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Omnisend vs ActiveCampaign: ecommerce sender or CRM bundle?

Email marketing and CRM platforms · Verified · By Joonas Rotko

Omnisend logo

Omnisend

Desk research

From Standard, billed monthly

$16/mo
ActiveCampaign logo

ActiveCampaign

Desk research

From Starter, billed annually

$15/mo

Quick answer

Omnisend is the pick for a small ecommerce or DTC brand: Standard ($16/month billed monthly) covers 500 contacts with a real monthly-billing option, and its volume-tiered SMS add-on is a channel ActiveCampaign doesn't document. ActiveCampaign is the pick once you need CRM and sales-pipeline tools bundled with email, and more than one login: Starter ($15/month billed annually) includes CRM from day one, but only on annual billing, and a second seat forces an upgrade to Pro ($79/month billed annually).

Across the three setups below: Omnisend in 2 of 3 scenarios.

Which one fits you?

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

    Omnisend logo

    Omnisend

    My pick

    $16/mo billed monthly

    At 500 contacts Omnisend Standard is $16/month billed monthly with no annual commitment, and ActiveCampaign Starter is $15/month billed annually. ActiveCampaign sells annually only. The two are within a dollar or two a month, but they are not the same basis. Omnisend has no annual plan and ActiveCampaign publishes no monthly rate, so I can't line them up like for like.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    The prices are close and on different billing bases. The pick rests on Omnisend's month-to-month billing and its ecommerce and SMS fit for a small shop.

    Skip it if you want CRM or sales-pipeline tools bundled in from day one. ActiveCampaign's Starter includes Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations even at its cheapest tier; Omnisend doesn't offer CRM at any tier.

    See Omnisend plans

  2. Growing list, sending regularly

    Omnisend logo

    Omnisend

    My pick

    $81/mo billed monthly

    At 5,000 contacts Omnisend Standard is $81/month billed monthly with no annual commitment, and ActiveCampaign Starter is $79/month billed annually. ActiveCampaign sells annually only. The two are within a few dollars a month, but they are not the same basis. Omnisend has no annual plan and ActiveCampaign publishes no monthly rate, so I can't line them up like for like.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    The prices are close and on different billing bases. The pick rests on Omnisend's month-to-month billing and its ecommerce and SMS fit for a small shop.

    Skip it if you want CRM and sales-pipeline tools bundled in. ActiveCampaign Starter includes them and Omnisend doesn't offer CRM at any tier.

    See Omnisend plans

  3. Small team managing one list together

    ActiveCampaign logo

    ActiveCampaign

    My pick

    $79/mo billed annually

    Three seats is the deciding limit here. ActiveCampaign Pro includes 3 seats at $79/month billed annually for a 1,000-contact list. Omnisend caps every priced tier, Standard and Pro alike, at 1 seat; a second login there means jumping to its sales-gated Custom plan, which publishes no price at all.

    Why this pick, and when to skip it

    Skip it if ecommerce-specific integrations and SMS matter more to your team than seat count or CRM depth. This pick costs meaningfully more than staying on Omnisend, and ActiveCampaign doesn't document an equivalent SMS add-on.

    See ActiveCampaign plans

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

How are Omnisend and ActiveCampaign really different?

  • Ecommerce fit and SMS

    Omnisend
    Positioned around ecommerce integrations, with a volume-tiered SMS add-on on Standard and Pro ($0.007-0.009 per text depending on volume)
    ActiveCampaign
    Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations from Starter up, but no SMS channel recorded

    If you're selling products and want SMS as its own channel, Omnisend sells it here and ActiveCampaign doesn't document the same.

  • CRM and sales-pipeline depth

    Omnisend
    Not offered at any tier
    ActiveCampaign
    Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations on Starter, rising to Premium CRM & ecommerce integrations on Enterprise, plus an Enhanced CRM add-on from Plus up

    ActiveCampaign is built around a CRM and pipeline next to your inbox; Omnisend doesn't attempt one at all.

  • Seats included

    Omnisend
    1 seat on every priced tier (Standard, Pro), no published extra-seat price; a second login means the sales-gated Custom plan
    ActiveCampaign
    1 seat on Starter and Plus, 3 on Pro, 5 on Enterprise

    ActiveCampaign scales seats by tier with a real published price at each step; Omnisend doesn't offer a priced path past one user.

  • Automation complexity at the entry tier

    Omnisend
    Automations included as a plan feature on Standard and Pro, with no step-count limit published either way
    ActiveCampaign
    5 actions per automation on Starter; the cap disappears from Plus up

    ActiveCampaign specifically caps automation complexity on its cheapest tier, something Omnisend doesn't document at any tier.

  • Entry-plan billing basis

    Omnisend
    Standard: $16/month billed monthly, no annual rate published
    ActiveCampaign
    Starter: $15/month billed annually; no monthly-billing rate is published anywhere on the live pricing page

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

  • Free plan

    Omnisend
    250 contacts, 1 seat, no cost
    ActiveCampaign
    None. 14-day trial only, then you're on a paid plan

    Only Omnisend lets you run real campaigns without paying anything first.

What will Omnisend 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

Omnisend

My pick
$16
Monthly only

Standard

Above 150,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

ActiveCampaign

Annual only
$15

Starter

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

See Omnisend plans
Usage, limits and billing

Omnisend

  • Uses 500 of 150,000 subscribers.
  • On monthly billing: $192 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

Omnisend

My pick
$81
Monthly only

Standard

Above 150,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

ActiveCampaign

Annual only
$79

Starter

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

See Omnisend plans
Usage, limits and billing

Omnisend

  • Uses 5,000 of 150,000 subscribers.
  • On monthly billing: $972 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

Omnisend

Fit unconfirmed
Not priced

Standard is priced, but users limit isn't published

ActiveCampaign

My pick
Annual only
$79

Pro

Above 50,000 subscribers: nothing published fits.

See ActiveCampaign plans
Usage, limits and billing

Omnisend

The plan's price is published, but a limit this setup needs isn't, so the fit can't be confirmed.

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.Omnisend, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.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.Omnisend, annual billing: Not sold on annual billing. Price limit isn't published.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.Omnisend, monthly billing: Standard is priced, but users limit isn't published. Users limit isn't published.Omnisend, annual billing: Standard has no published price. Users limit isn't published. Price limit isn't published.ActiveCampaign, monthly billing: Not sold on monthly billing.

Omnisend 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).

Omnisend and ActiveCampaign compared on the main buying criteria
Real cost at 500 contactsStandard: $16/month billed monthly; no annual rate publishedStarter: $15/month billed annually, annual billing only
Free plan vs no free planYes, 250 contacts, no costNo free plan; 14-day trial only
Seats included1 seat on every priced tier, Standard and Pro alike1 on Starter and Plus, 3 on Pro, 5 on Enterprise
Automation limitsIncluded on Standard and Pro; no step-count limit published5 actions per automation on Starter; unlimited from Plus, Pro and Enterprise
CRM and ecommerce integration depthEcommerce integrations are the stated focus, plus a volume-tiered SMS add-on on Standard and ProStandard CRM & ecommerce integrations on Starter, rising to Premium CRM & ecommerce integrations on Enterprise; Enhanced CRM add-on available from Plus up
All details, including automation and AI workflows
All compared details for Omnisend and ActiveCampaign
SegmentationNot broken out by tierLimited on Starter, rising through Standard and Advanced to Premium on Enterprise
Trial termsNot published; the pricing page doesn't state whether a trial exists or requires a card14 days, no card required
Refund termsNot published; Omnisend has no refund policy pageReal 30-day money-back guarantee, but only on a customer's first-ever paid subscription
Full price ladderFree (250 contacts, no cost). Standard: $16/month billed monthly, up to 150,000 contacts. Pro: $59/month billed monthly, up to 150,000 contacts. Custom: price on request, for 150,001+ contacts.Starter: $15/month billed annually. Plus: $49/month billed annually. Pro: $79/month billed annually. Enterprise: $145/month billed annually. All four are annual-billing rates at the first 1,000-contact band; no monthly rate is published for any tier.
SMS and additional channelsVolume-tiered SMS add-on on Standard and Pro, $0.007-0.009 per text depending on volumeNot recorded
Integrations: Zapier and APINot recorded beyond the stated ecommerce-integration focusZapier on every plan including Starter; API and webhooks on every plan including Starter; WordPress available account-wide
White labelingNot broken out by tierLower tiers can only swap the logo; full white-label (custom domain, CSS/HTML rebrand) is Enterprise-only
Extra seat pricingNo published per-seat add-on price; a second seat means jumping to the sales-gated Custom planExtra 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 Omnisend, and who should pick ActiveCampaign?

Omnisend logo

Omnisend

Desk research
  • Best for solo marketers and small businesses
  • Best for growing lists sending regularly

Omnisend is an email and SMS platform built for ecommerce, with a real free tier (250 contacts) that packs basic automation and web push. Once you outgrow 250 contacts, the Standard plan ($16/month billed monthly) adds SMS and more advanced sequences. It's cheaper than Klaviyo for small lists but doesn't pretend to be a full CDP; it's a focused email-plus-SMS tool for DTC brands.

Best for: Ecommerce and DTC brands who want email, SMS, and web push in one platform without overpaying for enterprise CRM features they don't need.

Strengths

  • A genuine free plan up to 250 contacts, no credit card needed.
  • SMS and email together at $16/month billed monthly (Standard), which is below Klaviyo's entry price.
  • Automation workflows included from Standard up, plus web push notifications on all paid plans.

Limits

  • No separate seats: all plans include just 1 user account, so team collaboration requires account sharing.
  • Free plan caps at 250 contacts; there is no middle tier between Free and Standard (a gap if you have 300 contacts).
  • No public pricing above 150,000 contacts; you hit Custom and have to contact sales, which is typical for the category but still a friction point.

Skip it if you need advanced segmentation, complex customer data unification, or attribution across multiple channels. Omnisend is email-SMS first, not a full CDP.

Omnisend reviewOmnisend pricingOmnisend alternatives

ActiveCampaign logo

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.

ActiveCampaign reviewActiveCampaign pricingActiveCampaign alternatives

My pick: Omnisend in 2 of 3 scenarios.

See Omnisend plansSee ActiveCampaign plans

Neither Omnisend 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 even harder into online-store data than Omnisend does.

    Klaviyo reviewKlaviyo alternatives

  • MailerLite logo

    MailerLite

    From $10.80/mo billed annually

    Pick it if you want a lower entry price than either Omnisend or ActiveCampaign and don't need ecommerce-specific integrations or a CRM.

    MailerLite reviewMailerLite alternatives

  • Brevo logo

    Brevo

    From $8.08/mo billed annually

    Pick it if you want SMS and transactional email bundled with marketing email under one account, rather than as a separate add-on like Omnisend's.

    Brevo reviewBrevo alternatives

Switching between Omnisend and ActiveCampaign

Neither vendor documents a migration tool, import fee, or list-transfer guarantee, so this stays qualitative: expect to rebuild automations and re-import contacts by hand in either direction. Omnisend's own pricing page doesn't state whether a card is required to start its trial. ActiveCampaign's 14-day trial requires no card up front, per its own pricing page, so you can test its CRM and automation builder against Omnisend's before committing either way.

What would change my pick?

  • An annual plan from Omnisend, or a monthly rate from ActiveCampaign, would let me compare the two on one billing basis at 500 and 5,000 contacts.
  • A published extra-seat price from Omnisend, or a priced tier between Standard/Pro and the sales-gated Custom plan, would change the seats comparison and open a real alternative to picking ActiveCampaign for a team account.
  • ActiveCampaign publishing a real monthly-billing rate on Starter would remove one of the clearest reasons to lead with Omnisend on price and billing flexibility.

Omnisend vs ActiveCampaign: questions people ask

Is Omnisend cheaper than ActiveCampaign?

Not clearly. At 500 contacts Omnisend Standard is $16/month billed monthly with no annual commitment, and ActiveCampaign Starter is $15/month billed annually, on annual billing only. The two are on different billing bases, so the gap is a dollar or two either way. Omnisend is the pick for a small shop on its monthly billing and ecommerce fit.

Does Omnisend have SMS built in?

Not built in, but it sells a volume-tiered SMS add-on on Standard and Pro, from $0.007-0.009 per text depending on how much you send. ActiveCampaign doesn't document an SMS channel at all.

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. Omnisend does have a genuine free plan, capped at 250 contacts.

Which has real CRM features, Omnisend or ActiveCampaign?

ActiveCampaign. Every tier, including Starter, includes Standard CRM & ecommerce integrations, and an Enhanced CRM add-on is available from Plus up. Omnisend doesn't offer CRM or sales-pipeline tools at any tier, so if that's what you need, ActiveCampaign is the better fit 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. Omnisend states automation is included on Standard and Pro but publishes no step-count limit either way, so there's nothing to weigh against ActiveCampaign's Starter cap specifically.

How many seats do Omnisend and ActiveCampaign include?

Omnisend includes 1 seat on both Standard and Pro, with no published price to add more; a second login means jumping to its sales-gated Custom plan. ActiveCampaign includes 1 seat on Starter and Plus, 3 on Pro, and 5 on Enterprise.

What will this cost me at 5,000 contacts?

Omnisend Standard is $81/month billed monthly on monthly billing. ActiveCampaign Starter is $79/month billed annually on annual billing, which is the only basis it publishes. They are close in monthly cost, but one is month to month and the other is a year's commitment.

Which tool fits a small ecommerce brand better?

Omnisend. It's positioned around ecommerce integrations, its Standard plan undercuts ActiveCampaign's Starter at the same 500-contact band, and its SMS add-on is a channel ActiveCampaign doesn't document. Pick ActiveCampaign instead only if CRM and sales-pipeline tools bundled with email are the actual requirement.

How I verified this

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

Sources and changelog

28 facts from 6 source pages, oldest checked 30 Sep 2026.

  • : Updated for new Omnisend prices. Scenario a (500 contacts) and scenario b (5,000 contacts) pick Omnisend, with real monthly billing where ActiveCampaign publishes annual-only. Scenario c (1,000 contacts, 3 seats) picks ActiveCampaign, since its Pro plan includes 3 seats at a published price and Omnisend caps every priced tier at 1 seat.
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