ActiveCampaign vs Benchmark Email
ActiveCampaign is a all-in-one marketing platform while Benchmark Email is a email marketing platform. ActiveCampaign is the more affordable option at $15/mo — that's $12 less than Benchmark Email's $27/mo entry point. Benchmark Email offers a free plan (500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user), while ActiveCampaign does not. ActiveCampaign has the edge with SMS marketing, ecommerce integrations.
Quick Verdict
ActiveCampaign wins on price, deliverability, rating.
Benchmark Email wins on integrations, free tier.
Best for most users: ActiveCampaign (ecommerce).
ActiveCampaign
Marketing automation that drives growth
ActiveCampaign is widely regarded as having the best marketing automation capabilities in the email marketing space. It combines email marketing with a built-in CRM, making it ideal for businesses that need sophisticated automation workflows and sales pipeline management.
Benchmark Email
Straightforward email marketing with all features on every plan
Benchmark Email is a multilingual email marketing platform founded in 2004 that takes an all-features-included approach, giving every user access to automation, A/B testing, and analytics regardless of plan tier. Available in 9 languages with global support, it appeals to international teams and nonprofits, though its significantly below-average deliverability rate (47.1% in third-party testing) is a serious concern that undermines its otherwise user-friendly design.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Benchmark Email |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.3/5 |
| Starting Price | $15/mo | $27/mo |
| Free Plan | No free plan | 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user |
| Founded | 2003 | 2004 |
| Email Templates | 250 | 200 |
| Integrations | 900 | 1,500 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97.5% | 47.1% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| A/B Testing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS Marketing | ✓ | ✕ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✓ | ✕ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
ActiveCampaign: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Industry-leading automation builder
- +Built-in CRM for sales teams
- +900+ integrations (largest ecosystem)
- +Excellent deliverability
- +Powerful segmentation and contact scoring
Cons
- −No free plan available
- −Steep learning curve for beginners
- −Gets expensive with higher-tier features
- −Reporting could be more intuitive
- −Landing page builder is basic compared to dedicated tools
Benchmark Email: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +All features included on every plan including free -- no feature gating between tiers
- +Available in 9 languages with live customer support in each, making it ideal for international teams
- +Intuitive drag-and-drop editor with mobile-optimized templates and device previews
- +Generous free plan with 500 contacts and 2,500 emails per month including AI content generation
- +Simple contact-based pricing that scales predictably without hidden charges for features
Cons
- −Extremely poor deliverability rate of 47.1% in EmailToolTester's January 2024 independent test, consistently ranking near the bottom
- −Segmentation is limited to within individual lists only -- cannot create cross-list segments for flexible targeting
- −Fewer than 30 pre-designed email templates despite marketing claims of 200+, limiting design variety
- −Slow product development cycle with features lagging behind competitors in automation and ecommerce capabilities
- −No migration support for non-enterprise customers when switching from another email platform
The Verdict
ActiveCampaign edges ahead with a 4.5/5 rating compared to Benchmark Email's 4.3/5. The gap comes mainly from deliverability (4.4 vs 3.2). On deliverability, ActiveCampaign reports 97.5% compared to 47.1% for Benchmark Email — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | ActiveCampaign | Benchmark Email |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $15/mo | $27/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97.5% | 47.1% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.5/5 | 4.3/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 900 | 1500 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose ActiveCampaign if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($15/mo)
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You're a ecommerce
Choose Benchmark Email if…
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You're a beginners
- + You're a small businesses