ACT! vs Mailchimp
ACT! fits act! by swiftpage — long-standing smb crm for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales; Mailchimp fits email marketing platform with crm-oriented contact and audience tools; freemium entry for smaller lists.
ACT!
ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).
Best for
- • ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
- • Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
There is no universal winner between ACT! and Mailchimp. Choose based on pipeline depth, automation, email and calling, reporting, and pricing trade-offs.
ACT! is better for
- ✓ Pipeline management
- ✓ Sales automation
Mailchimp is better for
- ✓ Ease of use
- ✓ Email capabilities
- ✓ Reporting
- ✓ Customization
Choose ACT! if: ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
Choose Mailchimp if: Email marketing platform with CRM-oriented contact and audience tools; freemium entry for smaller lists
Mailchimp
Email marketing with CRM features; freemium entry (secondary category: marketing).
Best for
- • Email marketing platform with CRM-oriented contact and audience tools; freemium entry for smaller lists
- • Marketing platform with CRM features for audience management, journeys, and email — strongest as marketing-led CRM, not full sales platform
Starting from $13.00/user/mo
Free plan available
Quick verdict
Start here — then dig into the evidence below.
Choose ACT! if…
- ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
- Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses
- You prioritize pipeline management
- You prioritize sales automation
Choose Mailchimp if…
- Email marketing platform with CRM-oriented contact and audience tools; freemium entry for smaller lists
- Marketing platform with CRM features for audience management, journeys, and email — strongest as marketing-led CRM, not full sales platform
- You prioritize ease of use
- You prioritize email capabilities
Overall recommendation
There is no universal winner between ACT! and Mailchimp. Choose based on pipeline depth, automation, email and calling, reporting, and pricing trade-offs.
Key trade-off
ACT! trades toward pipeline management; Mailchimp trades toward ease of use.
Winner by category
Only dimensions with researched evidence for this pair.
| Dimension | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Mailchimp wins | Mailchimp leads on ease of use (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Sales | ACT! wins | ACT! leads on pipeline management (6/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Automation | ACT! wins | Stronger workflow automation availability |
| Email capabilities | Mailchimp wins | Mailchimp leads on email capabilities (6/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Reporting | Mailchimp wins | Mailchimp leads on reporting (5/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Customization | Mailchimp wins | Stronger custom pipelines availability |
| Integrations | Mailchimp wins | Mailchimp leads on integrations (5/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Administration | Mailchimp wins | Mailchimp leads on administration (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Enterprise suitability | Mailchimp wins | Mailchimp leads on scalability (5/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Value | Mailchimp wins | Mailchimp leads on value for money (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
Side-by-side feature matrix
Normalized availability from product research — empty rows are not shown.
Core CRM
| Feature | ACT! | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Contact management | Strong | Strong |
| Lead management | Strong | Moderate |
| Pipeline management | Strong | Moderate |
| Deal management | Strong | Moderate |
Sales engagement
| Feature | ACT! | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Email sync | Strong | Strong |
| Email tracking | Strong | Strong |
| Workflow automation | Moderate | Moderate |
| Sales automation | Strong | Moderate |
Reporting
| Feature | ACT! | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting | Moderate | Strong |
Platform
| Feature | ACT! | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations | Strong | Strong |
| Custom fields | Strong | Strong |
| Custom pipelines | Moderate | Strong |
| Mobile app | Strong | Strong |
| AI assistance | Not evidenced | Moderate |
Pricing comparison
Pricing evidence last checked Aug 16, 2026.
ACT!
- ACT! (contact sales)Custom
Mailchimp
From $13.00/user/mo
- Free$0.00/user/mo
- Essentials$13.00/mo
- Standard$20.00/mo
- Premium$350.00/mo
Seat-count estimates
Labeled estimates from verified starting per-seat pricing — not invoices.
| Seats | ACT! | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | — | ~$65.00/mo (Essentials × 5) |
| 10 | — | ~$130.00/mo (Essentials × 10) |
| 25 | — | ~$325.00/mo (Essentials × 25) |
| 50 | — | ~$650.00/mo (Essentials × 50) |
Estimate from verified starting per-seat pricing — actual total depends on plan, annual discounts, and add-ons.
Pricing notes use verified research when available for ACT! and Mailchimp. Confirm live vendor pricing before buying.
Best for
Scenario picks from researched strengths — not a universal ranking.
- → ACT!
Best for pipeline management
ACT! leads on pipeline management (6/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- → ACT!
Best for sales automation
Stronger workflow automation availability
- → Mailchimp
Best for ease of use
Mailchimp leads on ease of use (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- → Mailchimp
Best for email capabilities
Mailchimp leads on email capabilities (6/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- → Mailchimp
Best for reporting
Mailchimp leads on reporting (5/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
The differences that actually matter
Pair-specific analysis for ACT! vs Mailchimp — not generic category copy.
Pipeline management
ACT! aheadOn pipeline management, ACT! is ahead. ACT!: ACT! leads on pipeline management (6/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.. Mailchimp: Trails ACT! on this criterion. Feature evidence also diverges on Lead management (ACT!: Strong; Mailchimp: Moderate); Pipeline management (ACT!: Strong; Mailchimp: Moderate); Deal management (ACT!: Strong; Mailchimp: Moderate).
Email capabilities
Mailchimp aheadOn email capabilities, Mailchimp is ahead. ACT!: Trails Mailchimp on this criterion. Mailchimp: Mailchimp leads on email capabilities (6/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..
Sales automation
ACT! aheadOn sales automation, ACT! is ahead. ACT!: Stronger workflow automation availability. Mailchimp: Trails ACT! on this criterion.
Reporting
Mailchimp aheadOn reporting, Mailchimp is ahead. ACT!: Trails Mailchimp on this criterion. Mailchimp: Mailchimp leads on reporting (5/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..
Value for money
Mailchimp aheadOn value for money, Mailchimp is ahead. ACT!: Trails Mailchimp on this criterion. Mailchimp: Mailchimp leads on value for money (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..
Pros and cons
Product-specific for this pair — derived from researched outcomes and editorial notes.
ACT!
Pros
- Stronger on pipeline management
- Stronger on sales automation
Cons
- Trails on ease of use
- Trails on email capabilities
- Trails on reporting
Mailchimp
Pros
- Stronger on ease of use
- Stronger on email capabilities
- Stronger on reporting
- Stronger on customization
Cons
- Trails on pipeline management
- Trails on sales automation
Implementation & learning curve
Based on researched setup / ease criteria for this pair.
ACT!
- Trails on ease of use relative to Mailchimp
- Trails on administration relative to Mailchimp
Mailchimp
- Stronger on ease of use: Mailchimp leads on ease of use (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- Stronger on administration: Mailchimp leads on administration (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Integrations
Overlaps and exclusives from product integration data when available.
ACT!: Strong. Mailchimp: Strong.
Who should not choose each product
Decision quality improves when we say who should walk away.
Don't choose ACT! if…
- You need Mailchimp's stronger ease of use more than ACT!'s strengths
- You need Mailchimp's stronger email capabilities more than ACT!'s strengths
- You need Mailchimp's stronger reporting more than ACT!'s strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: Email marketing platform with CRM-oriented contact and audience tools; freemium entry for smaller lists
Don't choose Mailchimp if…
- You need ACT!'s stronger pipeline management more than Mailchimp's strengths
- You need ACT!'s stronger sales automation more than Mailchimp's strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
- Your primary fit looks closer to: Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses
Alternatives worth considering
When neither product is the right fit.
AI-powered customer platform with free forever CRM, plus paid Smart CRM seats and Sales/Marketing/Service hubs for growing teams.
Pipeline-first sales CRM for visual deal management, activity-based selling, and growing sales teams.
Simple small-business CRM for contacts, sales pipelines, tasks, and lightweight automation without enterprise complexity.
Freshworks sales CRM for lead management and pipeline workflows.
Final verdict
Scenario-level close — not a repeat of the intro.
ACT! wins when…
ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
Mailchimp wins when…
Email marketing platform with CRM-oriented contact and audience tools; freemium entry for smaller lists
- Best for pipeline managementACT!
- Best for sales automationACT!
- Best for ease of useMailchimp
- Best for email capabilitiesMailchimp
Which one should you choose?
Choose ACT! if:
- ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
- Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses
Choose Mailchimp if:
- Email marketing platform with CRM-oriented contact and audience tools; freemium entry for smaller lists
- Marketing platform with CRM features for audience management, journeys, and email — strongest as marketing-led CRM, not full sales platform
Product screenshots
Real product UI from our media library — no placeholders.
Mailchimp
FAQ
- Is ACT! better than Mailchimp?
- There is no universal winner between ACT! and Mailchimp. Choose based on pipeline depth, automation, email and calling, reporting, and pricing trade-offs.
- Which is easier to use?
- Mailchimp leads on ease of use (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- Which CRM fits which team?
- ACT!: ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales Mailchimp: Email marketing platform with CRM-oriented contact and audience tools; freemium entry for smaller lists
- Which is stronger for sales automation?
- Stronger workflow automation availability
- Does ACT! or Mailchimp have a free plan?
- ACT!: No free plan. Mailchimp: Free plan available.
- How does ACT! vs Mailchimp pricing compare?
- Mailchimp starts from $13.00/user/mo. Confirm live vendor pricing before purchasing.
- How did SoftwareGlimpse compare these products?
- We map both products to the same category criteria, then evaluate trade-offs using verified product, pricing and feature evidence. Affiliate relationships never change outcomes.
- reviewACT! review
- reviewMailchimp review
- pricingACT! pricing
- pricingMailchimp pricing
- alternativeHubSpot alternative
- alternativePipedrive alternative
- alternativeCapsule alternative
- guideWhat Is CRM Software? A Complete Beginner’s Guide
- guideHow CRM Software Works: Records, Pipelines & Activity
- guideTypes of CRM Software: Operational, Suites & Sales CRM Shapes
- categoryCRM hub
- finderFind My CRM
- calculatorCost calculator
Related comparisons
Alternatives to consider
HubSpot
AI-powered customer platform with free forever CRM, plus paid Smart CRM seats and Sales/Marketing/Service hubs for growing teams.
Pipedrive
Pipeline-first sales CRM for visual deal management, activity-based selling, and growing sales teams.
Capsule
Simple small-business CRM for contacts, sales pipelines, tasks, and lightweight automation without enterprise complexity.
Freshsales
Freshworks sales CRM for lead management and pipeline workflows.
Still deciding between ACT! and Mailchimp?
Use Find My CRM for a shortlist matched to your priorities, or build another side-by-side comparison.
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