Act-On Software vs. Really Simple Systems

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Act-On
Score 8.3 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
Really Simple Systems
Score 7.6 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Really Simple Systems is a customer relationship management (CRM) software deployed via cloud with built-in features like email marketing, pipeline management, and case management.
$8
per month
Pricing
Act-On SoftwareReally Simple Systems
Editions & Modules
Professional
$900
per month
Enterprise
$2,000+
per month
Free CRM
$0
2 Users and 100 Company Records
Starter
$15
per User, 1000 Company Records, Unlimited Contacts, 1 GB Document Storage, MailSync, Custom Settings, Custom Reports, API Integration, Online ‘self-service’ Support Hub, Email and Online Chat Support, Optional Marketing Module
Professional
$33
per User, 5000 Company Records, Unlimited Contacts, 5 GB Document Storage, MailSync, Custom Settings, Custom Reports, API Integration, Advanced User Permission Levels, Online ‘self-service’ Support Hub, Free Email, Chat and Phone Support, Priority Technical Support, Optional Marketing and Service Desk Modules
Enterprise
$50
per User, Unlimited Company Records, Unlimited Contacts, Unlimited Document Storage, MailSync, Advanced Reporting, Custom Settings, Advanced User Permission Levels, API Integration, Online ‘self-service’ Support Hub, Free Email, Chat and Phone Support , Top Priority Technical Support, Dedicated Account Manager, Free Online Team Training , Optional Marketing and Service Desk Modules
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Act-OnReally Simple Systems
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
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.All plans include free customer support and setup help.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Act-On SoftwareReally Simple Systems
Features
Act-On SoftwareReally Simple Systems
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
8.2
124 Ratings
7% above category average
Really Simple Systems
-
Ratings
WYSIWYG email editor7.6123 Ratings00 Ratings
Dynamic content8.2102 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content8.0102 Ratings00 Ratings
Landing pages8.2118 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing8.1106 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization8.3113 Ratings00 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting8.3123 Ratings00 Ratings
List management8.7122 Ratings00 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences8.598 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
8.2
124 Ratings
5% above category average
Really Simple Systems
-
Ratings
Lead nurturing automation8.4113 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading8.3113 Ratings00 Ratings
Data quality management8.2112 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks7.8104 Ratings00 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
7.5
84 Ratings
1% above category average
Really Simple Systems
-
Ratings
Calendaring6.88 Ratings00 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing8.183 Ratings00 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
7.3
75 Ratings
1% below category average
Really Simple Systems
-
Ratings
Social sharing and campaigns7.373 Ratings00 Ratings
Social profile integration7.367 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
7.5
124 Ratings
2% above category average
Really Simple Systems
-
Ratings
Dashboards7.6118 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports7.6122 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports7.493 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
7.7
117 Ratings
3% above category average
Really Simple Systems
-
Ratings
API8.277 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals8.478 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizability7.798 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com8.569 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM7.038 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with SugarCRM6.830 Ratings00 Ratings
Third-party software integrations7.48 Ratings00 Ratings
Sales Force Automation
Comparison of Sales Force Automation features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
Really Simple Systems
7.2
33 Ratings
8% below category average
Customer data management / contact management00 Ratings7.833 Ratings
Workflow management00 Ratings7.213 Ratings
Territory management00 Ratings6.98 Ratings
Opportunity management00 Ratings7.727 Ratings
Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail)00 Ratings6.325 Ratings
Interaction tracking00 Ratings7.525 Ratings
Customer Service & Support
Comparison of Customer Service & Support features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
Really Simple Systems
7.2
25 Ratings
6% below category average
Case management00 Ratings7.423 Ratings
Help desk management00 Ratings7.024 Ratings
Marketing Automation
Comparison of Marketing Automation features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
Really Simple Systems
7.1
27 Ratings
9% below category average
Lead management00 Ratings7.024 Ratings
Email marketing00 Ratings7.220 Ratings
CRM Project Management
Comparison of CRM Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
Really Simple Systems
7.0
29 Ratings
10% below category average
Task management00 Ratings7.127 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings6.925 Ratings
CRM Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of CRM Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
Really Simple Systems
6.5
25 Ratings
17% below category average
Forecasting00 Ratings6.320 Ratings
Pipeline visualization00 Ratings6.321 Ratings
Customizable reports00 Ratings6.824 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
Really Simple Systems
6.8
28 Ratings
12% below category average
Custom fields00 Ratings7.128 Ratings
Custom objects00 Ratings6.824 Ratings
API for custom integration00 Ratings6.517 Ratings
Platform
Comparison of Platform features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
Really Simple Systems
6.8
21 Ratings
11% below category average
Mobile access00 Ratings6.821 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
Really Simple Systems
7.8
28 Ratings
8% below category average
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings7.828 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Act-On SoftwareReally Simple Systems
Small Businesses
Vbout
Vbout
Score 9.9 out of 10
Salesmate
Salesmate
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Act-On SoftwareReally Simple Systems
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(229 ratings)
7.6
(34 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(112 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(44 ratings)
7.8
(18 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(14 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.2
(13 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.3
(39 ratings)
8.0
(17 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.7
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.3
(16 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.6
(22 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.4
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Act-On SoftwareReally Simple Systems
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.
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Really Simple Systems CRM
If you have a customer/job where there are steps to be followed such as quotes, follow up, purchase orders received, etc. You can set reminders for a member of the team with their next step and they will be sent reminders. Works well as long as it is kept updated.
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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.
Read full review
Really Simple Systems CRM
  • Can send out marketing emailers within 5 minutes of an industry-specific update from any device
  • Sales dashboard [can be] built how I want it using the Really Simple Systems widgets
  • Activity integration from email accounts included
  • Manage my sales pipeline opportunities effectively
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.
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Really Simple Systems CRM
  • Resends - I would like a simple [one-click] function to resend email campaigns to [non-openers.]
  • [Emails] that have been created but not sent or attached to a campaign I would like to see a place that they could be in [the] draft so I can come back to them at a later date without them appearing on the email list[.]
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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
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Really Simple Systems CRM
No answers on this topic
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.
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Really Simple Systems CRM
Simple systems is great for smaller sales and marketing teams to log their territories and report on progress on their opportunities. There are many useful features such as tasks and reporting to show to management how opportunities are progressing and when the estimated close date would occur. The two main issues are scalability within larger [organizations] and the ease to duplicate contacts.
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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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Really Simple Systems CRM
No answers on this topic
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.
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Really Simple Systems CRM
No answers on this topic
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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Really Simple Systems CRM
Whenever I have had any issues, which is probably only 3 times in 10 years, the back office support has been fantastic and got me up and running again in a very short time. Cannot fault them at all. But as I stated, problems have been very few and far between.
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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
Really Simple Systems CRM
No answers on this topic
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.
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Really Simple Systems CRM
No answers on this topic
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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Really Simple Systems CRM
No answers on this topic
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.
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Really Simple Systems CRM
We choose RSS due to cost. We are a startup and needed a great solution that did not cost [a lot]. RSS [fits] all our needs at the perfect price. We could not be more thrilled with our choice and it has simplified our client interaction[.]
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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.
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Really Simple Systems CRM
No answers on this topic
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.
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Really Simple Systems CRM
  • A very positive effect on our understanding of our customers and what kind of events are working well at the venue and which aren't. This will allow us to work more smartly when responsive to enquiries, improving our overall productivity.
  • Very positive impact on our current review of marketing and sales strategy.
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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.

Really Simple Systems Screenshots

Screenshot of Accounts PageScreenshot of Tasks PageScreenshot of Marketing Dashboard