Item: ActiveCampaign
Rating: 9
Author: Kristina Green

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

ActiveCampaign is the email marketing system that we use at True Blue Marketing, LLC for our funnels and newsletters. It is a streamlined system with an impressive CRM-style database that's more robust than competitors I've used in the past (5+ years) which allows us to have more in-depth metrics when scoring potential leads for sales.

Pros and Cons

CRM-style database
Solid metrics for emails and engagement by constituent
Great deliverability (better than competitors)
Impressive integrations with many, many systems

The mobile app could use a view that shows scheduled emails and automations.
I'd prefer more integrations on the starter level of subscription.

Return on Investment

Costs more than competitors with starting at $108 annually (it is worth it for my business!).
Doesn't integrate natively with every system at the $108 subscription level.

Alternatives Considered

Constant Contact, Mad Mimi, Sendinblue, Campaign Monitor and MailerLite

It costs more than some, less than others, so the price is competitive.
The features are above most: constituent metrics, campaign and automation metrics, automation creation with options to integrate with other systems.
The ease with which a professional email can be composed without needing to adjust with HTML is impressive. Even "robust" systems sometimes need additional HTML adjustments because the editor lacks in certain areas.
Email deliverability is consistent, which I found an issue with some competitors.

Key Insights

Do you think ActiveCampaign delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with ActiveCampaign's feature set?

Yes

Did ActiveCampaign live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of ActiveCampaign go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy ActiveCampaign again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Divi, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, Asana

Likelihood to Recommend

I've worked with more than five major competitors and now recommend ActiveCampaign to clients (especially if I manage their client account) because it is a simple system that doesn't require coding knowledge in order to get a professional result, has great deliverability, good metrics into constituents, and integrates with the major systems I use with clients like WordPress, Divi, AccessAlly, MemberVault, and other membership site plugins.

If a client is looking for a very simple system for email deliverability without the need to integrate with other systems and/or to know more than very surface-level metrics, I'd consider ActiveCampaign but wouldn't necessarily recommend it since the smallest level of subscription is more than some competitors who offer basic email marketing features for low-cost or free. If you're serious about funnels, integrations, and/or constituent metrics, this may be for you!

ActiveCampaign for Intermediate Business Growth

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with ActiveCampaign