⚡ Quick Verdict:
- Pricing: ActiveCampaign starts at $15/month vs Close CRM at $35/seat/month
- Best for: ActiveCampaign for marketing automation and email campaigns; Close CRM for outbound sales teams that rely on calling
- Key difference: ActiveCampaign focuses on email marketing automation with 900+ templates; Close CRM includes built-in calling, power dialer, and call coaching
- Our pick: ActiveCampaign for most businesses — broader feature set at a lower starting price
ActiveCampaign vs Close CRM both promise to help you grow revenue.
But they take completely different roads to get there.
One is built for marketing teams that want to automate email campaigns.
The other is built for sales teams that live on the phone.
Picking the wrong one wastes both time and money.
Overview
This comparison covers pricing, core features, and ideal use cases.
Our sources include published documentation, G2 reviews, and each platform’s official pricing pages.
We also looked at how each tool handles contact management, automation, and sales pipeline tracking.
By the end, you’ll know exactly which platform fits your workflow.
What is ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign is a Customer Experience Automation platform.
It helps small and mid-sized businesses automate their marketing and sales processes.
The platform combines email marketing, advanced automation, and a built-in CRM.
It’s known for its visual drag-and-drop automation builder.
Users can create multi-step workflows with conditional logic — no coding needed.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign brings email marketing, CRM, and automation into one platform. It offers over 900 automation templates to help you set up campaigns fast. The 14-day free trial requires no credit card.
ActiveCampaign Pricing
Here’s what ActiveCampaign costs in 2026. Prices scale based on the number of contacts in your account.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $15/month | Solopreneurs and new businesses |
| Plus | $49/month | Growing teams needing CRM and automation |
| Pro | $79/month | Marketers who need advanced automation |
| Enterprise | $145/month | Large businesses with dedicated support needs |
Pricing verified May 2026.
Free trial: Yes — 14 days, no credit card required. Includes access to most Professional-tier features.
Money-back guarantee: ActiveCampaign does not advertise a standard refund window. Contact support within your billing cycle for assistance.
📌 Note: ActiveCampaign offers a 20% discount on yearly plans. The Starter plan limits you to 5 actions per automation — upgrade to Plus or above for unlimited automation steps.
⚠️ Warning: ActiveCampaign pricing is contact-based. As your list grows, your monthly cost increases. Check the pricing page for your specific contact tier before committing.
Key Benefits of ActiveCampaign
Here’s what makes ActiveCampaign worth considering:
- 900+ Automation Templates: ActiveCampaign includes over 900 pre-built automation templates. You can launch campaigns without starting from scratch.
- Visual Automation Builder: The drag-and-drop builder lets you create complex workflows with conditional logic. No coding skills are required.
- Built-in CRM: All plans include a CRM for tracking sales pipelines and scoring leads. This removes the need for a separate customer relationship management tool.
- High Email Deliverability: ActiveCampaign’s deliverability rates are consistently high across independent tests. Your campaigns are more likely to land in inboxes, not spam folders.
- Omnichannel Campaigns: You can run campaigns across email, SMS, WhatsApp, and social ads from a single dashboard. This keeps your messaging consistent across channels.
- AI Predictive Sending: ActiveCampaign uses AI to improve delivery timing based on each subscriber’s behavior. This can improve open rates without manual testing.
- 950+ Integrations: ActiveCampaign connects with over 950 tools, including Shopify, Salesforce, and WordPress. Zapier support extends this even further.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer signed up for ActiveCampaign and explored the platform across its core marketing automation features. Here’s what stood out:
ActiveCampaign Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Deeply powerful automation builder with conditional logic and multi-step workflows
- Over 900 templates speed up campaign setup significantly
- Built-in CRM included on all plans — no add-on needed
- High deliverability rates keep emails out of spam folders
- Free migration service for users switching from other platforms
❌ Cons
- Starter plan limits automations to 5 actions — very restrictive for serious workflows
- Pricing increases as your contact list grows, which can get expensive fast
- Not ideal for teams that primarily need phone-based sales tools
- Learning curve for beginners setting up complex automation paths
What is Close CRM?
Close CRM is a sales platform built for small to medium-sized businesses.
It focuses on converting leads into revenue through direct outreach.
The platform combines email, calling, and SMS into a single unified inbox.
It includes built-in calling tools — including a power dialer and predictive dialer.
Sales managers can also use live call coaching to assist reps during active calls.
Close CRM
Close CRM is designed for high-velocity inside sales teams. It puts phone calls, email, and SMS in one place with no extra software needed. Try it free for 14 days to see if it fits your sales process.
Close CRM Pricing
Close CRM charges per seat, which means costs add up quickly for larger teams.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $35/seat/month | Small sales teams getting started |
| Growth | $99/seat/month | Teams needing automation and collaboration tools |
| Scale | $139/seat/month | High-volume teams needing advanced features and call coaching |
Pricing verified May 2026.
Free trial: Yes — 14 days. Close CRM also offers a free one-click migration tool for teams switching from other CRMs.
Money-back guarantee: Close CRM does not publicly advertise a money-back policy. Reach out to their support team before purchasing if refunds are a concern.
📌 Note: Annual billing reduces costs — the Startup equivalent runs $49/user/month annually. Advanced automation and call coaching features are only available on higher-tier plans.
⚠️ Warning: Close CRM’s per-seat pricing makes it expensive for teams beyond 3-4 people. A team of 5 on the Growth plan costs $495/month. Budget carefully before scaling.
Key Benefits of Close CRM
Here’s what sets Close CRM apart from standard CRM platforms:
- Built-in Calling: Close CRM lets you dial directly from the browser with no separate phone system. Both power dialer and predictive dialer options are included.
- Unified Inbox: Email, SMS, and phone calls all live in one inbox. Sales reps don’t need to switch between tools during the sales process.
- Live Call Coaching: Managers can listen in and coach reps during live calls. This is a key differentiator for teams focused on improving close rates.
- Smart Views: Close CRM filters leads based on specific criteria automatically. This helps reps focus on the highest-priority prospects first.
- Quick Onboarding: A motivated team can get set up within the 14-day free trial period. The CSV import and free migration tool speed up the process.
- Sales Activity Timeline: Close captures every email, call, and SMS on a contact’s profile timeline. This gives a clear picture of all outreach history at a glance.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer signed up for Close CRM and tested it with a simulated outbound sales workflow. Here’s what stood out:
Close CRM Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Built-in calling eliminates the need for a separate phone system
- Unified inbox keeps email, SMS, and calls in one place
- Live call coaching helps managers train reps in real time
- Quick setup — teams can be ready within the free trial period
❌ Cons
- Per-seat pricing becomes expensive quickly for growing teams
- Reporting functionality is considered weak compared to other CRM platforms
- Only integrates with around 80 tools — far fewer than competitors
- Not designed for marketing automation or email campaign management
Feature Comparison
Let’s break down how ActiveCampaign and Close CRM handle the features that matter most.
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Close CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $15/month | $35/seat/month |
| Free Trial | ✅ 14 days | ✅ 14 days |
| Email Marketing | ✅ | ✅ (basic) |
| Marketing Automation | ✅ Advanced | ❌ |
| Built-in CRM | ✅ | ✅ |
| Built-in Calling | ❌ | ✅ |
| Power Dialer | ❌ | ✅ |
| Lead Scoring | ✅ | ❌ |
| SMS Marketing | ✅ (add-on) | ✅ (built-in) |
| Integrations | 950+ | ~80 |
| Best For | Marketing teams and SMBs | Outbound sales teams |
1. Email Marketing
ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign’s email marketing tools are among its strongest features. You get an AI-assisted email builder, dynamic content blocks, conditional content, and RSS-triggered campaigns. Advanced segmentation lets you group contacts by website visits, location, or purchase history — making every campaign feel personal.
Close CRM: Close CRM handles email as part of its sales outreach toolkit. You can send bulk emails and set up email sequences for follow-ups. But it lacks the newsletter builder, dynamic content, and marketing-focused email templates that dedicated email platforms offer.
2. Marketing Automation
ActiveCampaign: This is where ActiveCampaign truly separates itself. The visual automation builder supports multi-step workflows with conditional logic, A/B testing of entire automation paths, and over 900 pre-built templates. You can automate welcome series, cart abandonment emails, lead nurturing drips, and more — all without writing a line of code.
Close CRM: Close CRM offers workflow automations focused on sales tasks — automated follow-up reminders, lead status updates, and activity logging. These are useful for sales reps, but they don’t compare to full marketing automation. Close is not designed to replace a marketing automation platform.
⚠️ Warning: If marketing automation is your primary need, Close CRM is not a substitute for ActiveCampaign. Close focuses on sales outreach workflows, not campaign nurturing.
3. Built-in Calling and Sales Dialing
ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign does not include built-in calling. Sales teams that need phone outreach must connect a third-party calling tool through one of the platform’s 950+ integrations. This adds cost and complexity for call-heavy teams.
Close CRM: Built-in calling is Close CRM’s biggest differentiator. You can dial directly from the browser with no separate phone system needed. Both a power dialer and a predictive dialer are available. Managers can also listen in and coach reps live during calls — a feature rarely found in CRMs at this price point.
4. CRM and Contact Management
ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign includes a CRM on all plans. It supports lead scoring, custom fields, and sales pipeline tracking. The CRM is tightly integrated with the automation builder, so you can trigger actions based on a contact’s position in the sales process. This makes it well-suited for businesses that blend marketing and sales workflows.
Close CRM: Close CRM’s contact management centers on its activity timeline. Every call, email, and SMS is logged automatically on each lead’s profile. Smart Views filter your lead list by specific criteria, helping reps prioritize without manual data entry. A visual pipeline view shows where deals stand and where bottlenecks exist.
5. Integrations
ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign connects with over 950 tools, including Shopify, Salesforce, WordPress, and Zapier. Premium integrations are available for CRM and ecommerce platforms. This breadth of connectivity makes it easier to fit ActiveCampaign into an existing tech stack.
Close CRM: Close integrates with around 80 tools. Key integrations are available for popular productivity and communication apps, but the selection is narrower than most CRM competitors. If your workflow depends on many connected tools, this gap can be a problem.
⚠️ Note: Close CRM’s integration gap is one of its most common complaints on G2. If you rely on specific tools not listed in their directory, verify compatibility before signing up.
6. Lead Scoring and Segmentation
ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign’s advanced segmentation lets you group contacts by website visits, location, interaction history, and custom fields. Lead scoring assigns points based on engagement, letting you automatically route hot leads to the right automation or sales rep. This is a core feature of the marketing and sales automation workflow.
Close CRM: Close CRM uses Smart Views to prioritize leads based on set criteria. This is effective for sales reps who need a filtered list of who to call next. However, Close does not offer traditional lead scoring that assigns numeric values based on engagement behavior.
7. Reporting and Analytics
ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign offers campaign reporting, automation performance tracking, and custom reports on higher-tier plans. You can track open rates, click rates, revenue attribution, and conversion data. The reporting tools tie back to specific automations and email campaigns for clear performance insight.
Close CRM: Close CRM provides reporting for sales KPIs — call volume, response rates, and deal progress. However, G2 reviews consistently note that reporting is one of Close CRM’s weaker areas. Custom graphs exist, but deep reporting requires manual export and analysis in separate tools.
8. Ease of Use
ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign has a user-friendly design with easily navigable menus. It offers a personalized onboarding checklist and a mobile app for managing contacts on the go. That said, the sheer number of features means more advanced users spend time learning the platform before getting full value from it.
Close CRM: Close CRM is praised for its simplicity. A motivated team can set up and be productive within the 14-day free trial. The unified inbox reduces the number of steps reps need to take to log activity. Its focused feature set means less to learn — though also less flexibility.
9. Pricing & Cost
| Plan | ActiveCampaign | Close CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level | $15/month (Starter) | $35/seat/month (Essentials) |
| Mid Tier | $49/month (Plus) | $99/seat/month (Growth) |
| Advanced | $79/month (Pro) | $139/seat/month (Scale) |
| Enterprise | $145/month (Enterprise) | — |
| Free Trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Annual Discount | 20% | Available (varies by plan) |
ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign’s $15/month Starter plan makes it accessible for solopreneurs and new businesses. The contact-based pricing model means costs grow with your list size, but for most small teams, it remains affordable well into the Plus and Pro tiers.
Close CRM: Close CRM’s per-seat pricing is a significant cost consideration. Even on the entry-level Essentials plan, a team of three pays $105/month. The Growth and Scale plans push that to $297-$417/month for the same team size. Budget-conscious small businesses will feel this more than larger organizations.
Different Scenarios
| If You Need… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing automation and drip campaigns | ActiveCampaign | 900+ templates, advanced workflows |
| Built-in phone dialing for sales teams | Close CRM | Power dialer included, no add-on needed |
| Lower starting price | ActiveCampaign | $15/month vs $35/seat/month |
| Email, SMS, and calls in one inbox | Close CRM | Unified inbox built for sales reps |
| Deep integrations with existing tools | ActiveCampaign | 950+ integrations vs ~80 |
| Live call coaching for managers | Close CRM | Feature not available in ActiveCampaign |
| Lead scoring and advanced segmentation | ActiveCampaign | Full scoring engine included in CRM |
💰 Your Budget
ActiveCampaign starts at $15/month for a single user. Close CRM starts at $35 per seat per month. For a team of even three people, Close CRM costs significantly more before you hit mid-tier features.
🔌 Your Tech Stack
ActiveCampaign connects with over 950 tools and supports Zapier for even broader connectivity. Close CRM integrates with around 80 tools. If your business depends on niche software, ActiveCampaign is the safer choice for compatibility.
📞 Your Sales Process
If your team makes high volumes of outbound calls, Close CRM is purpose-built for that workflow. If your sales process is more email-driven with automated nurturing, ActiveCampaign handles that better.
🎓 Your Experience Level
Close CRM is simpler to get started with — a motivated team can be up and running within the free trial. ActiveCampaign has a steeper learning curve, especially for users who want to use its advanced automation features.
🆓 Free Trials and Demos
Both tools offer 14-day free trials. ActiveCampaign’s trial gives access to most Professional-tier features. Try running a real campaign or workflow in each to see which interface clicks for your team.
🛟 Support Options
ActiveCampaign offers phone support and a dedicated account team on higher-tier plans, alongside a large knowledge base. Close CRM provides proactive onboarding support and API documentation for developers — helpful for technical teams.
Switching Guide
Already using one of these tools? Here’s what to expect if you decide to switch.
🔄 Switching from ActiveCampaign to Close CRM?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Built-in calling with power dialer — no extra software cost
- Unified inbox for email, SMS, and phone calls in one place
- Live call coaching tools for sales managers
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Advanced marketing automation with 900+ templates
- Lead scoring and advanced segmentation capabilities
- Access to 950+ integrations and omnichannel campaign management
📋 How to switch:
- Export your contacts from ActiveCampaign as a CSV file
- Sign up for a Close CRM free trial and use the CSV import tool
- Set up your Smart Views and initial email sequences before going live
🔄 Switching from Close CRM to ActiveCampaign?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Full marketing automation with visual workflow builder and conditional logic
- Lead scoring, advanced segmentation, and dynamic email content
- Broader integration library — over 950 connected tools
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Built-in calling and power dialer (need a third-party tool)
- Live call coaching for managers during active calls
- Unified inbox combining phone, SMS, and email in one view
📋 How to switch:
- Export your leads and contacts from Close CRM as a CSV file
- Start an ActiveCampaign free trial — use their free migration service
- Import contacts and build your first automation using the 900+ templates
What Our Review Didn’t Cover
This comparison focused on small teams and individual business owners. We didn’t evaluate enterprise SSO, custom object configurations, or deeply technical API use cases. ActiveCampaign’s HIPAA support features and Close CRM’s advanced developer tools were outside the scope of this review. If you’re managing a large enterprise with compliance requirements or a complex technical stack, your experience with both tools may differ from what we’ve described here.
Final Verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 💰 Pricing | ActiveCampaign |
| 📧 Email Marketing | ActiveCampaign |
| 🤖 Marketing Automation | ActiveCampaign |
| 📞 Calling and Sales Dialing | Close CRM |
| 🔌 Integrations | ActiveCampaign |
| 🎯 Lead Scoring and Segmentation | ActiveCampaign |
| 👶 Ease of Use | Close CRM |
| 📊 Reporting | ActiveCampaign |
| 🏆 Overall Winner | ActiveCampaign |
🏆 WINNER: ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign wins 6 out of 8 categories.
Best for: Marketing automation, email campaigns, lead nurturing, and businesses that want CRM and marketing in one affordable platform.
ActiveCampaign and Close CRM target very different users.
ActiveCampaign is built for marketing-led growth — email campaigns, automation workflows, and multi-channel nurturing.
Close CRM is built for sales-led growth — high-volume calling, unified outreach, and direct prospect engagement.
Close CRM is excellent for outbound sales teams that rely heavily on phone calls.
However, if your business needs email marketing, advanced automation, and CRM at a lower starting price, ActiveCampaign is the stronger pick for most users.
More of ActiveCampaign Compared
Here’s how ActiveCampaign stacks up against other popular marketing and CRM platforms:
ActiveCampaign wins on: More affordable starting price, deeper automation workflows for the cost, stronger email deliverability focus
HubSpot wins on: All-in-one marketing suite with ads management, larger free CRM tier, broader brand recognition
ActiveCampaign wins on: Established reputation and deliverability track record, broader third-party integrations, simpler pricing structure
GoHighLevel wins on: White-label capability for agencies, built-in funnel builder, flat per-account pricing model
ActiveCampaign vs Keap
ActiveCampaign wins on: Lower entry price, more automation templates available, wider integration directory
Keap wins on: Built-in quotes and invoicing for service businesses, stronger pipeline management for small sales teams
ActiveCampaign wins on: Far simpler setup for small businesses, much lower cost at entry level, no-code automation builder
Salesforce wins on: Deep customization with custom objects, more advanced reporting capabilities, Microsoft Dynamics-level scalability
More of Close CRM Compared
Here’s how Close CRM compares to other CRM and sales engagement tools:
Close CRM wins on: Built-in calling and power dialer without add-ons, faster setup for sales-focused teams, dedicated sales outreach inbox
HubSpot wins on: Larger free tier, broader marketing tools, more integrations at equivalent pricing
Close CRM wins on: Better native calling experience for inside sales, cleaner interface for sales reps, live call coaching built into the platform
GoHighLevel wins on: Agency white-labeling, built-in funnel and landing page tools, broader channel automation
Close CRM wins on: More intuitive calling workflow from the browser, activity timeline visibility, purpose-built for high-velocity outbound teams
Freshsales CRM wins on: Lower per-seat cost at entry level, broader feature set including AI scoring, stronger built-in reporting
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ActiveCampaign used for?
ActiveCampaign is used for email marketing, marketing automation, and digital marketing across multiple channels. Its key features include an email builder, advanced segmentation, transactional email support, landing pages, and an ActiveCampaign CRM for tracking deals. It’s well-suited for small businesses, non-profits, and mid-sized companies that want to scale their marketing without an enterprise plan budget.
Is ActiveCampaign a CRM?
Yes — ActiveCampaign includes a built-in CRM on all plans. The ActiveCampaign CRM supports lead scoring, sales pipeline tracking, and custom fields. It is tightly integrated with the email marketing and automation tools, making it useful for teams that want marketing and sales in one place.
What is Close CRM used for?
Close CRM is used for outbound sales — it combines email, SMS text messages, and calling into a unified inbox. It’s built for sales reps who need full team engagement across multiple pipelines without manual data entry. The built-in calling tools and mobile device app make it practical for inside sales teams that need to close more deals on the go.
Is ActiveCampaign better than Close CRM for small businesses?
For most small businesses, ActiveCampaign offers more value at a lower starting price. Its $15/month entry point, new features added regularly, and 900+ automation templates make it accessible even for teams with limited budgets. Close CRM is the better fit specifically for outbound phone-heavy sales teams.
Is ActiveCampaign GDPR compliant?
Yes — ActiveCampaign is GDPR compliant. It stores user data on servers in the US and supports compliance workflows for European contacts. Businesses operating under the EU-US data privacy framework can use ActiveCampaign with appropriate data processing agreements in place.
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