ActiveCampaign vs beehiiv
ActiveCampaign and beehiiv are both email marketing tools. ActiveCampaign is aimed at small businesses and E-commerce, while beehiiv is aimed at creators and small businesses. ActiveCampaign costs less, from $19/mo versus $59/mo for beehiiv. Only beehiiv has a free plan.
Email marketing and automation platform for SMBs and ecommerce
Newsletter platform with growth tools and ad network
| Pricing | Paid · $19 | Freemium · $59 |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $59/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | — |
| Built for | Small businesses, E-commerce, Agencies | Creators, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web |
| Country | US · 2003 | US · 2021 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose ActiveCampaign if
Small and mid-sized businesses and ecommerce brands that want sophisticated, behaviour-based email and SMS automation at a mid-range price.
- One of the most powerful automation builders in its price range
- Strong ecommerce triggers and deep integrations
- AI agents included on every plan
Look elsewhere if: Teams sending simple newsletters to large lists on a tight budget, or wanting a full CRM suite (MailerLite, Brevo, HubSpot).
Choose beehiiv if
Newsletter publishers and media operators who want growth and ad monetization in one platform.
- Best-in-class growth features for newsletters
- Monetization through ads, boosts and paid tiers built in
- Free plan up to 2,500 subscribers
Look elsewhere if: Course creators selling products (Kit), SaaS lifecycle email (Customer.io), or stores (Klaviyo).
ActiveCampaign vs beehiiv pricing
ActiveCampaign
- Starter$19/mo$15/mo billed annually; 1,000 contacts, 1 seat
- Plus$59/mo$49/mo annually; landing pages, SMS add-on, 1 seat
- Pro$99/mo$79/mo annually; predictive sending, attribution, 3 seats
- Enterprise$179/mo$145/mo annually; SSO, HIPAA support, 5 seats
beehiiv
- Free$0Up to 2,500 subscribers, no credit card
- Lite$59/mo$49/mo billed annually; price at 1,000 subs, scales with list
- Pro$109/mo$95/mo billed annually; at 1,000 subs; removes beehiiv branding
- EnterpriseCustom
ActiveCampaign · Key features
- Visual automation builder with branching, goals and split tests
- Triggers from site visits, purchases, forms, tags and CRM events
- Email, SMS and WhatsApp messaging from one platform
- Active Intelligence AI agents for segments, automations and brand kits
- Predictive sending and conditional content on Pro
- Landing pages and site messages from the Plus plan
Cons
- Costs climb quickly as contact lists grow
- CRM pipelines and transactional email are extra
- Starter and Plus include only one seat
beehiiv · Key features
- Referral program and Boosts to grow subscribers
- Ad Network connecting sponsors with publications
- Hosted website with archive, custom domain and SEO controls
- Polls, surveys and segmentation
- Paid subscriptions and premium tiers via Stripe
- Automations, A/B subject tests and 3D analytics
Cons
- Paid plans needed for most growth and monetization features
- Not an e-commerce or lifecycle marketing tool
- Fewer integrations than mature email platforms
ActiveCampaign vs beehiiv: FAQ
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or beehiiv?
ActiveCampaign starts at $19/mo and beehiiv at $59/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do ActiveCampaign and beehiiv have a free plan?
ActiveCampaign has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. beehiiv has a free plan.