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ActiveCampaign Pricing: Scales by Contacts, Always an Annual Commitment

ActiveCampaign pricing is genuinely hard to parse, so here is the plain version. You first pick a plan family (Email, WhatsApp, or Email + WhatsApp), then the price scales hard with your contact count. The Email family at 1,000 contacts is Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79, Enterprise $145 per month.

$15/mo starting4 paid plans14-day free trialNo free plan30-day money back
Prices verified Jun 1, 2026Source: pricing page scrape
Data from Buddy's database, updated regularly
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Price Snapshot

How much does ActiveCampaign cost?

ActiveCampaign starts at $15/mo for a paid plan. Annual and biennial billing bring the per-month price down further.

Plans

ActiveCampaign plans and pricing

4 paid plans · Prices shown for annual billing · Verified Jun 1, 2026

Recommended
$15/mo
Recommended
$49/mo
Recommended
$79/mo
Recommended
$145/mo

Recommendation

Which plan should you choose?

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StarterNew businesses

The Starter plan is $15/month at 1,000 contacts (Email family) and gives new businesses core email marketing and basic automation. Remember the price scales with your contact count and is an annual commitment, not month-to-month. Starter caps automations at 5 actions and tops out around 25,000 contacts. Use the 14-day trial to test workflows before committing, and upgrade to Plus once you need landing pages or hit the automation limits.

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PlusGrowing ecommerce stores

Plus is $49/month at 1,000 contacts (Email family) and unlocks unlimited automation actions and landing pages, removing the caps that limit complex ecommerce workflows on Starter. For stores running abandoned cart, welcome, and post-purchase flows at once, the added depth is worth it. Lead scoring helps prioritize high-intent shoppers. Price it at your actual list size, since the per-month figure climbs with contacts, and move to Pro when you need predictive sending or more seats.

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ProMarketing agencies

Pro is $79/month at 1,000 contacts (Email family) and adds advanced segmentation, AI features, and multiple users, which suits agency teams juggling several client strategies. The deeper reporting helps demonstrate ROI to clients. Watch the contact scaling closely: the same Pro plan is about $969/month at 50,000 contacts, and it is an annual commitment. Enterprise only becomes necessary if you need custom objects, SSO, or a dedicated account team.

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EnterpriseLarge enterprises

Enterprise starts at $145/month at 1,000 contacts (Email family) and includes custom objects, SSO, and a dedicated account team for organizations with complex data and security needs. Pricing scales with contact volume and is negotiated on an annual basis. If you do not need SSO or custom data objects, Pro likely covers your needs at a lower cost.

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StarterBudget-conscious startups

At $15/month for 1,000 contacts, Starter (Email family) is the cheapest entry into ActiveCampaign's automation. Even here the builder offers branching workflows that many platforms reserve for higher plans, though Starter caps you at 5 actions per automation. Keep in mind the price scales with your contact count and is an annual commitment, so factor in cost growth as your list expands. If automation is not a priority, lower-cost platforms like Moosend or Sender may fit better.

Editorial

My take on ActiveCampaign pricing

Joonas Rotko
Joonas RotkoAuthor & founder of That Marketing Buddy

ActiveCampaign's strength is its automation builder. It lets you build branching workflows that tools like Mailchimp or Brevo cannot match. For businesses where email automation drives revenue, that capability gap matters.

The pricing is genuinely hard to parse, so here is the plain version. First you pick a plan family: Email, WhatsApp, or Email + WhatsApp. Then the price scales hard with your contact count. The Email family at 1,000 contacts is Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79, Enterprise $145 per month. The same Pro plan that is $79/month at 1,000 contacts runs about $969/month at 50,000 contacts, so always price it at your real list size, not the headline.

Compare that with Moosend, which offers unlimited emails at $9/month regardless of automation complexity.

Two things to know before you sign up. There is no true month-to-month plan: every per-month figure is an annual commitment, whether you pay the full year upfront ('Save 20%') or 'commit annually, pay monthly' on a one-year contract. And add-ons stack on top, billed the same annual way (Enhanced CRM about $68/month, WhatsApp about $63/month, SMS about $17/month, Transactional Email $15/month via Postmark, Custom Reporting $159/month).

ActiveCampaign makes the most sense for businesses that need advanced automation. If you are mostly sending newsletters, simpler email marketing platforms will save you hundreds per year without sacrificing results.

Hidden Costs

What the pricing page doesn't tell you

1

Additional users charged separately

Pro plan includes 3 users, Plus includes 1 user, Starter includes 1 user, and Enterprise includes 5 users. Additional users are available as add-ons but pricing is not specified on the page.

2

SMS and WhatsApp messaging require add-on purchases

SMS marketing and WhatsApp messaging are listed as add-ons across all plans rather than being included in the base pricing. WhatsApp also requires pre-paid monthly recurring credits for outbound templated messages.

3

Email send limits based on contact multipliers

Email sends are limited to 15x contact limit for Enterprise, 12x for Pro, and 10x for Plus and Starter. If you exceed your monthly send limit, you cannot send any more messages until the next calendar month starts.

4

WhatsApp Credits expire monthly and don't roll over

WhatsApp Credits must be used within a calendar month of being credited to your account. Any unused WhatsApp Credits expire after such time and do not roll over to subsequent periods.

5

Auto-upgrade increases subscription fees immediately

If you enable auto-upgrade, your subscription fees will increase immediately when you exceed your Contact Limit during a subscription period. Fees are pro-rated for the remainder of the period.

6

Automation actions severely limited on Starter plan

Starter plan is limited to only 5 actions per automation, while Plus, Pro, and Enterprise all offer unlimited automation actions.

7

Inbox preview testing heavily restricted on lower tiers

Enterprise offers unlimited inbox preview testing, while Pro and Plus plans are limited to only 5 per month. Starter plan access is not specified.

8

Contact Data deletion permanent after one year

Once Contact Data is archived, it's available for restore for up to one year. After the Restore Period expires, ActiveCampaign cannot and has no obligation to restore such Contact Data.

9

Premium CRM integrations only on higher tiers

Premium CRM integrations like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics are only available on Pro and Enterprise plans. Lower tiers are limited to standard CRM integrations.

10

Consulting Services non-refundable with strict scheduling

Consulting Services purchases are non-refundable and non-cancellable. One-on-one strategy sessions must be booked within 30 days of purchase and you can only reschedule once with 24 hours notice.

Verdict

Is ActiveCampaign Worth the Price?

ActiveCampaign has the most powerful automation builder in its price class, but the pricing is the catch. You pick a plan family first (Email, WhatsApp, or Email + WhatsApp), and every per-month figure scales with your contact count, so a $15 Starter or $79 Pro at 1,000 contacts can become a far bigger bill as your list grows (Pro is about $969/month at 50,000 contacts).

There is no true month-to-month either: every plan is an annual commitment, and add-ons like Enhanced CRM, WhatsApp, SMS, and Custom Reporting stack on top. You do get a 14-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. If automation is central to your marketing, the investment can pay for itself. If not, cheaper options exist.

For a deeper feature breakdown, read my full ActiveCampaign review. You can also see how it stacks up against Kit and Moosend.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Every plan price scales with your contact count. The headline prices (Email family: Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79, Enterprise $145) are for up to 1,000 contacts. The same Pro plan is about $969/month at 50,000 contacts, so always price at your real list size.

No. Every per-month figure is an annual commitment. You either pay the full year upfront (labeled 'Save 20%') or 'commit annually, pay monthly' on a one-year contract billed in monthly installments. Cancelling mid-term still runs to the end of the year.

Three: Email, WhatsApp, and Email + WhatsApp. You pick a family first, then the price scales with contact count. The Email family at 1,000 contacts is Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79, Enterprise $145 per month.

Add-ons bill the same annual way as plans: Enhanced CRM from about $68/month, WhatsApp from about $63/month, SMS from about $17/month, Transactional Email $15/month (powered by Postmark), and Custom Reporting $159/month.

There is no free plan. You get a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans.

User limits are fixed per plan: Starter and Plus include 1 user, Pro includes 3, and Enterprise includes 5. Additional users are available as add-ons.

Your account is suspended until you pick a paid plan. Since every paid plan is an annual commitment, decide on your contact tier and plan family before the trial ends.

See the pricing for yourself

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Joonas Rotko

Joonas Rotko

Author & founder of That Marketing Buddy

I score marketing software for AI-stack fit (MCP, API, agent-readiness), backed by 10+ years in digital marketing. Building the most trustworthy marketing software database so you can trust the pricing data on this site.

Pricing checked dailyResearch-based pricing analysis

This page may contain affiliate links. I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never influences pricing data.

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