ActiveCampaign vs Drip
ActiveCampaign is a all-in-one marketing platform while Drip is a email marketing platform. ActiveCampaign has been around since 2003, giving it a 10-year head start over Drip (founded 2013). ActiveCampaign starts at $15/mo billed annually, while Drip starts at $39/mo. Their pricing is not measured the same way, so we don't rank them on price. ActiveCampaign has the edge with landing pages. Both tools work well for ecommerce.
Quick Verdict
ActiveCampaign wins on rating, integrations.
Drip wins on deliverability.
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.
Drip
Marketing automation for ecommerce
Drip is a focused ecommerce marketing platform known for its powerful visual automation builder and behavior-based segmentation. It's designed specifically for online stores that want sophisticated marketing automation without the complexity of enterprise tools.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Drip |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $15/mo billed annually | $39/mo |
| Free Plan | No free plan | No free plan |
| Founded | 2003 | 2013 |
| Email Templates | 250 | 50 |
| Integrations | 900 | 150 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97.5% | 98% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | Yes |
| A/B Testing | Yes | Yes |
| Landing Pages | Yes | No |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | Yes | Yes |
| SMS Marketing | Yes | Yes |
| Ecommerce Features | Yes | Yes |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | Yes | No |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | Yes | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | Yes |
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
Drip: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Excellent ecommerce automation
- + Visual workflow builder
- + Strong Shopify integration
- + Revenue attribution
- + Behavior-based segmentation
Cons
- − No free plan
- − More expensive starting price ($39)
- − No landing page builder
- − Limited to ecommerce focus
- − Smaller company, less known
The Verdict
ActiveCampaign and Drip are closely matched — both score within 0.1 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality. On deliverability, Drip reports 98% compared to 97.5% for ActiveCampaign — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | ActiveCampaign | Drip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $15/mo billed annually | $39/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97.5% | 98% Winner |
| Rating | 25% | 4.5/5 Winner | 4.4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 900 Winner | 150 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | No |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose ActiveCampaign if…
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You're a agencies
- + You're a b2b
Choose Drip if…
- + You're a d2c brands
- + You're a shopify
- + Excellent ecommerce automation