Which is better, Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign?

Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign serve the same email & sms use case with different strengths. Compare the pricing, pros and cons above, then pick by your budget, shipping or target regions, and must-have features. There is no single winner — only the better fit for your store.

← Email & SMS

Mailchimp vs ActiveCampaign

An editor-assessed head-to-head for Email & SMS tools.

★ 4.0

Rating

★ 4.3

Free–paid tiers

Pricing

$29–paid tiers

N/A

Commission

N/A

n/a

Generous free tier
Easy builder
Built-in audience tools
Broad integrations

Pros

Powerful automation
CRM + email
Lead scoring
Deep segmentation

Pricing climbs with contacts
Less ecom-native than Klaviyo

Cons

Steeper learning curve
Price scales with contacts

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is the approachable entry point for email marketing, with a free tier that covers early list growth before you need advanced ecom flows.

Visit Mailchimp

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign pairs email with a real CRM and best-in-class automation, ideal once segmentation and lifecycle marketing matter more than simplicity.

Visit ActiveCampaign

How to choose between Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign

Both tools are editors' picks in Email & SMS. Start from the row that matters most to your store \u2014 usually pricing and the pros/cons above \u2014 then weigh shipping or target regions and the features you will actually use. The “better” tool is the one that fits your budget and catalog, not the one with the higher editor score.

Both tools are editors' picks in Email & SMS. Your best fit depends on shipping regions, budget and catalog needs \u2014 compare the pros and cons above.