ActiveCampaign vs. Nutshell CRM

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.
$180
per year (single user)
Nutshell
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Nutshell offers a CRM with contact management, calendar sync, click-to-call, and collaboration features.
$19
per month per user
Pricing
ActiveCampaignNutshell CRM
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)
Foundation
$19
per month per user
Growth
$32
per month per user
Pro
$49
per month per user
Business
$67
per month per user
Enterprise
$89
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ActiveCampaignNutshell
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details15% discount for annual pricing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ActiveCampaignNutshell CRM
Features
ActiveCampaignNutshell CRM
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
8.6
688 Ratings
12% above category average
Nutshell CRM
-
Ratings
WYSIWYG email editor8.4605 Ratings00 Ratings
Dynamic content8.2539 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content8.2488 Ratings00 Ratings
Landing pages7.1356 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing8.7398 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization8.8545 Ratings00 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting9.0654 Ratings00 Ratings
List management9.2673 Ratings00 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences10.0594 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
8.7
541 Ratings
11% above category average
Nutshell CRM
-
Ratings
Lead nurturing automation9.0507 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading8.4370 Ratings00 Ratings
Data quality management9.7413 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks8.5365 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead segmentation and distribution8.017 Ratings00 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
9.6
388 Ratings
26% above category average
Nutshell CRM
-
Ratings
Calendaring9.9308 Ratings00 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing9.4291 Ratings00 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
6.9
295 Ratings
6% below category average
Nutshell CRM
-
Ratings
Social sharing and campaigns7.3262 Ratings00 Ratings
Social profile integration6.6257 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
8.1
650 Ratings
10% above category average
Nutshell CRM
-
Ratings
Dashboards8.2619 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports8.0607 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports8.0394 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
9.0
509 Ratings
19% above category average
Nutshell CRM
-
Ratings
API8.6407 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals8.5278 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizability7.9435 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com9.297 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM9.964 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with SugarCRM9.759 Ratings00 Ratings
Third-party software integrations9.037 Ratings00 Ratings
Sales Force Automation
Comparison of Sales Force Automation features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
8.9
14 Ratings
13% above category average
Customer data management / contact management00 Ratings8.413 Ratings
Workflow management00 Ratings10.012 Ratings
Territory management00 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Opportunity management00 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail)00 Ratings6.513 Ratings
Contract management00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Quote & order management00 Ratings9.28 Ratings
Interaction tracking00 Ratings6.511 Ratings
Channel / partner relationship management00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Customer Service & Support
Comparison of Customer Service & Support features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
10.0
7 Ratings
26% above category average
Case management00 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Call center management00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Help desk management00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Marketing Automation
Comparison of Marketing Automation features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
8.0
13 Ratings
3% above category average
Lead management00 Ratings9.612 Ratings
Email marketing00 Ratings6.511 Ratings
CRM Project Management
Comparison of CRM Project Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
9.9
12 Ratings
25% above category average
Task management00 Ratings9.611 Ratings
Billing and invoicing management00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
CRM Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of CRM Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
10.0
12 Ratings
26% above category average
Forecasting00 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Pipeline visualization00 Ratings10.011 Ratings
Customizable reports00 Ratings10.011 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
9.8
10 Ratings
24% above category average
Custom fields00 Ratings9.210 Ratings
Custom objects00 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Scripting environment00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
API for custom integration00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
10.0
3 Ratings
17% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Social CRM
Comparison of Social CRM features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
9.4
9 Ratings
22% above category average
Social data00 Ratings8.89 Ratings
Social engagement00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Integrations with 3rd-party Software
Comparison of Integrations with 3rd-party Software features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
10.0
2 Ratings
28% above category average
Marketing automation00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Compensation management00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Platform
Comparison of Platform features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Nutshell CRM
8.4
13 Ratings
10% above category average
Mobile access00 Ratings8.413 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ActiveCampaignNutshell CRM
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Vbout
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Score 9.9 out of 10
Salesmate
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Score 10.0 out of 10
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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
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User Ratings
ActiveCampaignNutshell CRM
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(699 ratings)
9.0
(12 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(25 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.3
(62 ratings)
7.0
(2 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.3
(41 ratings)
9.5
(2 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.5
(14 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
1.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
6.4
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.3
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ActiveCampaignNutshell CRM
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.
Read full review
Nutshell Inc.
This can be used for different industries, healthcare, IT, retail or any company with a customer service line, big or small. if i had to ask, i would say "Do you have any type of filing system that you use?" "anything where you are keeping track of personal/ business information." Do you need access to information on a day to day basis? If they do , then this can be used , especially if you need to keep track of the numbers; we like how we can see if are things going up or down.
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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
Read full review
Nutshell Inc.
  • Customization - we are able to make Nutshell make the most sense for our company and processes
  • Scheduling - the ability to set tasks allows us to never forget a follow-up call or email
  • Tags - allow us to prioritize leads and segment our customers and potential customers
  • Communication - the ability to tag colleagues in notes for callbacks or updates to accounts is very helpful to keep everyone on the same page
  • Email History - being able to blind copy all our email communication to Nutshell, allows us to have email threads and notes all in one place
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.
Read full review
Nutshell Inc.
  • integration with email doesn't work as advertised
  • would like integration with quickbooks
  • If there is a misspelling in any one email address, you can not send a mass email. You must go back and correct each error before it can send.
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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.
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Nutshell Inc.
This is perfect for a small business / Home based business with SaaS. Nutshell constantly adds new features and the price is much better than more robust software like Salesforce.
Read full review
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.
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Nutshell Inc.
Extremely easy to use and they help you throughout the process. I find it not challenging, an effective utility to help us prioritize and engage efficiently at a reasonable price point. We enjoy working with the team there and they're easy to access. I've already recommended it to two colleagues
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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.
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Nutshell Inc.
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.
Read full review
Nutshell Inc.
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.
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Nutshell Inc.
Nutshell's support team has always been great and they tend to go above and beyond. They are polite, friendly, personable and great listeners. They are also great about sending follow up emails too.
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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.
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Nutshell Inc.
Implementation is difficult everytime but this was relatively simple due to the small amount of data we moved
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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.
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Nutshell Inc.
When I first started with BCI, they were using ACT!. It was hard to navigate and there were a lot of spots for duplicate information that made it hard to know if you were in the right spot or not. Then if you had trouble, you would spend 3 hours on the phone with customer service and often they would not even be able to find a solution. I would not recommend ACT! to anyone. Since getting nutshell, I have learned a bit about Cosential and I know that it is more catered to the construction industry and can help with proposal creation, so I think that may be something we consider in the not-too-near future.
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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!
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Nutshell Inc.
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
Read full review
Nutshell Inc.
  • Nutshell CRM has had a major impact on ROI. The last program we used cost more and had fewer features and accessibility.
  • One negative impact is its email functions. As stated before in this review I need to be able to send large attachments and pics through email and Nutshell is very limited when it comes to that.
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ScreenShots

ActiveCampaign Screenshots

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

Nutshell Screenshots

Screenshot of Nutshell's dashboard, mobile app, and sales metrics.Screenshot of the interface to build custom pipelines.Screenshot of where to measure contact engagement with Nutshell Marketing emails, forms, website traffic, and landing pages.Screenshot of the interface to engage with website visitors and leads throughout the buying journey via multiple channels using Nutshell Engagement. Channels include SMS, AI webchat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram DMs.Screenshot of Quotes & Invoices, where users can create, send, and monitor custom quotes and invoices without leaving Nutshell.