Softwr

Email Marketing · head to head

ActiveCampaign vs Omnisend

ActiveCampaign logo

ActiveCampaign

Email Marketing

CRM, marketing automation, and sales platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Omnisend logo

Omnisend

Email Marketing

Email, SMS and push marketing automation for ecommerce

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; Omnisend free plan caps at 250 contacts and 500 emails per month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ActiveCampaign and Omnisend actually diverge.

Attributes where ActiveCampaign and Omnisend differ
AttributeActiveCampaignOmnisend
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsCloud-based SaaSWeb
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Omnisend

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

Omnisend

  • Sending cart abandonment recovery emails with product recommendationsnot ActiveCampaign
  • Segmenting customers by purchase history for targeted SMS campaignsnot ActiveCampaign
  • Creating browse abandonment sequences triggered by browsing behaviornot ActiveCampaign
  • Generating personalized product recommendations in email messagesnot 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

Omnisend

  • Free plan caps at 250 contacts and 500 emails per month
  • Standard plan is limited to 500 contacts and 6,000 emails per month before an upgrade is required
  • SMS is billed separately starting at $0.007 per message and varies by country and volume
  • Custom pricing only begins above 150,001 contacts, requiring a sales conversation at that scale

Pricing, plan by plan

ActiveCampaign

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the ActiveCampaign review.

Omnisend

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 250 contacts
    • 500 emails/month
    • 500 web push/month
  • Standard$11.2/month
    • Up to 500 contacts
    • 6,000 emails/month (12x list size)
    • Unlimited web push
  • Pro$41.3/month
    • Up to 2,500 contacts
    • Unlimited emails
    • Unlimited web push
  • Custom$undefined/mo
    • 150,001+ contacts
    • Custom pricing with dedicated account expert

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 Omnisend if

  • You want to start without paying.
Omnisend review

Questions people ask

Is ActiveCampaign or Omnisend better?
Neither clearly leads. ActiveCampaign starts at Free and Omnisend at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or Omnisend?
ActiveCampaign starts at Free and Omnisend at Free.
Does ActiveCampaign or Omnisend run on more platforms?
ActiveCampaign runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Omnisend runs on Web.
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 Omnisend is typically brought in for.
What can ActiveCampaign do that Omnisend cannot?
ActiveCampaign covers Contact management, Sales pipeline, Marketing automation, Email marketing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ActiveCampaign: Is there a free trial without providing a credit card?

Yes, ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial that requires only an email address for sign-up. No credit card is needed and setup is instant.

Source
Omnisend: What is Omnisend's pricing model?

Omnisend uses contact-based tiered pricing. Free plan includes 250 contacts, Standard tier covers 500 contacts at $11.20/month, Pro tier covers 2,500 contacts at $41.30/month. Monthly or 3-month subscriptions available with 30% discount on quarterly billing.

Source
ActiveCampaign: How is pricing determined for my account?

Pricing is custom and based on your contact volume, which ranges from fewer than 500 to more than 250,000 contacts. ActiveCampaign states they will put together a pricing package specific to your needs after you submit the pricing request form.

Source
Omnisend: Does Omnisend charge for SMS?

Yes, SMS is an add-on with volume-based pricing starting at $0.007 per message for orders of 10,000+ messages, up to $0.009 per message for smaller volumes.

Source
ActiveCampaign: Do I need to talk to sales to access the platform?

No, the 14-day free trial provides full access to the autonomous marketing platform without requiring sales contact. After the trial ends, you must complete a pricing request form to move forward.

Source
Omnisend: Is there a free version of Omnisend?

Omnisend offers a free tier for up to 250 contacts with 500 emails/month, 500 web push/month, and basic automation features.

Source
Omnisend: What is included in the Pro plan?

The Pro plan at $41.30/month covers up to 2,500 contacts with unlimited emails, unlimited web push, AI personalization, and SMS starting at $0.007 per message.

Source
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