On this page
- ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite at a glance
- Feature-by-feature checklist
- ActiveCampaign and MailerLite in short: what we like and what we don't
- What each costs
- Automation depth
- Editor, landing pages and websites
- CRM and sales
- Selling and monetisation
- Integrations and reporting
- Support
- Who should choose which
- A third option: DoubleScale
- So, which should you choose?
- Questions people ask
- More head-to-head comparisons
ActiveCampaign and MailerLite sit at different points on the same scale. MailerLite is the simple, affordable email tool with a generous free plan and a great editor. ActiveCampaign is the automation powerhouse with a sales CRM, priced for businesses that rely on complex journeys.
Prices were checked on October 20, 2026.
Editor’s note: On WordPress? We also cover DoubleScale, with campaigns, automation and a CRM inside WordPress for a flat price. We include it as a third option because many readers comparing ActiveCampaign and MailerLite run their business on WordPress. Every price for the two brands comes from their own pricing pages.
Pick MailerLite if you want an easy, affordable tool for newsletters, landing pages and straightforward automations.
Pick ActiveCampaign if you need multi-branch automation, lead scoring and a sales CRM.
ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite at a glance
| ActiveCampaign | MailerLite | DoubleScale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No (trial) | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo | Free plugin |
| Paid from | $15/mo yearly (1,000 contacts) | Comfort $12/mo (500 subscribers) | $99/yr per site |
| At 2,500 | Starter $39, Plus $95/mo yearly | Comfort $33, Power $49/mo | $99/yr + sending |
| Automation | Very deep | Simple to moderate | Workflow builder (Pro) |
| CRM | Sales CRM (Plus and up) | No sales pipeline | Full CRM |
Vendor pricing pages, October 20, 2026.
Feature-by-feature checklist
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | — | 250 subscribers |
| Visual automation builder | ✓ | ✓ |
| Goals and split paths | ✓ | — |
| Site and event tracking | ✓ | — |
| Lead scoring | Plus and up | — |
| Sales CRM | Plus and up | — |
| Landing pages | Plus and up | ✓ |
| Website builder | — | ✓ |
| Sell digital products | — | ✓ |
| A/B testing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations | 900+ | 140+ |
ActiveCampaign and MailerLite in short: what we like and what we don't
ActiveCampaign
Pros
- Deepest automation and lead scoring
- Sales CRM built in
- 900+ integrations
- Suits B2B and services
Cons
- No free plan
- Higher price
- Steeper learning curve
MailerLite
Pros
- Free plan with landing pages
- Very easy to use
- Low prices
- Sell digital products and paid newsletters
Cons
- Simpler automation
- No sales pipeline
- Fewer integrations
What each costs
ActiveCampaign (yearly): $15, $49, $79 and $145 a month at 1,000 contacts; $39, $95, $149 and $255 at 2,500.
MailerLite is free for 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Comfort costs $12 a month at 500 subscribers and $33 at 2,500; Power, with unlimited emails, costs $25 and $49 (10% less billed yearly).
| Subscribers | MailerLite Comfort | MailerLite Power | ActiveCampaign Starter | ActiveCampaign Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 / 500 | $12 | $25 | $15 | $49 |
| 2,500 | $33 | $49 | $39 | $95 |
MailerLite monthly; ActiveCampaign yearly. First row: MailerLite at 500, ActiveCampaign at 1,000.
ActiveCampaign Plus unlocks its CRM and more automation.
Our take: MailerLite has the edge.
Automation depth
This is the main reason to choose one over the other.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign automations can start from forms, tags, site visits, link clicks, deal changes, custom events or dates; branch on almost any condition; wait until a condition is true; jump contacts ahead with goals; and split-test entire paths. Lead scoring, conditional content and predictive sending (on Pro) make it suitable for long, personalised journeys.
MailerLite
MailerLite automations handle welcome series, lead magnet delivery, abandoned cart (with its ecommerce integrations), anniversaries and simple condition branches. The builder is clean and quick to use. Multiple triggers and auto-resend come with paid plans. For most small businesses this is enough; for complex funnels it is not.
Our take: ActiveCampaign has the edge.
Looking elsewhere?See ActiveCampaign alternatives.
Editor, landing pages and websites
MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor is one of the easiest to use, and even the free plan includes landing pages, pop-ups, embedded forms and a simple website builder. Paid plans add unlimited templates and a rich-text editor. ActiveCampaign’s editor is capable but less intuitive, and landing pages come only on Plus and above.
Our take: MailerLite has the edge.
Looking elsewhere?See also Mailchimp vs MailerLite.
CRM and sales
ActiveCampaign includes a sales CRM with pipelines, deals, tasks and deal scoring on Plus and above, so marketing and sales share one record. MailerLite manages subscribers, groups and segments well but has no sales pipeline; teams that need one connect a separate CRM.
Our take: ActiveCampaign has the edge.
Selling and monetisation
MailerLite lets creators sell digital products and paid newsletter subscriptions through Stripe directly from landing pages and emails. ActiveCampaign focuses on ecommerce integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce for store automations rather than selling directly.
Our take: MailerLite has the edge for creators.
Integrations and reporting
ActiveCampaign has more than 900 integrations and reports on campaigns, automations, goals and pipeline, with attribution on higher plans. MailerLite has fewer integrations but covers the main platforms, and its reports on opens, clicks, click maps and opens by location are clear and quick to read.
Our take: ActiveCampaign has the edge.
Support
MailerLite offers 24/7 email support on paid plans and live chat on higher ones, plus a well-organised knowledge base. ActiveCampaign provides chat and email support on all plans, with onboarding and a dedicated rep on higher tiers.
Our take: the two are evenly matched here, so this should not decide your choice.
Who should choose which
Choose ActiveCampaign if
- You run multi-step, personalised journeys
- You want a sales CRM with your email
- You need site tracking and lead scoring
Choose MailerLite if
- You want a simple, affordable newsletter tool
- You are a creator selling digital products
- You want to start free
Runs your entire business
A third option: DoubleScale
If your website or store runs on WordPress, DoubleScale sends unlimited email campaigns to unlimited contacts, with WooCommerce automations, SMS and WhatsApp, for one flat price per site.
You connect your own sending provider (Amazon SES costs about $0.10 per 1,000 emails). The free plugin includes the drag-and-drop builder, segments, tracking and visual automations; paid plans (from $99 a year per site) unlock all 32 automation triggers, abandoned cart recovery, email sequences, lead scoring, SMS and WhatsApp.
Modular by design. Turn on only the modules you need from one Control Modules panel; everything else stays out of your way.
- Email campaigns
- Automations
- Sales pipelines
- Proposals & invoices
- Contracts
- Booking
- Helpdesk
- Forms
- Projects
- Tasks
Free on WordPress.org · Unlimited contacts · Pro from $99/yr per site
DoubleScale is the better pick if…
- Your list is growing and per-contact pricing hurts.
- You want email, SMS and WhatsApp in one workflow.
- You want subscribers on the same record as orders and tickets.
Stick with the big platforms if…
- You do not want to set up a sending provider.
- You rely on A/B testing or predictive analytics.
- Your store does not run on WordPress.
See also DoubleScale automations and ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp.
Disclosure: we make DoubleScale. The screens above are real, and every price for the other tools comes from their own pricing pages.
So, which should you choose?
| Your situation | Choose |
|---|---|
| Simple newsletters on a budget | MailerLite |
| Complex automation journeys | ActiveCampaign |
| Free start with landing pages | MailerLite |
| Sales CRM included | ActiveCampaign |
| Business on WordPress, flat price | DoubleScale |
How we compared: every price was read on the vendor’s own pricing page on October 20, 2026 (USD). Prices change often, so check the vendor’s page before you buy.
Questions people ask
Is MailerLite cheaper than ActiveCampaign?
Yes: at 2,500 subscribers MailerLite Comfort is $33 a month against $39 to $95 for ActiveCampaign Starter and Plus.
Is ActiveCampaign better than MailerLite?
For complex automation and CRM, yes. For simple newsletters and ease of use, MailerLite.
Does MailerLite have a free plan?
Yes: 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. ActiveCampaign does not have a free plan.
Can I move from MailerLite to ActiveCampaign later?
Yes, both import and export subscribers by CSV.
More head-to-head comparisons
- ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp
- Mailchimp vs MailerLite
- Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
- Klaviyo vs Omnisend
- Omnisend vs Mailchimp
- ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo
- Brevo vs Mailchimp
Unlimited contacts and campaigns for one flat price per site.
Get our guides first on GoogleAdd DoubleScale as a preferred source and our articles show up more often in your Top Stories.
Mohamed Magdy, Founder & CEO, DoubleScale
Mohamed Magdy is the founder and CEO of DoubleScale, the all-in-one CRM for WordPress. He writes about CRM, email marketing and automation for WordPress businesses.
Practical CRM tips, once a month
Guides on growing with WordPress: lead capture, email marketing, automations and sales. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
