ActiveCampaign is cheaper, but covers only 2 of 5 compared capabilities
$39/mo (Starter · 2.5k) vs Mailchimp Essentials · 2.5k at $45/mo — covering 40% of the 5 compared capabilities.
Cheaper. Not the same job.
Comparison scenario
Every cheaper-than claim is tied to a defined scenario — never a bare list price.
2,500 contacts, 10,000 emails/month, monthly billing · USD · prices as observed on official pricing pages.
Essentials · 2.5k plan at $45/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Starter · 2.5k: 468 USD/yearly.
Mailchimp costs $45/mo on the Essentials · 2.5k plan at 2,500 contacts, 10,000 emails/month, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 0 of them cover at least 75% of the 5 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
ActiveCampaign covers 40% of the 5 capabilities compared against Mailchimp. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | ActiveCampaign | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Remove branding | ✗ | ✓ |
| A/B testing | ✗ | ✓ |
| SMS marketing | ✓ | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities Mailchimp has that ActiveCampaign lacks.
- Email templates — Start a campaign from a pre-built email template.Missing from ActiveCampaign.
- Remove branding — Remove the provider's branding from sent emails.Missing from ActiveCampaign.
- A/B testing — Test variations of an email to see which performs better.Missing from ActiveCampaign.
Price at your volume
The same comparison recomputed at three sizes. Plan caps change who is cheapest.
| Usage | Mailchimp | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 contacts, 4,000 emails/month | $26.50/moEssentials · 1.5k | $15/mocheaperStarter |
| 2,500 contacts, 10,000 emails/month | $45/moEssentials · 2.5k | $39/mocheaperStarter · 2.5k |
| 10,000 contacts, 40,000 emails/month | $110/moEssentials · 10k | $149/mocosts moreStarter · 10k |
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| Starter | $15/mo (billed yearly) |
| Starter · 2.5k | $39/mo (billed yearly) |
| Starter · 10k | $149/mo (billed yearly) |
| Plus | $49/mo (billed yearly) |
| Plus · 2.5k | $95/mo (billed yearly) |
| Plus · 10k | $189/mo (billed yearly) |
| Pro | $79/mo (billed yearly) |
| Pro · 2.5k | $149/mo (billed yearly) |
| Pro · 10k | $375/mo (billed yearly) |
| Enterprise | $145/mo (billed yearly) |
| Enterprise · 2.5k | $255/mo (billed yearly) |
| Enterprise · 10k | $589/mo (billed yearly) |
| Free | Free |
| Essentials | $13/mo |
| Essentials · 1.5k | $26.50/mo |
| Essentials · 2.5k | $45/mo |
| Essentials · 10k | $110/mo |
| Standard | $20/mo |
| Standard · 1.5k | $45/mo |
| Standard · 2.5k | $60/mo |
| Standard · 10k | $135/mo |
| Premium | $350/mo |
| Premium · 1.5k | $350/mo |
| Premium · 2.5k | $350/mo |
| Premium · 10k | $350/mo |
| Pay As You Go | Contact sales |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is ActiveCampaign than Mailchimp?
13% cheaper in our scenario (2,500 contacts, 10,000 emails/month, monthly billing): $39/mo on Starter · 2.5k vs $45/mo on Essentials · 2.5k. That is $72 a year. But it covers only 2 of 5 compared capabilities, so it isn't a like-for-like replacement.
What does ActiveCampaign lack compared with Mailchimp?
Email templates, Remove branding, A/B testing — 3 of the 5 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Mailchimp: 2026-10-28; ActiveCampaign: 2026-10-28 — on the official pricing pages.
Who switched
Anonymous: no account, no email, no IP stored. Reports are shown once a switch has 3 or more and never change ranking or order — alternatives are computed from prices and capabilities only.
Sources & freshness
- https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/ (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-28)
- https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/#content (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- ActiveCampaign data last verified 2026-10-28