Best for
Best for teams that want email marketing with deep marketing automation and a built-in CRM, and that will grow into advanced segmentation and predictive sending.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Email Marketing Comparison
ActiveCampaign vs. Campaign Monitor
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for marketing teams and agencies that want a polished drag-and-drop builder, prebuilt journeys and a large integration catalogue.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | ActiveCampaign | Campaign Monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | Free plan for up to 500 contacts on a 30-day trial, with a 500 email send limit |
| API | Yes, an API with webhooks, plus more than 1,000 integrations | Yes, API access with 250+ integrations |
| Hosting | Cloud (SaaS) | Cloud (SaaS) |
| Campaign types | Yes, email campaigns with a drag-and-drop designer and more than 250 templates | Yes, email campaigns and newsletters, with a website builder available as a paid add-on |
| Automation and journeys | Yes, marketing automation, 5 actions per automation on Starter and unlimited on Plus, Pro and Enterprise | Yes, prebuilt customer journeys and drip campaigns, with unlimited automated emails on Essentials and above |
| Segmentation and personalisation | Yes, segmentation from limited on Starter to advanced and premium on the higher plans, with predictive sending | Yes, segmentation, with advanced engagement segments on the Premier plan |
| Templates and editor | Yes, a drag-and-drop email designer for plain text and HTML with more than 250 pre-built templates | Yes, a drag-and-drop builder with 100+ responsive templates and support for custom-coded templates |
| Deliverability and testing | Yes, a spam check across plans and predictive sending | Yes, A/B testing, link review, and design and spam testing |
| Ecommerce and CRM data | Yes, contact profiles with custom fields, tags and lists, plus premium CRM integrations such as Salesforce on the higher plans | Yes, CRM and ecommerce connections among the 250+ integrations |
| Integrations and API | Yes, an API with webhooks plus more than 1,000 integrations | Yes, API access with 250+ integrations |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based |
| Support | more entries Email helpdesk, Chat, Community forum | Email helpdesk, Phone |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials, Guided onboarding, Live online demos and webinars | Not stated |
| Company size | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | more entries Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | Shopify, Salesforce, Zendesk, Wix, Facebook, Google Sheets, Google Ads, ChatGPT, Claude | Not stated |
Add a tool
Adds a column to the table, from the tools in this category.
Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Free trial ActiveCampaign 14-day free trial, no credit card required Campaign Monitor Free plan for up to 500 contacts on a 30-day trial, with a 500 email send limit
- Company size ActiveCampaign Small and mid-sized, Enterprise Campaign Monitor Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise
- Support ActiveCampaign Email helpdesk, Chat, Community forum Campaign Monitor Email helpdesk, Phone
- API ActiveCampaign Yes, an API with webhooks, plus more than 1,000 integrations Campaign Monitor Yes, API access with 250+ integrations
- Campaign types ActiveCampaign Yes, email campaigns with a drag-and-drop designer and more than 250 templates Campaign Monitor Yes, email campaigns and newsletters, with a website builder available as a paid add-on
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
ActiveCampaign
Strengths
- Marketing automation with unlimited automation actions on Plus, Pro and Enterprise
- More than 1,000 integrations plus an API with webhooks
- Active Intelligence AI features across all plans
- Built-in CRM with contact profiles, custom fields, tags and lists
Limitations
- Starter caps automations at 5 actions each and offers only limited segmentation
- Prices scale with the number of contacts
Campaign Monitor
Strengths
- Drag-and-drop builder with 100+ responsive templates and custom-coded templates
- Prebuilt customer journeys and drip campaigns
- AI Writer, AI Email Booster and AI Segment Mapper
- 250+ integrations, including CRM and ecommerce, with an API
Limitations
- Advanced engagement segments are reserved for the Premier plan
- The website builder is a paid add-on
Plans
Pricing
ActiveCampaign
- Starter Not stated Entry plan with the email designer, templates and up to 5 actions per automation. Scales with contacts.
- Plus Not stated Adds unlimited automation actions and standard segmentation. Scales with contacts.
- Pro Not stated Adds advanced segmentation and predictive sending. Scales with contacts.
- Enterprise Not stated Adds premium segmentation and premium integrations such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.
Campaign Monitor
- Free $0 / month Up to 500 contacts on a 30-day trial, with a 500 email send limit; no credit card required.
- Lite Not stated Core email tools with up to 2,500 monthly sends.
- Essentials Not stated Unlimited monthly sends and priority support.
- Premier Not stated Unlimited monthly sends, advanced engagement segments and phone support.
- Enterprise Not stated Custom pricing on annual contracts with a dedicated account manager.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
ActiveCampaign
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Campaign Monitor
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
ActiveCampaign https://www.activecampaign.com · checked against the official source on 2026-08-19
Campaign Monitor https://www.campaignmonitor.com · checked against the official source on 2026-08-21
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.