ActiveCampaign vs Brevo in 2027: Features, Pricing & Automation
ActiveCampaign is built around automation depth; Brevo is built around low prices and multichannel messaging. They overlap in the middle: both offer automation, segmentation and CRM-style features. This comparison shows how they price, where each is stronger, and which suits your team.
ActiveCampaign vs Brevo: the short answer
- Choose ActiveCampaign if automation, conditional content and predictive sending are central, and you can pay contact-based prices.
- Choose Brevo if you want a lower price, volume-based billing, transactional email and a free-forever plan.
ActiveCampaign has no permanent free plan (it offers a trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee), while Brevo’s free plan has no expiry.
Side-by-side comparison
| ActiveCampaign | Brevo | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None; trial and 30-day money-back guarantee | Free forever, 300 emails a day |
| Entry price | Starter $15/mo at 1,000 contacts (annual billing) | Starter $9/mo for 5,000 emails; Standard $18/mo |
| Mid plan | Plus $49/mo at 1,000 contacts | Standard $18/mo (monthly billing) |
| Advanced | Pro $79/mo: predictive sending, conditional content, attribution | Professional $499/mo: contact scoring, AI segmentation, WhatsApp, 10 seats |
| Pricing basis | Contacts in bands | Emails sent per month |
| CRM | Pipelines and sales engagement are paid add-ons | Sales CRM: Free (1 seat), Essentials about $27.92/mo (page figure) |
| Sends | Pro: 12,000 at 1,000 contacts; Enterprise 15x contacts | 5,000 to 150,000+ by plan and volume |
Sources: vendor pricing pages, 6 November 2026, US dollars. ActiveCampaign prices assume annual billing.
Pricing: what each costs
| List size | ActiveCampaign Plus | ActiveCampaign Pro | Brevo Starter (4 sends/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $49/mo | $79/mo | $9/mo |
| 10,000 | $189/mo | $375/mo | $46/mo |
| 50,000 | $609/mo | $969/mo | Professional from $499 above 100K emails |
ActiveCampaign billed yearly. Brevo monthly billing; Starter excludes automation, Standard starts at $18 for 5,000 emails and should be checked at your volume.
ActiveCampaign costs more at every size, which is the price of its automation depth. If you do not use that depth, you are paying for features you do not use.
Features that decide it
Automation
ActiveCampaign’s Pro plan adds predictive sending at each contact’s best time, conditional content and attribution, and Enterprise adds premium segmentation. Brevo’s Standard adds unlimited multi-step automation, A/B testing and AI send-time optimisation, with contact scoring and AI segmentation on Professional.
Pricing model
ActiveCampaign scales with contacts; Brevo scales with emails sent. A large list emailed rarely suits Brevo; a smaller, highly automated list suits ActiveCampaign.
Services
ActiveCampaign includes free migration, training and chat or ticket support, while Brevo’s phone support and deliverability specialist time sit on Professional.
Who should choose which
Automation-led teams
Predictive sending, conditional content and attribution.
Teams that want a guarantee
30-day money-back guarantee advertised.
Budget-focused small businesses
Lower price and a free plan.
Marketing plus transactional email
Transactional email on all plans.
What to check before you commit
- List the automations you actually need and confirm which plan includes them.
- Price both at your list size and sending frequency.
- Check CRM needs; ActiveCampaign CRM is an add-on.
- Ask about migration help before you move.
ActiveCampaign vs Brevo: Annual Cost Scenarios
These tools sit at different price points. ActiveCampaign (billed yearly) prices on contacts; Brevo Starter on emails sent. The table assumes four sends per contact per month. Prices recorded 6 November 2026.
| Scenario | ActiveCampaign Starter / year | ActiveCampaign Plus / year | Brevo Starter / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 contacts | $180 | $588 | $108 |
| 5,000 contacts | $948 | $1,740 | $384 |
| 10,000 contacts | $1,788 | $2,268 | $552 |
Brevo Starter excludes automation; Brevo Standard starts at $18 and adds it (volume pricing unverified). ActiveCampaign has no free plan and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The cost gap is large, but the products differ: ActiveCampaign sells automation and CRM depth, while Brevo sells low-cost sending and breadth.
Where the Real Differences Show Up
- Automation depth. ActiveCampaign Pro adds predictive sending, conditional content, attribution and 200 goals, with 12,000 sends at 1,000 contacts and 3 seats.
- CRM. ActiveCampaign’s CRM pipelines and sales engagement are paid add-ons. Brevo offers a Sales CRM, free for one seat.
- Scale. ActiveCampaign Enterprise gives 15× contacts in sends, 5 users and SSO. Brevo Professional starts at $499 ($449.08 yearly) for 150,000 emails and 10 seats.
- Free access. Brevo has a free plan; ActiveCampaign does not.
See our ActiveCampaign and Brevo listings.
Pick by Situation: ActiveCampaign or Brevo?
| If you… | Lean toward | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Need complex multi-branch automation | ActiveCampaign | Deeper automation tiers |
| Want the lowest sending cost | Brevo | Send-based pricing |
| Want a free plan to start | Brevo | ActiveCampaign has none |
| Sell via sales team and need CRM-style features | ActiveCampaign | CRM add-ons and sales engagement |
| Need transactional email on the same plan | Brevo | All plans include it |
| Have a small list but heavy sending | Brevo | Pay by volume |
How to Test Both Before You Commit
- Build your most complex automation in each and see where you hit limits.
- Check what the CRM add-on costs in ActiveCampaign for your team size.
- Use Brevo’s free plan alongside an ActiveCampaign trial.
- Compare reporting depth for the metrics you review weekly.
- Price both at your size and at double.
Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Between Them
- Buying ActiveCampaign Pro for automation you never build.
- Choosing Brevo Starter then needing automation and moving to Standard.
- Forgetting CRM costs are add-ons on ActiveCampaign.
- Treating ActiveCampaign’s 25,000-contact Starter price (anomalous on its page) as reliable without verifying.
- Not testing deliverability on either.
ActiveCampaign Tiers vs Brevo Tiers in Detail
| Tier | ActiveCampaign (yearly billing, per month at 1K–10K contacts) | Brevo (per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Starter: $15 / $39 / $79 / $149 at 1K / 2.5K / 5K / 10K | Free; Starter $9 (5K emails), $17 (10K), $32 (20K), $46 (40K) |
| Mid | Plus: $49 / $95 / $145 / $189 | Standard $18 and up; yearly -10% ($16.17) |
| Upper | Pro: $79 / $149 / $205 / $375 | Professional $499 ($449.08 yearly), from 150,000 emails |
| Top | Enterprise: $145 / $255 / $375 / $589 | Enterprise custom |
Recorded 6 November 2026. Brevo Starter is monthly billing and send-based.
The tables demonstrate different pricing models: ActiveCampaign scales with contacts and tier, Brevo with sends and tier.
Who Should Choose Which
If your business depends on carefully sequenced, multi-condition automations and your team values sales-adjacent features, ActiveCampaign is likely worth the premium. If your priority is reaching a large audience at low cost, with email, transactional messages and optional channels in one place, Brevo is the better economic fit. Mid-sized teams often find ActiveCampaign Plus or Pro versus Brevo Standard the real decision, which requires checking Brevo’s Standard price at your volume on its live slider because we could not verify it at higher volumes.
Migrating Between Them
- Export contacts, tags and unsubscribes.
- Recreate automations in order of revenue impact.
- Authenticate your domain on the new platform.
- Send first to engaged contacts, then ramp up.
- Ask each vendor what migration help is included. ActiveCampaign lists free migration, training and chat support.
See also best email marketing software.
Verdict by Need
| Need | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest sending cost | Brevo | Send-based Starter from $9 for 5,000 emails |
| Deep automation | ActiveCampaign | Pro features and goals |
| Free start | Brevo | Free plan with 300 emails/day |
| CRM-style sales features | ActiveCampaign (add-ons) or Brevo Sales CRM | Free Brevo CRM for one seat |
| Multichannel | Brevo | WhatsApp, popups and push on Professional |
| Support | Plan-dependent | Brevo Professional adds phone support; ActiveCampaign lists free migration, training and chat |
Recorded 6 November 2026.
Cost When Your List Doubles
ActiveCampaign Starter rises from $79 at 5,000 contacts to $149 at 10,000, an 89% increase. Plus rises from $145 to $189 (30%) and Pro from $205 to $375 (83%). Brevo Starter rises from $32 for 20,000 sends to $46 for 40,000 sends (44%) at monthly billing. Doubling a list therefore hurts less on Brevo for the same sending frequency, because pricing follows volume rather than a contact tier with steep steps. The caveat remains that Brevo Starter excludes automation.
Final verdict
Our take: ActiveCampaign is the stronger automation platform and costs more for it; Brevo is the better value if your needs are simpler. See HubSpot vs ActiveCampaign and best marketing automation software for the wider field.
Frequently asked questions
Is ActiveCampaign better than Brevo?
ActiveCampaign is stronger for advanced automation; Brevo is cheaper and includes transactional email. The better choice depends on how complex your automation is.
Is Brevo cheaper than ActiveCampaign?
Yes at every size we checked: for example $9 for Brevo Starter against $49 for ActiveCampaign Plus at 1,000 contacts. The plans differ in automation depth.
Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan?
No permanent free plan; it offers a free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Does Brevo have a CRM?
Brevo lists a Sales CRM with a free plan for one seat and a paid Essentials plan.
Which is better for ecommerce?
Both support ecommerce use. Brevo Professional adds AI recommendations and back-in-stock alerts; dedicated tools like Omnisend and Klaviyo go deeper.
How does ActiveCampaign charge as my list grows?
Plans are priced by contact band, and ActiveCampaign says upgrading to the next band carries no penalty.
Is ActiveCampaign better than Brevo?
It offers deeper automation and CRM features, while Brevo is cheaper and broader in channels. Better depends on whether you will use the extra depth.
Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan?
No. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee instead, per its pricing page on 6 November 2026.
Which is better for automation, ActiveCampaign or Brevo?
ActiveCampaign Pro lists more advanced automation features (predictive sending, conditional content, goals). Brevo Standard adds automation at a lower cost; Professional adds contact scoring and AI segmentation.
Is there a middle path?
Yes. Many small teams start on Brevo and move to ActiveCampaign when they need CRM-style depth.
Which scales more cheaply?
On our recorded prices, Brevo’s send-based Starter rose more gently than ActiveCampaign’s contact-based tiers as volume doubled, but features differ.
Still comparing options?
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How this guide was made: PreferWise compares public product pages, pricing pages and documentation. We did not independently lab-test deliverability or inbox placement, and plans change often, so confirm current pricing on the vendor site before buying. PreferWise may earn a commission if you sign up through some links on this page; that never changes how tools are ordered or scored. See our affiliate disclosure and how we rank.