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Brevo vs ActiveCampaign 2026: Pricing, Features, CRM

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.

B

Brevo

All-in-one email marketing, SMS, and basic CRM platform designed for small businesses and startups.

Solopreneurs, small agencies, e-commerce businesses, and startups needing affordable multi-channel marketing without complex sales workflows.

Score71%
VS
A

ActiveCampaign

Marketing automation CRM with behavioral AI and advanced email workflows for SMBs.

Mid-market B2B companies, enterprises, sales-driven organizations, and agencies needing sophisticated automation, CRM, and revenue intelligence tools.

Score71%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

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.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

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.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

B
Brevo
6/10
ActiveCampaign
9/10
A
B

Choose Brevo if

Solopreneurs, small agencies, e-commerce businesses, and startups needing affordable multi-channel marketing without complex sales workflows.

A

Choose ActiveCampaign if

Best pick

Mid-market B2B companies, enterprises, sales-driven organizations, and agencies needing sophisticated automation, CRM, and revenue intelligence tools.

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Starting Price:ActiveCampaign wins($15/month vs $20/month)
  • Contact Limit (Free Plan):ActiveCampaign wins(500 contacts vs 300 contacts)
  • Marketing Automation Workflows:ActiveCampaign wins(Advanced AI-powered workflows vs Basic workflows)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

74 numeric metrics compared

MetricBrevoActiveCampaignRatio
Free Plan Subscriber Limit(contacts)300
Starter Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$29
Contact Limit at Entry Paid Tier(contacts)500,000
Email Support Cost(USD/month)Free for all users
Channels Supported(count)4 (Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Social)
Starting Price (Paid Plan)(USD/month)$0.60 per 1,000 emails + $5/year base
G2 Award Count(awards)Enterprise and small business
Starter Plan Monthly Price(USD)$20$15/month
Emails Per Day (Free Tier)(emails/day)300 (14 days only)
Average Deliverability Rate(%)98.8%
API Response Time (p95)(milliseconds)<200ms
Uptime SLA(%)99.9%
SMS Messages Included (Starter)(SMS/month)5
Webhook Event Types(count)12 standard events
Monthly Cost (10,000 contacts)(USD)$48/month
Email Templates Included(templates)200+ templates
Annual Cost Savings vs Constant Contact (10K contacts)(USD)$3,024 savings per year
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$20/month$15
Free Tier SMS Messages(messages/month)300 SMS
Native Integrations(count)200+1000+
Pre-Built Email Templates(count)90+ templates
Customer Support Response Time(hours)24 hours average
Free Plan Contact Limit(contacts)300 contacts500 contacts
Minimum Monthly Cost (Core Plan)(USD)$20$9
Free Tier Daily Email Limit(emails/day)300 emails/dayUnlimited (500 contacts max)
Pre-Built Automation Templates(templates)100+500+
Starting Monthly Price(USD)$20/month$9/month
Email Templates Available(templates)800+ templates500+ templates
API Rate Limit(calls/minute)300 calls/min600 calls/min
Average Onboarding Time(days)1 day14 days
Mid-Tier Plan Monthly Price(USD)$49/month (Plus)$49/month (Plus)
Enterprise Plan Monthly Price(USD)$145/month$145/month
Unlimited Automation Available From(USD/month)$49/month$49/month
Minimum Contact Threshold (Starter)(contacts)1,000 contacts1,000 contacts
Starting Price (Email Only)(USD/month)$9 (500 contacts)$9 (500 contacts)
Price at 100K Contacts(USD/month)$385–$495$385–$495
eCommerce Email Automation ROI(%)4,200% ROI (industry average)4,200% ROI (industry average)
Base Monthly Price(USD)$15$15
Cost at 10,000 Subscribers(USD/month)$149 (Pro plan, unlimited)$149 (Pro plan, unlimited)
Max Contacts at Entry Plan(contacts)1,000 contacts1,000 contacts
Mid-Tier Plan Price(USD/month)$49/month (Plus)$49/month (Plus)
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Commitment)(USD)$9$9
User Training Required (Days)(days)2-5 days2-5 days
Salesforce CRM Sync Latency(hours)2-4 hour sync2-4 hour sync
Contacts at $99/Month(contacts)10,000+10,000+
Average Setup Time(days)4-8 weeks4-8 weeks
Abandoned Cart Recovery Rate(percent)8-12% (varies by setup)8-12% (varies by setup)
Lowest Paid Plan Price(USD/month)$15$15
Available Integrations(count)1000+1000+
Native CRM Integrations(integrations)4+ (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, native)4+ (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, native)
Implementation Time to Productivity(weeks)1 week1 week
Attribution Model Depth(models)2 (last-click, first-click)2 (last-click, first-click)
Typical User Seat Cost(USD/user/month)$25-50$25-50
API Call Rate Limit (per 15 min)(calls)10-300 calls (tier-dependent)10-300 calls (tier-dependent)
Third-Party Integrations(count)1000+1000+
Custom Fields Supported(fields)100+ (plan-dependent)100+ (plan-dependent)
Mid-Tier Plan Cost (100 contacts)(USD)$49/month$49/month
Starting Price(USD/month)$9 (Lite tier)$9 (Lite tier)
Free Tier Subscriber Limit(subscribers)No free tierNo free tier
Pre-built Automation Workflows(workflows)500+ pre-built workflows500+ pre-built workflows
Mid-tier Monthly Cost (50K subscribers)(USD/month)$229/month$229/month
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)3.9/53.9/5
Mid-Tier Monthly Price(USD)$299$299
Daily API Rate Limit(calls/day)10,00010,000
Email Template Library(templates)500+500+
Maximum Contacts (Mid-Tier Plan)(contacts)100,000100,000
Max Contacts (Starter Plan)(contacts)500500
Cost for 10 Users + 10,000 Contacts(USD/month)$549 (10 seats @ $35 + contact tier)$549 (10 seats @ $35 + contact tier)
Native APIs Available(count)200+200+
Email Deliverability Rate(percent)97.2%97.2%
Average Implementation Time(weeks)1-2 weeks1-2 weeks
Marketing Automation Workflows (Pre-built)(count)1000+1000+
Custom Field Limit(fields)500500
Languages Supported(count)20+20+

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

B
2Brevo
ActiveCampaign leads
A
5ActiveCampaign
  • Starting Price

    Brevo

    $20/month

    ActiveCampaign

    $15/month(winner)

  • Contact Limit (Free Plan)

    Brevo

    300 contacts

    ActiveCampaign

    500 contacts(winner)

  • Marketing Automation Workflows

    Brevo

    Basic workflows

    ActiveCampaign

    Advanced AI-powered workflows(winner)

  • Built-in SMS Marketing

    Brevo

    Yes, included(winner)

    ActiveCampaign

    Add-on feature

  • CRM Functionality

    Brevo

    Basic contact management

    ActiveCampaign

    Enterprise-grade sales CRM(winner)

  • Email Templates

    Brevo

    800+ templates(winner)

    ActiveCampaign

    500+ templates

  • API Rate Limit (calls/minute)

    Brevo

    300 calls/min

    ActiveCampaign

    600 calls/min(winner)

Full Comparison

BBrevo
AActiveCampaign
Free Plan Subscriber Limit(contacts)
300
Contact Limit at Entry Paid Tier(contacts)
500,000
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)
Show 25 more attributes
Free Plan Availability
Limited contacts with basic features
Starter Plan Monthly Price(USD)
$20
$15/month
Emails Per Day (Free Tier)(emails/day)
300 (14 days only)
Monthly Cost (10,000 contacts)(USD)
$48/month
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$20/month
$15
Monthly Contact Limit (Free Plan)(contacts)
Unlimited contacts (Free plan available)
Minimum Monthly Cost (Core Plan)(USD)
$20
$9
Starting Monthly Price(USD)
$20/month
$9/month
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
Base Monthly Price(USD)
$15
Mid-Tier Plan Price(USD/month)
$49/month (Plus)
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Commitment)(USD)
$9
Lowest Paid Plan Price(USD/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
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
Cost for 10 Users + 10,000 Contacts(USD/month)
$549 (10 seats @ $35 + contact tier)
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)
Show 41 more attributes
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)
Webhook Event Types(count)
12 standard events
Automation Workflow Complexity(triggers/conditions)
100+ pre-built templates
Advanced (conditional logic, multi-branch)
Email Templates Included(templates)
200+ templates
SMS Marketing Included
Yes (native)
Add-on only
CRM Features
Full CRM with deals, pipeline, and forecasting
Free Tier SMS Messages(messages/month)
300 SMS
Native Integrations(count)
200+
1000+
Pre-Built Email Templates(count)
90+ templates
Automation Workflows(workflows)
50 on paid, limited
Ecommerce-Specific Abandoned Cart Feature(availability)
Basic product recovery emails
Free Plan Contact Limit(contacts)
300 contacts
500 contacts
Pre-Built Automation Templates(templates)
100+
500+
CRM Capability Level
Basic (contact management, no deal tracking)
Advanced (deals, pipelines, forecasting)
SMS Included in Base Plan
Yes (Email+ and above)
Yes (all paid plans)
Email Templates Available(templates)
800+ templates
500+ templates
Marketing Automation Sophistication
Basic workflows
Advanced AI-powered with predictive scoring
CRM Pipeline Management
Basic contact database
Enterprise-grade sales CRM
Landing Page Builder Access
Plus plan ($99+/month) and above
AI Email Generation
AI-generated email drafts included
Included Core Hubs(count)
2 (Marketing & CRM)
Unlimited Automation Available From(USD/month)
$49/month
Minimum Contact Threshold (Starter)(contacts)
1,000 contacts
Landing Page Builder
No (forms only)
CRM & Deal Pipeline
Full-featured with scoring
Built-In CRM
Yes
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 Functionality
Full CRM with sales pipelines and deal tracking
Email Template Library(templates)
500+
Native ABM Tools
Limited functionality
Marketing Automation Workflows (Pre-built)(count)
1000+
Editor Learning Curve
Feature-rich, steeper learning curve
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
Email Support Cost(USD/month)
Free for all users
Phone Support Availability(hours/day)
Enterprise plan only ($300+/month)
Customer Support Response Time(hours)
24 hours average
Average Onboarding Time(days)
1 day
14 days
Setup Complexity(complexity score)
Easier setup for essentials
Email Template Quality
Dated appearance
A/B Testing
Available ($18+/month)
Integration Capabilities(/10)
Includes native CRM and SMS
Salesforce CRM Sync Latency(hours)
2-4 hour sync
Native APIs Available(count)
200+
G2 Award Count(awards)
Enterprise and small business
Average Deliverability Rate(%)
98.8%
API Response Time (p95)(milliseconds)
<200ms
Uptime SLA(%)
99.9%
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
Free Tier Daily Email Limit(emails/day)
300 emails/day
Unlimited (500 contacts max)
AI Writing Assistant
Yes (Email+ plan)
Yes (all plans)
API Rate Limit(calls/minute)
300 calls/min
600 calls/min
API Call Rate Limit (per 15 min)(calls)
10-300 calls (tier-dependent)
Daily API Rate Limit(calls/day)
10,000
Automation Complexity Level
Advanced (Enterprise-grade automation)
Email Deliverability Testing
A/B testing and spam testing
eCommerce Platform Support(platforms)
Limited platform support
CRM Integration Capabilities
Native CRM with advanced features
Available Integrations(count)
1000+
Native CRM Integrations(integrations)
4+ (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, native)
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
Average Setup Time(days)
4-8 weeks
Average Implementation Time(weeks)
1-2 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 Workflows(workflows)
500+ pre-built workflows
Implementation Time to Productivity(weeks)
1 week
Attribution Model Depth(models)
2 (last-click, first-click)
Lead Scoring AI Capability(text)
Advanced predictive with AI priority ranking
Third-Party Integrations(count)
1000+
Custom Fields Supported(fields)
100+ (plan-dependent)
Custom Field Limit(fields)
500
Implementation Time(weeks)
2-4 weeks
Maximum Contacts (Mid-Tier Plan)(contacts)
100,000
Email Deliverability Rate(percent)
97.2%
Languages Supported(count)
20+

Pros & Cons

10 pros·4 cons across both

B
A
B

Brevo

+5-2

Pros

  • Integrated SMS marketing included at no extra cost (up to 160 SMS credits monthly on free plan)
  • Lower starting price at $20/month with more generous free plan (300 contacts vs competitors' 100-150)
  • 800+ professionally designed email templates with drag-and-drop editor
  • Simple, intuitive interface requiring minimal training for small teams
  • Supports multi-channel campaigns (email, SMS, Facebook, WhatsApp, chat)

Cons

  • Limited marketing automation capabilities compared to enterprise platforms; lacks advanced conditional logic and AI-powered recommendations
  • Basic CRM functionality not suitable for complex sales processes or large teams
A

ActiveCampaign

+5-2

Pros

  • Advanced marketing automation with predictive lead scoring and AI-powered behavior-based workflows
  • Enterprise-grade CRM with robust sales pipeline management, deal tracking, and 360-degree customer view
  • Higher API rate limit (600 calls/minute) supporting complex integrations and large-scale operations
  • Predictive sending feature analyzing optimal send times for 40% higher open rates on average
  • Account-based marketing (ABM) capabilities for targeting high-value accounts with personalized campaigns

Cons

  • Starting price of $15/month is only slightly lower than Brevo despite advanced features; significant cost increase at higher tiers (enterprise plans $299+/month)
  • Steeper learning curve for small teams; requires 2-3 weeks onboarding versus Brevo's same-day setup

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. 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.

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