ActiveCampaign vs. Pipeline CRM

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ActiveCampaign
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
ActiveCampaign helps small teams power big businesses with a platform for intelligent marketing automation. It provides email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM tools that help businesses to create incredible customer experiences.
$15
per month
Pipeline CRM
Score 6.7 out of 10
N/A
Founded in 2006, Pipeline CRM (formerly PipelineDeals) is a CRM for small and midsize businesses, empowering sales teams across a breadth of industries to build game changing relationships. Pipeline is built around a customizable user experience, sales focused features, and customer support and service. The vendor, headquartered in Seattle, boasts 18,000 users in 60 countries who use Pipeline to gain visibility into their sales, accelerate opportunities, and close more deals.
$29
per month
Pricing
ActiveCampaignPipeline CRM
Editions & Modules
Starter
$15
per month
Plus
$49
per month
Pro
$79
per month
Enterprise
$145
per month
Start
$300
per year per user
Develop
$396
per year per user
Develop
$588
per year per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ActiveCampaignPipeline CRM
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsNo matter what plan you choose, our services are designed to help you get the most out of your investment — so you can focus on running your business. ActiveCampaign services included in all plan tiers: ActiveTraining Community access Contact migration Customer enablement workshops Video tutorials Chat and ticket support Knowledge base & help guides
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ActiveCampaignPipeline CRM
Considered Both Products
ActiveCampaign
Pipeline CRM

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ActiveCampaignPipeline CRM
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
8.4
680 Ratings
10% above category average
Pipeline CRM
-
Ratings
WYSIWYG email editor7.8597 Ratings00 Ratings
Dynamic content7.4533 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content7.3483 Ratings00 Ratings
Landing pages6.8349 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing9.5392 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization8.8539 Ratings00 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting8.7646 Ratings00 Ratings
List management9.9665 Ratings00 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences10.0587 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
8.5
534 Ratings
9% above category average
Pipeline CRM
-
Ratings
Lead nurturing automation9.9500 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading8.4365 Ratings00 Ratings
Data quality management9.1407 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks7.6360 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead segmentation and distribution7.510 Ratings00 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
9.9
383 Ratings
28% above category average
Pipeline CRM
-
Ratings
Calendaring9.9303 Ratings00 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing9.9288 Ratings00 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
7.5
291 Ratings
0% above category average
Pipeline CRM
-
Ratings
Social sharing and campaigns7.7258 Ratings00 Ratings
Social profile integration7.3253 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
7.4
643 Ratings
1% above category average
Pipeline CRM
-
Ratings
Dashboards7.6612 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports7.4600 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports7.2387 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
9.4
503 Ratings
23% above category average
Pipeline CRM
-
Ratings
API9.0401 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals9.0273 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizability8.4429 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com9.894 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM9.961 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with SugarCRM9.957 Ratings00 Ratings
Third-party software integrations9.931 Ratings00 Ratings
Sales Force Automation
Comparison of Sales Force Automation features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
6.9
5 Ratings
11% below category average
Customer data management / contact management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Workflow management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Territory management00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
Opportunity management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail)00 Ratings4.05 Ratings
Contract management00 Ratings5.05 Ratings
Quote & order management00 Ratings6.03 Ratings
Interaction tracking00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Channel / partner relationship management00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
Customer Service & Support
Comparison of Customer Service & Support features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
7.8
3 Ratings
3% above category average
Case management00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Call center management00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Help desk management00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Marketing Automation
Comparison of Marketing Automation features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
5.0
4 Ratings
41% below category average
Lead management00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Email marketing00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
CRM Project Management
Comparison of CRM Project Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
4.5
5 Ratings
51% below category average
Task management00 Ratings3.04 Ratings
Billing and invoicing management00 Ratings5.53 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings5.03 Ratings
CRM Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of CRM Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
6.7
5 Ratings
12% below category average
Forecasting00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Pipeline visualization00 Ratings5.05 Ratings
Customizable reports00 Ratings7.05 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
9.5
5 Ratings
23% above category average
Custom fields00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Custom objects00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Scripting environment00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
API for custom integration00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
6.0
3 Ratings
32% below category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Social CRM
Comparison of Social CRM features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
8.1
2 Ratings
10% above category average
Social data00 Ratings8.12 Ratings
Social engagement00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Integrations with 3rd-party Software
Comparison of Integrations with 3rd-party Software features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
4.6
3 Ratings
45% below category average
Marketing automation00 Ratings2.03 Ratings
Compensation management00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Platform
Comparison of Platform features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCampaign
-
Ratings
Pipeline CRM
8.0
5 Ratings
8% above category average
Mobile access00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ActiveCampaignPipeline CRM
Small Businesses
Vbout
Vbout
Score 9.9 out of 10
Salesmate
Salesmate
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.2 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.2 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ActiveCampaignPipeline CRM
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(692 ratings)
7.0
(6 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(25 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.9
(54 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.3
(41 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.6
(14 ratings)
-
(0 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
ActiveCampaignPipeline 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
PipelineDeals
If you have a small business where you are trying to keep things simple, then PipelineDeals is a perfect fit. Once you get to where you are wanting to tie your marketing efforts and create marketing campaigns that are tied to leads, it starts to miss the mark
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
Read full review
PipelineDeals
  • Flexibility: It provides the flexibility to set it up how you want to use it. Customization is beyond what you probably want or need.
  • Reporting: We were able to setup all types of reporting and tracking.
  • Ease of Use: While the platform was powerful, it was always easy to use.
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
PipelineDeals
  • I wouldn't say no areas for improvement exist, but I will say that PipelineDeals takes customer input, shared product roadmap, and supports what they have very nicely. What they provide works out-of-the-box. Improvements can always be made with respect to pre-packaged integration with 3rd party services/solutions, and with extended attributes, but you also want to avoid something that attempts to boil the ocean.
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.
Read full review
PipelineDeals
If we can integrate and easily export and clean all of our data such that it can be used for multiple purposes, i.e. outreach to guests, sending out newsletters to subscribers, doing research and tracking progress, we will definitely renew
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.
Read full review
PipelineDeals
The user interface is simple and easy to navigate. Anyone who is overwhelmed with some of the more complicated CRM systems will definitely enjoy the simplicity of what PipelineDeals has to offer
Read full review
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.
Read full review
PipelineDeals
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
PipelineDeals
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.
Read full review
PipelineDeals
Any time I have had questions or issues that have come up I've always been able to get a quick response and a resolution to what I was needing.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
PipelineDeals
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.
Read full review
PipelineDeals
The cost is much better and it is much easier to use. Salesforce was way too robust and I never want to hire a consultant to set up a CRM. PipelineDeals CRM has the best visibility of our sales efforts.
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!
Read full review
PipelineDeals
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
PipelineDeals
  • Has made us understand sales tactics that are working
  • Easily create forecasting on growth in multiple categories
  • Understand our process and what we need to improve on in closing deals
Read full review
ScreenShots

ActiveCampaign Screenshots

Screenshot of tagging, that when combined with conditional content helps to put the right message in front of each customer.Screenshot of marketing automationScreenshot of audience segmentation based on engagement, purchase activity, lead score, or any other dimensionScreenshot of live chat, site messaging, email, and a unified inbox that can be used to build relationships with customers.Screenshot of the CRM, which helps sales reps to get more done in less time