ActiveCampaign vs Drip
Quick verdict
As of 2026-07-05, ActiveCampaign is the cheaper email marketing tool, starting at $19/mo versus Drip at $39/mo. That's $20/mo less on the entry option. Neither offers a free plan. ActiveCampaign has 4 priced options; Drip has 1 priced option. Drip includes native SMS; ActiveCampaign does not.
ActiveCampaign starts at $19/mo and has no free plan. Drip starts at $39/mo and has no 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 Drip's $39/mo is 152% above. 7 of 12 email marketing tools include a free plan.
| ActiveCampaign | Drip | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $19/mo | $39/mo |
| Free plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| Priced options | 4 | 1 |
| Pricing model | per contacts | per contacts |
| Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| CRM | Sales CRM/pipeline is a paid add-on (~$68/mo) | Positioned as ecommerce CRM/eCRM (not a traditional standalone CRM) |
| SMS | Paid add-on (SMS credits) | ✓ |
| Ecommerce | Deep: abandoned cart, catalogs, revenue attribution; Shopify/Square/WooCommerce/BigCommerce | Core focus: cart/browse abandonment, post-purchase, deep store data sync, revenue attribution, behavioral segmentation |
| Entry plan limit | from 1,000 contacts (caps 25k) | from 2,500 contacts (max 12,500) |
| Integrations | 1,000+ | 50+ (some sources 200+) |
| Visit site | Visit site → | Visit site → |
Sources: activecampaign.com/pricing, verified · drip.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
Drip — pros & cons
Pros
- Single transparent contact-based plan, all features unlocked
- Purpose-built for ecommerce (store sync, attribution, behavioral automation)
- Powerful ecommerce-trigger workflow builder
- Unlimited sends + free migration
Cons
- No built-in landing pages (uses Leadpages)
- No native AI
- Steep learning curve
- Basic reporting
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: Drip
Drip scores 20/100 on the ToolFit Score, computed from our maintained pricing, feature, and fit dataset.
| What we scored | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price competitiveness | 0/24 | entry $39/mo is 152% above the $15.5/mo category median. |
| Feature breadth | 13.89/20 | supports 4 of the 9 feature flags the ToolFit Score tracks natively (2 more on a higher tier). |
| Best-for coverage | 5/16 | tagged as a best fit for 1 use case. |
| Integrations | 1.5/12 | lists 50+ 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.
Frequently asked questions
Is ActiveCampaign or Drip cheaper?
ActiveCampaign is cheaper to start. ActiveCampaign begins at $19/mo and Drip at $39/mo, a gap of $20/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 Drip have a free plan?
ActiveCampaign has no free plan and Drip has no free plan. Neither is free, though both typically offer a limited free trial before you subscribe. Every figure comes straight from our maintained, dated dataset, verified on 2026-07-05. We source it from each vendor's own pricing page, not a paid placement.
Which has more features, ActiveCampaign or Drip?
ActiveCampaign supports 2 of the 5 features we compare on this page and Drip 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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