Best ActiveCampaign Alternatives in 2026: 7 Cheaper or Simpler Options
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💲 Price it at your list size. Our email marketing cost calculator shows what ActiveCampaign, Kit and MailerLite cost today and in 12 months.
The best ActiveCampaign alternative for most small businesses is MailerLite. It keeps the everyday automations and adds landing pages for less money as your list grows.
Pick Kit for newsletters, Brevo for big lists you email rarely, and Omnisend for online stores.
Why people look for an ActiveCampaign alternative
ActiveCampaign is one of the strongest automation tools you can buy. We rate it highly in our ActiveCampaign review, but it is not the right fit for everyone.
These are the four reasons readers tell us they want to switch:
- The bill grows fast. Starter costs $15 a month at 1,000 contacts but $149 at 10,000, billed yearly.
- There is no free plan. You get a free trial, then you pay from day one.
- Landing pages cost extra. They only arrive on the Plus plan, at $49 a month for 1,000 contacts.
- It takes time to learn. The power that makes it great also makes it slow to set up.
Our ActiveCampaign pricing guide has the full price table if you want to check your own list size.
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The 7 best ActiveCampaign alternatives compared
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Entry paid price | Automation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign (for reference) | Advanced automation and CRM | None | $15 a month, 1,000 contacts (yearly) | Multi-step on every plan |
| MailerLite | Best value overall | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails | $17.10, 1,000 subscribers (yearly) | 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power |
| Kit | Newsletters and creators | Up to 10,000 subscribers | $33, 1,000 subscribers (yearly) | Visual automations from Creator |
| Brevo | Big lists, few sends | 300 emails a day | $9 a month (5,000 emails, 500 contacts) | Workflows included |
| GetResponse | Funnels, webinars, courses | Free trial (14 days) | $19 a month, 1,000 contacts | 1 workflow on Starter, unlimited on Marketer |
| Omnisend | Online stores | 250 contacts, 500 emails | $16 a month, 500 contacts | Store automations on every plan |
| Campaign Monitor | Design and branding | Free trial | $11.70 a month, 500 contacts (yearly) | Unlimited automated emails on Essentials |
| Mailchimp | Familiar all rounder | 500 emails a month | $20 a month on Standard, 500 contacts | Up to 200 flows on Standard |
Sources: official pricing pages for ActiveCampaign, MailerLite and Kit (29 October 2026), and Brevo, GetResponse, Omnisend, Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp (31 October 2026). Brevo’s free plan limit is from our Brevo review.
1. MailerLite: the best value alternative
Price: Free up to 250 subscribers. Comfort costs $17.10 a month at 1,000 subscribers on yearly billing, or $19 monthly.
MailerLite keeps the automations most businesses actually use, such as welcome series and tag based flows. It also includes landing pages and simple websites on every plan, even Free.
- Why switch: it costs about half as much as ActiveCampaign Starter at 10,000 subscribers.
- What you give up: predictive sending, revenue attribution and a built in sales CRM.
See the numbers in MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign or read our MailerLite review.
2. Kit (formerly ConvertKit): best for newsletters
Price: Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator costs $33 a month at 1,000 subscribers on yearly billing, or $39 monthly.
Kit is built for people who grow an audience and sell to it. Tagging, forms and landing pages are simple, and the free plan is the most generous on this list.
- Why switch: you can run a newsletter of up to 10,000 people for nothing.
- What you give up: visual automations and sequences only arrive on Creator, and there is no CRM.
Compare them in Kit vs ActiveCampaign, or check every tier in our Kit pricing guide.
3. Brevo: best for big lists you email rarely
Price: Free plan with up to 300 emails a day. Starter from $9 a month for 5,000 emails, and Standard from $18.
Brevo prices mainly by how many emails you send rather than how many contacts you store. That makes it cheap if you have a big list but only send a few campaigns a month.
- Why switch: lower cost for large, quiet lists, plus SMS and WhatsApp campaigns you can add later.
- What you give up: the automation builder is simpler, and send limits matter if you email often.
Our Brevo review explains when the free plan stops being enough.
4. GetResponse: best for funnels and webinars
Price: Starter $19 a month at 1,000 contacts and Marketer $59, both with unlimited monthly sends. Yearly billing saves about 18%.
GetResponse bundles email with landing pages, sales funnels and, on Creator, webinars and a course builder. It suits coaches and info product sellers who want fewer tools.
- Why switch: funnels and webinars in one bill instead of three subscriptions.
- What you give up: Starter allows only 1 custom automation workflow, so most people need Marketer.
5. Omnisend: best for online stores
Price: Free up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month. Standard starts at $16 a month for 500 contacts and 6,000 emails.
Omnisend is made for Shopify and WooCommerce stores. Abandoned cart, browse abandonment and product emails are ready to switch on.
- Why switch: store automations work out of the box, without building them from scratch.
- What you give up: it is a weaker fit if you do not sell products online.
See more store options in the best email tools for ecommerce.
6. Campaign Monitor: best for design
Price: Lite from $11.70 a month for up to 500 contacts and Essentials from $27.90, both on yearly billing. Essentials adds unlimited sends and unlimited automated emails.
Campaign Monitor is known for clean templates and an editor that keeps your brand consistent. Agencies and design minded teams like it for that reason.
- Why switch: better looking campaigns with less effort, and simpler automation to manage.
- What you give up: ActiveCampaign’s depth in conditional logic, scoring and CRM.
7. Mailchimp: the familiar all rounder
Price: Free for up to 500 emails a month. Standard starts at $20 a month for 500 contacts, and Mailchimp was offering 50% off for 12 months when we checked.
Mailchimp connects to almost every app and is easy to learn. Standard allows up to 200 automation flows, while Essentials is limited to 4 steps per flow.
- Why switch: an easier editor and a huge integration library.
- What you give up: prices climb as quickly as ActiveCampaign’s once your list grows.
Read our Mailchimp review or the head to head ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp.
ActiveCampaign vs the rest, in one line each
| Comparison | Choose the alternative if | Stay with ActiveCampaign if |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite | You want lower costs and landing pages on every plan | Automation drives most of your revenue |
| ActiveCampaign vs Kit | You run a newsletter or sell digital products | You need lead scoring and a sales CRM |
| ActiveCampaign vs Brevo | Your list is big but you send rarely | You send often and need advanced branching |
| ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse | You want webinars and funnels in one place | You care most about automation depth |
| ActiveCampaign vs Campaign Monitor | Design and brand control come first | You need conditional content and attribution |
| ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact | You want live phone support and event tools | You want deeper automation for the money |
Weighing Constant Contact as well? See our Kit vs Constant Contact comparison for its full price tiers.
How to switch without losing subscribers
- Export your contacts with their tags and custom fields as a CSV file.
- Rebuild your top two automations first, usually the welcome series and the lead magnet delivery.
- Set up your sending domain on the new tool before you send anything.
- Run both tools for one billing cycle, then cancel ActiveCampaign once the new flows work.
Our step by step guide to migrating an email list uses the same process.
Our verdict
Most people leaving ActiveCampaign should start with MailerLite, because it keeps the automations that matter at a much lower price. Creators should try Kit’s free plan first, and online stores should go straight to Omnisend.
Stay with ActiveCampaign only if its advanced automation or CRM clearly earns back the extra cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to ActiveCampaign?
MailerLite is the best alternative for most small businesses. It includes automation and landing pages and costs far less as your list grows. Kit is better for newsletters, and Omnisend is better for online stores.
Is there a free alternative to ActiveCampaign?
Yes. Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers, MailerLite is free up to 250 subscribers, and Brevo’s free plan allows 300 emails a day. ActiveCampaign itself has no free plan.
What is cheaper than ActiveCampaign?
At 10,000 contacts, ActiveCampaign Starter costs $149 a month on yearly billing. MailerLite Comfort costs $80.10 and Kit Creator costs $116 at the same size, also on yearly billing.
Which alternative has the best automation?
GetResponse Marketer and MailerLite Power both offer unlimited automation workflows. For ecommerce flows such as abandoned cart, Omnisend is the easiest to set up.
Can I move my automations from ActiveCampaign?
Contacts, tags and custom fields export as a CSV file. Automations cannot be copied between tools, so you rebuild them, starting with your welcome series.
