beehiiv is cheaper, but covers only 2 of 6 compared capabilities
$0/mo (Free) vs ActiveCampaign Starter · 2.5k at $39/mo — covering 33% of the 6 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.
Starter · 2.5k plan at $39/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Free: 0 USD/monthly.
ActiveCampaign costs $39/mo on the Starter · 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 6 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
beehiiv covers 33% of the 6 capabilities compared against ActiveCampaign. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | beehiiv | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing automation | ↑ Lite | ✓ |
| Audience segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI writing assistant | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS marketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| WhatsApp marketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Transactional email API | ↑ Pro | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities ActiveCampaign has that beehiiv lacks.
- Marketing automation — Automate email sends based on triggers and customer behavior.Missing from beehiiv.
- SMS marketing — Send marketing messages by text message.Missing from beehiiv.
- WhatsApp marketing — Send marketing messages over WhatsApp.Missing from beehiiv.
- Transactional email API — Send transactional emails programmatically via an API.Missing from beehiiv.
Price at your volume
The same comparison recomputed at three sizes. Plan caps change who is cheapest.
| Usage | ActiveCampaign | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 contacts, 4,000 emails/month | $15/moStarter | $0/mocheaperFree |
| 2,500 contacts, 10,000 emails/month | $39/moStarter · 2.5k | $0/mocheaperFree |
| 10,000 contacts, 40,000 emails/month | $149/moStarter · 10k | $139/mocheaperLite · 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.
| Free | Free |
| Lite | $59/mo |
| Lite · 2.5k | $79/mo |
| Lite · 10k | $139/mo |
| Pro | $109/mo |
| Pro · 2.5k | $149/mo |
| Pro · 10k | $239/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact sales |
| 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) |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is beehiiv than ActiveCampaign?
100% cheaper in our scenario (2,500 contacts, 10,000 emails/month, monthly billing): $0/mo on Free vs $39/mo on Starter · 2.5k. That is $468 a year. But it covers only 2 of 6 compared capabilities, so it isn't a like-for-like replacement.
What does beehiiv lack compared with ActiveCampaign?
Marketing automation, SMS marketing, WhatsApp marketing, Transactional email API — 4 of the 6 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
ActiveCampaign: 2026-10-28; beehiiv: 2026-10-29 — 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://www.activecampaign.com/pricing (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-28)
- beehiiv data last verified 2026-10-29