ActiveCampaign Pricing Explained: Contact Tiers Change Everything
ActiveCampaign's pricing page shows $15/month. What it doesn't show is that price is for 1,000 contacts — and the bill multiplies as your list grows. The automation features are genuinely powerful, but they're gated behind higher tiers. This guide breaks down every tier, every contact threshold, and the exact moments when ActiveCampaign stops being affordable.
Singh · Founder & Lead Reviewer · March 2026
Tests software tools, tracks pricing changes weekly, and builds comparison data from first-party vendor sources.
Tested: Verified pricing from vendor pages · 3 sources verified
See our methodology →Base Pricing at 1,000 Contacts
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $15/mo | $9/mo | Email marketing, basic automations, inline forms |
| Plus | $49/mo | $29/mo | CRM, landing pages, lead scoring, SMS marketing |
| Pro | $79/mo | $49/mo | Predictive sending, split automations, site messaging |
| Enterprise | $145/mo | $89/mo | Custom objects, HIPAA support, dedicated account rep |
All prices above are at the 1,000-contact tier. There is no free plan. ActiveCampaign removed its free trial length to 14 days. The pricing model is flat-rate per tier (not per-seat), which means adding team members doesn't increase cost — but adding contacts does.
How Prices Scale With Contacts
This is where ActiveCampaign pricing gets complicated. The base prices above are for 1,000 contacts. As your list grows, the price increases at every tier:
| Contacts | Starter | Plus | Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $15 | $49 | $79 | $145 |
| 2,500 | $39 | $69 | $149 | $249 |
| 5,000 | $69 | $119 | $209 | $349 |
| 10,000 | $119 | $189 | $339 | $499 |
| 25,000 | $229 | $369 | $549 | Custom |
| 50,000 | $339 | $489 | Custom | Custom |
The scaling trap:Starter starts at $15 for 1,000 contacts but hits $119/month at 10,000 contacts — a 693% increase. By 25,000 contacts, Starter alone costs $229/month. At that point, you're paying more than many competitors charge for their premium tiers.
The Automation Feature Gating
ActiveCampaign's greatest strength — its automation builder — is progressively unlocked across tiers:
- Starter: Basic automations only. Linear sequences (do A, then B, then C). No conditional branching, no split testing within automations, no goals.
- Plus: Full automation builder with conditional logic, CRM pipeline automations, lead scoring, and SMS within automations. This is where ActiveCampaign becomes genuinely powerful.
- Pro: Predictive sending (AI picks optimal send times per contact), split automations (A/B test entire automation paths), site messaging, and attribution reporting.
- Enterprise: Custom objects (model custom data types), HIPAA compliance, uptime SLA, and a dedicated account representative.
The key insight
If you're choosing ActiveCampaign for its automation, you need Plus at minimum. Starter's automations are so limited that you might as well use Kit or Mailchimp. Plus ($49/mo at 1,000 contacts) is the real starting price for the ActiveCampaign experience.
Hidden Costs
- No free tier. ActiveCampaign has no free plan. Kit gives you 10,000 subscribers free. beehiiv gives you 2,500 free. Brevo gives you 300 emails/day free. ActiveCampaign charges from contact one.
- Contact counting includes unsubscribed. Unlike some platforms, ActiveCampaign counts all contacts in your account toward your tier — including people who unsubscribed but weren't deleted. Regularly purge unengaged and unsubscribed contacts.
- CRM is Plus only. The built-in CRM with deal pipeline, win probability, and sales automation requires Plus ($49/mo). Starter gives you contacts and email only.
- Landing pages are Plus only. Building landing pages within ActiveCampaign requires Plus. Starter users need a separate landing page tool.
- SMS costs extra. SMS marketing is available on Plus and above, but messages cost additional credits. It's not unlimited — you buy SMS credits on top of your plan.
- Annual billing saves 40%+. The gap between monthly and annual is significant. Starter drops from $15 to $9/mo. But annual means a 12-month commitment upfront.
Which Tier Do You Need?
Starter ($15/mo)— You only need basic email marketing with simple automations. You don't need CRM, landing pages, or conditional logic. Honest assessment: most people choosing ActiveCampaign need more than Starter offers.
Plus ($49/mo)— The right tier for most ActiveCampaign users. You get the full automation builder, CRM, landing pages, lead scoring, and SMS. Start here if automation is your primary reason for choosing ActiveCampaign.
Pro ($79/mo)— Worth it if you run enough volume to benefit from predictive sending, need split automation testing, or want attribution reporting. Typically makes sense at 5,000+ contacts with active automation workflows.
Enterprise ($145/mo)— Only if you need HIPAA compliance, custom objects, or a dedicated account rep. Very few small-to-mid businesses need Enterprise.
Cheaper Alternative
Kit (ConvertKit) free tiergives you 10,000 subscribers at $0 with unlimited emails. If your automation needs are moderate (welcome sequences, simple tagging), Kit handles it for free. Kit Creator at $39/mo adds full automations for 1,000 subscribers — $10/mo less than ActiveCampaign Plus.
Brevo (Sendinblue) charges by emails sent, not contacts stored. You can have 100,000 contacts for free and pay based on email volume starting at $9/month. For companies with large lists but moderate send frequency, Brevo can be dramatically cheaper.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does ActiveCampaign actually cost?
At 1,000 contacts: Starter $15/mo, Plus $49/mo, Pro $79/mo, Enterprise $145/mo. But those prices increase with your contact count. At 10,000 contacts, Starter is $119/mo and Plus is $189/mo. Annual billing saves 40%+.
Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan?
No. ActiveCampaign has a 14-day free trial but no permanent free tier. The cheapest option is Starter at $15/month for 1,000 contacts. For a free alternative, Kit offers 10,000 subscribers at $0.
Why is ActiveCampaign more expensive than Mailchimp?
ActiveCampaign's automation builder is significantly more powerful. It includes conditional branching, CRM pipeline, predictive sending, and split automation testing that Mailchimp doesn't offer. You're paying for automation depth, not just email sending. If you only send newsletters, Mailchimp or Kit is cheaper.
Is ActiveCampaign Starter worth it?
Only if you need more than a basic newsletter tool but less than full marketing automation. Starter's automations are limited (no conditional logic, no CRM). If you're choosing ActiveCampaign for its automation power, you need Plus at minimum.