ActiveCampaign vs EngageBay
ActiveCampaign and EngageBay are both popular choices in the all-in-one marketing platform space. ActiveCampaign has been around since 2003, giving it a 15-year head start over EngageBay (founded 2018). ActiveCampaign starts at $15/mo billed annually, while EngageBay starts at $14.99/mo. Their pricing is not measured the same way, so we don't rank them on price. EngageBay offers a free plan (250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, up to 15 users), while ActiveCampaign does not.
Quick Verdict
ActiveCampaign wins on deliverability, integrations.
EngageBay wins on rating, free tier.
It's a close call — your choice depends on your specific needs.
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.
EngageBay
All-in-one CRM for marketing, sales & support
EngageBay is a bootstrapped all-in-one CRM platform that bundles marketing automation, sales pipeline management, helpdesk ticketing, and live chat into a single affordable package. Founded in 2018 as a cost-effective alternative to HubSpot, it serves over 150,000 businesses with a free plan supporting up to 15 users. Its strongest differentiator is delivering the full marketing-sales-support stack at a fraction of enterprise CRM pricing, making it particularly attractive to budget-conscious SMBs.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | EngageBay |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Starting Price | $15/mo billed annually | $14.99/mo |
| Free Plan | No free plan | 250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, up to 15 users |
| Founded | 2003 | 2018 |
| Email Templates | 250 | 100 |
| Integrations | 900 | 30 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97.5% | 95% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | Yes |
| A/B Testing | Yes | Yes |
| Landing Pages | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Yes |
| Live Chat | Yes | Yes |
| 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
EngageBay: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Exceptionally affordable all-in-one platform combining CRM, marketing, sales, and support — Pro plan at $119.99/mo vs HubSpot at $900+/mo
- + Generous free plan supports up to 15 team members with email marketing, CRM, helpdesk, and live chat included
- + Highly rated customer support (4.8/5 on Capterra) with live chat and real human agents available 24/5
- + Built-in landing page builder with 87 templates, web forms, pop-ups, and SMS marketing included from Basic plan
- + Strong marketing automation with visual workflow builder, lead scoring, and A/B testing on Growth plan and above
Cons
- − Limited email editor widgets and somewhat outdated email template designs compared to modern competitors
- − Reporting module offers only basic analytics — lacks advanced custom reporting depth for data-driven teams
- − Per-user pricing model becomes expensive as teams scale beyond 5-10 users, especially on Growth and Pro plans
- − Occasional performance issues including slow page loads and intermittent bugs reported by users
- − Steep learning curve for advanced features — the breadth of the all-in-one platform can overwhelm new users
The Verdict
EngageBay edges ahead with a 4.7/5 rating compared to ActiveCampaign's 4.5/5. The gap comes mainly from value for money (4.8 vs 4.3) and ease of use (4.8 vs 4.5). On deliverability, ActiveCampaign reports 97.5% compared to 95% for EngageBay — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | ActiveCampaign | EngageBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $15/mo billed annually | $14.99/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97.5% Winner | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.5/5 | 4.7/5 Winner |
| Integrations | 10% | 900 Winner | 30 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | Yes Winner |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose ActiveCampaign if…
- + You're a ecommerce
- + You're a agencies
- + Industry-leading automation builder
Choose EngageBay if…
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You're a small businesses on a budget
- + You're a startups replacing hubspot