ActiveCampaign Pricing: Punches Above Weight Class

Let’s be honest — ActiveCampaign punches above its weight class when it comes to features vs. pricing. Their free plan lets you manage up to 1,000 subscribers and send 12,000 emails monthly, which is pretty generous for small businesses just getting their feet wet.

What surprised me was finding AI tools (like content and subject line generators) included in all plans — most competitors lock those behind premium tiers. Even their entry-level plan at $9/month includes round-the-clock email support, multi-user access, and approval workflows.

I’ve tried several platforms, and these features are usually reserved for the big spenders. If you’re running a growing team and need solid automation without emptying your wallet, ActiveCampaign delivers serious bang for your buck.

ActiveCampaign Pricing at a Glance

• Free Plan: $0 for 1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails/month, with basic features and AI tools thrown in.
• Lite Plan: $9/month for 500 contacts, 10x email sends/month, AI tools, multi-user access, and 24/7 support.
• Plus Plan: $49/month covering 1,000 contacts, 12x email sends/month, automation maps, landing pages, and contact scoring.
• Professional Plan: $149/month for 2,500 contacts, unlimited emails, predictive sending, split automations, and site messaging.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing starting with 2,500+ contacts, unlimited emails, custom reporting, HIPAA compliance, and a dedicated account rep.

Monthly Pricing Based on Contact List Size

The Fine Print Worth Noting

• You can only use the Starter Plan with up to 10,000 contacts. Got more? You’ll need to upgrade to Plus, Pro, or Enterprise.
• Costs jump pretty significantly as your list grows. This isn’t just about storage – you’re getting access to more powerful features too.
• Once you hit 100,000+ contacts, you’ll need to chat with their sales team for custom pricing.
• Don’t just look at contact limits – higher tiers unlock goodies like lead scoring, predictive sending, multivariate testing, and CRM functionality.
• Choose your plan based on both your current contact volume AND your marketing ambitions. If you’re planning complex automation sequences, you might want to start with a higher tier.

Plan Features Side-by-Side

Free Plan: Pretty Decent for Newbies

I was actually impressed with ActiveCampaign’s Free Plan. It’s a solid entry point if you’re just starting out. You get up to 1,000 contacts and can send 12,000 emails per month – not too shabby! 

They’ve included AI-powered content and subject line generators (which I found surprisingly useful), a basic automation builder, and responsive templates that don’t look like they were designed in the 90s.

You can create signup forms, manage one audience, and track basic performance metrics. I particularly liked the drag-and-drop email editor — you don’t need to be a design whiz or know how to code. Perfect if you’re running a startup, nonprofit, or side hustle and aren’t ready to commit financially.

The downsides? You’re stuck with:

• Just one user account
• Limited to a single audience
• No A/B testing or segmentation
• Very basic automation capabilities
• No live support (just community forums)

While it’s generous to start with, you’ll outgrow it pretty quickly if your list is growing or you need more sophisticated marketing.

Essentials Plan: Smart Choice for Small Teams

For $9/month, the Essentials Plan hits a sweet spot between affordability and actual usefulness. It works well for small teams ready to step up their game. 

You’ll get access for up to 3 users, 10x more emails per contact, plus some handy extras like basic automation sequences, those AI tools I mentioned, and landing pages.

The 24/7 email and chat support is a huge upgrade from the forums-only approach on the free tier. I’d recommend this for small businesses running regular campaigns who need to manage multiple audiences and want simple automated journeys (think welcome sequences or “hey, you abandoned your cart” reminders).

Where it falls short:

• A/B testing only works on subject lines
• No fancy automation flows
• Pretty basic reporting
• Can’t score leads or split automations
• Limited segmentation options

The Essentials Plan delivers solid value, especially if you’re transitioning from hobby to professional marketing. That said, if you’re after deep audience segmentation, serious performance testing, or CRM-level automation, you’ll eventually hit the ceiling.

Standard Plan: This is Where Things Get Interesting

At $49/month, the Standard Plan is where ActiveCampaign really starts to shine for serious marketers. You get proper A/B testing for both subject lines AND content, lead scoring, and those super useful behavior-based automation workflows.

With 12x email sends per contact, 5 user seats, and approval workflows, it works great for marketing teams wanting to level up their performance and handle more complex campaigns.

They’ve also thrown in better reporting tools, web tracking, and event-based automation triggers — perfect for ecommerce stores, SaaS platforms, or agencies juggling multiple clients.

The limitations you’ll face:

• No multivariate testing (bummer!)
• Doesn’t include predictive sending
• SMS marketing costs extra
• CRM features are pretty limited
• No custom reporting or onboarding support

For most small-to-medium businesses, the Standard Plan hits the sweet spot. But if you’re after enterprise-level insights, multichannel integration, or fancy predictive features, you might find yourself eyeing the Premium tier sooner than expected.

Premium Plan: The Big Guns for Data-Driven Teams

$149/month definitely isn’t cheap, but Premium is ActiveCampaign’s all-in package. It includes everything from the lower tiers plus adds predictive sending, multivariate testing, custom reporting, and AI-driven segmentation.

You’ll get unlimited email sends, unlimited users, personalized onboarding, and priority support — crucial stuff if you’re running a large organization or high-stakes marketing operation.

It also unlocks attribution tracking and SMS marketing integration, so you can run true multichannel campaigns from a single dashboard. This plan works beautifully for enterprise users, marketing consultants, and data-obsessed teams who need tight control over performance, personalization, and team collaboration.

Premium’s drawbacks:

• That monthly price tag isn’t small
• Setting up SMS can be a headache
• You might need help with all those advanced features
• Definitely not beginner-friendly
• API stuff might require a developer’s help

While Premium is packed with goodies, it really shines in the hands of experienced teams who can make the most of its capabilities. Smaller teams might end up paying for features they barely touch, making it less cost-effective unless you absolutely need that data sophistication and scale.

Transactional Emails Pricing

ActiveCampaign SMS Pricing 

SMS Credit Usage by Country:

Note: For countries without local number support, SMS messages are sent from U.S. numbers. Additionally, “From” numbers are not supported for Germany and Spain. 

Monthly Credit Subscriptions: You’ll need to buy an SMS add-on to use the SMS features. It works with all plan types except the Starter plan.

What happens to unused credits? Honestly, the info I reviewed doesn’t mention whether unused SMS credits roll over or expire. You’d probably want to reach out to ActiveCampaign’s support directly to get the full story on that.

Which plans can use SMS? The SMS add-on works with these ActiveCampaign plans: Plus, Pro and Enterprise. Sorry, Starter plan folks – no SMS for you!

Where it works: ActiveCampaign can send SMS messages to tons of countries, but features like local “From” numbers and MMS vary depending on where you’re sending. Check their official docs for the full list of supported countries and specific credit usage per message.

A few more things to know:

• Dedicated numbers: In countries with local number support, messages come from local numbers chosen by ActiveCampaign’s SMS provider. Otherwise, they’re sent from U.S. numbers.
• Rules & regulations: You’ve gotta follow local regulations, including getting clear permission from contacts before blasting out text messages.
• Keep it brief: SMS messages have a 160-character limit, so no novels!

About author

Emily Austin

Author

Sender

Emily is a content manager who has dipped her toes in almost all fields of marketing, including email marketing, PR, social media, and ecommerce. She loves perfecting digital content, ensuring everything is polished and ready to go live.