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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    ActiveCampaign

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/AActiveCampaign is presented as an AI-first marketing platform for marketers, agencies, and entrepreneurs. It uses Active Intelligence for goal-aware automation and personalized experiences across email, SMS, and WhatsApp. ActiveCampaign integrates with 950+ apps and generates insights to optimize every workflow.

    $180

    per year (single user)

    iContact

    Score6.8 out of 10
    N/AiContact is an email marketing solution that was acquired by Vocus in 2012. The product is integrated with Facebook and Twitter and is aimed at SMBs with unlimited sending as a key feature.

    $14

    per month

    SMS.to

    Score9.9 out of 10
    N/ASMS.to is a bulk SMS marketing tool, available via an API that enables developers to add bulk SMS features to Viper, or Whatsapp, etc.

    $0.01

    per month

    Pricing
    ActiveCampaigniContactSMS.to
    Editions & Modules
    Starter
    $15
    per month (billed annually)
    Pro
    $49
    per month (billed annually)
    Plus
    $79
    per month (billed annually)
    Enterprise
    $149
    per month (billed annually)
    1500 Users
    $15.00
    per month
    2500 Users
    $25.00
    per month
    5000 Users
    $45.00
    per month
    Outbound SMS
    $0.14
    price per sms
    Inbound
    free
    Outbound Viber or WhatsApp
    Contact Sales
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    ActiveCampaigniContactSMS.to
    Free Trial
    YesNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    ActiveCampaigniContactSMS.to
    Considered Multiple Products
    ActiveCampaign
    Chose ActiveCampaign
    We have used all of the above platforms previously over the past decade, migrating from Constant Contact to iContact, then to Emma and finally GreenRope before migrating to ActiveCampaign, where we have stayed for the past 4 years. All of the previous email platforms had some …
    Incentivized
    Chose ActiveCampaign
    For the price, ActiveCampaign is streets ahead. I probably use about 60% of the platform's functionality with a further 20% that I could benefit from using and intend to explore in the next 12 months. This compares to only about 25% usage with some other platforms or having to …
    Incentivized
    Chose ActiveCampaign
    It has the best analytics features through email campaigns.
    Incentivized
    Chose ActiveCampaign
    ActiveCampaign is the budget option, no doubt. There isn't a single other tool even near it in price that offers anywhere near the level of tools that ActiveCampaign offers.

    However, just because it's really inexpensive, don't let that lead you to think its a "cheap" tool. They …
    Incentivized
    iContact
    Chose iContact
    In my opinion, Mailchimp is the top contender to iContact and really gives them a run for their money. Mailchimp offers users more features, and costs less. Of course, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Overall, it is a tough decision to make between the two, …
    Incentivized
    SMS.to
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    98%
    Would buy again
    492 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    471 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    493 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    97%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    454 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    458 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    ActiveCampaigniContactSMS.to
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of ActiveCampaign and iContact and SMS.to
    Feature
    ActiveCampaign
    8.7
    690 Ratings
    12% above category average
    iContact
    6.6
    26 Ratings
    20% below category average
    SMS.to
    -
    Ratings
    WYSIWYG email editor8.4609 Ratings7.024 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dynamic content8.7541 Ratings7.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content8.4490 Ratings5.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Landing pages7.6358 Ratings7.014 Ratings00 Ratings
    A/B testing8.4400 Ratings5.017 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile optimization9.2549 Ratings7.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting8.6658 Ratings7.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    List management8.8677 Ratings8.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences10.0596 Ratings6.015 Ratings00 Ratings
    Lead Management
    Comparison of Lead Management features of ActiveCampaign and iContact and SMS.to
    Feature
    ActiveCampaign
    8.3
    543 Ratings
    6% above category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    SMS.to
    -
    Ratings
    Lead nurturing automation8.6509 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Lead scoring and grading8.5371 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data quality management8.6417 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Automated sales alerts and tasks8.8366 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Lead segmentation and distribution6.919 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Campaign Management
    Comparison of Campaign Management features of ActiveCampaign and iContact and SMS.to
    Feature
    ActiveCampaign
    9.0
    390 Ratings
    20% above category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    SMS.to
    -
    Ratings
    Calendaring8.8311 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Event/webinar marketing9.1293 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social Media Marketing
    Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of ActiveCampaign and iContact and SMS.to
    Feature
    ActiveCampaign
    6.8
    295 Ratings
    9% below category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    SMS.to
    -
    Ratings
    Social sharing and campaigns7.2262 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social profile integration6.4257 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of ActiveCampaign and iContact and SMS.to
    Feature
    ActiveCampaign
    8.2
    652 Ratings
    11% above category average
    iContact
    8.0
    26 Ratings
    3% above category average
    SMS.to
    -
    Ratings
    Dashboards8.0623 Ratings8.026 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standard reports8.4611 Ratings8.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom reports8.2397 Ratings8.015 Ratings00 Ratings
    Platform & Infrastructure
    Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of ActiveCampaign and iContact and SMS.to
    Feature
    ActiveCampaign
    8.7
    511 Ratings
    14% above category average
    iContact
    -
    Ratings
    SMS.to
    -
    Ratings
    API8.6409 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-based workflow & approvals8.6278 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizability7.6437 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with Salesforce.com9.097 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM9.964 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with SugarCRM9.559 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Third-party software integrations7.840 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pre-Send Testing
    Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of ActiveCampaign and iContact and SMS.to
    Feature
    ActiveCampaign
    -
    Ratings
    iContact
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    15% below category average
    SMS.to
    -
    Ratings
    URL Validation00 Ratings7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Link Tracking00 Ratings7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Image Validation00 Ratings7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Inbox Display00 Ratings7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email Accessibility Tools00 Ratings7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Spelling and Grammar Check00 Ratings7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Spam Testing00 Ratings7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email Previews00 Ratings7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    ActiveCampaigniContactSMS.to
    Small Businesses
    Vbout
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Mad Mimi
    Score10 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Bloomreach
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Campaign Monitor by Marigold
    Score9 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Iterable
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Emma by Marigold
    Score8.5 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    ActiveCampaigniContactSMS.to
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.6
    (703 ratings)
    8.0
    (45 ratings)
    9.9
    (4 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (27 ratings)
    3.4
    (19 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    9.3
    (66 ratings)
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Availability
    9.1
    (5 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    7.3
    (5 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.3
    (42 ratings)
    9.9
    (9 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (16 ratings)
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    6.4
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.1
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    1.0
    (5 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    6.4
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    7.3
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    ActiveCampaigniContactSMS.to
    Likelihood to Recommend
    ActiveCampaign
    I've been using ActiveCampaign since around 2018-2019 and I've always been satisfied with the software. It's simple to use, connects with the other tools I use and makes it easy for me to duplicate automations, email templates and workflows as I need to. On top of that, any time I've had an issue (which I think is around twice in the past 5/6 years), the customer service has always been super helpful and my issue has been resolved quickly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    I would only recommend it if someone was a small business. I think they are the best suited for companies who will send out a coupon or offer here and there. The most recent updates made it more complicated to use for more complicated processes. It is easy to train someone on the program, and so quick to learn. But I would also only stick to the simpler things. I also think the colorful templates are great, and show great creativity. But again, it is hard to justify recommending the program when it isn't WYSIWYG.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    SMS.to is ideal when you have a large number of users and you need to be charged by SMS delivered not by number of users. Let's put an example other solutions out there wanted us to pay user or contact which is illogican for a product that has more than 100K users because it doesn't matter if you send no message or you send 10 messages they will charge you per contact in the other hand solutions as SMS.to they will charge per SMS delivered which makes really economic the scenario specially if you only send to specific segments of contacts by making use of contact lists. A least appropiate scenario is when you need to send emergency/urgent SMS because for some resaon the SMS in this platform will be sent after 20-30 minutes even an hour I ignore why it happens but that's why we always try to schedule our campaigns and be sure they are generic marketing messages. For emergency/urgent SMS is recommended to use another platform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    ActiveCampaign
    • Collects and filters emails from various lead magnets exceptionally well (especially if a user wants to re-sign up to the same lead magnet and go through it again, they can)
    • Super easy to use email creation that is aesthetically pleasing and user friendly
    • Easy email sequences and user classification from a large range of opt in trigger options
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    • Contact management. iContact is really great for entering all your contact. You are able to put them onto different lists, and let them choose which lists they would like to be a part of as well. There are many data fields provided to fill in information.
    • Emailing. We use the email feature at least once a month. They are always improving and adding new features, which is very helpful in presenting content in a new and exciting way to our readers. There are many options with remade templates and themes, or you can add your own.
    • Insights. It is really helpful being able to have the data to see what is working and what isn't. It is nice to be able to go back and see how things went in the past compared to now. Opens, clicks, shares, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    • Bulk messaging.
    • Easy to send notifications to customers.
    • With SMS.to, it is easy to market our business thanks to the ability to send promotional messages.
    • It's easy to use and affordable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    ActiveCampaign
    • It took me a while to get to understand where to find things, and I used a free online course from a consultant who specialises in AC to help me get the foundations set up more easily. That said, there were lots of onboarding workshops, which were good. It just felt like it required a lot of different angles of learning to just get started.
    • The customer support took longer than other software to get back to me via email, though once I found the chat option for my most recent query, that was fast.
    • I've ended up switching to another programme where more software is more naturally integrated, and the AC equivalent is included in the price, along with many other types of software. However, design-wise, ActiveCampaign is much better.
    • I also had a problem with a form used on my WordPress website, which has a BuddyBoss platform - the colours on the form would be overridden by colour choices for the website, so they were hard to read (pink text on purple background instead of the gold text it was meant to be)
    • I couldn't always find the templates I was looking for or how to access them for automation-based emails. I think when I used it, there was a new type of template for newsletters that weren't available for automations, so I had to recreate it, which added time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    • We also would like to send transactional messages which don't require an opt-out, this is a challenge with iContact. (May be a feature with pro?)
    • The regular version of iContact doesn't support event management or logic flows for automated messaging.
    • Custom form fields have limited field type options (can't build a drop-down).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    • Inbound SMSs not yet available in my country
    • API Intergration, it is a bit complicated and i had to get a developer to help me understand it all
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    ActiveCampaign
    I am committed at the moment. Rebuilding the automations I have would be a huge time drain. Plus the cost of learning a new system and the risk to deliverability of porting a 6,000 person list to a new platform. Also, AC offers everything I need ast a reasonable (but a little high) price. So, why not a 10? Because, early 2023, AC dropped a massive 2x price hike on long-term customers. They knew few would shift, so this feels like a cynical cash grab and left a bad taste, If they do something like this again, this camel will have a broken back.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    iContact has been a quick and easy way to send any announcements and news directly to email and social media subscribers. Its tracking and reporting capabilities turn a simple email into a marketing campaign that can be used as a tool to efficiently gauge reader response and customer satisfaction, and ultimately to reach potential customers. The consistency and excellent customer service is what makes this program a pleasant experience.
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    ActiveCampaign
    ActiveCampaign has been the easiest marketing automation software we have ever used. They provide tips throughout the entire process of anything you are building. Their support team through LIVE CHAT has been extremely fast and helpful. The monthly meetings provided with the enablement team has helped us through several large and urgent needs.
    Read full review
    iContact
    I rate iContact as an easy to use program due to its user friendly dashboard and user interface. Most companies of small to medium size do not have a dedicated marketer, therefore it is someone multitasking who may or may not have this kind of experience. iContact makes it relatively simple and can actually expand one's knowledge in the area of business promotion.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    No answers on this topic
    Reliability and Availability
    ActiveCampaign
    I haven't experienced application errors or unplanned outages at all. Active Campaign is ultra reliable and I would not be using them if that were the case. Also, the helpful emails they send are welcomed and informative, and present very practical tips and guidance for using the platform. They're always demonstrating new features and I'm thankful for that.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    iContact is regularly up and running. Only once has it been unavailable for maintenance, which is to be expected and even desired for optimal performance when needed.
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    ActiveCampaign
    Oh my gosh, Active Campaign's performance gets an A+++ in my book. The pages load quickly and so do the reports. I haven't noticed any slowdowns when it's integrating with other programs and it performs excellently on all levels.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    No answers on this topic
    SMS.to
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    ActiveCampaign
    This might be the best part. The chat support lady offered to make a video to help me solve my problem. I worked in customer service for years and I've never done that, lol. So, if they're offering things like that, I can only imagine that they'd be able to handle most any issue you throw at them.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    They have always been responsive to any issues or concerns that have arisen with our account. Our customer account manager participates in our monthly county-wide communicators meetings via telephone to ensure that we are getting the most from the service. He also analyzes our lists to help us weed out inactive contacts.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    ActiveCampaign
    No answers on this topic
    iContact
    The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    ActiveCampaign
    Very satisfied with our implementation in our professional medical practice, allowing us to be on top of client service, and not miss out on crucial information and insights. Marketing is often neglected in professional practices and ActiveCampaign solved this problem with aplomb.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    ActiveCampaign
    I moved to ActiveCampaign from Mailchimp. Admittedly, I was using the free version of Mailchimp, but I had numerous episodes of subscriber data NOT being added to Mailchimp, despite using API to integrate with my mailing list. Obviously, I couldn't pay for clicks and not capture subscriber data, so I had to find something else. ActiveCampaign has been 100% reliable in testing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    I didn't have a say in the decision because I wasn't with the company at the time. I listed HubSpot here because I know we used it in conjunction with iContact for email automation, but HubSpot Email was only recently built-out to the point where it is today. Now, iContact and HubSpot are no longer integrated.
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    I already pointed out this but basically we decided to go with SMS.to because 2 reasons:
    1. It can be paid with paypal (first reason) we have some bad experience with other products because payment gateways may suddenly block your cards and you're unable to pay even if you want to use the service so when we saw that SMS.to has Paypal payment we just decided to go for this option.
    2. You pay per message and not per contact this is ideal other platforms will ask you a monthly fee for marketing features that you're not looking plus paying per SMS or per contact we were just looking a straight forward software in order to send SMS campaigns.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    ActiveCampaign
    My web designer told me about Active Campaign and although I don't recall which platform I had before, I LOVE Active Campaign and its user friendliness. The transition was seamless and I've never had a problem with functionality or server failure.
    Active Campaign provides so many features, and makes it easy for non-techies to maneuver around the site with ease. They capture information and put it in an easy-to-read format.
    At this point, I don't think I'd ever use any other platform!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    iContact stays the same with the number of users added or taken away. It certainly remains reliable despite increased usage, and so, can be considered scaleable in that aspect.
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    ActiveCampaign
    • I haven't monetized my list yet so no clear ROI but great from a list-building perspective
    • The software is not cheap so at times I feel like I may not be getting the most out of the product because I'm not using all of the features
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    iContact
    • We have a template for webinars that we send every month. We just edit it and send. This couldn't be easier (once you know where to find it).
    • We like the breakdown of statistics in the dashboard. They're easy to read.
    • iContact isn't a comprehensive solution, so it is only one of a few products we use for marketing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SMS.to
    • Easy communication.
    • Better engagements thanks to fast delivery of messages.
    • It's a great marketing software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    ActiveCampaign Screenshots

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