Try or ByeTry or Bye
ProductsCategoriesTop PicksCompareBudget CalcContact
Try or ByeTry or Bye

Where digital products disappoint — based on real user feedback patterns.

© 2026 Try or Bye. All rights reserved.

Explore

  • All Products
  • Categories
  • Compare

Insights

  • Signals
  • Problems
  • Contact

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  1. Home
  2. Compare
  3. ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp

ActiveCampaignvsMailchimp

Saas60
vs
Saas52
ScoresSignalsPricingFeatures

Score Comparison

60
Overall
52
40
Pricing
35
55
Usability
65
60
Performance
55
40
Support
30
60
Reliability
50
45
Onboarding
70
55
Mobile
60
65
Security
60
75
Integrations
80
ActiveCampaignMailchimp

Signals Comparison

Pricing

ActiveCampaign

  • Charged after cancellation - billing continues despite confirmation(10/10)
  • Now charges for ALL contacts including unsubscribed and bounced(9/10)
  • Cannot downgrade plans - stuck at higher tier forever(8/10)
  • Additional features like Conversations cost extra(7/10)

Mailchimp

  • Free plan gutted from 2000 to just 250 contacts(9/10)
  • Pricing explodes as subscriber list grows(9/10)
  • Billing continues after account deletion(8/10)
  • Advanced features require expensive paid plans(7/10)
  • Forced upgrades by restricting accounts before limits reached(7/10)
Support

ActiveCampaign

  • Support quality declined dramatically - now takes days(8/10)

Mailchimp

  • Customer service is nonexistent with no phone support(9/10)
Usability

ActiveCampaign

  • Email editor has persistent formatting bugs(7/10)
  • Steep learning curve - not beginner friendly(6/10)
  • Automations don't behave as expected(7/10)
  • Documentation and tutorials outdated(5/10)
  • AI features buggy and don't work correctly(6/10)

Mailchimp

  • Email builder has clunky formatting and weird quirks(7/10)
Performance

ActiveCampaign

  • Platform slowdowns when handling large datasets(6/10)

Mailchimp

  • Platform runs slow with large contact lists(6/10)
Integrations

ActiveCampaign

  • Third-party integrations cumbersome to set up(5/10)

Mailchimp

  • E-commerce sync creates duplicate contacts(5/10)
Reliability

ActiveCampaign

No signals

Mailchimp

  • Emails frequently land in spam or promotions folders(9/10)
Customization

ActiveCampaign

No signals

Mailchimp

  • Advanced features like automation are confusing to set up(6/10)
Security

ActiveCampaign

No signals

Mailchimp

  • Accounts suspended without clear explanation(8/10)

Pricing Comparison

ActiveCampaign

Starter
$15/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: Not specified

Limits: 1 user, basic features only, no landing pages, no CRM, limited automation

Very limited. No landing pages, CRM, or advanced automation. Now charges for ALL contacts including unsubscribed. Annual commitment for best pricing.
Plus
Popular
$49/mo

Users: 3 users

Storage: Not specified

Limits: Limited CRM, basic reporting, some automation triggers locked

Costs scale rapidly: ~$160-200/mo at 5K contacts. Additional users cost extra. Many advanced features still require Pro tier.
Pro
$79/mo

Users: 5 users

Storage: Not specified

Limits: Phone support costs $79 extra. Some enterprise features locked.

Jumps to $320-400/mo at 5K contacts. Still no phone support without extra fee. Conversations feature costs additional.
Enterprise
$145/mo

Users: 10+ users

Storage: Not specified

Limits: Expensive for what you get. Custom pricing means less transparency.

Starting price only. Actual cost much higher based on contacts and add-ons. Annual commitment typically required.

Mailchimp

Free
Free

Users: 1 user

Storage: Not specified

Limits: Only 250 contacts, 500 emails, single audience, no automation, no phone/chat support, Mailchimp branding

Contacts halved to 250 in 2026. Daily send limit of 250 emails. Mailchimp branding on all emails. No support.
Essentials
$13/mo

Users: 3 users

Storage: Not specified

Limits: Limited automation, no advanced segmentation, basic reporting, 3 audience limit

Price increases significantly with contact count. 10× contact monthly send limit. Extra contacts charged at premium rates.
Standard
Popular
$20/mo

Users: 5 users

Storage: Not specified

Limits: Some advanced features still limited, 5 audience limit

12× contact monthly send limit. Price jumps significantly with more contacts. Annual discount available but commits you longer.
Premium
$350/mo

Users: Unlimited

Storage: Not specified

Limits: Extremely expensive for what you get compared to alternatives

Jumps to ~$1,300/month at 200K contacts. 15× contact send cap. Phone support finally available at this tier only.

Feature Comparison

FeatureActiveCampaignMailchimp
Email
Email campaigns

All plans

Automation
Marketing automation

All plans, advanced on Plus+

Visual automation builder

Industry-leading

Marketing
Automation

Limited on lower tiers

Landing pages

Plus and above

SMS marketing

Add-on cost

CRM
Built-in CRM

Plus and above

CRM features

Very basic

Testing
A/B testing

Essentials and above

A/B testing in automations

Pro and above

Audience
Segmentation

Advanced on Standard+

Advanced segmentation

Pro and above

Integrations
300+ integrations

E-commerce, CRM, apps

900+ integrations

Native + Zapier

Support
Phone support

$79 extra cost

Free migration support

DIY only

Pricing
Generous free plan

Only 250 contacts now

Pay-per-email pricing

Profile-based only

Contact-based pricing

Charges for ALL contacts

Downgrade flexibility

Cannot downgrade