ActiveCampaign vs Campaign Monitor
Compare ActiveCampaign and Campaign Monitor on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.
ActiveCampaign
Email marketing automation ESP with multi-step journeys; CRM pipelines strongest on Plus+; contact-based pricing.
Best for
- • Marketing-led SMBs that need automation as the primary email job
- • Email-first GTM teams comparing HubSpot or Keap on journeys
- • Buyers comfortable with contact-tier packaging who want CRM on Plus+
Starting from $15.00/user/mo
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
There is no universal winner between ActiveCampaign and Campaign Monitor. Choose ActiveCampaign when Marketing-led SMBs that need automation as the primary email job. Choose Campaign Monitor when Brand-conscious teams prioritizing email design/templates. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.
ActiveCampaign is better for
- ✓ Automation
- ✓ Segmentation
- ✓ Analytics
- ✓ Integrations
Campaign Monitor is better for
- ✓ Templates
- ✓ Landing pages
Choose ActiveCampaign if: Marketing-led SMBs that need automation as the primary email job
Choose Campaign Monitor if: Brand-conscious teams prioritizing email design/templates
Campaign Monitor
Design-led email marketing by Marigold with contact-tier Lite, Essentials, Premier, and Enterprise.
Best for
- • Brand-conscious teams prioritizing email design/templates
- • Agencies needing client/subaccount tooling (higher plans)
- • Marketers wanting AI writer/booster and benchmarked campaign insights
Starting from $13.00/user/mo
No free plan
Comparison scorecard
Criterion-by-criterion results for ActiveCampaign and Campaign Monitor. Numeric bars appear only when both products have approved scores.
- Depends
Starting pricing
Published floor price and what that floor actually includes.
ActiveCampaign researched starting price from $15/mo; Campaign Monitor researched starting price from $13/mo. Contact-based packaging can change the real TCO.
ActiveCampaignDependsCampaign MonitorDepends - Depends
Contact / subscriber limits
How contact or subscriber caps affect plan cost.
Contact and profile limits for ActiveCampaign and Campaign Monitor should be confirmed on live vendor pricing — current research records plan models, not a universal cheaper winner.
ActiveCampaignDependsCampaign MonitorDepends - Depends
Email send limits
Monthly send caps and overage behavior.
Email send limits depend on plan rungs for ActiveCampaign and Campaign Monitor. Confirm current send and automation caps before purchase.
ActiveCampaignDependsCampaign MonitorDepends - ActiveCampaign
Automation
Journey, drip, and workflow automation depth.
ActiveCampaign leads on automation (9/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ActiveCampaign9/10Campaign Monitor6/10 - Campaign Monitor
Templates
Email template quality and starting points.
Campaign Monitor leads on templates (8/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ActiveCampaignWeakerCampaign MonitorStronger - ActiveCampaign
Segmentation
Audience, behavior, and list segmentation depth.
ActiveCampaign leads on segmentation (9/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ActiveCampaign9/10Campaign Monitor7/10 - Campaign Monitor
Landing pages
Native landing-page or form builders.
Stronger coverage across landing pages.
ActiveCampaignWeakerCampaign MonitorStronger - ActiveCampaign
Analytics
Campaign, conversation, or workforce reporting depth.
ActiveCampaign leads on analytics (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ActiveCampaign8/10Campaign Monitor7/10 - ActiveCampaign
Integrations
Important third-party integrations.
ActiveCampaign leads on integrations (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ActiveCampaign8/10Campaign Monitor7/10 - ActiveCampaign
AI features
Useful AI for the primary job — not marketing fluff.
ActiveCampaign leads on ai features (8/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
ActiveCampaign8/10Campaign Monitor6/10
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