10-300 calls (tier-dependent)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 100+ (plan-dependent)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced with A/B testing, dynamic content, behavior triggers
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Predictive send time, contact scoring, revenue attribution
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Unlimited (500 contacts max)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced (deals, pipelines, forecasting)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (all paid plans)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (all plans)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 10,000
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2-4 weeks
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 200+ professional templates
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 100,000
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Limited functionality
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: No free plan
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Add-on only
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced AI-powered with predictive scoring
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Enterprise-grade sales CRM
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 14 days
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $549 (10 seats @ $35 + contact tier)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 1-2 weeks
Marketing Automation Workflows (Pre-built)
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Unlimited with advanced conditional logic
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Full CRM with lead scoring, pipeline, forecasting
Mailerlite: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes - iOS and Android
How to choose between Mailerlite and ActiveCampaign
Mailerlite vs ActiveCampaign — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Mailerlite vs ActiveCampaign. Contains 143 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Mailerlite vs ActiveCampaign — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Mailerlite vs ActiveCampaign.
Which platform is best for email marketing beginners?
Mailerlite is the clear choice for beginners. It has a free tier supporting 1,000 subscribers, an intuitive interface that requires only 2-3 hours to master, and excellent onboarding documentation. ActiveCampaign's complexity and steeper learning curve (15-20 hours) make it better suited for experienced marketers.
Mailerlite offers basic contact management and segmentation but lacks a true CRM. It cannot track sales deals, manage pipelines, or score leads like ActiveCampaign does. If you need deal tracking or sales pipeline management, ActiveCampaign is the better choice.
Yes—many businesses use Mailerlite for email marketing and integrate it with external CRM tools (like HubSpot or Pipedrive) via Zapier or native integrations. ActiveCampaign, however, combines both functions natively, reducing integration complexity and costs.
Mailerlite includes live chat support on all plans, including the free tier, and users report average response times of 1-2 hours. ActiveCampaign offers email and chat support but response times vary by plan (24-48 hours for entry-level). Mailerlite has a slight support advantage.
At 10,000 subscribers: Mailerlite costs $50/month vs. ActiveCampaign at approximately $99/month. At 50,000 subscribers: Mailerlite is $100/month vs. ActiveCampaign at $249+/month. Mailerlite remains 50-60% cheaper at all scale levels, though ActiveCampaign justifies premium pricing with CRM and advanced automation.
How to Choose Between Mailerlite and ActiveCampaign
Starting Price: Mailerlite has $0/month (free tier), while ActiveCampaign has $9/month (Lite plan).
Automation Workflows: Mailerlite has Basic workflows, up to 2 automation triggers, while ActiveCampaign has Advanced visual automation builder with 200+ pre-built workflows.
CRM Features: Mailerlite has Basic contact management only, while ActiveCampaign has Full CRM with contact scoring, pipelines, and deal tracking.
API Rate Limits: Mailerlite has 10,000 requests per minute, while ActiveCampaign has 100,000 requests per minute.
Max Contacts (Free/Entry): Mailerlite has 1,000 contacts on free plan, while ActiveCampaign has 500 contacts on Lite plan.
Learning Curve: Mailerlite has Intuitive drag-and-drop interface, 2-3 hours to master, while ActiveCampaign has Complex interface, 15-20 hours to fully master.
Multi-Channel Support: Mailerlite has Email and SMS only, while ActiveCampaign has Email, SMS, push notifications, landing pages, and chat.