Zoho CRM offers superior affordability and deeper customization for enterprises, while ActiveCampaign excels in marketing automation and ease of use for small-to-medium businesses. Zoho starts at $18/month with unlimited users at higher tiers, whereas ActiveCampaign begins at $9/month but charges per contact.
Zoho CRM vs ActiveCampaign — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based CRM with unlimited customization and enterprise scalability from India's Zoho Corporation.
Marketing automation CRM with behavioral AI and advanced email workflows for SMBs.
Starting Price. User Seats Included. Marketing Automation Strength. Customization & APIs. Implementation Time. Email Deliverability Rate. Free Trial Length
Choose Zoho CRM if you need enterprise-scale customization, unlimited users at mid-tier pricing ($55/month), and deep integrations across a 50+ app ecosystem. Choose ActiveCampaign if you prioritize marketing automation sophistication, rapid deployment, and prefer a more intuitive interface—especially if you're a growing SMB with <100 contacts where per-contact pricing remains reasonable.
Zoho CRM: Yes (full offline mode) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Intermediate (Zia automation & scoring) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: $18/month | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Unlimited on all paid plans | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Yes (advanced forecasting with AI) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 40 req/min | ActiveCampaign: 600 calls/min
Zoho CRM: Yes (iOS & Android) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 4.5 stars | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 95% (estimated) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Unlimited | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001 | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Paid plans only ($25/mo add-on) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Zia AI, all paid plans | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 9/10 (modules, blueprints, code) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 4-6 weeks | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Annual Cost (10-User Team, Standard Plan)
Zoho CRM: Predictive scoring only | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Native with 40+ workflow triggers | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 4.2★ (8,200+ reviews) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Included in Standard ($20/user) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Yes (3 users, unlimited contacts) | ActiveCampaign: No (14-day trial only)
Zoho CRM: 2500 calls | ActiveCampaign: 10-300 calls (tier-dependent)
Zoho CRM: Unlimited | ActiveCampaign: 100+ (plan-dependent)
Zoho CRM: Basic email templates and sequences | ActiveCampaign: Advanced with A/B testing, dynamic content, behavior triggers
Zoho CRM: Predictive lead scoring, deal forecasting, anomaly detection | ActiveCampaign: Predictive send time, contact scoring, revenue attribution
Zoho CRM: $35/user/month | ActiveCampaign: $49/month
Monthly Cost (Single User, Standard Tier)
Zoho CRM: 35-49 days | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 12+ integrated modules | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 1000+ (native + marketplace) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 10 requests/minute | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Limited (read-only offline) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Yes (up to 3 users, 5 GB) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 4-6 weeks | ActiveCampaign: 2-4 weeks
Zoho CRM: 55+ native apps | ActiveCampaign: 1000+
Zoho CRM: Full offline access | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 4.4/5 (2,100 reviews) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Unlimited (at $20/user) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 7-14 days | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: ~0.4 million | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Basic (predictive lead scoring, sales forecasting) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Month-to-month available | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 50+ native integrated apps | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: $18 (free tier: $0) | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Unlimited documents per user | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 8 - Leads, contacts, deals, activities, forecasting, automation, email, reports | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Average Time to Productivity for New Users
Zoho CRM: 10-20 days | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Single document per signing request | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: Zia AI with basic lead assignment and email automation | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 15-25 hours average | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: 500,000+ SMBs and growing | ActiveCampaign: N/A
Zoho CRM: $18/month | ActiveCampaign: $9/month
Zoho CRM: $55 (unlimited users) | ActiveCampaign: $549 (10 seats @ $35 + contact tier)
Zoho CRM: 2-4 weeks | ActiveCampaign: 1-2 weeks
Marketing Automation Workflows (Pre-built)
Zoho CRM: 150+ (via Campaigns) | ActiveCampaign: 1000+
Zoho CRM: Unlimited | ActiveCampaign: 500
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Plus plan ($99+/month) and above
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: AI-generated email drafts included
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced (Enterprise-grade automation)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: A/B testing and spam testing
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Limited platform support
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Native CRM with advanced features
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Experienced marketers preferred
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $15/month
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $49/month (Plus)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $145/month
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2 (Marketing & CRM)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $49/month
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Nearly identical ratings
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 1,000 contacts
Average eCommerce Email Revenue Per Send
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Not published
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $9 (500 contacts)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $385–$495
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Full B2B/B2C CRM with lead scoring
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Available (add-on/integration)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Supported via marketplace
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 4,200% ROI (industry average)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Email, SMS, web, social, chat (native)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Unlimited
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: No (forms only)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Full-featured with scoring
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced (conditional logic, multi-branch)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2-4 weeks (with training)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $149 (Pro plan, unlimited)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Predictive sending, lead scoring
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Unlimited advanced workflows
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Moderate - requires learning
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Commitment)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Behavioral, manual, predictive (limited AI)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (native)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2-5 days
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2-4 hour sync
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 4-8 weeks
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Basic (via third-party apps)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 8-12% (varies by setup)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (behavioral, predictive, dynamic)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: None (paid only)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 4+ (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, native)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 2 (last-click, first-click)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced predictive with AI priority ranking
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Unlimited (500 contacts max)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced (deals, pipelines, forecasting)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (all paid plans)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Yes (all plans)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $9 (Lite tier)
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: No free tier
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 500+ templates
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Full CRM with sales pipelines and deal tracking
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 500+ pre-built workflows
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: $229/month
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Limited functionality
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: 500 contacts
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Add-on only
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Advanced AI-powered with predictive scoring
Zoho CRM: N/A | ActiveCampaign: Enterprise-grade sales CRM
How to choose between Zoho CRM and ActiveCampaign
Zoho CRM vs ActiveCampaign — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Zoho CRM vs ActiveCampaign. Contains 168 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Zoho CRM vs ActiveCampaign — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Zoho CRM vs ActiveCampaign.
Which CRM is better for a 15-person startup with 5,000 contacts?
ActiveCampaign is ideal: $49/month (5,000-contact tier) with superior marketing automation. Zoho costs $55/month but requires more setup time. For startups prioritizing speed-to-launch, ActiveCampaign's intuitive interface wins; for those needing heavy customization, Zoho scales better long-term.
Zoho CRM decisively wins: $55/month for unlimited users at the Professional tier. ActiveCampaign requires 100 x $35/month seats = $3,500/month, making it prohibitive for large teams. This is Zoho's strongest pricing advantage.
Which has better email marketing capabilities?
ActiveCampaign leads with 1000+ pre-built workflows, behavioral triggers, predictive send optimization, and 97.2% deliverability. Zoho requires integrating separate Zoho Campaigns module, making it less seamless. For email-first businesses, ActiveCampaign is the clear winner.
How long does it take to get up and running?
ActiveCampaign: 1-2 weeks. New users typically achieve first campaign in 48 hours due to the visual interface. Zoho CRM: 2-4 weeks minimum. Zoho's deeper customization options require more configuration upfront, making it slower for basic deployments but more powerful for complex use cases.
Which integrates better with my existing tools?
Zoho CRM has 1200+ native APIs and integrates deeply with its own ecosystem (Desk, Campaigns, Books). ActiveCampaign offers 200+ integrations with strong support for e-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce) and marketing tools (Mailchimp competitors). Check your specific tool stack on each platform's marketplace.
How to Choose Between Zoho CRM and ActiveCampaign
Starting Price: Zoho CRM has $18/month (Free tier available), while ActiveCampaign has $9/month.
User Seats Included: Zoho CRM has Unlimited at $55+/month tier, while ActiveCampaign has Pay-per-user model ($35-$129/user).
Marketing Automation Strength: Zoho CRM has Moderate (Zoho Campaigns integration), while ActiveCampaign has Advanced (native workflows, behavioral triggers).
Customization & APIs: Zoho CRM has Highly customizable with 1200+ APIs, while ActiveCampaign has Good customization with 200+ integrations.
Implementation Time: Zoho CRM has 2-4 weeks (complex, steeper learning curve), while ActiveCampaign has 1-2 weeks (intuitive interface).
Email Deliverability Rate: Zoho CRM has 95.8% average, while ActiveCampaign has 97.2% average.
Free Trial Length: Zoho CRM has 15 days, while ActiveCampaign has 14 days.