Estimated monthly cost comparison — not just the headline price
Prices change often — confirm on the vendor's site before buying. Report incorrect pricing →
Quick Take
ActiveCampaign has the lower estimated monthly cost (~38%)
Based on advertised price plus documented recurring fees, not your exact usage.
Best for ActiveCampaign
Email marketing and CRM automation platform. Contact-based pricing from $15-$145/mo sounds fair unti
Best for Klaviyo
E-commerce email and SMS marketing platform. Free for 250 contacts, then contact-based pricing that
Email marketing and CRM automation platform. Contact-based pricing from $15-$145...
Advertised
$15
/month
Estimated monthly cost
$128
/month (illustrative)
Contact Tier Scaling
Lite at $15/mo for 1K contacts, but 10K contacts = $79/mo, 25K = $149/mo, 50K = $259/mo. Pricing sca...
CRM & Sales Require Plus
CRM pipeline, lead scoring, and SMS marketing require Plus plan at $49/mo minimum — over 3x the Lite...
Transactional Email Separate
Transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets) are NOT included. Requires separate Post...
$9/mo annual
$29/mo annual
$49/mo annual
E-commerce email and SMS marketing platform. Free for 250 contacts, then contact...
Advertised
$0
/month
Estimated monthly cost
$205
/month (illustrative)
Steep Contact-Based Scaling
Free for 250 contacts. Then: 1K = $30/mo, 5K = $100/mo, 10K = $150/mo, 25K = $400/mo, 50K = $720/mo....
SMS Credits Charged Separately
SMS marketing requires separate credit purchases. US SMS: $0.01-$0.015/message. 10K SMS/mo = $100-15...
Email Send Limits Per Tier
Email sends are capped at 10x your contact limit on most plans. Exceeding requires upgrading to a hi...
ActiveCampaign advertises $15/mo. Klaviyo advertises $0/mo.
ActiveCampaign has 3 documented hidden fees. Klaviyo has 3.
ActiveCampaign confidence: 77%. Klaviyo confidence: 78%.
| Metric | ActiveCampaign | Klaviyo | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $15/mo | $0/mo | Klaviyo |
| Estimated Monthly Cost | $128/mo | $205/mo | ActiveCampaign |
| Recurring Extra Fees | +$113/mo | +$205/mo | ActiveCampaign |
| One-Time Costs | $0 | $0 | — |
| # Documented Fees | 3 | 3 | — |
| Pricing Tiers | 3 | 3 | — |
| Affiliate Program | None | None | — |
ActiveCampaign advertises $15/mo and Klaviyo advertises $0/mo. ActiveCampaign has 3 documented extra fees (recurring: +$113/mo), while Klaviyo has 3 (recurring: +$205/mo). On these illustrative assumptions, ActiveCampaign has the lower estimated monthly cost (about 38% less). Your real cost depends on seats and usage — use the calculator for your numbers.
ActiveCampaign has 3 documented extra fees: Contact Tier Scaling, CRM & Sales Require Plus, Transactional Email Separate. Recurring fees add roughly $113/mo on top of the $15/mo advertised price.
Klaviyo has 3 documented extra fees: Steep Contact-Based Scaling, SMS Credits Charged Separately, Email Send Limits Per Tier. Recurring fees add roughly $205/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Choose ActiveCampaign if: Email marketing and CRM automation platform. Contact-based pricing from $15-$145/mo sounds fair unti. Choose Klaviyo if: E-commerce email and SMS marketing platform. Free for 250 contacts, then contact-based pricing that . The right choice depends on your team size, usage volume, and which features you need most.
This comparison is compiled from public vendor pricing pages and documentation. It uses illustrative assumptions (see "Cost Comparison Summary"), not your exact seats or usage, and vendor prices change often. Confirm current prices on each vendor's site, and use our calculator with your own usage for a closer estimate. Spotted an error? Email hello@trulycritic.com.
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