ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp
Compare ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp 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 teams needing deep automation
- • Buyers comparing HubSpot/Keap for email-first GTM
Starting from $15.00/user/mo
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
Choose ActiveCampaign when automation depth (+ CRM on Plus+) is the job; choose Mailchimp when freemium brand recognition for beginners matters more than automation complexity.
ActiveCampaign is better for
- ✓ Automation
- ✓ Segmentation
Tie
- • Analytics
- • Integrations
- • AI features
Choose ActiveCampaign if: Marketing-led teams needing deep automation
Choose Mailchimp if: SMBs starting on freemium email marketing
Mailchimp
Email marketing with CRM features; freemium entry (secondary category: marketing).
Best for
- • SMBs starting on freemium email marketing
- • Buyers prioritizing known brand over automation depth
Starting from $13.00/user/mo
Free plan available
ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp pricing
ActiveCampaign: no free plan; Starter ~$15 / Plus $49 / Professional $79 / Enterprise $145 per mo at ~1k contacts (annual research figures). Mailchimp: freemium Free for eligible audiences; paid contact-based — verify live (do not invent paid rungs).
ActiveCampaign
From $15.00/user/mo
Mailchimp
From $13.00/user/mo
ActiveCampaign
Starting from $15.00/user/mo
Free trial available
- Starter$15.00/mo
- PlusPopular$49.00/mo
- Professional$79.00/mo
- Enterprise$145.00/mo
Mailchimp
Starting from $13.00/user/mo
Free trial available
- Free$0.00/user/mo
- Up to 250 contacts and 500 sends/mo (250/day) per Mailchimp help — Aug 2026.
- max contacts: 250
- max email sends monthly: 500
- Essentials$13.00/mo
- Entry list price at lowest published contact band (500 contacts). Totals scale with contact tier — confirm on mailchimp.com/pricing.
- max contacts: 50000
- included contacts entry: 500
- StandardPopular$20.00/mo
- Entry list price at lowest published contact band (500 contacts). Totals scale with contact tier — confirm on mailchimp.com/pricing.
- max contacts: 100000
- included contacts entry: 500
- Premium$350.00/mo
- Entry list price includes 10,000 contacts per Mailchimp Premium band. Above 200k contacts → custom. Confirm live calculator.
- max contacts: 200000
- included contacts entry: 10000
Estimate your team cost
Monthly estimate from verified per-seat list pricing. Confirm on the vendor site before purchasing.
ActiveCampaign
$225.00/mo
Mailchimp
$195.00/mo
+$30.00/mo — ActiveCampaign costs more
Verified monthly unit prices · Aug 14, 2026
Prices in USD
Shown per user / month from verified list pricing.
Plans can change
Confirm live vendor rates before purchasing.
Add-ons may apply
Calling, SMS, or usage fees can add cost.
Independence
Affiliate status never changes pricing outcomes.
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