Softwr

Email Marketing · head to head

ActiveCampaign vs Brevo

ActiveCampaign logo

ActiveCampaign

Email Marketing

CRM, marketing automation, and sales platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Brevo logo

Brevo

Email Marketing

Email, SMS, and CRM in one platform

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; Brevo paid plans are priced by email volume sent per month, with higher tiers running past $100 per month as list and send volume grows
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ActiveCampaign and Brevo actually diverge.

Attributes where ActiveCampaign and Brevo differ
AttributeActiveCampaignBrevo
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 Brevo

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

Brevo

  • Email marketing campaigns with drag-and-drop editornot ActiveCampaign
  • SMS and WhatsApp multichannel messagingnot ActiveCampaign
  • Customer loyalty program managementnot ActiveCampaign
  • Transactional email and API-triggered messagingnot 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

Brevo

  • Paid plans are priced by email volume sent per month, with higher tiers running past $100 per month as list and send volume grows

Pricing, plan by plan

ActiveCampaign

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the ActiveCampaign review.

Brevo

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Brevo 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.
ActiveCampaign review

Choose Brevo if

  • You want to start without paying.
Brevo review

Questions people ask

Is ActiveCampaign or Brevo better?
Neither clearly leads. ActiveCampaign starts at Free and Brevo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or Brevo?
ActiveCampaign starts at Free and Brevo at Free.
Does ActiveCampaign or Brevo run on more platforms?
ActiveCampaign runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Brevo 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 Brevo is typically brought in for.
What can ActiveCampaign do that Brevo 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
Brevo: Does Brevo offer a free plan?

Yes, Brevo offers a free tier with no credit card required. You can launch marketing campaigns, access templates, and use basic automation without paying.

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
Brevo: What pricing model does Brevo use?

Brevo uses a freemium model. No specific pricing rates are published on their main website. Users must navigate to the pricing page or contact sales to see tiered pricing based on email volume and features needed.

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
Brevo: What channels does Brevo support?

Brevo supports email, SMS, WhatsApp, web and mobile push notifications, live chat, chatbot, wallet, phone, and transactional messaging across all plans.

Source
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