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All ten tools compared / ActiveCampaign

4

ActiveCampaign

Scores 6.8 / 10

Best conditional journey builder. Still the tool to beat when your automation has real branching: wait for this, check that, split on a custom field, rejoin.

Starts at

$15/mo

Free tier

No, 14 day trial

Priced on

Contacts, on every tier

Best for

Complex branching journeys

ActiveCampaign's own homepage.
ActiveCampaign's own homepage. Captured 20 August 2026.

Our verdict

Still the tool to beat when your automation has real branching: wait for this, check that, split on a custom field, rejoin. Nothing else under $100 a month handles that as cleanly. The cost is that nothing gets produced for you, and the price scales hard with contact count.

Visit ActiveCampaign

How it scores

Output 5.0
AI depth 7.0
Time to first result 6.0
Price clarity 7.5
Ceiling 8.5

Overall, the plain average6.8

Every criterion is defined on the methodology page.

What it does well

  • The most capable journey logic in its price band
  • A strong CRM add-on for small sales teams
  • Good balance of power against setup time
  • A consistent deliverability record

Where it costs you

  • No permanent free plan, only a 14 day trial
  • Contact-based pricing climbs quickly
  • The interface rewards people who already understand automation
  • You supply all the copy and design

What it costs

Starter $15/mo, Plus $49, Pro $79, Enterprise $145, all on annual billing at 1,000 contacts. At 10,000 contacts Plus is about $239/mo and Pro about $419/mo. Annual billing saves around 20 percent, and non-profits get a further 20 percent.

ActiveCampaign's published pricing page. Vendors localise prices, so the figures shown were those served to a European visitor and may differ from the USD list prices in our table.
ActiveCampaign's published pricing page. Vendors localise prices, so the figures shown were those served to a European visitor and may differ from the USD list prices in our table. Captured 20 August 2026.

Compare this against the other nine

Pick it if

A team whose automation genuinely branches, and whose CRM can live somewhere else.

Skip it if

Anyone who wants to try before paying, or who needs the marketing assets made as well as sent.

Look at these too

Still deciding? Work through the questions in order.

Our buyer's guide asks the five things that actually narrow the list, starting with the one most people answer last: what do you already have to send?

Open the buyer's guide Compare pricing first