EmailOctopusvsActiveCampaign

EmailOctopus vs ActiveCampaign

Budget basics vs automation leader

TL;DR

EmailOctopus is 54% cheaper at $36/month vs ActiveCampaign's $79/month for 10k subscribers. ActiveCampaign offers industry-leading automation and CRM. Choose EmailOctopus for budget basics, ActiveCampaign for sophisticated automation and sales features.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Pricing
EmailOctopus wins

EmailOctopus is 54% cheaper at $36/month vs ActiveCampaign's $79/month for 10k subscribers. That's $516/year savings. But ActiveCampaign's automation capabilities are in a different league.

Automation
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign is an industry leader in email automation. 850+ automation recipes, advanced conditional logic, and sophisticated workflows. EmailOctopus automation is basic by comparison.

CRM & Sales
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign includes CRM, lead scoring, and sales automation on higher plans. EmailOctopus is purely email marketing with no sales features.

Simplicity
EmailOctopus wins

EmailOctopus is much simpler. Less features means less to learn. ActiveCampaign's power comes with complexity. Basic users prefer EmailOctopus.

Site Tracking
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign tracks website behavior to trigger automations. EmailOctopus has limited behavioral capabilities. For behavior-based marketing, ActiveCampaign is superior.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

EmailOctopus
$36/month

Pro plan. Core email features, basic automation.

Visit EmailOctopus
ActiveCampaign
$79/month

Lite plan. Advanced automation, CRM on higher tiers.

Visit ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
EmailOctopus
ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy
Pricing & Value
10k Contacts Cost
$36/month
$79/month
$49/month
Free Plan
2,500 subscribers
None (14-day trial)
None
Value Proposition
Budget basics
Advanced automation
SaaS focused
CRM Included
Plus plan and up
Automation
Visual Workflows
Basic
Industry-leading
Good
Automation Triggers
Basic
Extensive
Event-based
Conditional Logic
Limited
Advanced
Good
Automation Templates
Few
850+
SaaS focused
Email Features
Email Builder
Good, simple
Advanced
Good
Templates
Basic selection
Large library
Clean
Personalization
Basic merge tags
Advanced dynamic
Event-based
Predictive Sending
Sales & CRM
Built-in CRM
Yes (Plus plan)
Lead Scoring
Sales Automation
Pipeline Management
SaaS Features
Stripe Integration
Via integrations
Native OAuth
Behavioral Events
Limited
Site tracking
Native
User Lifecycle
Basic
Good
Built for this

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose EmailOctopus if you...
  • Budget-conscious basic email needs
  • Simple newsletter operations
  • Small businesses with limited automation needs
  • Nonprofits wanting minimal costs
Choose ActiveCampaign if you...
  • Businesses needing advanced automation
  • Sales teams wanting CRM integration
  • E-commerce with complex customer journeys
  • Marketers who maximize automation
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies needing behavioral automation
  • Stripe-integrated subscription businesses
  • Teams wanting unified marketing + transactional
  • Companies needing native payment integration

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Focused Features

Neither EmailOctopus nor ActiveCampaign offers native Stripe integration. Sequenzy is built for subscription businesses with payment-based automation.

Simpler Than ActiveCampaign

If you need more than EmailOctopus but don't need ActiveCampaign's complexity, Sequenzy offers focused SaaS automation without the learning curve.

Transactional + Marketing

Sequenzy handles both transactional and marketing email. Neither EmailOctopus nor ActiveCampaign is designed for this combination.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

EmailOctopus and ActiveCampaign represent opposite ends of the email marketing spectrum. EmailOctopus is a budget platform for basic needs. ActiveCampaign is an automation powerhouse with CRM and advanced capabilities. The right choice depends on your automation needs.

Price vs Power

The pricing gap is substantial - $36/month vs $79/month for 10k subscribers. ActiveCampaign costs more than twice as much. But its automation capabilities are in a completely different league.

Automation Comparison

ActiveCampaign is industry-leading for email automation. 850+ pre-built recipes, advanced conditional logic, site tracking, and predictive sending. EmailOctopus offers basic drip campaigns that work for simple sequences but can't match this sophistication.

CRM Integration

ActiveCampaign includes CRM on higher plans with lead scoring, sales automation, and pipeline management. EmailOctopus is purely email marketing. If you need sales and marketing in one platform, ActiveCampaign delivers.

Site Tracking

ActiveCampaign tracks website behavior and can trigger automations based on pages visited, time on site, and actions taken. EmailOctopus has limited behavioral capabilities. For behavior-based marketing, ActiveCampaign is far superior.

Learning Curve

EmailOctopus is simple - less features means less to learn. ActiveCampaign's power comes with complexity. Basic users wanting simple newsletters prefer EmailOctopus. Power users who'll maximize automation prefer ActiveCampaign.

For SaaS Companies

Neither platform offers native Stripe integration. ActiveCampaign has better automation but isn't SaaS-focused. For SaaS companies, consider Sequenzy which offers purpose-built SaaS features.

Making the Choice

Choose EmailOctopus for budget basics and simple newsletters. Choose ActiveCampaign for sophisticated automation and CRM. For SaaS, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Close to it. At 10k subscribers, EmailOctopus is $36/month vs ActiveCampaign's $79/month. That's 54% savings. But the feature gap is substantial.

Significantly better. ActiveCampaign offers 850+ automation recipes, advanced conditional logic, site tracking, and predictive sending. EmailOctopus has basic drip campaigns.

Yes, on Plus plan ($49/month for 1k contacts) and above. It includes sales automation, lead scoring, and pipeline management. EmailOctopus has no CRM.

Only EmailOctopus has a free plan (2,500 subscribers). ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day trial only. For free access, EmailOctopus wins.

If you'll use advanced automation, yes. ActiveCampaign's automation can significantly improve marketing results. If you just send basic newsletters, the extra cost is wasted.

EmailOctopus is much easier due to fewer features. ActiveCampaign has a steeper learning curve but more capability. Basic users prefer EmailOctopus.

ActiveCampaign has deep integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. EmailOctopus has basic Shopify support. For e-commerce, ActiveCampaign is far superior.

Both have good deliverability. ActiveCampaign has more sophisticated deliverability tools and predictive sending. EmailOctopus is solid for basic needs.

Export contacts from ActiveCampaign. Import into EmailOctopus. You'll lose complex automations, CRM data, and advanced features.

Export subscribers from EmailOctopus. Import into ActiveCampaign. Take advantage of advanced automation and CRM. Expect higher costs and learning curve.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com