Brevo vs ActiveCampaign: Which is Better for Advanced Automation?
Choosing between Brevo and ActiveCampaign is a common challenge for businesses serious about marketing automation. Both platforms are powerhouses, but they excel in different areas and cater to slightly different user needs. This guide cuts through the noise to compare them on what truly matters: automation capabilities, CRM functionality, deliverability, and overall value for money.
Core Philosophy: All-in-One vs. Automation-First
Brevo positions itself as a comprehensive sales and marketing platform. It integrates email, SMS, WhatsApp, a full CRM, sales pipelines, and landing pages into one ecosystem, making it a great choice for businesses looking to consolidate their tools.
ActiveCampaign is laser-focused on being the best-in-class marketing and sales automation tool. Its workflow builder is incredibly detailed, offering deep conditional logic that appeals to advanced marketers who need granular control over customer journeys.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
1. Automation Builder
Brevo: Offers a very capable and user-friendly visual workflow builder. It supports advanced logic like A/B splits, behavioral triggers (page visits, product purchases), and multichannel messaging. It's more than enough for 95% of businesses.
ActiveCampaign: This is where ActiveCampaign shines. Its automation builder is arguably the most flexible in the industry, with "if/else" logic, goal tracking, lead scoring, and countless triggers. For complex, multi-layered journeys, ActiveCampaign has the edge.
2. CRM and Sales Features
Brevo: Includes a native CRM with deal pipelines, task management, and lead scoring, even on lower-priced plans. The integration between marketing campaigns and sales pipelines is seamless because it's all one platform.
ActiveCampaign: Also features a robust CRM, but it's often more expensive to get full functionality. The integration with its automation engine is top-notch, allowing for sales follow-ups to be triggered automatically based on marketing engagement.
3. Multichannel Marketing
Brevo: Has a clear advantage here. Email, SMS, WhatsApp, web push, and live chat are all natively integrated. You can build a single automation that uses all these channels without needing third-party tools.
ActiveCampaign: Focuses primarily on email. While it has SMS capabilities, it feels more like an add-on, and other channels require integrations.
4. Pricing Model
Brevo: Generally more affordable, especially at scale. It has a generous free plan and its pricing is based more on email volume than contact list size, which is a huge advantage for businesses with large but less frequently emailed audiences.
ActiveCampaign: Pricing is based on the number of contacts, which can get expensive quickly as your list grows. Advanced features are locked into higher-tier plans.
Pricing at a Glance
| Aspect | Brevo | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Based on email volume | Based on contact count |
| Free Plan | Yes, with 300 emails/day | No (trial only) |
| Entry Cost | Lower | Higher |
| CRM Included | Yes, on most plans | On higher-priced plans |
Who Should Choose Brevo?
- SMBs and Startups: Get enterprise-level features without the enterprise price tag.
- Multichannel Marketers: Businesses that want to use email, SMS, and WhatsApp in a unified way.
- Companies on a Budget: The cost-effective pricing model is a major draw.
Who Should Choose ActiveCampaign?
- Advanced Marketers: Those who need extremely complex, granular automation workflows.
- B2B Companies: Its deep CRM automation is excellent for long sales cycles.
- Businesses with High Budgets: If cost is not a primary concern, the power is undeniable.
Final Verdict
For most businesses, Brevo offers a better balance of power, features, and price. Its all-in-one nature simplifies your tech stack, and its automation is powerful enough for sophisticated marketing. You get a CRM, multichannel messaging, and strong email automation at a fraction of the cost of ActiveCampaign.
ActiveCampaign is the superior choice only if you are an automation power user who needs the absolute most flexible and detailed workflow builder on the market and are willing to pay a premium for it.