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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Act-On

    Score8.9 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    Act-On is an adaptive marketing platform designed to drive personal and purposeful multi-channel marketing. Its foci are inbound and outbound marketing, for enabling a tighter alignment with sales and turning data into actionable insights.

    $900

    per month

    Litmus from Validity

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/ALitmus, from Validity, is an email marketing solution used to create error-free emails in less time. It is also used to build email campaigns, personalize and test them thoroughly, monitor deliverability, and analyze email performance.N/A
    Pricing
    Act-OnLitmus from Validity
    Editions & Modules
    Professional
    $900
    per month
    Enterprise
    $2,000+
    per month
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Act-OnLitmus from Validity
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsThe Professional package starts at 2,500 active contacts, 3 marketing users, 50 sales users and 30,000 API calls per day. The Enterprise allows for much more customization, the package starts at 2,500 active contacts, 6 marketing users, 100 sales users and 30,000 API calls per day. Annual contract required for all packages.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Act-OnLitmus from Validity
    Considered Both Products
    Act-On
    Chose Act-On
    I've used Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, Exact Target. I would say Act-On Software is most similar to Exact Target, but I feel you get a better bang for your buck with Act-On.
    Incentivized
    Chose Act-On
    We looked at using Pardot and decided to use Act-On due to pricing and ease of use. Pardot had a better Salesforce connection since they are owned by Salesforce. Pardot was very expensive and didn't offer some of the functionality we were looking for. For example, Pardot does …
    Incentivized
    Validity
    Chose Litmus from Validity
    Litmus is the most full featured email testing platform I have used. There are so many device / email client combinations that we can always replicate the issue an end user may be seeing. It would be great if it added cross browser website testing and take on some of the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Litmus from Validity
    Litmus does a great job allowing you to see how your emails look across ESPS. No other company does this as reliably as Litmus. My only gripe with Litmus is that they do not have an option to use a drag n drop builder. This means I now have to use another program to build emails.
    Incentivized
    Chose Litmus from Validity
    Litmus is more of an overall thought leader than Email on Acid. When I worked for an agency we had Email on Acid for several years and nobody used it, not user-friendly. Then we got litmus and multiple teams started using it right away. It is more intuitive and process …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    16 Answers
    99%
    Would buy again
    292 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    16 Answers
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    212 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    16 Answers
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    294 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    15 Answers
    98%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    173 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    15 Answers
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    174 Answers
    Features
    Act-OnLitmus from Validity
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Act-On Software and Litmus from Validity
    Feature
    Act-On Software
    8.3
    124 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Litmus from Validity
    6.8
    376 Ratings
    17% below category average
    WYSIWYG email editor7.6123 Ratings9.158 Ratings
    Dynamic content8.2102 Ratings8.659 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content8.1102 Ratings8.1238 Ratings
    Landing pages8.2118 Ratings2.64 Ratings
    A/B testing8.1106 Ratings6.511 Ratings
    Mobile optimization8.3113 Ratings9.4351 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting8.3123 Ratings8.5272 Ratings
    List management8.7122 Ratings7.08 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences8.698 Ratings1.02 Ratings
    Lead Management
    Comparison of Lead Management features of Act-On Software and Litmus from Validity
    Feature
    Act-On Software
    8.2
    124 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Litmus from Validity
    -
    Ratings
    Lead nurturing automation8.5113 Ratings00 Ratings
    Lead scoring and grading8.4113 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data quality management8.2112 Ratings00 Ratings
    Automated sales alerts and tasks7.8104 Ratings00 Ratings
    Campaign Management
    Comparison of Campaign Management features of Act-On Software and Litmus from Validity
    Feature
    Act-On Software
    7.5
    84 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Litmus from Validity
    -
    Ratings
    Calendaring6.88 Ratings00 Ratings
    Event/webinar marketing8.383 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social Media Marketing
    Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Act-On Software and Litmus from Validity
    Feature
    Act-On Software
    7.3
    75 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Litmus from Validity
    -
    Ratings
    Social sharing and campaigns7.473 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social profile integration7.367 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Act-On Software and Litmus from Validity
    Feature
    Act-On Software
    7.5
    124 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Litmus from Validity
    7.1
    255 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Dashboards7.6118 Ratings7.229 Ratings
    Standard reports7.6122 Ratings7.5252 Ratings
    Custom reports7.493 Ratings6.6180 Ratings
    Platform & Infrastructure
    Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Act-On Software and Litmus from Validity
    Feature
    Act-On Software
    7.7
    117 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Litmus from Validity
    -
    Ratings
    API8.277 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-based workflow & approvals8.578 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizability7.698 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with Salesforce.com8.569 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM7.038 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with SugarCRM6.930 Ratings00 Ratings
    Third-party software integrations7.58 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pre-Send Testing
    Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of Act-On Software and Litmus from Validity
    Feature
    Act-On Software
    -
    Ratings
    Litmus from Validity
    8.5
    356 Ratings
    4% above category average
    URL Validation00 Ratings9.3268 Ratings
    Link Tracking00 Ratings9.2233 Ratings
    Image Validation00 Ratings7.65 Ratings
    Inbox Display00 Ratings8.56 Ratings
    Email Accessibility Tools00 Ratings6.73 Ratings
    Spelling and Grammar Check00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
    Spam Testing00 Ratings9.5267 Ratings
    Email Previews00 Ratings9.6353 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Act-OnLitmus from Validity
    Small Businesses
    Vbout
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Bloomreach
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Campaign Monitor by Marigold
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Iterable
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Emma by Marigold
    Score8.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Act-OnLitmus from Validity
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (229 ratings)
    9.2
    (428 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.9
    (112 ratings)
    9.0
    (32 ratings)
    Usability
    8.2
    (44 ratings)
    8.0
    (22 ratings)
    Availability
    9.1
    (14 ratings)
    7.6
    (8 ratings)
    Performance
    8.2
    (13 ratings)
    7.3
    (8 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.3
    (39 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    8.7
    (4 ratings)
    4.5
    (2 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.3
    (16 ratings)
    4.5
    (3 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.6
    (22 ratings)
    2.3
    (13 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    3.9
    (7 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    6.4
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    3.9
    (8 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    3.6
    (5 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    5.5
    (4 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Act-OnLitmus from Validity
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Act-On
    We often have quick turnaround time requests, and Act-On's new composer is great because it is easy to make an email look great in desktop or mobile views. This has been a huge time-saver for us! We have benefited from using Act-On for many years and are accustomed to where everything is and how to use it. For the new accounts we train, we will sometimes hear that the organization of where things are could be improved.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Validity
    Proofing your emails is necessary. This is a tool that allows you to see how your email not only renders on multiple devices but how it performs. Some email building platforms will tell you their drag and drop templates are ready to go, however they stop short of analyzing accessibility, checking links, load speed among other things. I've also experienced drag and drop template issues as new email clients are released. Litmus provides peace of mind that you did your due diligence on crafting your email. While Litmus does provide some reporting you will not see every typical analytic an email report offers. However, you can use your Litmus data to enhance your email reports which in turn creates a robust view of email performance.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Act-On
    • The templates are easy to use and set up campaigns.
    • It's simple to use, and the email editor features a drag-and-drop interface.
    • It's easy to set up a drip campaign or a series of scheduled emails.
    • It has the flexibility of having a variety of scheduling options and the use of user experience automation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Validity
    • We haven’t explored the personalization features in depth yet, aside from using the Add-to-Calendar option, but we're excited to dig in further. Tools like live polls offer an easy way to boost engagement in our product marketing emails, and we see a lot of potential in using these templates to enhance personalization moving forward.
    • Litmus’ continuing education resources have been really helpful. I recently read an article on email deliverability that offered practical insights my team can apply moving forward. I especially appreciate how Litmus uses real examples and stats from the brands they work with—it makes the content feel actionable and relevant.
    • Online Training.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Act-On
    • The designer tools, especially for emails, were often difficult to use. The formatting of the text would be all over the place and change / refuse to change at random. Moving boxes around was shifty and sometimes nearly impossible. It just wasn't customizeable enough. No "undo" functionality either.
    • The only way to collect information expansively over time (there's a term Act-On uses for it, I can't recall) where it adds questions to the form each time a user fills it out, is if the person were to fill out the same form multiple times. I know this does happen for some websites/resources, but as a company that wanted to collect new information each time someone filled out any form, regardless of the resource or the URL, that was simply not an option, and that doesn't really make a lot of sense. I know it's not really possible to track someone but if they filled out the first part of the form and then it added new questions to answer, and then they submitted and got through the gating, that would actually be helpful.
    • There was no "trash can" of sorts in case you deleted something by mistake. This could be so stress-inducing if it was a major project. My coworker did this once, contacted Act-On, they couldn't even recover it.
    Incentivized
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    Validity
    • I've not seen many limitations but I have noticed that sometimes emails sent from our CRM take too long to land in Litmus, or sometimes don't land at all.
    • As a beginner it was quite difficult for me to make my way around the platform - I thought "Create new" CTA was actually creating something new, maybe "Import from CRM" would have been more understandable. There were a few others but I remember this one.
    • In the Emails section, whenever I hover over an email, I want to be able to copy the subject line instead of getting the different CTAs appear intrusively (Summary, Builder, Previews & QA, Proof, Analytics, Monitor) - maybe these could appear on the bottom of the textbox, instead of them being imposed on top?
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Act-On
    It's my single biggest asset in my current role. With limited resources, its enabled Anachron to punch well above our weight marketing wise and although we're still at the beginning of our journey I know the system can scale with us
    Read full review
    Validity
    It's one the best tools that we've found for this type of tool but we would like some additional features like spell check so if there's a platform that features that with everything else Litmus has, then we'd potentially look to move over to that platform instead. However, we are overall pretty help with the platform
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Act-On
    It's a great tool for our business, and we get a fantastic ROI on it every year based on wins for customer service and automation responses. It's save projects, repaired salesperson/customer relationships and generated new sales and interest yearly. We really wouldn't hesitate to recommend this platform at all.
    Incentivized
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    Validity
    Litmus has integrations that make the software an integrated part of my work every day. Being able to test right within my email builder is just brilliant. Daily I also use the web interface to review analytics and spam testing. Overall it is one of the pieces of software I use daily without any complaints or issues.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Act-On
    I have always found them quick to respond to my query by web inquiry. In those instances when I call, I have always reached help quickly. They are conscientious and skilled in discussing my concern and finding a solution to my problem. Other tech organizations should use Act-On as a model for top-notch customer service.
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    Validity
    We have never had a problem with Litmus being unavailable so I would say their availability is fantastic. There might have been one time years ago that the site was down briefly but it also might have been a server issue on my end. Either way, Litmus was back up and running in a very short time
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Act-On
    Great for the most part. Sometimes there are little lags, but that's likely because I'm requesting to see a lot of data at one time.
    Read full review
    Validity
    As with all technology, there are inevitably use-cases where you are unable to get to your original goal without some good old-fashioned experimenting. Some situations will (and are) more urgent which complicates an effective integration of a new process or a new team using an existing process but the "issues" are regularly resolved by re-starting the process specific to when Litmus is introduced to a project. If it doesn't come out the way you're anticipating, run it again and verify there is an issue before declaring all is lost
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Act-On
    Since we start using Act-on for ourselves and our clients, we have been supported very well. Often we need to integrate with legacy systems and we find the support team on our side during the whole endeavor. Always asking if they can help us further, always willing to do a better job. The support of Act-On is one of the main differentiators
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    Validity
    Absolutely fantastic support. It runs circles around the competition. They regularly reach out and chat, even if it's just to see if there's any issues we need to discuss. They clearly want the business and don't forget you once you sign the contract which is an issue with other similar services.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Act-On
    Dan D. was great. He took the time to understand how I needed the program to run, and was very flexible to our special CRM setup.
    Read full review
    Validity
    It was very informative one on one session for me. I was able to use Litmus without any issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Act-On
    Act-On had a lot of resources, and their staff was great at answering any questions I had to make sure we got started on the right foot. Looking back, I would have preferred some additional training sessions since we didn't have any previous experience with Marketing Automation and best practices.
    Read full review
    Validity
    It has all the required information.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Act-On
    What impressed me most is that Act-On showed full committment in making our implementation successful, even when it required additional support from their team. This gave me a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings. Most other software software vendors are not anywhere close to being this responsive and effective
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    Validity
    I didn’t really personally participate much in the implementation of Litmus, but from what I observed during the process, it was a smooth process with minimal disruptions. The team was able to get up and running quickly, and the platform’s user-friendly interface made onboarding fairly easy for everyone involved from the start.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Act-On
    Act-On is easier to use than Marketo, but not as visually appealing and user-friendly as HubSpot. It's much better than Pardot, as Pardot feel clunky every step of the way. SharpSpring is comparable because of its price point but surpasses Act-On in its tools and intuitive interface. We selected Act-On because of the pricing model and thought all things would be close to parity with other options. It depends on the team you have. If you have developers and a marketing team that knows some html/css, you can get by with Act-On.
    Incentivized
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    Validity
    This is not applicable to my role as I have used Litmus to test emails since I have started. Because of the ease of use, timeliness, consistent quality, and affordability that Litmus offers, I haven't found the need to look at similar products or organizations. If all of these features continue to stay strong, I don't plan on changing providers
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Act-On
    Before I feel like I need more features, the Act-On customer service reps are contacting me telling about new features as part of my account.
    Read full review
    Validity
    With our enterprise account, scalability is not an issue. I have not yet seen or heard of significant issues with user access, API connections for integrations etc. This includes down time for "Scheduled Maintenance" as some providers call them, Litmus has the technology backing to support a global team with a 24-hour workday across regions
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Act-On
    • With the Automated Series, we were able to put in place campaigns that generated revenue that took no time to continue running once set up. This was a positive feature allowing employees to work on another project while the campaign ran on their own.
    Incentivized
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    Validity
    • Litmus saves our team so much time by making the QA and email review process so much easier, streamlined, and efficient.
    • We often send out campaigns out to thousands of members, and Litmus gives us the assurance and peace of mind that everything is working as it should before it gets sent out.
    • Decreases the number of email review cycles we go through.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Act-On Screenshots

    Screenshot of the Automated Journey Builder. Here, users can personalize customer interactions from awareness to loyalty.Screenshot of the Analytics Dashboard. This is used to compare performance over time, filter by segment, and export report components.Screenshot of the Email Composer. Here is where users design emails optimized for desktop and mobile with a drag and drop builder.

    Litmus from Validity Screenshots

    Screenshot of Litmus Personalize Essentials, with live polls to give subscribers a voice and drive email engagement.Screenshot of Litmus Email Guardian, featuring 24/7 link monitoring to safeguard emails.Screenshot of Litmus' integrated insights reports, that can automatically combine metrics from Salesforce Marketing Cloud with subscriber engagement insights from Litmus.Screenshot of campaign preview, available in 100+ popular email clientsScreenshot of Litmus' inbox previewing and feedback tools, that help users to spot and fix issues early.