ActiveCampaign vs. MailUp

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ActiveCampaign
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
ActiveCampaign 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.
$15
per month (billed annually)
MailUp
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
MailUp is the eponymous email & SMS platform from the Italian company that was founded in 2002 that now has a modest but respectable presence across the western world with a diverse customer base (Yamaha, Amnesty International, Korean Air, etc.). Mailup's platform combines email marketing, with transactional email and SMS features, and offers SMTP relay and plugins for ecommerce, CRM and CMS systems. Their unusual pricing scheme is tiered just on subscribers but on volume of sends and that…N/A
Pricing
ActiveCampaignMailUp
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)
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ActiveCampaignMailUp
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ActiveCampaignMailUp
Considered Both Products
ActiveCampaign
Chose ActiveCampaign
Mailchimp is a good easy solution for beginner marketers. I think ActiveCampaign is more robust with landing page, automated marketing integrations, plus the use of lists and tags to niche contacts. While it could be difficult to utilize AC's feature set initially, its AI …
Chose ActiveCampaign
I am stuck with ActiveCampaign
Chose ActiveCampaign
Mailchimp simply did not have all the features we were looking for, particularly with regard to list segmenting and automation. ActiveCampaign is more expensive, but it's a big step up for us. I think that Mailchimp is excellent for beginners and those who don't need all the …
Chose ActiveCampaign
pricing is quite competitive compared to similar products. It was also recommended to me from a business partner with a similar line in business
Chose ActiveCampaign
much more user friendly than these other alternatives.
Chose ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign feels like the professional, empowered and much more fully set up version of MailChimp. I was using MailChimp when I first started my business, but was then introduced to AC, and it's a million times better.
Chose ActiveCampaign
I used Mautic/Acquia for 4 years. It was more expensive for less features than ActiveCampaign. Also, I find ActiveCampaign is more intuitive and easier to use. The support system is more helpful. The pages are easy to navigate and the menu and submenus are well laid out. …
Chose ActiveCampaign
MailChimp, Mailer Lite, Constant Contact: ActiveCampaign is much better and much more versatile with automations, tags, and options for customizable lists and forms.
Chose ActiveCampaign
Mailchimp is in a different league to the above platforms.
Chose ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign has much better segmenting and more powerful automations, contact info, and integrations with other platforms.
Chose ActiveCampaign
In my opinion, ActiveCampaign is wayyyy easier to use than MailChimp. It's easier to choose your lists and to resend to unopens.
Chose ActiveCampaign
Salesforce is a beast! The learning involved to use the system is prohibitive. Mailerlite is limited in functionality but ConvertKit is a solid alternative. Both are easy to use but clunky to navigate, while ActiveCampaign is logical. Mailchimp is great for small businesses …
Chose ActiveCampaign
You'll be able to accomplish everything you need to with ActiveCampaign. A lot of these platforms distinguish themselves with bells and whistles. If a certain 'luxury' is important to you, then go with the platform that offers it. Generally speaking, they can all get the job …
Chose ActiveCampaign
It's simply intuitive! You know what to do and what you can do by just looking at it. So it goes very fast into a natural usage where You don't need to think too long. You can execute faster and build amazing funnels, because the functions are so easy and come with a great …
Chose ActiveCampaign
We selected Active Campaign several years ago due to its competitive cost and ability to integrate well with other software that we were using. With recent pricing changes, however, we will likely be shopping for alternatives.
Chose ActiveCampaign
In my opinion, not easy to use. Very limited in regards with features. I think the forms you integrate in webpages are ugly and not fully customizable. for almost the same price I have more features with ActiveCampaign.

I feel more confortable using ActiveCampaign since it is …
Chose ActiveCampaign
The level of sophistication and detail of the automations and segmentation is much higher with ActiveCampaign vs. Mailchimp resulting in much more targeted campaigns. Also, the user experience is so much more intuitive and easier to navigate with ActiveCampaign.
Chose ActiveCampaign
Clear winner on all fronts over most products, excluding HighLevel.
MailUp
Chose MailUp
Mailup has hands down the best editor for creating responsive emails, I've tried almost everything out there and this is the best, I recommend this to colleagues all the time!
Features
ActiveCampaignMailUp
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
8.6
Ratings
12% above category average
MailUp
9.5
Ratings
17% above category average
WYSIWYG email editor8.40 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Dynamic content8.50 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content8.30 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Landing pages7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization9.10 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
List management8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
8.3
Ratings
6% above category average
MailUp
-
Ratings
Lead nurturing automation8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Data quality management8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead segmentation and distribution7.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
9.1
Ratings
21% above category average
MailUp
-
Ratings
Calendaring8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing9.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
6.8
Ratings
8% below category average
MailUp
-
Ratings
Social sharing and campaigns7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Social profile integration6.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
8.1
Ratings
10% above category average
MailUp
-
Ratings
Dashboards8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports8.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
8.8
Ratings
17% above category average
MailUp
-
Ratings
API8.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals8.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizability7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM9.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with SugarCRM9.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Third-party software integrations7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ActiveCampaignMailUp
Small Businesses
Vbout
Vbout
Score 9.9 out of 10
Mad Mimi
Mad Mimi
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
VerticalResponse
VerticalResponse
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
Emma by Marigold
Emma by Marigold
Score 8.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ActiveCampaignMailUp
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.5
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
1.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
6.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ActiveCampaignMailUp
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
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Great for marketing teams looking to quickly deploy emails without the need for HTML coding.
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Pros
  • The graphic design is very good, especially fonts, colours and templates
  • Flexibility of design and functionality
  • Takes a little while to learn it, but generally user-friendly
  • Looks very professional but doesn't cost much to get started
  • There are masses of integrations for ActiveCampaign, and the ones I tried all worked well and didn't take long to figure out.
Read full review
  • Email marketing creation
  • Email design
  • HTML template creation
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Cons
  • The email designing part could be easier to use. There are certain simple shortcuts that don't work, for example, adding links is more complicated than it should be, moving blocks around is hard, etc.
  • There's no good way to filter by 'active' and 'inactive' subscribers when editing en-mass.
  • I'd like more reporting data on one page.
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  • Alt tag styling within the editor
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Likelihood to Renew
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.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
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.
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No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
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.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
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.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
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.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
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.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
I transitioned from Mailchimp to ActiveCampaign because it was so much more user friendly and allowed me to do a lot more in regards to lead magnets than Mailchimp can. For example, ActiveCampaign allows users to sign up for a lead magnet as many times as they like to keep receiving it (in case they've lost or deleted the email with access to the lead magnet). Mailchimp was unable to do this. And the categorization of users and the trigger email sequencing was a lot easier in ActiveCampaign.
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Mailup has hands down the best editor for creating responsive emails, I've tried almost everything out there and this is the best, I recommend this to colleagues all the time!
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Scalability
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!
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Automations free up time - once set up, email campaigns execute in seconds
  • Emailing my newsletter is a second touch-point for my clients
  • The flat rate for my subscription means that I reach my clients and prospects for fractions of a cent each month
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  • Faster email development
  • More team members able to contribute to the email development process
  • Better templates
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ScreenShots

ActiveCampaign Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of

MailUp Screenshots

Screenshot of Manage lists. With MailUp, you can manage mailing lists, groups and sending profiles, automatically eliminating duplicate addresses and handling users who cancel their subscription. The procedure is guided, quick and safe. The utmost simplicity, with no need to install additional software. Not bad, right?Screenshot of he winning variable, with mathematical certainty
With A/B testing, discover, prior to mailing, what your recipients prefer to read, by automatically testing several versions of the same text, measuring its effectiveness on a select group. Opening results improve by up to 30% and, for each version, you have more statistical information. Mailing after mailing, you can only do better!Screenshot of Creating emails for mobile devices is easy
Free your creativity and create emails and newsletters that have great visual impact, optimised for mobile devices. While you concentrate on the content of your campaign, MailUp takes care of the rest with the aid of an intelligent editor and plenty of cutting-edge functions. Not bad, right?Screenshot of Countless ways to create your messages.

There's not only BEE with which create messages. You can start with HTML documents, RSS/Atom, URL or choose from hundreds of graphic models. Starting with an empty email? The convenient WYSIWYG editor helps you put your messages together with just a few clicks. It's all up to you!Screenshot of .and you can do the same with unsubscribe lists.

Automatic management of unsubscribe lists allows you to activate the UNSUBSCRIBE button directly in the email client interface. The unsubscribers list also shows a list of users who performed this action, which may be edited and exported. This function also allows you to make up random groups of users, specifying the number of subscribers. This makes it easier to manage random sampling and A/B testing.Screenshot of