ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign stands out for its automation engine: conditional sequences, lead scoring and a built-in basic CRM, designed for businesses that already think in customer "journeys" and not just in sending a newsletter.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp remains the best-known option for simpler, one-off email campaigns, with an accessible visual editor, although its free plan was cut in 2026 and its multi-step automation is reserved for paid plans.

Key differences

• ActiveCampaign has no free plan; Mailchimp does, though limited to 250 contacts and 500 sends per month.
• ActiveCampaign includes advanced automation and a basic CRM from the entry plan; in Mailchimp, multi-step automation is not on the free plan.
• Since November 2025, ActiveCampaign charges for all contacts (including unsubscribed or bounced ones) on new accounts, something worth keeping in mind when calculating the real cost.
• Mailchimp changes its pricing more often than ActiveCampaign: two adjustments in just the first four months of 2026.

Pricing

Updated: September 2026 — source: official pricing pages (see Sources).

ActiveCampaign

• Starter — $15/month (billed annually), 1,000 contacts.
• Plus — $49/month (billed annually), 1,000 contacts.
• Professional — $79/month (billed annually), 1,000 contacts.
• Enterprise — $145/month (billed annually), 1,000 contacts.

Mailchimp

• Free — $0, 250 contacts, 500 emails/month.
• Essentials — from $13/month for 500 contacts.
• Standard and Premium — the cost rises with list size (a list of 4,000+ contacts typically runs around $75–$135/month).

Features and integrations

If the goal is to automate customer journeys (welcome, abandoned carts, interest scoring), ActiveCampaign offers deeper tools from the first paid plan. If the goal is to send more traditional email campaigns without thinking much about automation, Mailchimp handles that with a shorter learning curve.

Ease of use

Mailchimp is simpler to learn for someone who just wants to design and send a campaign. ActiveCampaign requires more initial setup time because its strength lies precisely in building automations, not in the simplicity of one-off sending.

Who is each tool for?

ActiveCampaign: Businesses that already sell on a recurring basis and want to automate the customer lifecycle (welcome, nurturing, cart recovery).

Mailchimp: People just starting out with email marketing who want to try it for free before committing to a paid plan.

Verdict

ActiveCampaign wins if the priority is automating customer journeys; Mailchimp wins if the priority is starting for free with no learning curve.