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ActiveCampaign vs Brevo 2026: CRM vs Email Platform

ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive CRM and marketing automation platform with advanced workflow capabilities and stronger B2B focus, while Brevo is a more affordable email marketing and SMS solution better suited for small businesses and startups seeking simplicity.

A

ActiveCampaign

Enterprise-grade CRM and marketing automation platform with integrated sales and service tools.

B2B companies, mid-market enterprises, and agencies needing advanced automation and CRM capabilities

Score63%
VS
B

Brevo

Affordable email marketing and SMS platform designed for small businesses and startups.

Small businesses, e-commerce stores, and solopreneurs wanting affordable email and SMS marketing without complex automation

Score56%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive CRM and marketing automation platform with advanced workflow capabilities and stronger B2B focus, while Brevo is a more affordable email marketing and SMS solution better suited for small businesses and startups seeking simplicity.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose ActiveCampaign if you need advanced CRM functionality, complex marketing automation, and are building a sophisticated sales and marketing operation for mid-market B2B companies. Choose Brevo if you're a small business or startup prioritizing affordability, simplicity, and want SMS marketing bundled with email without unnecessary complexity.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

A
ActiveCampaign
9.3/10
Brevo
5.7/10
B
A

Choose ActiveCampaign if

Best pick

B2B companies, mid-market enterprises, and agencies needing advanced automation and CRM capabilities

B

Choose Brevo if

Small businesses, e-commerce stores, and solopreneurs wanting affordable email and SMS marketing without complex automation

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Starting Price:ActiveCampaign wins($15/month vs $20/month)
  • Free Email Contacts:ActiveCampaign wins(Up to 1,000 vs Up to 500)
  • Automation Workflows:ActiveCampaign wins(Advanced with 10,000+ pre-built workflows vs Basic with 200+ pre-built workflows)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

94 numeric metrics compared

MetricActiveCampaignBrevoRatio
Starter Plan Monthly Price(USD)$15/month$20
Mid-Tier Plan Monthly Price(USD)$49/month (Plus)
Enterprise Plan Monthly Price(USD)$145/month
Unlimited Automation Available From(USD/month)$49/month
Minimum Contact Threshold (Starter)(contacts)1,000 contacts
Starting Price (Email Only)(USD/month)$9 (500 contacts)
Price at 100K Contacts(USD/month)$385–$495
eCommerce Email Automation ROI(%)4,200% ROI (industry average)
Base Monthly Price(USD)$9
Cost at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)$149 (Pro plan, unlimited)
Max Contacts at Entry Plan(contacts)1,000 contacts
Mid-Tier Plan Price(USD/month)$49/month (Plus)
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Commitment)(USD)$9
User Training Required (Days)(days)2-5 days
Salesforce CRM Sync Latency(hours)2-4 hour sync
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$9$20/month
Contacts at $99/Month(contacts)10,000+
Average Setup Time(days)4-8 weeks
Abandoned Cart Recovery Rate(percent)8-12% (varies by setup)
Lowest Paid Plan Price(USD/user/month)$15
Available Integrations(count)1000+
Native CRM Integrations(integrations)4+ (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, native)
Implementation Time to Productivity(weeks)1 week
Attribution Model Depth(models)2 (last-click, first-click)
Typical User Seat Cost(USD/user/month)$25-50
API Call Rate Limit (per 15 min)(calls)10-300 calls (tier-dependent)
Third-Party Integrations(integrations)1000+150+ integrations
Custom Fields Supported(fields)100+ (plan-dependent)
Mid-Tier Plan Cost (100 contacts)(USD)$49/month
Minimum Monthly Cost (Core Plan)(USD)$9$20
Free Tier Daily Email Limit(emails/day)Unlimited (500 contacts max)300 emails/day
Pre-built Automation Templates(templates)10,000+200+
API Rate Limit(requests per second)600 calls/min300 calls/min
Starting Price(USD/month)$9 (Lite tier)
Free Tier Subscriber Limit(subscribers)No free tier
Email Templates Available(templates)500+ templates200+ templates
Pre-built Automation Workflows(workflows)500+ pre-built workflows
Mid-tier Monthly Cost (50K subscribers)(USD/month)$229/month
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)3.9/5
Mid-Tier Monthly Price(USD)$299
Daily API Rate Limit(calls/day)10,000
Email Template Library(templates)200+ professional templates
Maximum Contacts (Mid-Tier Plan)(contacts)100,000
Max Contacts (Starter Plan)(contacts)500
Free Plan Contact Limit(contacts)No free plan300 contacts
Average Onboarding Time(days)14 days1 day
Starting Monthly Price(USD)$15/month$20/month
Cost for 10 Users + 10,000 Contacts(USD/month)$549 (10 seats @ $35 + contact tier)
Native APIs Available(count)200+
Email Deliverability Rate(percent)97%
Average Implementation Time(weeks)1-2 weeks
Marketing Automation Workflows (Pre-built)(count)1000+
Custom Field Limit(fields)500
Languages Supported(languages)20+
Native Integrations Available(integrations)1,000+300+
Customer Support Response Time(minutes)24 hours (email)24 hours average
Mid-Tier Plan Price (Professional/Plus)(USD)$49
Native Integrations(count)1,200+200+
Premium Support Response Time(hours)4 hours
Starting Price (USD/month)(USD)$9
Contacts/Subscribers at Entry Price(contacts)500
Price at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)$99
Onboarding Time to Proficiency(weeks)4-6 weeks
API Endpoints Available(endpoints)200+
Mid-Tier Price (5K contacts/subscribers)(USD)$99
Enterprise Price (100K+ contacts/subscribers)(USD)$229+
Native E-commerce Integrations(integrations)100+
Free Trial Length(days)14 days
Free Tier Contact Limit(contacts)1,000500
Implementation Difficulty (1-10 scale)(difficulty score)8/10 (steep)3/10 (easy)
Contact List Limit (Base Plan)(contacts)500
Available Automation Templates(templates)500+
Email Templates Included(templates)300+200+ templates
Third-Party App Integrations(integrations)1000+
Free Plan Subscriber Limit(contacts)300300
Starter Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$29$29
Contact Limit at Entry Paid Tier(contacts)500,000500,000
Email Support Cost(USD/month)Free for all usersFree for all users
Channels Supported(count)4 (Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Social)4 (Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Social)
Starting Price (Paid Plan)(USD/month)$0.60 per 1,000 emails + $5/year base$0.60 per 1,000 emails + $5/year base
G2 Award Count(awards)Enterprise and small businessEnterprise and small business
Emails Per Day (Free Tier)(emails/day)300 (14 days only)300 (14 days only)
Average Deliverability Rate(%)98.8%98.8%
API Response Time (p95)(milliseconds)<200ms<200ms
Uptime SLA(percent)99.9%99.9%
SMS Messages Included (Starter)(SMS/month)55
Webhook Event Types(event types)12 standard events12 standard events
Monthly Cost (10,000 contacts)(USD)$20$20
Annual Cost Savings vs Constant Contact (10K contacts)(USD)$3,024 savings per year$3,024 savings per year
Free Tier SMS Messages(messages/month)300 SMS300 SMS
Pre-built Email Templates(count)90+ templates90+ templates
Monthly Cost (50,000 contacts)(USD)$20$20
Free Plan Email Contact Limit(contacts)300 contacts300 contacts
Automation Workflow Step Limit(steps)15 steps15 steps

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

A
5ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign leads
B
2Brevo
  • Starting Price

    ActiveCampaign

    $15/month(winner)

    Brevo

    $20/month

  • Free Email Contacts

    ActiveCampaign

    Up to 1,000(winner)

    Brevo

    Up to 500

  • Automation Workflows

    ActiveCampaign

    Advanced with 10,000+ pre-built workflows(winner)

    Brevo

    Basic with 200+ pre-built workflows

  • SMS Marketing Included

    ActiveCampaign

    Paid add-on starting at $10/month

    Brevo

    Included in most paid plans(winner)

  • CRM Features

    ActiveCampaign

    Full-featured CRM with sales pipeline(winner)

    Brevo

    Basic contact management only

  • Native Integrations

    ActiveCampaign

    1,000+ integrations(winner)

    Brevo

    300+ integrations

  • Learning Curve

    ActiveCampaign

    Steep - extensive features require training

    Brevo

    Shallow - intuitive interface for beginners(winner)

Full Comparison

AActiveCampaign
BBrevo
Landing Page Builder Access
Plus plan ($99+/month) and above
AI Email Generation
AI-generated email drafts included
Automation Complexity Level
Advanced - conditional branching, multi-step, custom logic
Included Core Hubs(count)
2 (Marketing & CRM)
Unlimited Automation Available From(USD/month)
$49/month
Show 50 more attributes
Minimum Contact Threshold (Starter)(contacts)
1,000 contacts
Landing Page Builder
No (forms only)
CRM & Deal Pipeline
Full-featured with scoring
Automation Workflow Complexity(triggers/conditions)
Advanced (conditional logic, multi-branch)
100+ pre-built templates
Built-in CRM
Full CRM with pipeline, forecasting, and scoring
AI Predictive Features
Predictive sending, lead scoring
Automation Capabilities(features)
Unlimited advanced workflows
Lead Scoring Algorithms
Behavioral, manual, predictive (limited AI)
Built-in CRM Included
Yes (native)
Automation Workflows (Standard Plan)(workflows)
Unlimited
Built-in Email Marketing Capabilities
Advanced with A/B testing, dynamic content, behavior triggers
AI-Powered Sales Features
Predictive send time, contact scoring, revenue attribution
CRM Capability Level
Advanced (deals, pipelines, forecasting)
Basic (contact management, no deal tracking)
SMS Included in Base Plan
Yes (all paid plans)
Yes (Email+ and above)
AI Writing Assistant
Yes (all plans)
Yes (Email+ plan)
Email Templates Available(templates)
500+ templates
200+ templates
CRM Functionality
Full CRM with sales pipelines and deal tracking
Pre-built Automation Workflows(workflows)
500+ pre-built workflows
Email Template Library(templates)
200+ professional templates
Native ABM Tools
Limited functionality
SMS Marketing Included
Yes (paid add-on)
Yes (all plans)
Marketing Automation Sophistication
Advanced AI-powered with predictive scoring
Basic workflows
Marketing Automation Workflows (Pre-built)(count)
1000+
Languages Supported(languages)
20+
Automation Workflows
Unlimited with advanced conditional logic
50 on paid, limited
Mobile App Available
Yes - iOS and Android
Landing Page Builder (Native)
Not included
Native CRM Included
Yes - full sales pipeline, deal tracking
Paid Subscriber Tiers (Native)
No - requires third-party integration
CRM Deal Pipeline Features
Full deal pipelines with forecasting and attribution
Free Tier Contact Limit(contacts)
1,000
500
SMS Marketing Availability
Separate add-on ($10+/month)
Included in plans
CRM Pipeline Management
Full sales pipeline with deal tracking
Contact management only
Available Automation Templates(templates)
500+
Email Templates Included(templates)
300+
200+ templates
Landing Pages on Free Plan(pages)
Limited
Email Automation Workflows
Advanced automation with dynamic content triggers
Native CRM Integration
Full CRM with advanced segmentation and scoring
Segmentation Capability
Standard segmentation engine
Channels Supported(count)
4 (Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Social)
AI Features Available(count)
Multiple AI platform enhancements (2026)
Customer Data Platform
Expanding CRM data capabilities
Automation Features
Advanced workflows from Standard plan
SMS Messages Included (Starter)(SMS/month)
5
Built-in CRM/Automation
Yes (included)
CRM Features
Full CRM with deals, pipeline, and forecasting
Free Tier SMS Messages(messages/month)
300 SMS
Pre-built Email Templates(count)
90+ templates
Ecommerce-Specific Abandoned Cart Feature(availability)
Basic product recovery emails
CRM Included in Base Plan
Yes
Email Deliverability Testing
A/B testing and spam testing
eCommerce Platform Support(platforms)
Limited platform support
CRM Integration Capabilities
Native CRM with advanced features
Native CRM Integrations(integrations)
4+ (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, native)
Native Integrations(count)
1,200+
200+
Native E-commerce Integrations(integrations)
100+
User Skill Level Required
Experienced marketers preferred
Setup Time to Productivity(days)
2-4 weeks (with training)
User Training Required (Days)(days)
2-5 days
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)
3.9/5
Onboarding Time to Proficiency(weeks)
4-6 weeks
Show 2 more attributes
Implementation Difficulty (1-10 scale)(difficulty score)
8/10 (steep)
3/10 (easy)
Editor Learning Curve
Feature-rich, steeper learning curve
Starter Plan Monthly Price(USD)
$15/month
$20
Mid-Tier Plan Monthly Price(USD)
$49/month (Plus)
Enterprise Plan Monthly Price(USD)
$145/month
Starting Price (Email Only)(USD/month)
$9 (500 contacts)
Price at 100K Contacts(USD/month)
$385–$495
Show 34 more attributes
Base Monthly Price(USD)
$9
Mid-Tier Plan Price(USD/month)
$49/month (Plus)
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Commitment)(USD)
$9
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$9
$20/month
Lowest Paid Plan Price(USD/user/month)
$15
Free Plan Monthly Email Limit(emails)
None (paid only)
Typical User Seat Cost(USD/user/month)
$25-50
Free Plan Available
No (14-day trial only)
Mid-Tier Plan Cost (100 contacts)(USD)
$49/month
Minimum Monthly Cost (Core Plan)(USD)
$9
$20
Starting Price(USD/month)
$9 (Lite tier)
Free Tier Subscriber Limit(subscribers)
No free tier
Mid-tier Monthly Cost (50K subscribers)(USD/month)
$229/month
Mid-Tier Monthly Price(USD)
$299
Starting Monthly Price(USD)
$15/month
$20/month
Cost for 10 Users + 10,000 Contacts(USD/month)
$549 (10 seats @ $35 + contact tier)
Mid-Tier Plan Price (Professional/Plus)(USD)
$49
Starting Price (USD/month)(USD)
$9
Contacts/Subscribers at Entry Price(contacts)
500
Price at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)
$99
Mid-Tier Price (5K contacts/subscribers)(USD)
$99
Enterprise Price (100K+ contacts/subscribers)(USD)
$229+
Free Trial Length(days)
14 days
Starter Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$29
Pricing Structure
Emails sent per month
Free Contact Storage(contacts)
Generous, unlimited across plans
Starting Price (Paid Plan)(USD/month)
$0.60 per 1,000 emails + $5/year base
Maximum Contact Plan(USD/month)
Unlimited (pay-per-email)
Free Plan Availability
Limited contacts with basic features
Emails Per Day (Free Tier)(emails/day)
300 (14 days only)
Monthly Cost (10,000 contacts)(USD)
$20
Monthly Contact Limit (Free Plan)(contacts)
Unlimited contacts (Free plan available)
Monthly Cost (50,000 contacts)(USD)
$20
Free Plan Email Contact Limit(contacts)
300 contacts
Customer Review Parity(rating)
Nearly identical ratings
Average eCommerce Email Revenue Per Send(USD)
Not published
eCommerce Email Automation ROI(%)
4,200% ROI (industry average)
Built-in CRM for Sales Teams
Full B2B/B2C CRM with lead scoring
Native SMS Channel
Available (add-on/integration)
Shopify Integration Depth
Supported via marketplace
Multi-Channel Automation Support
Email, SMS, web, social, chat (native)
Contacts/Subscribers (Base Plan)(count)
Unlimited
Max Contacts at Entry Plan(contacts)
1,000 contacts
Contacts at $99/Month(contacts)
10,000+
Max Contacts (Starter Plan)(contacts)
500
Cost at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)
$149 (Pro plan, unlimited)
Ease of Use(score/10)
Moderate - requires learning
Salesforce CRM Sync Latency(hours)
2-4 hour sync
Native APIs Available(count)
200+
Native Integrations Available(integrations)
1,000+
300+
Integration Capabilities(/10)
Includes native CRM and SMS
Average Setup Time(days)
4-8 weeks
Implementation Time to Productivity(weeks)
1 week
Implementation Time(weeks)
2-4 weeks
Shopify Native Integration
Basic (via third-party apps)
Abandoned Cart Recovery Rate(percent)
8-12% (varies by setup)
Advanced Segmentation
Yes (behavioral, predictive, dynamic)
Pre-built Automation Templates(templates)
10,000+
200+
Unlimited Marketing Automations
All plans
Automation Workflow Step Limit(steps)
15 steps
Available Integrations(count)
1000+
Third-Party Integrations(integrations)
1000+
150+ integrations
Third-Party App Integrations(integrations)
1000+
Attribution Model Depth(models)
2 (last-click, first-click)
Lead Scoring AI Capability(text)
Advanced predictive with AI priority ranking
API Call Rate Limit (per 15 min)(calls)
10-300 calls (tier-dependent)
API Rate Limit(requests per second)
600 calls/min
300 calls/min
Daily API Rate Limit(calls/day)
10,000
Custom Fields Supported(fields)
100+ (plan-dependent)
Custom Field Limit(fields)
500
Free Tier Daily Email Limit(emails/day)
Unlimited (500 contacts max)
300 emails/day
Maximum Contacts (Mid-Tier Plan)(contacts)
100,000
Contact Limit (Basic Plan)(contacts)
Unlimited
Free Plan Subscriber Limit(contacts)
300
Free Plan Contact Limit(contacts)
No free plan
300 contacts
Contact Limit at Entry Paid Tier(contacts)
500,000
Average Onboarding Time(days)
14 days
1 day
Customer Support Response Time(minutes)
24 hours (email)
24 hours average
Premium Support Response Time(hours)
4 hours
Email Support Cost(USD/month)
Free for all users
Phone Support Availability
Enterprise plan only ($300+/month)
Email Deliverability Rate(percent)
97%
Average Deliverability Rate(%)
98.8%
API Response Time (p95)(milliseconds)
<200ms
Average Implementation Time(weeks)
1-2 weeks
Contact Management Features
Full CRM with lead scoring, pipeline, forecasting
API Endpoints Available(endpoints)
200+
Contact List Limit (Base Plan)(contacts)
500
Setup Complexity(complexity score)
Easier setup for essentials
Email Template Quality
Dated appearance
A/B Testing
Available ($18+/month)
G2 Award Count(awards)
Enterprise and small business
Uptime SLA(percent)
99.9%
Webhook Event Types(event types)
12 standard events
Annual Cost Savings vs Constant Contact (10K contacts)(USD)
$3,024 savings per year
Email Marketing Included(boolean)
Yes, all plans
CRM Pipeline & Deal Management
Basic deal tracking only
Lead Scoring
Rule-based only

Pros & Cons

10 pros·7 cons across both

A
B
A

ActiveCampaign

+5-3

Pros

  • Comprehensive CRM with sales pipeline and deal tracking
  • 10,000+ pre-built automation workflows and templates
  • Advanced conditional logic for sophisticated customer journeys
  • 1,000+ native integrations including Shopify, HubSpot, and Zapier
  • Strong reporting with custom dashboards and predictive scoring

Cons

  • Steep learning curve requiring significant onboarding time
  • SMS marketing requires separate paid add-on increasing total cost
  • Pricing escalates quickly with contact volume and features
B

Brevo

+5-4

Pros

  • SMS marketing included in most paid plans without extra cost
  • Intuitive, beginner-friendly interface requiring minimal training
  • Affordable pricing tier starting at $20/month with good feature set
  • Basic segmentation and automation for straightforward campaigns
  • No contact volume limits on some plans

Cons

  • Limited CRM functionality - contact management only, no sales pipeline
  • Fewer automation workflows (200+ vs 10,000+) limiting complex sequences
  • Smaller integration ecosystem (300+ vs 1,000+) compared to competitors
  • Basic reporting lacks advanced predictive analytics

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. ActiveCampaign excels for sophisticated, multi-step email sequences with advanced conditional logic and behavioral triggers. Brevo is better for straightforward email campaigns and newsletters due to its simplicity. Both have strong deliverability (98%+ inbox placement).

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