ActiveCampaign Alternatives in 2026
Key takeaways
- Brevo is the cheapest way to email a large list, because paid plans price by sends rather than contacts.
- HubSpot suits teams that want CRM and marketing in one system, while Klaviyo suits online stores.
- Mailchimp and MailerLite suit beginners, while Kit suits creators and newsletter writers.
- This is an alternatives list, so the original product is not included, and automation depth varies a lot by plan.
Quick comparison
| Pick | Great for | Pricing starts at | Free tier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRM plus marketing in one system | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Beginners and newsletters | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Large lists on a small budget | $9 per month | Yes | Visit | |
| Online stores and SMS | $20 per month | Yes | Visit | |
| Creators and newsletters | $39 per month | Yes | Visit | |
| Simple email marketing | $10 per month | Yes | Visit | |
| Webinars and funnels | $19 per month | Free trial | Visit | |
| Local businesses and nonprofits | $12 per month | Free trial | Visit | |
| Small online stores | $16 per month | Yes | Visit |
The best activecampaign alternatives
These tools replace an email and marketing automation platform with list management, campaigns, automation, and reporting. We left the original product out, as this guide lists alternatives only. Prices are starting paid prices from vendor pages and recent comparisons checked in October 2026, and they rise with contacts, sends, or seats, so model your list size before choosing.

HubSpot is the best alternative when sales and marketing need to share one database. Contacts, deals, emails, and website activity sit in the same CRM, so a sales rep can see what a lead opened and clicked without asking marketing for a report. The free CRM and free marketing tools cover a small team well.
Costs rise with scale. Marketing Hub Starter is priced per seat plus marketing contacts, and Professional jumps sharply for advanced automation and reporting. For a team that will use the CRM daily, that cost can be justified. For email alone, cheaper options below will do the job for less.
- Free CRM with marketing tools
- Strong contact and deal tracking
- Wide integration range
- Paid marketing tiers rise steeply
- Advanced automation needs higher plans

Mailchimp remains the easiest starting point for newsletters and small business email. The editor is friendly, templates look good, and a free plan covers up to 250 contacts with a small monthly send limit. Landing pages, forms, and simple automations cover most beginner needs without extra tools.
The catch is scale. Prices rise as contacts grow, and advanced segmentation and testing need the Standard plan or higher. Archived and unsubscribed contacts can also affect billing on some tiers, so check how your list is counted. For a small list and simple campaigns, Mailchimp is a safe, well-known choice.
- Easy editor and templates
- Free plan for small lists
- Landing pages and basic automation included
- Pricing jumps at larger list sizes
- Advanced automation needs higher plans

Brevo is our budget pick for large lists. Paid plans price by emails sent, with unlimited stored contacts on paid tiers, so a business with 20,000 contacts but modest sending can pay far less than on a contact-priced platform. The free plan allows 300 emails per day, which suits testing and small sends.
Automation covers common flows such as welcome series and abandoned cart emails, but it does not match the deepest branching logic of a specialist automation tool. Design tools are also simpler than Mailchimp. If your main need is affordable, reliable sending to a large list, Brevo is hard to beat.
- Pricing follows sends, not contacts
- Free plan with 300 emails per day
- SMS and WhatsApp options
- Automation is less deep than dedicated automation platforms
- Email design tools are simpler
Klaviyo is the leading alternative for online stores. It pulls order, browsing, and customer data from your store, so you can segment by purchase history, product interest, and lifetime value. Flows for welcome, abandoned cart, and post-purchase messages are strong, and SMS can run alongside email in the same account.
Pricing is the trade-off. The free plan covers 250 profiles, paid email starts at $20 per month for 500 profiles, and costs climb as profiles grow. SMS is billed separately. For a store where email and SMS drive a large share of revenue, Klaviyo often pays for itself. For a non-store business, a generalist tool will be cheaper.
- Deep store data for segmentation
- Strong flows for abandoned carts and post-purchase
- SMS in the same platform
- Costs rise steeply with profiles
- SMS is billed separately
- Learning curve for advanced flows
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is built for creators, writers, and newsletter businesses. The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, though automations require a paid plan, which makes it a low-risk way to start a newsletter. Landing pages, forms, and simple sequences fit a creator workflow without a complex marketing suite.
Paid pricing starts at $39 per month for 1,000 subscribers on the Creator plan, which is higher than MailerLite for the same list size. Design flexibility is also narrower than a general email tool. If your business is content, courses, or paid newsletters, Kit fits better than a store-focused platform.
- Free plan up to 10,000 subscribers without automations
- Simple creator workflows
- Paid newsletters supported
- Paid plans start higher than generalist tools
- Design options are simpler than Mailchimp
MailerLite is the simplest paid alternative for a small business that wants good email without a steep learning curve. The editor is clean, landing pages and forms are included, and pricing by subscriber count is easy to predict. A free plan covers up to 250 subscribers with a monthly send limit.
Automation covers welcome emails, basic sequences, and simple triggers, but not the deep branching of a specialist platform. New accounts also go through an approval review, which can delay a first campaign. For straightforward newsletters and promotions, MailerLite offers excellent value and ease of use.
- Very easy to learn
- Clean editor and landing pages
- Predictable subscriber pricing
- Automation is basic compared with specialist tools
- Approval process can delay first sends
GetResponse suits marketers who run webinars, courses, or funnels alongside email. Webinars, landing pages, and automation sit in one account, so a launch sequence can move from registration to replay email without extra tools. Templates for automation flows help beginners start faster.
Pricing follows contacts, and webinar attendee limits can add cost on larger events. The interface packs in many features, which takes time to learn. If webinars are a core part of your marketing, GetResponse is a stronger fit than a pure email tool. If you only send newsletters, a simpler tool will cost less.
- Webinars built in
- Funnels and landing pages included
- Automation builder with templates
- Pricing rises with contacts
- Webinar seats can cost extra
- Interface has many features
Constant Contact is a good fit for local businesses, clubs, and nonprofits that want simple email and event promotion. Setup is guided, templates are clear, and event registration and social posting tools cover common local needs. Support is helpful for beginners who want a person to talk to.
There is no free plan, only a trial, and automation is more limited than at HubSpot or Klaviyo. Pricing also rises with contacts. For a team that sends regular newsletters and event invites and values simplicity over advanced automation, Constant Contact is a dependable choice.
- Very simple setup
- Event and social tools
- Good support for beginners
- No free plan
- Automation is limited
- Pricing rises with contacts
Omnisend is a store-focused alternative to Klaviyo for smaller shops. It combines email, SMS, and web push messages, with prebuilt flows for welcome, abandoned cart, and post-purchase follow-up. The free plan covers a small store, and the Standard plan starts at $16 per month for 500 contacts.
Non-store businesses will find the store focus less useful, and pricing still rises with contacts. For a small Shopify or WooCommerce store that wants Klaviyo-style automation at a lower entry price, Omnisend is a practical middle ground.
- Store-focused automation
- Email, SMS, and push in one platform
- Free plan for small stores
- Less suited to non-store businesses
- Pricing rises with contacts
- Reporting is store-focused
How we picked these
We compared official pricing pages, free plan limits, automation features, and integration options for email and marketing platforms available in October 2026. We favored tools with a working free plan or trial, published pricing, and a distinct fit, from CRM-led marketing to store-focused flows. We excluded the original product from this alternatives list, and we excluded enterprise-only platforms with no self-serve pricing for small teams.
What to check before you switch email platforms
Start with your list and your sending pattern. Count active contacts, monthly sends, and any SMS volume, then price each tool at your actual size, not at the entry tier. A tool that is cheap at 500 contacts can be expensive at 10,000, and a send-based tool can be cheap for a large list with low sending frequency.
Migration, deliverability, and automation rebuild
Plan the migration in steps. Export contacts with tags and custom fields, map automations to the new tool, and warm up sending gradually rather than blasting a full list on day one. Check that forms, integrations, and landing pages still work after the move. Rebuilding complex automations takes time, so budget for that work, and test every flow with a small group before going live.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to ActiveCampaign?
HubSpot suits CRM-led teams, Klaviyo suits online stores, Brevo suits large lists on a budget, and Mailchimp and MailerLite suit beginners. Kit suits creators, while GetResponse suits marketers who run webinars.
Which ActiveCampaign alternative is cheapest?
Brevo is often cheapest for a large list, because paid plans price by sends rather than contacts. MailerLite and Mailchimp are also low cost for small lists, thanks to free plans and low entry tiers.
Can I migrate my automations from ActiveCampaign?
You can migrate contacts, tags, and lists, but automations usually need rebuilding in the new tool, because automation logic differs by platform. Map each flow on paper first, then rebuild and test it step by step.
What is the best alternative for ecommerce?
Klaviyo is the strongest ecommerce choice for deep store data and flows, while Omnisend suits smaller stores at a lower entry price. Both combine email and SMS, which helps stores that rely on both channels.
Is there a free alternative to ActiveCampaign?
Yes. HubSpot, Mailchimp, Brevo, Klaviyo, Kit, MailerLite, and Omnisend all offer free plans with limits on contacts or sends. Free plans suit testing and small lists, but paid plans are needed for larger sending and advanced automation.
Sources
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