ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite
ActiveCampaign and MailerLite are both email marketing tools. ActiveCampaign is aimed at small businesses and E-commerce, while MailerLite is aimed at small businesses and creators. MailerLite costs less, from $12/mo versus $19/mo for ActiveCampaign. Only MailerLite has a free plan.
Email marketing and automation platform for SMBs and ecommerce
Simple, affordable email marketing
| Pricing | Paid · $19 | Freemium · $12 |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $12/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Small businesses, E-commerce, Agencies | Small businesses, Creators, Freelancers |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios |
| Country | US · 2003 | LT · 2010 |
| 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 MailerLite if
Small businesses, bloggers and nonprofits who want a polished tool at a low price.
- Among the lowest prices as lists grow
- Clean, modern editor and templates
- Free plan to get started
Look elsewhere if: Advanced automation or e-commerce personalization needs.
ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite 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
MailerLite
- Free$0250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo, 2 seats
- Comfort$12/mo500 subscribers; $10.80/mo billed yearly; 3 seats, 50 automations
- Power$25/mo500 subscribers; $22.50/mo yearly; unlimited emails, seats
- EnterpriseCustom200K+ subscribers, dedicated IP, priority support
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
MailerLite · Key features
- Drag-and-drop, rich text and custom HTML editors
- Automation workflows with triggers and conditions
- Landing pages, websites, forms and pop-ups
- Digital product sales and paid newsletters via Stripe
- Segmentation, groups and A/B testing
- E-commerce integrations and AI writing assistant
Cons
- Approval process can delay new accounts
- Automation less advanced than ActiveCampaign
- Reporting is basic
ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite: FAQ
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or MailerLite?
MailerLite starts at $12/mo and ActiveCampaign at $19/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do ActiveCampaign and MailerLite have a free plan?
ActiveCampaign has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. MailerLite has a free plan.