If you’re serious about email marketing, automation, and scaling your business without drowning in tech complexity, ActiveCampaign might be the secret weapon you’ve been looking for. But is it still worth it in 2025, with dozens of new players in the market?
I’ve used ActiveCampaign nearly every day since 2018 — across client campaigns, SaaS launches, service businesses, and my own agency. I’ve seen its best moments, its growing pains, and everything in between. This is a deep, no-BS review based entirely on long-term usage — with everything you need to know before you invest your time and budget.
Why ActiveCampaign Still Stands Out in 2025
Back in 2018, I signed up for ActiveCampaign after outgrowing Mailchimp. I needed a tool that could automate complex journeys, personalize messages, and actually help convert leads — not just send pretty newsletters.
Fast forward to today, and ActiveCampaign has grown into one of the most powerful marketing automation platforms in the world. Despite rising competition, it still manages to blend smart automation, an intuitive CRM, powerful segmentation, and high-deliverability email tools — all under one roof.
What makes it truly stand out is its versatility. Whether you’re a solopreneur, agency owner, eCommerce brand, or SaaS startup — it scales with you.
User Interface and Dashboard Experience
The 2025 interface is fast, clean, and highly intuitive — even more refined than what I saw in the 2021 redesign. You get a customizable dashboard with key widgets showing campaign stats, contact trends, automation performance, and deal tracking. The sidebar navigation is logically structured and minimal.
One improvement I love is the global search bar — I can instantly find contacts, automations, emails, or deals just by typing a few letters. It’s fast, snappy, and feels like a real productivity tool rather than just a place to send emails.
Email Builder: Drag, Drop, and Convert
The email designer has matured beautifully. What was once a slightly clunky block editor has become a powerful drag-and-drop builder. You can create anything from basic text-based campaigns to fully branded, responsive HTML emails.
Templates are professionally designed and easily customizable. You can also use dynamic content blocks to show or hide sections based on tags, custom fields, or user behavior. I’ve built countless campaigns with personalization down to the contact level — and they convert far better than static emails.
Unlike many “beginner-friendly” platforms, ActiveCampaign doesn’t limit your creativity. You’re in full control — and that makes a big difference when you’re building campaigns that need to perform.
Automation Workflows: The Real Game-Changer
This is where ActiveCampaign completely dominates. Its automation builder is hands-down the best I’ve ever used — and I’ve tested over 20 tools in the last decade.
You can build detailed workflows using triggers, actions, conditions, and goals. These aren’t basic autoresponders — we’re talking about full customer journeys based on behavior, engagement, purchases, visits, and more.
In one client funnel, I built a 20-step automation that sent personalized messages based on page views, form submissions, deal stage, and time delays — it ran like a machine and consistently drove a 20%+ conversion rate.
Split testing inside automations is also top-tier. You can test branches, emails, delays, or paths — and let the system automatically choose winners based on performance.
CRM: Simple Yet Capable Enough for Most Teams
ActiveCampaign’s CRM isn’t trying to replace Salesforce — but for small to mid-sized businesses, it’s perfect. It integrates directly with your marketing data, so your sales team can see who clicked what, which page a contact visited, and what stage they’re in.
You can build custom pipelines, assign tasks, set automation rules, and even trigger emails or SMS when deals hit a stage. It’s not as deep as Pipedrive or Close.com, but the tight marketing-to-sales sync makes it a winner for lean teams.
For solo founders or agencies, the CRM is more than enough to manage leads and deals efficiently without switching platforms.
Segmentation and Personalization: Next-Level Precision
Segmentation is where ActiveCampaign really shows its muscle. Unlike platforms that only offer lists or tags, here you can combine tags, behaviors, custom fields, lead scores, and more to create ultra-targeted segments.
For example, I once created a dynamic segment of users who visited the pricing page twice in one week but didn’t convert — and sent them a personalized discount email. That one segment alone boosted sales by 27% over 3 days.
Personalization goes beyond just using the first name. You can insert dynamic product suggestions, user-specific links, and even personalized timing for email sends. That kind of smart targeting drives results — and ActiveCampaign nails it.
Campaign Performance and Deliverability
After 7 years of sending emails with ActiveCampaign, I can confidently say their deliverability is among the best. Most of my campaigns reach inboxes — not the spam folder — and this consistency makes a big difference over time.
You can send:
- Broadcast campaigns
- Automated sequences
- Autoresponders
- RSS-based emails
- Split-tested subject lines and content
The analytics dashboard gives you everything: open/click rates, click maps, device stats, geolocation data, and engagement trends. I especially like the engagement tagging — contacts can be labeled based on their activity automatically.
In 2024, we consistently saw inbox rates of 99%+ across multiple industries — that’s not just good, it’s elite.
Integrations and API Access
ActiveCampaign offers over 900 native integrations — from Shopify, Stripe, Calendly, and Typeform to platforms like Zapier and Make. I’ve used it with WooCommerce, Webflow, and custom apps via their API, and the connections are stable and reliable.
With the 2025 update, the API became even faster and better documented. Developers can now build real-time syncs without relying on middleware tools — great news for SaaS teams and developers.
It also supports deep data integrations, so you can sync custom fields, events, and product details directly from your platform.
AI and Predictive Tools
While not as flashy as ChatGPT or Jasper, ActiveCampaign’s AI tools are quietly powerful. Features like predictive sending (optimal send time for each user), win probability scoring (for deals), and content suggestions (based on past engagement) have saved me hours of testing.
They’ve also rolled out email subject line recommendations and auto-generated copy blocks — not perfect yet, but they’re getting smarter with every update. I expect AI to play a much bigger role in future iterations.
Support and Resources
Support has always been one of ActiveCampaign’s strongest suits. I’ve reached out for everything from billing to complex automation logic — and they’ve never disappointed.
You get:
- Live chat with short wait times
- Fast and helpful email support
- A rich knowledge base with tutorials
- Weekly live webinars
- A vibrant Facebook community
Their onboarding team even offers free 1-on-1 strategy calls when you sign up. I’ve seen companies charge hundreds for that — here, it’s part of the package.
Pricing in 2025: Still Worth It?
Here’s the latest pricing for 500 contacts (billed annually):
| Plan | Monthly Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $29/month | Basic email marketing, autoresponders, limited automations |
| Plus | $49/month | CRM, landing pages, full automation, integrations |
| Professional | $149/month | Predictive sending, AI, advanced reporting |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | SLA support, SSO, HIPAA, dedicated reps |
Is it more expensive than basic tools like MailerLite or ConvertKit? Yes. But in terms of capability and ROI, it blows them out of the water.
If you plan to use even half of what ActiveCampaign offers, it pays for itself quickly.
Pros and Cons After 7 Years
Pros:
- World-class automation engine
- Smart segmentation and tagging
- Strong email deliverability
- Built-in CRM that’s tightly integrated
- Great customer support and documentation
Cons:
- Slight learning curve for beginners
- Can get expensive at scale
- CRM isn’t robust enough for large sales teams
Final Verdict: Is ActiveCampaign Still the Best in 2025?
If you’re looking for a serious email marketing and automation platform — not just a newsletter sender — then yes, ActiveCampaign is still the best in 2025.
After 7 years of daily use, I’ve tested its limits, explored its depth, and seen how it scales across multiple business models. It’s not for the lazy marketer. But if you’re willing to invest time learning its features, the returns can be incredible.
Whether you run a high-converting funnel, a SaaS product, a digital agency, or an eCommerce store — ActiveCampaign gives you the power to automate, personalize, and grow faster than ever.
My recommendation? Start with the Plus plan, build 3–5 key automations, and watch what happens. The ROI speaks for itself.
1. Is ActiveCampaign suitable for beginners?
Yes, but with a learning curve. ActiveCampaign is incredibly powerful, which means it can feel overwhelming at first if you’re brand new to email marketing or automation. That said, their onboarding support, tutorials, and intuitive drag-and-drop interface make it very manageable for motivated beginners. If you’re serious about growing your business and willing to invest a few hours upfront, the payoff is worth it.
2. How does ActiveCampaign compare to Mailchimp or ConvertKit?
ActiveCampaign offers significantly more advanced automation and segmentation capabilities than Mailchimp or ConvertKit. While Mailchimp is easier for beginners and ConvertKit is popular with creators, neither offers the same level of behavior-based automation, CRM integration, or conditional personalization. If you’re running a business that needs true marketing automation — not just email campaigns — ActiveCampaign is the better long-term investment.
3. Can ActiveCampaign replace my CRM?
Yes — for many small to mid-sized businesses, ActiveCampaign can fully replace your standalone CRM. It comes with customizable deal pipelines, task management, lead scoring, and automation triggers based on deal activity. However, if you run a large sales team or need deep forecasting and reporting features, a dedicated CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce might be more suitable alongside ActiveCampaign.
4. Does ActiveCampaign offer SMS marketing and site tracking?
Absolutely. ActiveCampaign supports both SMS marketing (on Plus plans and above) and real-time site tracking. You can send automated SMS messages as part of your workflows, and use site tracking to trigger emails or actions based on specific pages your contacts visit. This makes it a powerful all-in-one tool for multichannel campaigns.
5. Is ActiveCampaign worth the cost in 2025?
Yes — especially if you’re using even half of its automation capabilities. ActiveCampaign isn’t the cheapest tool, but it offers the highest ROI for businesses that want to automate intelligently, segment deeply, and scale effectively. With features like predictive sending, advanced tagging, conditional content, and sales automation, it’s still one of the best investments in the marketing tech stack in 2025.
