ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit: Two Powerhouses, Who Wins?

ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit are two of the most popular email marketing softwares on the market, and for good reason.

Both focused on great deliverability and advanced automations, they’re the perfect fit for most businesses since these features can really help you improve profitability!

At the end of the day, finding a tool that can help you get more out of your email list is going to pay off in the long run, so it’s wise to invest in the right email service provider from the start.

I’ve tested both of these platforms out thoroughly, so I’m looking forward to helping you make the best decision for your business.

Let’s get right into this detailed comparison!

Our Pick

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is the perfect email marketing service for small business owners! It’s the most powerful newsletter platform on the market, and it’s super affordable.

Try ActiveCampaign for free →

Overview of ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit

Introducing ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is an email marketing software and CRM launched in 2003 by Jason VandeBoom!

Focused on becoming the most powerful email marketing provider in terms of automation, they have functionality other platforms can’t dream of.

They’ve grown more popular over the last few years, so they’re definitely a solution worth considering. Personally, I’ve been using ActiveCampaign for most of my email marketing due to their advanced automation!

Introducing ConvertKit

ConvertKit is an email marketing platform launched by Nathan Barry in early 2013!

With a focus on helping online creators and bloggers grow, ConvertKit is the perfect fit for influencers or anybody with an audience online.

They’re a great platform for anybody looking to start with email marketing, due to their UI and simple yet powerful functionality!

What does each platform have to offer?

Both of these platforms are loaded with features to help you get better results from your email marketing efforts, but which takes the crown?

ActiveCampaign’s best features

ActiveCampaign is an extremely powerful platform, including the following features:

• Helps you build and manage an email list using their CRM
• Drag-and-drop email designer so you can create fully customized emails
• Super powerful email automation features (best I’ve used, bar none)
• Allows you to split test with ease (single emails or campaigns!)
• Integrates with many e-commerce, blogging, or other marketing tools
• Simplifies the entire process of organizing the customer experience
• Much more functionality inside…

ConvertKit’s best features

ConvertKit has an impressive amount of functionality, including the following features:

• Helps you build an email list for your audience with fully customizable landing pages and forms
• Allows you to organize your email list with custom fields and tags, to segment effectively
• Enables you to create sequences and automations so you can customize the user experience
• Integrates with many e-commerce, blogging, and other marketing tools
• Advanced reporting on your email marketing campaigns so you can see what works best
• Much more functionality inside…

Which email marketing software has the best features?

I’d have to give ActiveCampaign the edge here, because it offers a lot of extra automation and CRM functionality!

Although they lack the ability to create fully customized forms and landing pages like ConvertKit, there’s a lot of free and paid options you can use to do this.

When you are using ActiveCampaign, you have the ability to create laser-focused automations that personalize the user experience based on what emails they open, click, and anything else you can imagine!

How much does each platform cost?

Both ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit offer a free trial period, so you can test each platform out and find the perfect fit based on your own needs. I’ve always found this is the best way to see which software you prefer, since it’s a hands-on approach!

ActiveCampaign Pricing Options

ActiveCampaign offers four pricing options, all of which include a free trial so you can try their platform.

ActiveCampaign’s Lite Plan

Here’s what’s included in their lite plan:

• Unlimited Sending
• Email Marketing
• Send Newsletters
• Subscription Forms
• Marketing Automation
• Chat & Email Support
• Up to 3 Users

This plan starts at $15/m, or $9/m when paid annually for up to 500 email subscribers.

Have more than 500 subscribers? Click here to see exactly how much it will cost!

ActiveCampaign’s Plus Plan

Here’s what’s included in their plus plan:

• Everything from the lite plan
• Facebook custom audiences
• Lead & contact scoring
• Extra integrations
• SMS Marketing
• Dynamic Content
• Customer User Permissions
• Up to 25 Users

This plan starts at $70/m, or $49/m when paid annually for up to 500 email subscribers.

Have more than 500 subscribers? Click here to see exactly how much it will cost!

ActiveCampaign’s Professional Plan

Here’s what’s included in their professional plan:

• Everything from the plus plan
• Predictive sending
• Predictive content
• Customer attribution & path to purchase
• Win probability
• Conversion attribution reporting
• Split automations
• Site messaging
• In-depth onboarding consultation
• Automation strategy consultation
• 3 One-one-one training sessions per month
• Up to 50 Users

This plan starts at $159/m, or $129/m when paid annually for up to 500 email subscribers.

Have more than 500 subscribers? Click here to see exactly how much it will cost!

ActiveCampaign’s Enterprise Plan

Here’s what’s included in their enterprise plan:

• Everything from the professional plan
• Custom reporting (beta)
• Custom mailserver domain
• Custom domain
• Dedicated account representative
• Free design services
• Free social data
• Phone support
• Uptime SLA
• Unlimited users

This plan starts at $279/m, or $229/m when paid annually for up to 500 email subscribers.

Have more than 500 subscribers? Click here to see exactly how much it will cost!

ConvertKit Pricing Options

ConvertKit offers two pricing options – one free plan, and one paid plan that comes with a free trial!

ConvertKit’s Free Plan

Here’s what you’ll get when you sign up for ConvertKit’s free plan:

• Unlimited landing pages & forms
• Unlimited traffic
• Customizable domain
• Send email broadcasts
• Subscriber tagging
• Manage 1,000 subscribers

ConvertKit’s Complete Plan

Here’s what you’ll get when you sign up for a free trial of ConvertKit’s complete plan:

• Unlimited landing pages & forms
• Unlimited traffic
• Customizable domain
• Send email broadcasts
• Subscriber tagging
• Manage 1,000+ subscribers
• Automated funnels & email sequences
• Premium support
• Integrations

They’ll even offer a free migration from your current email marketing platform!

Why you may want to choose ActiveCampaign over ConvertKit

ActiveCampaign is going to be the better option when you are looking to use advanced automation features and a CRM. Since these features can make segmenting your list much easier, I’d highly recommend you to go with ActiveCampaign if you are a small business owner looking to maximize profits from your marketing efforts!

ActiveCampaign is by far the most powerful email marketing software I’ve ever used!

So if that’s something you are looking for, ActiveCampaign is going to be a perfect fit.

Why you may want to choose ConvertKit over ActiveCampaign

ConvertKit is going to be the better option if you are looking for a simple, yet powerful tool to handle your email marketing! For any online creators, influencers, or solopreneurs, you’ll find this balance to be the best option in most cases (unless serious automation is required!).

Oh and affiliate marketers, I’d definitely recommend going with ConvertKit instead of ActiveCampaign since they’re more lenient when it comes to sending affiliate links inside of emails!

My final thoughts

In conclusion, I’ve used both of these platforms extensively and I’ve been a big fan of ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit! They’re both going to be solid options for your business, but here’s what you should know before making a final decision.

I’d consider ConvertKit to be the best choice if you are looking for an affiliate-friendly email marketing tool. And if you’re an influencer, online creator, or solopreneur, the combination of simplicity and power is going to be the perfect fit for you!

On the other hand, ActiveCampaign is going to be the best choice if you run a small business (whether brick-and-mortar or online!). With how strong their CRM and marketing automation features are, you can’t go wrong with their services. They’re simply the most powerful email marketing platform I’ve ever used, which is something you’ll want access to as a business owner!

And if you’re still undecided, grab a free trial of each and see which you prefer.

Hey! Dylan here, I'm the guy behind HustlerSource. After years of building different online businesses from the ground up, I designed this website to help you find the right tools and strategies to grow your own business!