What is the difference between ActiveCampaign and MailerLite?

ActiveCampaign is best for Businesses wanting advanced email automation and CRM, while MailerLite is best for Small businesses and creators wanting simple email. ActiveCampaign starts at $29/mo and MailerLite starts at Free.

Is ActiveCampaign or MailerLite cheaper?

ActiveCampaign starts at $29/mo. MailerLite starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to ActiveCampaign?

Yes, MailerLite offers a free tier (Free for 1000 subscribers).

ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite

ActiveCampaign is email marketing and CRM platform with sophisticated automation workflows and machine learning, while MailerLite is email marketing platform with landing pages, automations, and a generous free tier. The biggest difference up front: MailerLite is free, while ActiveCampaign starts at $29/mo. ActiveCampaign is built for businesses wanting advanced email automation and crm, whereas MailerLite targets small businesses and creators wanting simple email.

At a glance

	ActiveCampaign	MailerLite
Best for	Businesses wanting advanced email automation and CRM	Small businesses and creators wanting simple email
Starting price	$29/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Automations	✓	✓
CRM	✓	—
Email Campaigns	—	✓
Landing Pages	—	✓
Site Tracking	✓	—
Split Testing	✓	—
Surveys	—	✓

ActiveCampaign

Strengths

Built-in automations handle repetitive tasks like status changes and assignments
Includes CRM as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Pricing starts at $29/mo, which includes the full email marketing feature set
Established product with 23+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $29/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Deliverability depends on your sender reputation, which takes time to build
Per-user pricing at $29/mo makes it hard to justify for large teams

Try ActiveCampaign → Full review

MailerLite

Strengths

Includes Email Campaigns as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Includes Landing Pages as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Free for 1000 subscribers — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 16+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Deliverability depends on your sender reputation, which takes time to build
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try MailerLite → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: MailerLite is completely free (Free for 1000 subscribers), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. ActiveCampaign starts at $29/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: ActiveCampaign offers CRM, Site Tracking and Split Testing that MailerLite lacks. MailerLite brings Email Campaigns, Landing Pages and Surveys that ActiveCampaign does not have. Both share Automations.

Team fit: ActiveCampaign is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while MailerLite is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: ActiveCampaign's biggest strengths are: built-in automations handle repetitive tasks like status changes and assignments. includes crm as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows. MailerLite's biggest strengths are: includes email campaigns as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows. includes landing pages as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows.

Watch out for: With ActiveCampaign, users commonly note that starts at $29/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users. With MailerLite, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose ActiveCampaign if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: businesses wanting advanced email automation and crm
You specifically need CRM and Site Tracking
You care about includes crm as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile ActiveCampaign is designed for

Choose MailerLite if...

You need a tool built for small businesses and creators wanting simple email
Budget is a hard constraint — MailerLite is free, ActiveCampaign is not
You specifically need Email Campaigns and Landing Pages
You care about includes landing pages as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Your team size fits the individuals profile MailerLite is designed for