Email Marketing · head to head
ActiveCampaign vs Flodesk
ActiveCampaign
Email Marketing
CRM, marketing automation, and sales platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Flodesk
Email Marketing
Email marketing built for creators and small business
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only ActiveCampaign has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: ActiveCampaign starter tier capped at 5 automation actions per automation; unlimited actions require Plus tier or higher; Flodesk flat monthly pricing starting near $19 to $25 per month on annual billing does not scale down for very small lists the way per-subscriber pricing from competitors can
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ActiveCampaign and Flodesk actually diverge.
| Attribute | ActiveCampaign | Flodesk |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Cloud-based SaaS | Web |
| Founded | 2003 | Unknown |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Email Marketing).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ActiveCampaign
- Contact management
- Sales pipeline
- Marketing automation
- Email marketing
- Customer service
- Reporting
- Automation
- Zapier
Only in Flodesk
Nothing recorded that ActiveCampaign does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ActiveCampaign
- Businesses automating cross-channel campaigns (email, SMS, WhatsApp)not Flodesk
- Marketing teams needing AI-driven lead scoring and automationnot Flodesk
Flodesk
No use cases recorded yet. See the Flodesk review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ActiveCampaign
- Starter tier capped at 5 automation actions per automation; unlimited actions require Plus tier or higher
- Active Intelligence (AI features) limited or excluded in Starter and Plus tiers; Advanced Intelligence only available in Pro and Enterprise
- SSO and advanced CRM integrations only available in Pro and Enterprise tiers
- Multiple users scaling limited: Starter allows 1 user, Plus allows 3, Enterprise allows 5 users
Flodesk
- Flat monthly pricing starting near $19 to $25 per month on annual billing does not scale down for very small lists the way per-subscriber pricing from competitors can
Pricing, plan by plan
ActiveCampaign
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the ActiveCampaign review.
Flodesk
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Flodesk review.
Which should you pick?
Choose ActiveCampaign if
- You need contact management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud-based SaaS.
- You also want sales pipeline.
Choose Flodesk if
Nothing in the data separates Flodesk from ActiveCampaign on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is ActiveCampaign or Flodesk better?
- Neither clearly leads. ActiveCampaign starts at Free and Flodesk at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or Flodesk?
- ActiveCampaign has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ActiveCampaign and On request for Flodesk.
- Does ActiveCampaign or Flodesk run on more platforms?
- ActiveCampaign runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Flodesk runs on Web.
- Can I use ActiveCampaign for free?
- Yes. ActiveCampaign has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Flodesk starts at On request.
- What is ActiveCampaign best used for?
- ActiveCampaign is most often used for businesses automating cross-channel campaigns (email, sms, whatsapp), marketing teams needing ai-driven lead scoring and automation. Of those, businesses automating cross-channel campaigns (email, sms, whatsapp) and marketing teams needing ai-driven lead scoring and automation are not what Flodesk is typically brought in for.
- What can ActiveCampaign do that Flodesk cannot?
- ActiveCampaign covers Contact management, Sales pipeline, Marketing automation, Email marketing.