That Marketing Buddy

MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign: free plan or CRM bundle?

Email marketing and CRM platforms · Verified · By Joonas Rotko

MailerLite logo

MailerLite

Desk research

From Comfort, billed annually

$10.80/mo

$12/mo billed monthly

ActiveCampaign logo

ActiveCampaign

Desk research

From Starter, billed annually

$15/mo

Quick answer

MailerLite is the better starting point for most small businesses: its free plan is permanent, not a trial, and its paid tiers ($12/month billed monthly) undercut ActiveCampaign's Starter ($15/month billed annually), which only publishes an annual rate. Pick ActiveCampaign instead if you want CRM and sales-pipeline tools bundled with email from day one, something MailerLite doesn't attempt.

Across the three setups below: MailerLite in 3 of 3 scenarios.

Which one fits you?

  1. Solo marketer or small business, a list just past the free tier

    MailerLite logo

    MailerLite

    My pick

    $10.80/mo billed annually

    MailerLite's Comfort plan covers this list size at $10.80/month billed annually, or $12/month billed monthly if you'd rather not commit annually. ActiveCampaign only publishes an annual rate for Starter, $15/month billed annually, so there's no monthly-billing option to compare against at all.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Skip it if you want CRM or sales-pipeline tools bundled in from day one; ActiveCampaign has those built into Starter, MailerLite has none at any tier.

    See MailerLite plans

  2. Growing list, sending regularly

    MailerLite logo

    MailerLite

    My pick

    $44.10/mo billed annually

    At 5,000 contacts ActiveCampaign only shows an annual rate, so annual is the like-for-like basis. MailerLite Comfort is $44.10/month billed annually and ActiveCampaign Starter is $79/month billed annually. MailerLite is also $49/month billed monthly if you'd rather not commit for a year.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Skip it if you want CRM or sales-pipeline tools bundled in from day one. ActiveCampaign has those built into Starter and MailerLite has none at any tier.

    See MailerLite plans

  3. Small team managing one list together

    MailerLite logo

    MailerLite

    My pick

    $17.10/mo billed annually

    Three seats forces ActiveCampaign up to Pro, which is $79/month billed annually on annual billing, its only published rate. MailerLite Comfort includes 3 seats and is $17.10/month billed annually on the same annual basis, or $19/month billed monthly if you'd rather not commit for a year.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Skip it if your team needs shared CRM and sales-pipeline tools. ActiveCampaign Pro includes them and MailerLite doesn't offer them at any tier.

    See MailerLite plans

Neither fits? See the alternatives, or take the 2-minute recommendation.

How are MailerLite and ActiveCampaign really different?

  • Free plan

    MailerLite
    Permanent: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 2 seats
    ActiveCampaign
    None. 14-day trial only, then you're on a paid plan

    Only MailerLite lets you run real campaigns indefinitely without paying.

  • Entry-plan billing basis

    MailerLite
    Comfort: $12/month billed monthly, or $10.80/month billed annually
    ActiveCampaign
    Starter: $15/month billed annually; no monthly-billing rate is published anywhere on the live pricing page

    ActiveCampaign's cheapest confirmed number requires an annual commitment; MailerLite gives you a real monthly option.

  • Automation complexity at the entry tier

    MailerLite
    50 automations on Comfort, same step allowance as every paid tier
    ActiveCampaign
    5 actions per automation on Starter; the cap disappears from Plus up

    ActiveCampaign specifically throttles automation complexity on its cheapest plan in a way MailerLite doesn't at any paid tier.

  • CRM and sales-pipeline bundling

    MailerLite
    Not offered at any tier
    ActiveCampaign
    Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations built in from Starter, with an Enhanced CRM add-on from Plus up

    If you want a pipeline next to your inbox, ActiveCampaign gives you the on-ramp; MailerLite doesn't try.

  • Refund terms

    MailerLite
    Discretionary only; MailerLite's terms don't commit to a refund for a wrong-tier purchase or a change of mind
    ActiveCampaign
    Real 30-day money-back guarantee, but only on a customer's first-ever paid subscription

    Neither is a no-questions guarantee. Read the fine print before you commit annually on either side.

What will MailerLite or ActiveCampaign 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

MailerLite

My pick
$12
$10.80

Comfort

Above 200,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

ActiveCampaign

Annual only
$15

Starter

Above 25,000 subscribers: Plus (+$434/mo, billed annually).

See MailerLite plans
Usage, limits and billing

MailerLite

  • Uses 500 of 200,000 subscribers.
  • On monthly billing: $144 a year.
  • On annual billing: $129.60 a year.

ActiveCampaign

  • Uses 500 of 25,000 subscribers.
  • On annual billing: $180 a year.
  • Starter is sold on annual billing only.

Growing list, sending regularly

5,000 subscribers · mailed 3 times a month (for tools priced by emails sent) · 1 user

ToolMonthlyYearly, per month

MailerLite

My pick
$49
$44.10

Comfort

Above 200,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

ActiveCampaign

Annual only
$79

Starter

Above 25,000 subscribers: Plus (+$370/mo, billed annually).

See MailerLite plans
Usage, limits and billing

MailerLite

  • Uses 5,000 of 200,000 subscribers.
  • On monthly billing: $588 a year.
  • On annual billing: $529.20 a year.

ActiveCampaign

  • Uses 5,000 of 25,000 subscribers.
  • On annual billing: $948 a year.
  • Starter is sold on annual billing only.

Small team managing one list together

1,000 subscribers · mailed 3 times a month (for tools priced by emails sent) · 3 users

ToolMonthlyYearly, per month

MailerLite

My pick
$19
$17.10

Comfort

Above 200,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

ActiveCampaign

Annual only
$79

Pro

Above 50,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See MailerLite plans
Usage, limits and billing

MailerLite

  • Uses 1,000 of 200,000 subscribers.
  • On monthly billing: $228 a year.
  • On annual billing: $205.20 a year.

ActiveCampaign

  • Uses 1,000 of 50,000 subscribers.
  • On annual billing: $948 a year.
  • Pro is sold on annual billing only.
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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign 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).

MailerLite and ActiveCampaign compared on the main buying criteria
Real cost per equivalent list size, both billing basesComfort: $12/month billed monthly, $10.80/month billed annually, at the entry subscriber bandStarter: $15/month billed annually, annual billing only, at the entry 1,000-contact band; no monthly rate published
Free plan vs no free planYes, permanent, 250 subscribersNo free plan; 14-day trial only
Automation limits3 automations on Free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power, same step allowance across every paid tier5 actions per automation on Starter; unlimited from Plus, Pro and Enterprise
CRM and sales bundlingNot offeredStandard CRM & ecommerce integrations on Starter; Enhanced CRM add-on available from Plus up, not on Starter
Trial terms14 days, no card required14 days, no card required
All details, including automation and AI workflows
All compared details for MailerLite and ActiveCampaign
Refund termsDiscretionary, 30-day window to ask, not a guaranteed grant30-day money-back guarantee, first paid subscription only
Integrations: Zapier and APIZapier and WordPress in the 100+ integrations bucket on every tier; API access is limited (no sending) on Free, full on Comfort and PowerZapier on every plan; API and webhooks on every plan, including Starter; WordPress available account-wide
Seats2 on Free, 3 on Comfort, unlimited on Power and Enterprise1 on Starter and Plus, 3 on Pro, 5 on Enterprise
Full price ladderFree: $0/month billed monthly. Comfort: $12/month billed monthly, or $10.80/month billed annually. Power: $25/month billed monthly, or $22.50/month billed annually. Enterprise: talk to sales.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; no monthly rate is published for any tier.
Pricing modelIncluded MailerLite prices by subscriber count, and every paid tier carries the same feature set; only the number of subscribers and the price change as your list grows.Priced by contact-list size on top of the plan tier; the entry band is 1,000 contacts and features do change between tiers, unlike MailerLite's flat-feature approach.
SegmentationNot broken out by tierLimited on Starter, rising through Standard and Advanced to Premium on Enterprise
White labelingRemoving the MailerLite logo unlocks on Comfort and stays through PowerLower tiers can only swap the logo; full white-label (custom domain, CSS/HTML rebrand) is Enterprise-only
Landing pages1 on Free, 10 on Comfort, unlimited on PowerNot published for this pair
Overage handlingPaid plans auto-upgrade to the next subscriber tier and bill the card on file; Free accounts get sending locked at 250 subscribers until you upgrade or trim the listNot published for this pair
Extra seat pricingNo published per-seat add-on price; seats are a fixed count per tier, not an incremental purchaseExtra seats can be purchased in-app, but no per-seat price is published
CRM add-on availabilityNot offered at any tierUnavailable on Starter; available as an in-app add-on from Plus up, no public add-on price

Who should pick MailerLite, and who should pick ActiveCampaign?

MailerLite logo

MailerLite

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

MailerLite prices by subscriber count, not by locking features behind tiers, so a $12/month billed monthly plan gets the same automation builder and landing pages as the top tier, just fewer of each. The free plan is a real permanent plan, not a trial, capped at 250 subscribers.

Best for: A small business or solo marketer who wants full features at a low subscriber count and doesn't want to pay for a bigger list than they have yet.

Strengths

  • A genuine free plan at 250 subscribers, not a time-limited trial.
  • A 14-day trial of paid features with no card required.
  • Automation and landing pages scale by count, not by locking the builder away from cheaper tiers.

Limits

  • Removing the MailerLite logo needs Comfort or above.
  • API and MCP access on Free is limited and can't send.
  • Refunds are discretionary, not a guaranteed money-back window; MailerLite's terms only commit to a refund if it cancels your service on you first.

Skip it if you need white label or logo removal on the free plan, or unrestricted API sending without upgrading past Free.

MailerLite reviewMailerLite pricingMailerLite alternatives

ActiveCampaign logo

ActiveCampaign

Desk research

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.

ActiveCampaign reviewActiveCampaign pricingActiveCampaign alternatives

My pick: MailerLite in 3 of 3 scenarios.

See MailerLite plansSee ActiveCampaign plans

Neither MailerLite nor ActiveCampaign? Try these

  • Klaviyo logo

    Klaviyo

    From $20/mo billed monthly

    Pick it if ecommerce-specific segmentation and revenue attribution matter more than price; it leans harder into online-store data than either of these two.

    Klaviyo reviewKlaviyo alternatives

  • Brevo logo

    Brevo

    From $8.08/mo billed annually

    Pick it if you want a genuine free plan like MailerLite's but with SMS and a broader multichannel angle bundled in.

    Brevo reviewBrevo alternatives

  • Constant Contact logo

    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 deep automation control.

    Constant Contact reviewConstant Contact alternatives

Switching between MailerLite and ActiveCampaign

Check each vendor's help center for a MailerLite-to-ActiveCampaign migration guide before switching; a general CSV export/import is the fallback either way. both give you a 14-day trial (MailerLite) or 14-day trial (ActiveCampaign) with no card required, so you can rebuild your core automations on the new platform before committing either way. Budget time for manually recreating segments and automation logic rather than assuming a one-click import.

What would change my pick?

  • ActiveCampaign publishing a real monthly-billing rate on Starter would remove one of the clearest reasons to lead with MailerLite on price.
  • MailerLite adding a stated, guaranteed refund window (instead of a discretionary one) would close its biggest fine-print gap against ActiveCampaign's real 30-day guarantee.
  • If MailerLite ever bundled CRM or sales-pipeline features, it would remove the single clearest reason to pick ActiveCampaign over it.

MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign: questions people ask

Is MailerLite cheaper than ActiveCampaign?

At the entry tier, yes. MailerLite's Comfort plan is $12/month billed monthly, or $10.80/month billed annually. ActiveCampaign's Starter is $15/month billed annually, and that's the only rate it publishes, annual billing only. MailerLite also has a genuine free plan that costs nothing at all.

Does MailerLite have a free plan?

Yes. It's permanent, not a trial: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, 3 automations.

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.

Which has real CRM features, MailerLite or ActiveCampaign?

ActiveCampaign. Every tier, including Starter, includes Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations, and an Enhanced CRM add-on is available from Plus up. MailerLite 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.

Does ActiveCampaign cap automation complexity?

Only on Starter, at 5 actions per automation. Plus, Pro and Enterprise remove that cap. MailerLite doesn't cap automation step complexity by tier the same way; its automation count simply grows from 3 on Free to unlimited on Power.

Do both tools offer a real money-back guarantee?

Not quite the same guarantee. ActiveCampaign has a genuine 30-day money-back guarantee, but only on a customer's first-ever paid subscription. MailerLite's refund policy is discretionary: it may grant a refund if you ask within 30 days, but its terms don't commit to granting one just because you changed your mind.

What will this cost me at 5,000 contacts?

MailerLite Comfort is $44.10/month billed annually on annual billing, or $49/month billed monthly on monthly billing. ActiveCampaign Starter is $79/month billed annually, annual billing only. Annual against annual is the fair comparison.

Which is better for a small business just getting started with email?

MailerLite, for most small business owners. The free plan lets you send real campaigns before you pay anything, and Comfort undercuts ActiveCampaign's Starter once you outgrow it. Pick ActiveCampaign instead only if a CRM and sales pipeline bundled with email is a requirement from day one.

How I verified this

Every price and limit here comes from the vendors' own pages, last checked . MailerLite: desk research. ActiveCampaign: desk research.

Sources and changelog

36 facts from 7 source pages, oldest checked 30 Sep 2026.

  • : Updated for new MailerLite prices. All three scenarios pick MailerLite: it is cheaper than ActiveCampaign Starter at 500 and 5,000 contacts on annual billing, and cheaper than ActiveCampaign Pro for the 3-person team at 1,000 contacts. ActiveCampaign stays the pick if CRM and sales-pipeline tools bundled with email are a requirement.
Spot something out of date?Vendors and readers, send me the correct fact.

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