ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive CRM and marketing automation platform best for businesses needing advanced sales tools and complex workflows, while ConvertKit is a creator-focused email marketing platform optimized for simplicity and audience monetization.
ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose ActiveCampaign if you're a B2B business needing advanced automation, sales pipeline management, complex conditional logic, and multi-user team access—it scales from small to enterprise. Choose ConvertKit if you're a content creator prioritizing simplicity, audience engagement, paid subscriber management, and direct monetization without technical overhead.
Enterprise-grade CRM and marketing automation platform with integrated sales and service tools.
Creator-focused email marketing platform with built-in monetization and audience tools.
ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit — Comparison Data
Structured comparison data for ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit with 168 attributes.
Average eCommerce Email Revenue Per Send
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Commitment)
Marketing Automation Workflows (Pre-built)
Mid-Tier Price (5K contacts/subscribers)
Enterprise Price (100K+ contacts/subscribers)
ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit.
Which platform is better for ecommerce businesses?
ActiveCampaign is better for ecommerce—it integrates natively with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce with cart recovery automation, order-triggered workflows, and customer segmentation by purchase behavior. ConvertKit is email-only and lacks ecommerce tools. However, if you're a digital product creator using ConvertKit, you can deliver products directly to subscribers.
Can I use ConvertKit as a full marketing platform replacement?
No. ConvertKit is an email platform optimized for creators, not a full marketing suite. It lacks: CRM features, landing page builder (compared to ActiveCampaign's forms), SMS support, chat integration, and complex workflow automation. ActiveCampaign is a complete marketing automation platform with those features built-in.
What's the cost difference for 5,000 subscribers?
At 5,000 subscribers, ActiveCampaign costs approximately $49-79/month depending on features chosen, while ConvertKit costs approximately $150-200/month on their growth plan. However, ConvertKit's free tier allows unlimited subscribers with email delivery fees only, making it cheaper if you don't need advanced features.
Which has better automation for sales teams?
ActiveCampaign is significantly better for sales teams. It includes sales pipeline management, deal tracking, lead scoring, sales rep assignment, and conditional workflows based on prospect behavior. ConvertKit has no sales tools—it's purely email marketing for audience engagement.
Can I monetize my audience with either platform?
ConvertKit is specifically designed for creator monetization—it has native paid subscriber tiers, digital product delivery, and sponsorship matching. ActiveCampaign can support monetization through integrations but requires manual setup. For creators, ConvertKit is purpose-built; for businesses, ActiveCampaign supports affiliate and B2B revenue models better.