Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign, and the all-in-one option
Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign are both email marketing tools priced by contacts: Mailchimp's paid plans by contact total from 500 contacts, ActiveCampaign by contact tier from 1,000, with its pipeline sold as an add-on. Laureo sends campaigns from the CRM on every plan, with unlimited contacts on all plans.
Which is better, Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign?
Mailchimp is the lighter email tool, with paid plans priced by contact total from $13 a month for 12 months at 500 contacts, and ActiveCampaign goes deeper on automation, priced by contact tier from $15 a month billed yearly at 1,000 contacts, with its pipeline as a paid add-on. For a team that also sells, Laureo sends campaigns from the CRM on every plan, with the pipeline, quotes and invoices included and unlimited contacts on all plans.
The same campaign, from the list to the paid invoice, on each tool and on Laureo:
| Step | Mailchimp | ActiveCampaign | Laureo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hold the list | Billed by contact total | Billed by contact tier | Unlimited contacts on all plans |
| Automate the follow-up | Up to 4 flow steps on Essentials, 200 flows from Standard | Multi-step automation from Starter | Rules on every plan, Follow-up Sequences on Business and Ultra |
| Track the deal | No sales pipeline listed | Pipelines add-on, not on Starter | CRM & Pipeline on every plan |
| Quote and bill | No quotes or invoices listed | No quotes or invoices listed | Quotes & Invoices on every plan |
Is ActiveCampaign more expensive than Mailchimp?
On their first paid plans the two are close, with Mailchimp Essentials at $13 a month for 12 months for 500 contacts and ActiveCampaign Starter at $15 a month billed yearly for 1,000, but deals on ActiveCampaign take the Pipelines add-on, from $39 a month billed yearly on Plus. At 10,000 contacts ActiveCampaign is $149 a month billed yearly on Starter, $189 on Plus and $375 on Pro, while Mailchimp prices Essentials and Standard by the contact total and starts Premium at $350 with 10,000 contacts in its base price.
Laureo has no contact tier on either side of that comparison: Pro from $83.33/mo billed annually ($99.99 month-to-month), with campaigns, the pipeline, quotes and invoices on every plan and unlimited contacts on all plans.
Does ActiveCampaign or Mailchimp include a sales CRM?
Neither includes a full sales CRM in the plan: Mailchimp's marketing CRM is segments, tags and an audience dashboard with no sales pipeline or deals, and ActiveCampaign sells pipeline management, deal records and lead scoring in its Pipelines add-on, which Starter cannot add. Laureo is the CRM, with contacts, deals, the pipeline and lead scoring on every plan.
Mailchimp tells teams that need more than its marketing CRM to sync an outside CRM through its integrations directory, and ActiveCampaign's Sales Engagement add-on puts automated 1:1 email and win probability on top of Pipelines.
Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign, criterion by criterion
Each row puts Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Laureo on the same question. The Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign cells come from their own pages, and the date at the top of this page says when we last checked them.
| Criterion | Mailchimp | ActiveCampaign | Laureo |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is built for | Email marketing, with a marketing CRM of segments, tags and an audience dashboard | Marketing plans, with AI built specifically for marketing | A CRM with campaigns built in on every plan |
| How contacts are billed | By contact total, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts counted | By contact tier from 1,000 contacts, moving up a band as the list grows | Unlimited contacts on all plans |
| First paid plan | Essentials, $13 a month for 12 months at 500 contacts | Starter, $15 a month billed yearly or $19 monthly at 1,000 contacts | Pro from $83.33/mo billed annually ($99.99 month-to-month) |
| At 10,000 contacts | Essentials and Standard rise with the contact total; Premium's base price covers 10,000, from $350 a month for 12 months | Starter $149, Plus $189, Pro $375 and Enterprise $589 a month billed yearly | The same plan price, with unlimited contacts on all plans |
| The most contacts a plan holds | 50,000 on Essentials, 100,000 on Standard and 200,000 on Premium | Starter stops at 25,000; the other plans add contact bands as the list grows | Unlimited contacts on all plans |
| Sales pipeline and deals | No sales pipeline or deals listed | The Pipelines add-on, from $39 a month billed yearly on Plus; Starter cannot add it | CRM & Pipeline on every plan |
| Quotes, invoices and booking | None listed; booking and scheduling appear only as integration categories | None listed; a Calendly and Eventbrite integration from Plus | Quotes & Invoices and Booking Pages on every plan |
| AI for writing email | Write with AI on Standard and higher | 500 AI credits on every plan, non-refundable and used within the month | Monthly AI credits on every plan for drafting, the assistant and the agents |
| Training AI on your content | Its terms allow AI inputs and outputs, Customer Data included, for machine learning | Its terms allow Marketing Content and Contact Data to train its Services | The AI never trains on your data |
| Cancelling | Cancel or downgrade to Essentials or Free at any time | Cancel at any time in the account, effective at the end of the period | Month to month on any plan; cancel in the app |
Every tool in Laureo
The table covers the criteria that matter between Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign. Here is the whole Laureo toolset, by name. The pricing page shows which plans include each one.
Marketing & Communication
Deals & Revenue
- Quotes & Invoices
- Booking Pages
- Deal Rooms
Customer Support
- Tickets & Help Desk
- Knowledge Base
- Public Help Center
- Feedback
- Live Chat
- AI Customer Support Agent (add-on)
Automation
Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, or the all-in-one option
Pick Laureo when the people you email are the people you sell to: the campaign, the deal, the quote and the invoice are in the same CRM on every plan, with no contact tier to outgrow and no pipeline add-on to buy.
- Unlimited contacts and companies on every plan, with no contact tiers to outgrow.
- One plan and one bill cover your CRM, inbox, email campaigns, booking pages, and quotes and invoices, so you stop paying for separate tools.
- Quotes, invoices and payment reminders are built in on every plan, with no billing add-on.
- Booking pages are built in on every plan, so you need no separate scheduling tool.
- The AI never trains on your data, and every AI request goes only to providers that keep none of it.
Related Resources
- ComparisonLaureo vs MailchimpEmail marketing with a marketing CRM of segments and tags, priced by contact tier, and no sales pipeline, quotes or invoices.
- ComparisonLaureo vs ActiveCampaignA marketing-automation tool that sells the sales pipeline as a paid add-on and prices every plan by contact tier, so the bill climbs as your list grows.
- ComparisonHubSpot vs Pipedrive, and the all-in-one optionHubSpot vs Pipedrive: Sales Hub seats with an onboarding fee against Pipedrive seats with paid add-ons, next to Laureo: campaigns and invoices on every plan.
- ComparisonZoho vs HubSpot, and the all-in-one optionZoho vs HubSpot: Zoho caps records by edition and sells Desk and Campaigns apart, and HubSpot bills by Hub and contact tier. Laureo has unlimited contacts.
- ComparisonAttio vs HubSpot, and the all-in-one optionAttio vs HubSpot: Attio record caps and workflow credits against HubSpot Hubs and contact tiers, next to Laureo, with booking and invoices on every plan.
- AlternativeMailchimp alternativeMailchimp alternatives for teams that sell to the people they email: campaigns, the pipeline, quotes and invoices on every plan, with unlimited contacts.
- ComparisonActiveCampaign pricingHow much does ActiveCampaign cost? Starter, Plus, Pro and Enterprise from 1,000 to 10,000 contacts and the Pipelines add-on, dated, then one team on Laureo.
- ComparisonHubSpot vs Mailchimp, and the all-in-one optionHubSpot vs Mailchimp: HubSpot bills by marketing contact tier and Mailchimp by contact total. Laureo sends campaigns from the CRM with unlimited contacts.
- ComparisonBrowse every CRM comparisonSee how Laureo stacks up against the other CRMs you are weighing.
- PricingEvery plan, what is included, and the monthly AI credits.
Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign FAQs
Common questions about choosing between Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Laureo
Try the all-in-one option.
Weighing Mailchimp against ActiveCampaign? Bring your data into Laureo and judge the all-in-one option on your own pipeline.
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