ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp
An honest side-by-side comparison of two of our top email marketing picks — pricing, strengths, weaknesses, and who each one is really for.
ActiveCampaign
Ranked #3 of 17 in this directory
The email marketing, automation, and CRM platform
Mailchimp
Ranked #2 of 17 in this directory
The all-in-one marketing platform for growing businesses
Our pick: Mailchimp. Our editors rank Mailchimp higher overall in Email Marketing — but ActiveCampaign can be the better fit depending on your budget and use case below. How we review
Compare the details
| ActiveCampaign | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | See website | See website |
| Category | Email Marketing | Email Marketing |
| Editorial rank | #3 of 17 | #2 of 17 |
Strengths
ActiveCampaign
- ✓Most powerful automation builder in class
- ✓CRM and email in one platform
- ✓Advanced conditional logic in automations
- ✓Good B2B and B2C versatility
Mailchimp
- ✓Easiest email tool for beginners
- ✓Free up to 500 contacts
- ✓Good template library
- ✓All-in-one with CRM and landing pages
Watch out for
ActiveCampaign
- !No free plan (only 14-day trial)
- !Can be overwhelming to start
- !Expensive at scale
Mailchimp
- !Expensive as list grows
- !Automation is less powerful than Klaviyo
- !Removed free plan features over time
Best use cases
ActiveCampaign
- →B2B email nurture sequences
- →Advanced marketing automation
- →CRM + email for SMBs
- →Sales and marketing alignment
Mailchimp
- →Small business email marketing
- →Newsletter sending
- →Simple automation for beginners
- →Event email campaigns
About each tool
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is a powerful email marketing and marketing automation platform that combines email, SMS, CRM, and sales automation in one tool. Known for its advanced automation builder and deep customer journey capabilities, it's used by over 185,000 businesses who need more power than Mailchimp.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the world's most popular email marketing platform with over 13 million users. It's the go-to starting point for small businesses and entrepreneurs, offering email marketing, automation, landing pages, and CRM in one tool. Known for its user-friendly interface and generous free plan.
Still deciding? Browse all 17 options with honest pros, cons, and pricing.
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