ActiveCampaign vs Brevo: Which Is Better in 2026?
ActiveCampaign is an automation tool that also sends email. Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, combines email campaigns with SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email and a light CRM. ActiveCampaign’s strength is complex, behavior-driven automation at a price below enterprise marketing platforms; Brevo’s is multi-channel messaging and transactional email on a budget.
01Pricing
ActiveCampaign: paid plans start at $15/mo for 1,000 contacts. Brevo: paid plans start at $8.08/mo for 5,000 emails per month. Both price by the size of your list or sending volume, so the entry prices above only hold for a small audience; check each vendor’s calculator at your list size. ActiveCampaign has no free plan; the trial runs 14 days. Brevo has a free plan (300 emails a day).
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter † | $15 | $19 | 1,000 contacts at this price; Email sends 10x contact limit; 1 user included; 5 actions per automation | Marketing automation; Email marketing; Limited segmentation; Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations |
| Plus † | $49 | $59 | 1,000 contacts at this price; Email sends 10x contact limit; 1 user included | Unlimited automation actions; Standard segmentation; Landing pages; Generative AI |
| Pro † | $79 | $99 | 1,000 contacts at this price; Email sends 12x contact limit; 3 users included | Advanced segmentation; Conditional content; Predictive sending; 200 active goals |
| Enterprise † | $145 | $179 | 1,000 contacts at this price; Email sends 15x contact limit; 5 users included | Premium segmentation; Single sign-on (SSO); Unlimited Active Intelligence access |
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 300 emails per day | |
| Starter | $8.08 | $9 | From 5,000 emails per month | Drag & drop email editor; AI content generator; Advanced segmentation; Forms |
| Standard | $16.17 | $18 | 1 landing page included | Marketing automation; A/B testing; Advanced email reporting; AI send time optimization |
| Professional | $449.08 | $499 | From 150,000 emails per month; 10 seats included | WhatsApp, popups, mobile & web push; Contact scoring; Advanced ecommerce features; AI segmentation |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Multi-account management; Custom objects; Dedicated IP; SSO & SAML |
Prices are per month on annual billing. † marks prices taken from the vendor’s documentation or page data instead of its visible pricing page. ActiveCampaign pricing and Brevo pricing have the full detail.
02The Two Tools
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is an automation tool that also sends email. Its visual builder handles branching logic, lead scoring, site tracking and conditional content, and a sales CRM can be added on. It asks for more learning than its simpler rivals and repays it for businesses whose marketing depends on timing and behavior.
- Best at
- Complex, behavior-driven automation at a price below enterprise marketing platforms.
- Falls short
- There is no free plan, the learning curve is real, and the cost climbs with both contacts and tier.
Brevo
Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, combines email campaigns with SMS, WhatsApp, transactional email and a light CRM. Its pricing is based on how many emails you send, not on how many contacts you store, which favors large lists that are mailed occasionally. The free plan caps daily sends instead of list size.
- Best at
- Multi-channel messaging and transactional email on a budget.
- Falls short
- Templates and reporting are plainer than Mailchimp’s, and the free plan’s daily cap limits how many people you can reach at once.
03Which Fits Your Situation
| If you are | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | Brevo | Pricing by emails sent keeps the cost low for a large list mailed occasionally. |
| Ecommerce | Either | ActiveCampaign: Deep automation for stores with complex customer journeys. Brevo: Transactional email and SMS in the same account as campaigns. |
| Startups | Brevo | One low-cost account for marketing email, transactional email and SMS. |
| Creators | Neither | Neither is a natural fit for creators. |
| Agencies | ActiveCampaign | Sophisticated automation that agencies can build and maintain for clients. |
04Verdict
Choose ActiveCampaign if you need serious automation and will invest time in building it. Choose Brevo if you have a large list you mail occasionally, or need SMS and transactional email in the same account.
05FAQ
Is ActiveCampaign or Brevo cheaper?
ActiveCampaign starts at $15/mo and Brevo at $8.08/mo. Both rise with the size of your list. Prices are per month on annual billing.
Do ActiveCampaign and Brevo have free plans?
ActiveCampaign has no free plan; the trial runs 14 days. Brevo has a free plan (300 emails a day).
Which is easier to learn, ActiveCampaign or Brevo?
Brevo is moderately involved to set up; ActiveCampaign is demanding to set up. There is no free plan, the learning curve is real, and the cost climbs with both contacts and tier.
Which is better for small business, ActiveCampaign or Brevo?
Brevo. Pricing by emails sent keeps the cost low for a large list mailed occasionally.