ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo: annual-only or monthly-only pricing?
Email marketing and CRM platforms · Verified · By Joonas Rotko
ActiveCampaign
Desk research
From Starter, billed annually
$15/mo
Klaviyo
Desk research
From Marketing, billed monthly
$20/mo
vs
Quick answer
Both publish a price list, but on different billing bases, so a price ranking would mislead. ActiveCampaign's Starter is $15/month billed annually, annual billing only, for up to 1,000 contacts. Klaviyo's Marketing plan starts at $20/month billed monthly, monthly only, at 500 active profiles, and its free plan covers 250 profiles. I'd pick Klaviyo for a plain email list with no annual commitment, and ActiveCampaign when a team of three needs a published seat count and CRM. Prices as of 1 Oct 2026.
Across the three setups below: Klaviyo in 2 of 3 scenarios.
Which one fits you?
Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier
Klaviyo
My pick
$20/mobilled monthly
At 500 contacts Klaviyo's Marketing plan is $20/month billed monthly, and under 250 profiles its free plan costs nothing. ActiveCampaign's Starter is $15/month billed annually, but only on annual billing, so the two prices aren't like for like. Starter also limits automations to 5 actions per automation, which Klaviyo's pricing page doesn't do.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
The two prices are on different billing bases (monthly for Klaviyo, annual for ActiveCampaign), so I decided on the free plan, the month-to-month billing and the lack of an automation step cap.
Skip it if you want a 30-day money-back guarantee on your first subscription and don't mind committing annually. ActiveCampaign offers that and Klaviyo's pricing page states no refund policy.
At 5,000 contacts Klaviyo's Marketing plan is $100/month billed monthly. ActiveCampaign's cheapest option is Starter at $79/month billed annually, annual billing only, and Starter limits automations to 5 actions per automation. Klaviyo asks for no annual commitment and no step cap is published for its plan.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Monthly and annual prices can't be ranked against each other, so I decided on billing flexibility and the automation step cap at the cheaper ActiveCampaign tier.
Skip it if you want ActiveCampaign's CRM and sales automation in the same account. Plus and above add the CRM add-on and lift the automation cap, and each is priced on annual billing only.
Three seats forces ActiveCampaign up to Pro, since Starter and Plus both cap at 1 seat. Pro's $79/month billed annually covers the 3 seats at a 1,000-contact list, on annual billing. Klaviyo publishes no seat count for its Marketing plan, so a 3-person team can't be priced there.
Why this pick, and when to skip it
Only ActiveCampaign confirms three seats at a published price, so this pick rests on the seat count, not on a price comparison.
Skip it if you can confirm Klaviyo's login count with the vendor and want month-to-month billing. Klaviyo's published monthly price at a 1,000-profile list is lower than ActiveCampaign Pro's annual-billed rate, but the two are on different bases.
How are ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo really different?
Billing basis of the published prices
ActiveCampaign
Annual billing only. Starter $15/month billed annually. Plus $49/month billed annually. Pro $79/month billed annually. Enterprise $145/month billed annually. These are the entry-band rates and no monthly rate is published.
Klaviyo
Monthly billing only. The Marketing plan (email) starts at $20/month billed monthly at 500 active profiles and rises in bands up to 150,000 profiles. No annual rate is published.
Both prices are public, but one is a monthly price and the other needs a yearly commitment. Don't set an annual-billed figure against a monthly one.
Free plan vs trial
ActiveCampaign
None. 14-day trial only, no card required, then you're on a paid plan
Klaviyo
Permanent: 250 profiles, 500 emails a month, $0/month billed monthly
Only Klaviyo lets you run real campaigns indefinitely without paying, but its free ceiling is tight compared to a real contact list.
Automation complexity at the entry tier
ActiveCampaign
5 actions per automation on Starter; the cap disappears from Plus up
Klaviyo
No automation step limit is published for the Marketing plan
ActiveCampaign's cheapest plan limits how long an automation can be. Klaviyo's pricing page lists no such cap.
CRM depth vs modular add-ons
ActiveCampaign
Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations bundled into Starter, with an Enhanced CRM add-on available from Plus up
Klaviyo
Email comes with the Marketing plan. Data + Analytics, Service, Composer and Customer Agent are separate tiers, and social marketing, reviews and SMS usage are priced on top
ActiveCampaign bundles CRM into one plan price. Klaviyo prices each capability beyond email as its own line item.
Support access on the free/entry tier
ActiveCampaign
Not itemized for ActiveCampaign's Starter support channels
Klaviyo
Standard support included; FAQ lists onboarding, Community, Academy, chat, growth success team, agency partners
Klaviyo lists its support channels on the pricing page. ActiveCampaign's Starter pricing page doesn't state the equivalent.
What will ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo cost for your setup?
The cheapest plan that covers each setup, add-ons included. Prices exclude VAT.
Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier
500 subscribers · mailed 3 times a month (for tools priced by emails sent) · 1 user
ToolMonthlyYearly, per month
ActiveCampaign
Annual only
$15
Starter
Above 25,000 subscribers: Plus (+$434/mo, billed annually).
Klaviyo
My pick
$20
Monthly only
Marketing
Above 150,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.
The plan's price is published, but a limit this setup needs isn't, so the fit can't be confirmed.
How I calculated this
For each tool I price every current plan plus the add-ons a setup needs, from the vendor's published prices only, and take the cheapest. Monthly and annual billing are priced separately. When a limit or price isn't published, the tool shows as not fitting instead of a guess.
Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier: A list of about 500 contacts, just past the free tiers most vendors offer. One login. Tools priced by emails sent are costed at three mailings per subscriber a month.ActiveCampaign, monthly billing: Not sold on monthly billing.Klaviyo, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.
Growing list, sending regularly: A list of 5,000 contacts, sending regularly. One login. Tools priced by emails sent are costed at three mailings per subscriber a month.ActiveCampaign, monthly billing: Not sold on monthly billing.Klaviyo, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.
Small team managing one list together: Three people logging in to the same 1,000-contact list. Seats, not list size, are the deciding limit. Tools priced by emails sent are costed at three mailings per subscriber a month.ActiveCampaign, monthly billing: Not sold on monthly billing.Klaviyo, monthly billing: Marketing is priced, but users limit isn't published. Users limit isn't published.Klaviyo, annual billing: Marketing has no published price. Users limit isn't published. Price limit isn't published.
ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo 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).
ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo compared on the main buying criteria
Criterion
ActiveCampaign
Klaviyo
Real cost per list size, both billing bases
Starter $15/month billed annually. Plus $49/month billed annually. Pro $79/month billed annually. Enterprise $145/month billed annually. All four figures are for the 1,000-contact entry band, on annual billing only; no monthly rate is published for any tier
Free is $0/month billed monthly up to 250 profiles. The Marketing plan starts at $20/month billed monthly for 500 active profiles and rises in bands. Monthly billing only: no annual rate is published
Free-tier contact ceiling before you must pay anything
None. 14-day trial only, then a paid plan
250 profiles on Free, permanently, no trial clock
Team seats included, and the seat price past that
1 on Starter and Plus, 3 on Pro, 5 on Enterprise; extra seats can be bought in-app but no per-seat price is published
The pricing page states no seat count or extra-seat price for the Marketing plan
List segmentation depth
Limited on Starter, rising through Standard and Advanced to Premium on Enterprise
Segmentation is a named Klaviyo feature, but its pricing page doesn't say how deep it goes
Automation workflow depth and any step/action limits
5 actions per automation on Starter; unlimited from Plus, Pro and Enterprise
No step or action limit is published for the Marketing plan
All details, including automation and AI workflows
All compared details for ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo
Criterion
ActiveCampaign
Klaviyo
Deliverability and sending limits (emails per month, per day, or per rolling window)
No monthly send cap is stated on ActiveCampaign's pricing page
10 x active profiles (5,000 emails/month at 500 profiles, 50,000 at 5,000, 1,500,000 at 150,000). The free plan allows 500 emails a month
CRM and ecommerce integration depth
Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations on Starter; Enhanced CRM add-on available from Plus up, no public add-on price
Data + Analytics is a separate Klaviyo tier, priced on top of the email plan
What happens past your plan's contact ceiling (overage pricing vs a forced upgrade)
Starter is only sold up to 25,000 contacts; the price steps up band by band, and above the top band you talk to sales
The price steps up band by band. On the free plan you must move to Marketing past 250 profiles. Past 150,000 profiles you talk to sales
Full price list
Starter: $15/month billed annually. Plus: $49/month billed annually. Pro: $79/month billed annually. Enterprise: $145/month billed annually. All four figures are annual billing only, for the 1,000-contact entry band; no monthly rate is published.
Free: $0/month billed monthly, up to 250 profiles. Marketing (email) starts at $20/month billed monthly for 500 active profiles and runs up to 150,000 profiles, monthly billing only. Add-ons and the other tiers are priced separately.
Pricing model
Priced by contact-list size on top of the plan tier; the entry band is 1,000 contacts and features change between tiers
Klaviyo prices email by active profiles (unique people in the account) on a slider, not by a flat plan: Email is included in the Marketing solution and costs $20/month at 500 profiles up to $1,955/month at 150,000 profiles, with send limits at 10 emails per profile; above 150,000 profiles it is Talk to sales. The page shows monthly USD prices only (no annual toggle). Other add-ons (Composer, Customer Hub, Social marketing, Reviews, SMS and other mobile messages) are priced separately; Service and Customer Agent carry an introductory discount.
Trial and free plan
14-day trial, no card required. No free-forever plan, only the trial.
Free plan is permanent, not a trial: 250 profiles, 500 emails a month, $0/month billed monthly.
Refund / money-back terms
Real 30-day money-back guarantee, but only on a customer's first-ever paid subscription
No refund policy is stated on Klaviyo's pricing page
Support on the entry/free tier
Not stated on the pricing page
Standard support included; FAQ lists onboarding, Community, Academy, chat, growth success team, agency partners. On the free plan: Email support for first 60 days, then Help Center and community only.
White labeling
Lower tiers can only swap the logo; full white-labeling (custom domain, CSS/HTML rebrand) is available on Enterprise only
Not stated on Klaviyo's pricing page
CRM add-on availability
Not offered on Starter; available as an in-app add-on from Plus up, no public add-on price
Not sold as a discrete add-on the way ActiveCampaign structures it. Klaviyo's closest equivalent, Data + Analytics, is a separate tier priced on top of email.
Extra seat pricing
Extra seats can be purchased in-app, but no per-seat price is published
The pricing page states no seat count or extra-seat price for Klaviyo
Who should pick ActiveCampaign, and who should pick Klaviyo?
ActiveCampaign
Desk research
Best for small teams sharing one account
ActiveCampaign prices by contact list size on top of the plan tier, and the plan cards only show the annual rate; there's no published monthly-billing number to compare against. 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.
Klaviyo has a free plan for up to 250 profiles and 500 email sends per month. Its Marketing (Email) plan is priced per active profile, starting at $20/month billed monthly at the smallest profile band and rising with each band up to 150,000 active profiles. Above that Klaviyo says to talk to sales. Prices are published monthly only.
Best for: Teams that want to start on the free plan and move to a published per-profile Email price as their list grows.
Strengths
Free plan for up to 250 profiles and 500 email sends per month.
Marketing (Email) pricing is published: $20/month billed monthly at the entry band, with a price for each active-profile band up to 150,000 profiles.
Limits
Prices are monthly only; the pricing page shows no annual option.
Above 150,000 active profiles the page says to talk to sales rather than showing a price.
The free plan caps at 250 profiles and 500 email sends per month.
Skip it if you want annual billing, a published price above 150,000 active profiles, or a flat price that does not rise with list size.
Pick it if multi-channel messaging (SMS, push, in-app) matters more than either tool's email-first approach, and you want a monthly price on a published ladder.
Neither pricing page promises an import from the other, so plan to rebuild your segments and automations by hand in either direction. ActiveCampaign gives you a 14-day trial with no card required to rebuild your core automations before you commit. Klaviyo's free plan is permanent rather than a trial, so you can build out a real account up to 250 profiles before deciding whether to move further. ActiveCampaign's prices need an annual commitment, so test first.
What would change my pick?
ActiveCampaign publishing a monthly-billing rate on any tier would let me compare it with Klaviyo's monthly price like for like.
Klaviyo publishing an annual rate would do the same from the other side.
Needing three or more logins on a confirmed plan would favor ActiveCampaign, since Klaviyo publishes no seat count.
ActiveCampaign extending a published price past its top band of 50,000 contacts on Pro would let me price a larger list on both sides.
ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo: questions people ask
Is ActiveCampaign cheaper than Klaviyo?
The published rates are on different bases, so a price ranking would mislead. ActiveCampaign's Starter is $15/month billed annually, annual billing only. Klaviyo's Marketing plan starts at $20/month billed monthly, monthly only. Under 250 active profiles Klaviyo is free and ActiveCampaign isn't.
Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan?
No. Only a 14-day trial, no card required. After that you're on Starter or a higher paid tier.
Does Klaviyo have a free plan?
Yes, and it's permanent, not a trial: 250 profiles, 500 emails a month, $0/month billed monthly. Email support for first 60 days, then Help Center and community only.
Does Klaviyo publish its paid prices?
Yes. Email is priced per active profile in bands, from $20/month billed monthly at 500 profiles up to 150,000 profiles, monthly only. Above that it says to talk to sales. Other tiers and add-ons are priced separately.
How many contacts do I get on ActiveCampaign's Starter plan?
1,000, for $15/month billed annually. The price steps up as the contact count rises, and Starter is only sold up to 25,000 contacts.
Does ActiveCampaign offer a money-back guarantee?
Yes, a 30-day money-back guarantee, but only on a customer's first-ever paid subscription. Klaviyo's pricing page states no refund policy to compare it against.
What will this cost me at 5,000 contacts?
Klaviyo's Marketing plan is $100/month billed monthly. ActiveCampaign's Starter is $79/month billed annually, annual billing only, with automations limited to 5 actions per automation. The two are on different bases, so don't read them as a ranking.
How I verified this
Every price and limit here comes from the vendors' own pages, last checked . ActiveCampaign: desk research. Klaviyo: desk research.
: New page. Klaviyo is the pick for a 500-contact and a 5,000-contact list, and ActiveCampaign for a team of three that needs a confirmed seat count. ActiveCampaign publishes annual-billed prices only and Klaviyo monthly prices only, so no pick rests on a price ranking. Neither tool has an affiliate link, so every link on the page is plain.
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