ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse: CRM bundle or subscriber pricing?

How are ActiveCampaign and GetResponse really different?

What will ActiveCampaign or GetResponse cost for your setup?

The cheapest plan that covers each setup, add-ons included. Prices exclude VAT.

ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse side by side

I compare email/CRM platforms on: Real cost per list size, both billing bases; Free-tier contact ceiling before you must pay anything; Team seats included, and the seat price past that; List segmentation depth; Automation workflow depth and any step/action limits; Deliverability and sending limits (emails per month, per day, or per rolling window); CRM and ecommerce integration depth; What happens past your plan's contact ceiling (overage pricing vs a forced upgrade).

Who should pick ActiveCampaign, and who should pick GetResponse?

ActiveCampaign

Desk research

ActiveCampaign prices by contact list size on top of the plan tier, and the plan cards only show the annual rate. Month-to-month billing shows up at checkout for Starter and Plus only (Starter from $19/month billed monthly); Pro and Enterprise need a yearly commitment. Starter caps you at 5 actions per automation and one seat, so it reads more like a taste of the platform than a real working plan.

Best for: A small business that wants CRM and ecommerce integrations bundled with email marketing from the entry tier.

Strengths

• API and webhook access on every plan, including Starter.
• Zapier is available on every plan, not gated to the top tier.
• A 14-day trial with no card, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first paid subscription.

Limits

• Starter automations are capped at 5 actions per automation; Plus and up remove the cap.
• Full white-labeling (custom domain, CSS/HTML rebrand) is Enterprise-only.
• The Enhanced CRM add-on (pipelines, sales engagement) isn't offered on Starter at all.

Skip it if you need more than 5 actions per automation or a second seat without upgrading past Starter.

ActiveCampaign reviewActiveCampaign pricingActiveCampaign alternatives

GetResponse

Desk research

• Best for solo marketers and small businesses
• Best for growing lists sending regularly
• Best for small teams sharing one account

GetResponse is a list-size-priced email platform. Plans start at $19/month billed monthly on the entry Starter tier at its smallest list size, and cost rises as the list grows. Starter, Marketer and Creator add more automation and team seats, and a 14-day trial needs no credit card. After the trial the account drops to a limited free version, but GetResponse doesn't publish its contact limit on the pricing page, so treat the paid plans as the real product.

Best for: Email marketers who outgrow free tiers and want automations and team seats on a pay-as-you-grow model. Starter includes 3 seats, and Marketer and Creator include 5.

Strengths

• 14-day trial with no credit card required, and the account falls back to a limited free version afterwards instead of closing.
• Marketer and Creator include unlimited automations, where Starter allows a single automation workflow.
• 3 team seats on Starter, 5 on Marketer and 5 on Creator, unlimited on Enterprise.

Limits

• The free version left after the 14-day trial adds a GetResponse badge to every message, drops dynamic segments, switches off published automation workflows, and caps you at 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month. Anything serious needs a paid plan.
• Pricing scales with list size, from $19/month billed monthly at the smallest list size. Subscriber-count tiered. Prices are published at 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000 and 100,000 contacts; the slider's last step, "100,000+", shows the 100,000 price.
• Starter allows a single automation workflow, so businesses running several automations move up to Marketer.

Skip it if you want a clearly defined free plan to grow on before paying (GetResponse's post-trial free version carries its badge on every email and caps the list at 500 contacts), or you prefer flat-rate pricing over subscriber-count scaling.

GetResponse reviewGetResponse pricingGetResponse alternatives

Neither ActiveCampaign nor GetResponse? Try these

• 

  Klaviyo

  From $20/mo billed monthly

  Pick it if ecommerce-specific segmentation and revenue attribution matter more than a bundled CRM or seat count; it leans harder into online-store data than either of these two.

  Klaviyo reviewKlaviyo alternatives

• 

  Brevo

  From $8.08/mo billed annually

  Pick it if you want a free plan that stores a much larger list before you pay: ActiveCampaign has none, and GetResponse's free version stops at a small list.

  Brevo reviewBrevo alternatives

• 

  Constant Contact

  From $10.20/mo billed annually

  Pick it if you want a simpler, more guided setup aimed at a first-time sender rather than a marketer who wants CRM depth or webinar tools.

  Constant Contact reviewConstant Contact alternatives

ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse: questions people ask

Is GetResponse cheaper than ActiveCampaign?

At the entry band they're level month to month and ActiveCampaign is a touch cheaper on annual billing; GetResponse pulls ahead as the list grows. GetResponse's Starter plan is $19/month billed monthly, or $15.58/month billed annually. ActiveCampaign's Starter is $19/month billed monthly, or $15/month billed annually. At 5,000 contacts GetResponse is $54/month billed monthly, and ActiveCampaign is $99/month billed monthly. GetResponse also includes 3 seats on Starter where ActiveCampaign gives you 1.

Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan?

No. ActiveCampaign only offers a 14-day trial with no card required. After that you're on a paid plan or your account stops working.

Does GetResponse have a free plan?

Only a limited one. GetResponse offers a 14-day trial with no card required, then the account becomes a free version capped at 500 contacts and 2,500 emails a month, with a GetResponse badge on every message and automations switched off. Every other published tier is a paid plan.

Which has real CRM features, ActiveCampaign or GetResponse?

ActiveCampaign. Every tier, including Starter, includes Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations, and an Enhanced CRM add-on is available from Plus up. GetResponse doesn't offer CRM or sales-pipeline tools at any tier, so if that's what you need, ActiveCampaign is the pick regardless of the price gap.

How many team seats do I get without upgrading?

GetResponse's Starter plan already includes 3 seats. ActiveCampaign's Starter and Plus both cap you at 1 seat; a second or third login means upgrading to Pro.

Does either tool offer a money-back guarantee?

ActiveCampaign does: a real 30-day money-back guarantee, but only on a customer's first-ever paid subscription. GetResponse doesn't document a money-back guarantee; its only pre-payment protection is the 14-day trial.

Which is better for a small business or small team just getting started?

GetResponse, for most small teams. Its Starter plan costs the same as ActiveCampaign's month to month at the entry band and less as the list grows, and already includes 3 seats, where ActiveCampaign's Starter caps you at 1. Pick ActiveCampaign instead only if a CRM and sales pipeline bundled with email is a requirement from day one.