True cost comparison — not just what the pricing page says
Quick Verdict
Klaviyo saves you 100%
Best for Klaviyo
Email marketing and CRM automation platform. Contact-based pricing from $15-$145/mo sounds fair unti
Best for ActiveCampaign
E-commerce email and SMS marketing platform. Free for 250 contacts, then contact-based pricing that
E-commerce email and SMS marketing platform. Free for 250 contacts, then contact...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$205
/month (typical)
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...
Email marketing and CRM automation platform. Contact-based pricing from $15-$145...
Advertised
$15
/month
True Cost
$128
/month (typical)
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
ActiveCampaign advertises $15/mo. Klaviyo advertises $0/mo.
ActiveCampaign has 3 documented hidden fees. Klaviyo has 3.
ActiveCampaign confidence: 77%. Klaviyo confidence: 78%.
| Metric | Klaviyo | ActiveCampaign | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $0/mo | $15/mo | Klaviyo |
| True Monthly Cost | $205/mo | $128/mo | ActiveCampaign |
| Hidden Fee Total | +$205/mo | +$113/mo | ActiveCampaign |
| # Hidden Fees | 3 | 3 | Klaviyo |
| Confidence Score | 78% | 77% | Klaviyo |
| Pricing Tiers | 3 | 3 | — |
| Affiliate Program | None | None | — |
Klaviyo advertises $0/mo and ActiveCampaign advertises $15/mo. However, when you include hidden fees, Klaviyo has 3 documented hidden fees adding +$205/mo, while ActiveCampaign has 3 hidden fees adding +$113/mo. Based on true cost, Klaviyo is typically 100% cheaper.
Klaviyo has 3 documented hidden fees: Steep Contact-Based Scaling, SMS Credits Charged Separately, Email Send Limits Per Tier. These add approximately +$205/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
ActiveCampaign has 3 documented hidden fees: Contact Tier Scaling, CRM & Sales Require Plus, Transactional Email Separate. These add approximately +$113/mo on top of the $15/mo advertised price.
Choose Klaviyo if: Email marketing and CRM automation platform. Contact-based pricing from $15-$145/mo sounds fair unti. Choose ActiveCampaign 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 based on manual research of official pricing pages, terms of service, and user reports. Klaviyo data has a 78% confidence score and ActiveCampaign has 77%. Prices were last verified in April 2026. For the most accurate estimate, enter your specific usage in our calculator.
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