ActiveCampaign vs Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Quick verdict
As of 2026-07-05, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is the cheaper email marketing tool, starting at $9/mo versus ActiveCampaign at $19/mo. That's $10/mo less on the entry option. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) has a free plan; ActiveCampaign does not. ActiveCampaign has 4 priced options; Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) has 3 priced options.
ActiveCampaign starts at $19/mo and has no free plan. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) starts at $9/mo and has a free plan.
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Against the $15.50/mo median entry price across the 12 tools we track, ActiveCampaign's $19/mo is 23% above and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)'s $9/mo is 42% below. 7 of 12 email marketing tools include a free plan.
| ActiveCampaign | Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $19/mo | $9/mo |
| Free plan | ✗ | ✓ |
| Priced options | 4 | 3 |
| Pricing model | per contacts | per emails sent (NOT per contacts) — cheap for large lists emailed infrequently, pricier for small lists emailed often |
| Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| CRM | Sales CRM/pipeline is a paid add-on (~$68/mo) | Built-in CRM (deals, stages, tasks), free to start |
| SMS | Paid add-on (SMS credits) | ✓ |
| Ecommerce | Deep: abandoned cart, catalogs, revenue attribution; Shopify/Square/WooCommerce/BigCommerce | Deep integrations (Shopify/WooCommerce/BigCommerce), product segmentation, abandoned-cart, transactional |
| Entry plan limit | from 1,000 contacts (caps 25k) | 5,000 emails/mo base |
| Integrations | 1,000+ | 150+ native (+ Zapier/Make) |
| Visit site | Visit site → | Visit site → |
Sources: activecampaign.com/pricing, verified · brevo.com/pricing, verified
ActiveCampaign — pros & cons
Pros
- Most powerful automation & segmentation here
- Predictive AI ahead of peers
- Optional integrated sales CRM
- Largest integration ecosystem
Cons
- No free plan (14-day trial)
- Real cost balloons with add-ons (CRM, SMS, reporting, users)
- Steeper learning curve
- Starter heavily limited
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — pros & cons
Pros
- Send-based pricing cheap for large infrequently-emailed lists
- Genuine all-in-one incl. SMS/WhatsApp/CRM
- Strong transactional/SMTP heritage
- Built-in free CRM
Cons
- 300/day free cap restrictive for active senders
- Automation/A-B/landing pages need Standard tier
- Logo removal & seats are paid add-ons
- Basic landing pages/reporting; no webinars
ToolFit Score: ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign scores 55/100 on the ToolFit Score, computed from our maintained pricing, feature, and fit dataset.
| What we scored | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price competitiveness | 8.23/24 | entry $19/mo is 23% above the $15.5/mo category median. |
| Feature breadth | 16.67/20 | supports 4 of the 9 feature flags the ToolFit Score tracks natively (4 more on a higher tier). |
| Best-for coverage | 15/16 | tagged as a best fit for 3 use cases. |
| Integrations | 15/12 | lists 1,000+ integrations. |
| Free-tier availability | 0/8 | has no free plan. |
| Review sentiment | — | no published review-sentiment data yet. |
Computed deterministically from our gold dataset — pricing, features, fit, integrations, and a count-weighted third-party review-sentiment aggregate. Weights v2.0.0 — how we score.
ToolFit Score: Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) scores 74/100 on the ToolFit Score, computed from our maintained pricing, feature, and fit dataset.
| What we scored | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price competitiveness | 27.58/24 | entry $9/mo is 42% below the $15.5/mo category median. |
| Feature breadth | 16.67/20 | supports 4 of the 9 feature flags the ToolFit Score tracks natively (4 more on a higher tier). |
| Best-for coverage | 15/16 | tagged as a best fit for 3 use cases. |
| Integrations | 4.5/12 | lists 150+ integrations. |
| Free-tier availability | 10/8 | includes a free plan. |
| Review sentiment | — | no published review-sentiment data yet. |
Computed deterministically from our gold dataset — pricing, features, fit, integrations, and a count-weighted third-party review-sentiment aggregate. Weights v2.0.0 — how we score.
Frequently asked questions
Is ActiveCampaign or Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) cheaper?
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is cheaper to start. ActiveCampaign begins at $19/mo and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) at $9/mo, a gap of $10/mo. Both usually bill less on an annual plan, so weigh yearly pricing before deciding. Every figure comes straight from our maintained, dated dataset, verified on 2026-07-05.
Does ActiveCampaign or Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) have a free plan?
ActiveCampaign has no free plan and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) has a free plan. So Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is the one to try first if a free plan is a must-have for you. Every figure comes straight from our maintained, dated dataset, verified on 2026-07-05.
Which has more features, ActiveCampaign or Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)?
ActiveCampaign supports 2 of the 5 features we compare on this page and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) supports 2, so the two are evenly matched on breadth. Choose on the specific capabilities — automation, CRM, SMS, ecommerce, or landing pages — that matter most for how you plan to send.
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