Softwr

Software · head to head

ActiveCampaign vs Novu

ActiveCampaign logo

ActiveCampaign

Software

CRM, marketing automation, and sales platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Novu logo

Novu

Software

Open-source notification infrastructure for multi-channel messaging

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ActiveCampaign starter tier capped at 5 automation actions per automation; unlimited actions require Plus tier or higher; Novu free plan activity feed retention is limited to 24 hours, restricting how far back teams can debug delivery issues.
  • They diverge on capability: ActiveCampaign covers Contact management, Novu covers Multi-channel workflows.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ActiveCampaign and Novu actually diverge.

Attributes where ActiveCampaign and Novu differ
AttributeActiveCampaignNovu
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsCloud-based SaaSweb, api
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Novu

  • Multi-channel workflows
  • Advanced email editor
  • Activity feed
  • Multi-environment support
  • Role-based access control
  • Self-hosting

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 Novu
  • Marketing teams needing AI-driven lead scoring and automationnot Novu

Novu

  • Building multi-channel notification workflows for a SaaS productnot ActiveCampaign
  • Self-hosting notification infrastructure for data controlnot ActiveCampaign
  • Managing separate notification environments for staging and productionnot ActiveCampaign
  • Tracking notification delivery history and activitynot ActiveCampaign

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

Novu

  • Free plan activity feed retention is limited to 24 hours, restricting how far back teams can debug delivery issues.
  • Overage on Pro and Team plans is billed at $1.20 per 1,000 additional workflow runs, which can add up at scale.
  • HIPAA BAA compliance and dedicated SSO are Enterprise-only and require custom pricing.

Pricing, plan by plan

ActiveCampaign

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the ActiveCampaign review.

Novu

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10,000 workflow runs/month
    • All channels included
    • Up to 20 workflows
  • Pro$30/month
    • 30,000+ workflow runs/month
    • Advanced email editor
    • Remove Novu branding
  • Team$250/month
    • 250,000+ workflow runs/month
    • Up to 10 environments
    • 90-day activity feed retention

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.
ActiveCampaign review

Choose Novu if

  • You need multi-channel workflows.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want advanced email editor.
Novu review

Questions people ask

Is ActiveCampaign or Novu better?
Neither clearly leads. ActiveCampaign starts at Free and Novu at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or Novu?
ActiveCampaign starts at Free and Novu at Free.
Does ActiveCampaign or Novu run on more platforms?
ActiveCampaign runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Novu runs on web, api.
Can I use ActiveCampaign for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Novu is typically brought in for.
What can ActiveCampaign do that Novu cannot?
ActiveCampaign covers Contact management, Sales pipeline, Marketing automation, Email marketing. Novu covers Multi-channel workflows, Advanced email editor, Activity feed, Multi-environment support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Novu: What does Novu cost?

Novu offers a Free plan for 10,000 workflow runs per month, Pro from $30/month for 30,000+ runs, Team from $250/month for 250,000+ runs, and custom Enterprise pricing for 10M+ runs.

Source
Novu: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the Free plan includes 10,000 workflow runs per month, all messaging channels, up to 20 workflows, 2 environments, and up to 3 team members.

Source
Novu: How is usage metered?

Billing is based on the number of workflow runs per month rather than per user or per message, with overage on paid plans charged at $1.20 per 1,000 additional runs.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on ActiveCampaign

More on Novu

Keep looking

Other head to heads