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ACT! Plans: Free vs Paid and Qualifying Tiers

ACT! cost guide: researched plan structure, who each tier suits, cost scenarios, and value tradeoffs — no invented prices.

By Lee MeyeridricksUpdated Aug 14, 20264 min readFact-checked
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Quick answer

ACT! pricing is plan-gated across 1 researched tiers. No free plan confirmed in SoftwareGlimpse research. No free/trial flag confirmed in SG data — budget a paid pilot. Compare seat/capacity gates and unlocks — not list-price folklore.

  • Free plan: not confirmed in SG data
  • No free/trial flag confirmed in SG data — budget a paid pilot
  • Entry paid tier researched: ACT! (contact sales)

ACT! plan takeaways

  • Starting tier ≠ buying tier — Our research does not flag plan-gated capabilities for ACT!, but confirm your must-haves against the plan you actually intend to buy.
  • What each ACT! plan is for — ACT! (contact sales).
  • Free vs paid is a capability decision — Our snapshot lists no free ACT! plan — verify on the pricing page rather than assuming one.
  • Capacity limits bite before features do — Our snapshot does not publish ACT! seat or record caps — confirm them before you commit a team size.
  • Trial before term — Our snapshot records no trial length for ACT! — ask for an evaluation window in writing before you commit seats.
  • Numbers live on pricing tools — Use /pricing/act/ and the Cost Calculator for amounts. This guide deliberately carries no prices, so nothing here goes stale or gets quoted wrongly.

ACT! plan anatomy

ACT! plan anatomy diagram.
Qualify your ACT! plan from must-have gates, then estimate with researched prices.

ACT! checklist

Bring these questions to every demo

Ask vendors to show the workflow live, not just describe it.

  • 1List day-one must-havesOutcome language, not feature tours.
  • 2Map each must to a researched planLowest tier that clears every gate.
  • 3Confirm seats and capacity notesLimits are part of the plan decision.
  • 4Estimate with Cost CalculatorThen confirm on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

  • What ACT! plans exist?

    Our researched snapshot lists ACT! (contact sales). Re-check /pricing/act/ for current packaging.

  • Is there a free ACT! plan?

    No free plan appears in our ACT! snapshot, so ask for an evaluation window in writing. Confirm current packaging on /pricing/act/.

  • Which ACT! plan should a small team choose?

    Run the algorithm: lowest plan per must-have, take the highest, check capacity, then count seats. Our research does not flag plan-gated capabilities for ACT!, but confirm your must-haves against the plan you actually intend to buy.

  • What is plan-gated in ACT!?

    Our research does not flag plan-gated capabilities for ACT!, but confirm your must-haves against the plan you actually intend to buy.

  • How do I estimate cost safely?

    Must-haves → qualifying plan name → Cost Calculator seats → TCO categories for admin, migration, and training. Do not invent implementation fees or ROI percentages.

  • Does ACT! offer a free trial?

    Our snapshot records no trial length for ACT! — ask for an evaluation window in writing before you commit seats.

  • Is annual billing worth it?

    Annual versus monthly is a term and cash-flow choice, not a capability one. While you are still proving adoption, the ability to fail cheaply for one quarter is often worth more than the annual discount.

  • What should I do next?

    Open /pricing/act/, run the Cost Calculator on your qualifying plan, and read the ACT! worth-it guide before signature.

ACT! plan matrix and who each tier suits

Structure and trial/free flags come from SoftwareGlimpse pricing research. Dollar amounts appear only when verified — never invent list prices.

  • Seats61%
  • Add-ons18%
  • Implementation12%
  • Training5%
  • Other4%

  • ACT! (contact sales)

    Contact sales · Unlocks: contact management, lead management, pipeline management · Suits: teams that need custom procurement

Model category cost fit

1. ACT! cost scenarios to pressure-test

  • Lean team / free-or-trial first

    Scope a time-boxed pilot; No free/trial flag confirmed in SG data — budget a paid pilot.

  • Growing team with gated workflows

    Map must-have workflows (contact management, lead management, pipeline management) to plan unlocks before expanding seats.

  • Hidden / extra cost watch

    Budget risk: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales. Also check add-ons, overages, and admin time outside the sticker plan.

Price ACT! against how you actually buy seats and unlocks — not against a competitor's homepage headline.

ACT! value rule

  1. 1Pay up when Established SMBs already familiar with ACT! requires a paid unlock you will use weekly
  2. 2Do not overbuy if this limitation dominates: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales
  3. 3Side-by-side cost with HubSpot on the same seat count

ACT! cost mistakes to avoid

  • Cost trap 1

    Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales

  • Cost trap 2

    Legacy SMB brand vs modern cloud CRM UX expectations

  • Cost trap 3

    Smaller modern ecosystem than HubSpot/Pipedrive

  • Cost trap 4

    Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales

  • Cost trap 5

    Legacy SMB brand vs modern cloud CRM UX expectations

Cheaper or clearer alternatives to pressure-test

Compare total cost of ownership vs ACT! on identical constraints.

Catalogue peers only — not commission-ranked.

ACT! pricing checklist

0/3 dimensions noted — saved in this browser only.

  • Plan gates you must unlock

  • Trial / free proof

  • TCO extras

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Part of CRM hub · ACT! review

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