ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo
ActiveCampaign fits marketing-led smbs needing deep automation + crm on plus+; Klaviyo fits ecommerce brands needing shopify-native flows + sms.
ActiveCampaign
Email marketing automation ESP with multi-step journeys; CRM pipelines strongest on Plus+; contact-based pricing.
Best for
- • Marketing-led SMBs needing deep automation + CRM on Plus+
- • B2B/services teams comparing HubSpot/Keap for email-first GTM
Starting from $15.00/user/mo
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
Choose Klaviyo when ecommerce catalog flows and SMS attribution are the job; choose ActiveCampaign when B2B/services multi-step automation + CRM pipelines are the job.
ActiveCampaign is better for
- ✓ Integrations
Klaviyo is better for
- ✓ Templates
- ✓ Segmentation
- ✓ Landing pages
- ✓ Analytics
Tie
- • Automation
Choose ActiveCampaign if: Marketing-led SMBs needing deep automation + CRM on Plus+
Choose Klaviyo if: Ecommerce brands needing Shopify-native flows + SMS
Klaviyo
Ecommerce email + SMS platform with Shopify-native flows, revenue attribution, and active-profile billing.
Best for
- • Ecommerce brands needing Shopify-native flows + SMS
- • Teams prioritizing revenue attribution analytics
Starting from $20.00/user/mo
Free plan available
Quick verdict
Start here — then dig into the evidence below.
Choose ActiveCampaign if…
- Marketing-led SMBs needing deep automation + CRM on Plus+
- B2B/services teams comparing HubSpot/Keap for email-first GTM
- You prioritize integrations
Choose Klaviyo if…
- Ecommerce brands needing Shopify-native flows + SMS
- Teams prioritizing revenue attribution analytics
- You prioritize templates
- You prioritize segmentation
Overall recommendation
Choose Klaviyo when ecommerce catalog flows and SMS attribution are the job; choose ActiveCampaign when B2B/services multi-step automation + CRM pipelines are the job.
Key trade-off
ActiveCampaign trades toward integrations; Klaviyo trades toward templates.
Winner by category
Only dimensions with researched evidence for this pair.
| Dimension | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Automation | Tie | ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo are close on automation (9/10 vs 9/10) from SoftwareGlimpse research-grounded editorial judgments — not hands-on lab testing. ActiveCampaign/Mailchimp scores may map from crm-editorial evidence where EM re-scores are pending. |
| Templates | Klaviyo wins | Stronger coverage across email templates. |
| Segmentation | Klaviyo wins | Klaviyo leads on segmentation (8/10 vs 9/10) from SoftwareGlimpse research-grounded editorial judgments — not hands-on lab testing. ActiveCampaign/Mailchimp scores may map from crm-editorial evidence where EM re-scores are pending. |
| Landing pages | Klaviyo wins | Stronger coverage across landing pages. |
| Reporting | Klaviyo wins | Klaviyo leads on analytics (7/10 vs 9/10) from SoftwareGlimpse research-grounded editorial judgments — not hands-on lab testing. ActiveCampaign/Mailchimp scores may map from crm-editorial evidence where EM re-scores are pending. |
| Integrations | ActiveCampaign wins | Stronger coverage across integrations, forms, email sync. |
| AI features | Klaviyo wins | Klaviyo leads on ai-features (6/10 vs 8/10) from SoftwareGlimpse research-grounded editorial judgments — not hands-on lab testing. ActiveCampaign/Mailchimp scores may map from crm-editorial evidence where EM re-scores are pending. |
Side-by-side feature matrix
Normalized availability from product research — empty rows are not shown.
Campaigns
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|
| Email campaigns | Not evidenced | Strong |
| Newsletter builder | Not evidenced | Strong |
| Email templates | Not evidenced | Strong |
| Drag-and-drop editor | Not evidenced | Strong |
| Landing pages | Not evidenced | Moderate |
| Forms | Not evidenced | Strong |
Automation & targeting
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|
| Automation workflows | Not evidenced | Strong |
| Segmentation | Not evidenced | Strong |
| Personalization | Not evidenced | Strong |
| A/B testing | Not evidenced | Strong |
| Transactional email | Not evidenced | Moderate |
Platform
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|
| Analytics | Not evidenced | Strong |
| Deliverability tools | Not evidenced | Strong |
| AI content generation | Not evidenced | Strong |
| AI assistance | Strong | Not evidenced |
Additional capabilities
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|
| Contact management | Strong | Strong |
| Lead management | Strong | Not evidenced |
| Pipeline management | Moderate | Not evidenced |
| Deal management | Moderate | Not evidenced |
| Email sync | Strong | Not evidenced |
| Workflow automation | Strong | Not evidenced |
| Sales automation | Strong | Not evidenced |
| Reporting | Strong | Not evidenced |
| Forecasting | Moderate | Not evidenced |
| Custom fields | Strong | Not evidenced |
| Custom pipelines | Strong | Not evidenced |
| Mobile app | Strong | Not evidenced |
| Integrations | Strong | Not evidenced |
Pricing comparison
Pricing evidence last checked Sep 7, 2026.
ActiveCampaign
From $15.00/user/mo
- Starter$15.00/mo
- Plus$49.00/mo
- Professional$79.00/mo
- Enterprise$145.00/mo
Klaviyo
From $20.00/user/mo
- Free$0.00/user/mo
- Email$20.00/mo
- Email + SMS$35.00/mo
Seat-count estimates
Labeled estimates from verified starting per-seat pricing — not invoices.
| Seats | ActiveCampaign | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | ~$75.00/mo (5 × starting seat) | ~$100.00/mo (5 × starting seat) |
| 10 | ~$150.00/mo (10 × starting seat) | ~$200.00/mo (10 × starting seat) |
| 25 | ~$375.00/mo (25 × starting seat) | ~$500.00/mo (25 × starting seat) |
| 50 | ~$750.00/mo (50 × starting seat) | ~$1,000.00/mo (50 × starting seat) |
Estimate from verified starting per-seat pricing — actual total depends on plan, annual discounts, and add-ons.
ActiveCampaign: contact-tier Starter/Plus/Professional (no free plan). Klaviyo: active-profile Free + Email from ~$20/mo (confirm slider). Affiliate economics excluded.
Best for
Scenario picks from researched strengths — not a universal ranking.
- → ActiveCampaign
Best for integrations
Stronger coverage across integrations, forms, email sync.
- → Klaviyo
Best for templates
Stronger coverage across email templates.
- → Klaviyo
Best for segmentation
Klaviyo leads on segmentation (8/10 vs 9/10) from SoftwareGlimpse research-grounded editorial judgments — not hands-on lab testing. ActiveCampaign/Mailchimp scores may map from crm-editorial evidence where EM re-scores are pending.
- → Klaviyo
Best for landing pages
Stronger coverage across landing pages.
The differences that actually matter
Pair-specific analysis for ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo — not generic category copy.
Starting pricing
DependsStarting pricing: ActiveCampaign — ActiveCampaign: no free plan; researched Starter ~$15/mo at ~1k contacts (annual) with 14-day trial. Klaviyo: Free ≤250 active profiles; Email from ~$20/mo at 251–500 profiles (confirm slider).. Klaviyo — ActiveCampaign: no free plan; researched Starter ~$15/mo at ~1k contacts (annual) with 14-day trial. Klaviyo: Free ≤250 active profiles; Email from ~$20/mo at 251–500 profiles (confirm slider)..
Automation
TieActiveCampaign and Klaviyo are close on automation. ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo are close on automation (9/10 vs 9/10) from SoftwareGlimpse research-grounded editorial judgments — not hands-on lab testing. ActiveCampaign/Mailchimp scores may map from crm-editorial evidence where EM re-scores are pending.
Segmentation
Klaviyo aheadOn segmentation, Klaviyo is ahead. ActiveCampaign: Trails Klaviyo on this criterion. Klaviyo: Klaviyo leads on segmentation (8/10 vs 9/10) from SoftwareGlimpse research-grounded editorial judgments — not hands-on lab testing. ActiveCampaign/Mailchimp scores may map from crm-editorial evidence where EM re-scores are pending..
Analytics
Klaviyo aheadOn analytics, Klaviyo is ahead. ActiveCampaign: Trails Klaviyo on this criterion. Klaviyo: Klaviyo leads on analytics (7/10 vs 9/10) from SoftwareGlimpse research-grounded editorial judgments — not hands-on lab testing. ActiveCampaign/Mailchimp scores may map from crm-editorial evidence where EM re-scores are pending..
Templates
Klaviyo aheadOn templates, Klaviyo is ahead. ActiveCampaign: Trails Klaviyo on this criterion. Klaviyo: Stronger coverage across email templates..
Pros and cons
Product-specific for this pair — derived from researched outcomes and editorial notes.
ActiveCampaign
Pros
- Stronger on integrations
Cons
- Trails on templates
- Trails on segmentation
- Trails on landing pages
Klaviyo
Pros
- Stronger on templates
- Stronger on segmentation
- Stronger on landing pages
- Stronger on analytics
Cons
- Trails on integrations
Who should not choose each product
Decision quality improves when we say who should walk away.
Don't choose ActiveCampaign if…
- You need Klaviyo's stronger templates more than ActiveCampaign's strengths
- You need Klaviyo's stronger segmentation more than ActiveCampaign's strengths
- You need Klaviyo's stronger landing pages more than ActiveCampaign's strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: Ecommerce brands needing Shopify-native flows + SMS
Don't choose Klaviyo if…
- You need ActiveCampaign's stronger integrations more than Klaviyo's strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: Marketing-led SMBs needing deep automation + CRM on Plus+
- Your primary fit looks closer to: B2B/services teams comparing HubSpot/Keap for email-first GTM
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.
Multi-channel email marketing with send-based pricing, a generous free plan, and CRM-lite tools — formerly Sendinblue.
Ecommerce multichannel email, SMS, and web push with Shopify-centric automation — a common Klaviyo alternative.
GetResponse is an AI-driven email marketing and lifecycle automation platform with newsletters, automation workflows, landing pages, funnels, webinars (higher plans), and ecommerce tools. Paid plans use contact-list tiers with unlimited monthly email sends; a forever-free plan an
Final verdict
Scenario-level close — not a repeat of the intro.
ActiveCampaign wins when…
Marketing-led SMBs needing deep automation + CRM on Plus+
Klaviyo wins when…
Ecommerce brands needing Shopify-native flows + SMS
- Best for integrationsActiveCampaign
- Best for templatesKlaviyo
- Best for segmentationKlaviyo
- Best for landing pagesKlaviyo
Which one should you choose?
Choose ActiveCampaign if:
- Marketing-led SMBs needing deep automation + CRM on Plus+
- B2B/services teams comparing HubSpot/Keap for email-first GTM
Choose Klaviyo if:
- Ecommerce brands needing Shopify-native flows + SMS
- Teams prioritizing revenue attribution analytics
Product screenshots
Real product UI from our media library — no placeholders.
ActiveCampaign
FAQ
- Is ActiveCampaign better than Klaviyo?
- Klaviyo is the stronger overall fit. Choose Klaviyo when ecommerce catalog flows and SMS attribution are the job; choose ActiveCampaign when B2B/services multi-step automation + CRM pipelines are the job.
- Which email marketing fits which team?
- ActiveCampaign: Marketing-led SMBs needing deep automation + CRM on Plus+ Klaviyo: Ecommerce brands needing Shopify-native flows + SMS
- Does ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo have a free plan?
- ActiveCampaign: No free plan. Klaviyo: Free plan available.
- How does ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo pricing compare?
- ActiveCampaign starts from $15.00/user/mo. Klaviyo starts from $20.00/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.
- reviewActiveCampaign review
- reviewKlaviyo review
- pricingActiveCampaign pricing
- pricingKlaviyo pricing
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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.
Brevo
Multi-channel email marketing with send-based pricing, a generous free plan, and CRM-lite tools — formerly Sendinblue.
Omnisend
Ecommerce multichannel email, SMS, and web push with Shopify-centric automation — a common Klaviyo alternative.
GetResponse
GetResponse is an AI-driven email marketing and lifecycle automation platform with newsletters, automation workflows, landing pages, funnels, webinars (higher plans), and ecommerce tools. Paid plans use contact-list tiers with unlimited monthly email sends; a forever-free plan an
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