ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp

ActiveCampaign advertises $15/mo and Mailchimp advertises $0/mo. ActiveCampaign has 3 documented extra fees (recurring: +$113/mo), while Mailchimp has 4 (recurring: +$113/mo). On these illustrative assumptions, Mailchimp has the lower estimated monthly cost (about 12% 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.

Mailchimp has 4 documented extra fees: Unsubscribed Contacts Count, Steep Contact Tier Scaling, Pay-As-You-Go Email Credits, Advanced Automation Paywall. Recurring fees add roughly $113/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 Mailchimp if: Email marketing platform with automation. Free for 500 contacts, then contact-based pricing creates . 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.