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Email Marketing · head to head

ActiveCampaign vs RD Station Marketing

ActiveCampaign logo

ActiveCampaign

Email Marketing

CRM, marketing automation, and sales platform

From
Free
Rated
-
RD Station Marketing logo

RD Station Marketing

Email Marketing

Marketing automation for growing businesses

From
Free
Rated
-

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; RD Station Marketing pro plan requires 12-month contract lock-in and additional R$ 2,699 implementation fee. Enterprise plan pricing not disclosed.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ActiveCampaign and RD Station Marketing actually diverge.

Attributes where ActiveCampaign and RD Station Marketing differ
AttributeActiveCampaignRD Station Marketing
PlatformsCloud-based SaaSWeb
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), 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 RD Station Marketing

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 RD Station Marketing
  • Marketing teams needing AI-driven lead scoring and automationnot RD Station Marketing

RD Station Marketing

  • Nurturing leads across email and WhatsApp with automated sequencesnot ActiveCampaign
  • Managing sales pipelines with direct WhatsApp deal negotiationsnot ActiveCampaign
  • Consolidating omnichannel support across WhatsApp, email, and chatnot ActiveCampaign
  • Building email campaigns and landing pages without codingnot ActiveCampaign
  • Prioritizing high-probability leads with AI qualificationnot 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

RD Station Marketing

  • Pro plan requires 12-month contract lock-in and additional R$ 2,699 implementation fee. Enterprise plan pricing not disclosed.

Pricing, plan by plan

ActiveCampaign

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the ActiveCampaign review.

RD Station Marketing

Free
  • Light Plan$16/month
    • Up to 1,000 active contacts
    • Special promotional pricing from USD 18 to USD 16/month
    • No lock-in contract
  • Basic Plan$72/month
    • Up to 1,000 contacts
    • Special promotional pricing from USD 112 to USD 72/month
    • No lock-in contract
  • Pro Plan$159/month
    • Up to 3,000 contacts
    • Mandatory 12-month annual contract
    • Required implementation fee of R$ 2,699
  • Enterprise Plan$undefined/mo
    • Custom pricing for bases exceeding 100,000 contacts
    • Maximum flexibility with unlimited users
    • Highest email send limits

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 RD Station Marketing if

  • You want to start without paying.

Questions people ask

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

Yes. RD Station Marketing offers a 10-day free trial without requiring a credit card. No automatic charges apply after the trial ends.

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
RD Station Marketing: What is the cheapest RD Station Marketing plan?

The Light Plan is the cheapest at USD 16/month (promotional pricing down from USD 18) for up to 1,000 active contacts with no contract lock-in.

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
RD Station Marketing: Does RD Station Marketing have a contract requirement?

Light and Basic plans have no lock-in contracts. The Pro plan requires a mandatory 12-month annual contract plus an implementation fee of R$ 2,699.

Source
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