ActiveCampaign vs Ortto
ActiveCampaign and Ortto are both popular choices in the all-in-one marketing platform space. ActiveCampaign has been around since 2003, giving it a 12-year head start over Ortto (founded 2015). ActiveCampaign is the more affordable option at $15/mo — that's $154 less than Ortto's $169/mo entry point. ActiveCampaign has the edge with landing pages.
Quick Verdict
ActiveCampaign wins on price, deliverability, rating, integrations.
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.
Ortto
All-in-one CDP, marketing automation, and analytics platform for lifecycle marketing
Ortto (formerly Autopilot) is an all-in-one marketing platform that combines a Customer Data Platform, visual journey-based automation, and built-in analytics into a single solution. Founded by Australian brothers Michael and Chris Sharkey, it features AI-powered content tools, lead scoring, SMS and email campaigns, and pre-built playbooks for common marketing workflows. Best suited for mid-market teams running lifecycle marketing at scale, with plans starting at $509/month for 10,000 contacts.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Ortto |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $15/mo | $169/mo |
| Free Plan | No free plan | No free plan |
| Founded | 2003 | 2015 |
| Email Templates | 250 | 80 |
| Integrations | 900 | 800 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97.5% | 95% |
| 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
Ortto: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Unified platform combining Customer Data Platform, marketing automation, and analytics — no need for separate tools
- +Visual journey builder is intuitive with drag-and-drop for building complex multichannel automations
- +Excellent segmentation and lead scoring capabilities based on real-time behavioral data
- +Consistently praised customer support with quick response times across all plan tiers
- +Pre-built playbooks and automation templates significantly reduce setup time for common workflows
Cons
- −High entry price at $509/month with no starter tier — prohibitive for small businesses and solo marketers
- −Transactional emails locked behind the $1,999/month Enterprise plan
- −Business and Enterprise plans require annual commitment with no monthly option
- −Steep learning curve for the CDP and advanced reporting features
- −Pricing scales aggressively as contact lists grow beyond the base 10,000 contacts
The Verdict
ActiveCampaign and Ortto 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, ActiveCampaign reports 97.5% compared to 95% for Ortto — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | ActiveCampaign | Ortto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $15/mo | $169/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97.5% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 900 | 800 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | No |
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 built-in landing pages
- + You're a ecommerce
- + You're a agencies
Choose Ortto if…
- + You're a mid market saas and e commerce companies running lifecycle marketing at scale
- + You're a marketing teams wanting a unified cdp with automation and analytics in one platform
- + Unified platform combining Customer Data Platform, marketing automation, and analytics — no need for separate tools