Built for Different Companies

Let's be honest upfront: Act-On and Sequenzy serve very different types of companies.

• Act-On is enterprise B2B marketing automation for mid-market companies. Lead scoring, ABM, website tracking, multi-touch attribution. Built for marketing teams with complex buying cycles.

• Sequenzy is focused email marketing for SaaS. Stripe integration, AI-generated sequences, transactional + marketing combined. Built for software founders and small teams.

Act-On assumes you have a marketing team, sales team, and complex B2B sales cycle. Sequenzy assumes you're a SaaS founder who wants email that works.

When should you choose Sequenzy?

1. You're Early-Stage SaaS

Act-On is designed for mid-market B2B with dedicated marketing teams. Early-stage SaaS companies need different things: quick setup, Stripe integration, product-led automation. Sequenzy is built for this.

2. You Just Need Email

If you don't need lead scoring, ABM, website tracking, or sales enablement, Act-On's enterprise suite adds cost and complexity you won't use. Sequenzy is focused email at a focused price.

3. Price Matters

Entry level comparison:

• Act-On: $900+/month with annual contract
• Sequenzy: $19/month with monthly billing

That's 18x savings at the starting tier. If email is your main need, the math is clear.

4. You Want to Start Immediately

Act-On requires sales calls, demos, and annual contract negotiation. Sequenzy is self-serve. Sign up, connect Stripe, start sending in an hour.

5. You Want AI-Generated Content

Describe what you want ("a 5-email onboarding sequence for a project management SaaS") and our AI generates the emails. Act-On focuses on automation workflows, not content creation.

6. Stripe Is Your Source of Truth

If your SaaS runs on Stripe, Sequenzy's native integration syncs customer data, MRR, subscription status, and churn signals automatically. Act-On focuses on traditional CRM integration.

When should you stick with Act-On?

1. You're Mid-Market B2B

If you're a 200-2000 employee B2B company with a marketing team and complex sales cycles, Act-On is designed for you. The feature set matches mid-market needs.

2. You Need Advanced Lead Scoring

Act-On's lead scoring combines behavioral and demographic factors to identify sales-ready leads. Complex scoring models for long B2B sales cycles.

3. You Need ABM

Account-based marketing for targeting specific companies with personalized campaigns. If you're going after enterprise accounts, Act-On supports this.

4. You Need Multi-Touch Attribution

Understanding which campaigns, content, and touchpoints drive conversions across long sales cycles. Marketing attribution is built-in.

5. You Need Salesforce/Dynamics Integration

Deep bi-directional sync with major CRMs. Lead data, activities, and opportunities flow both ways. Sales teams see marketing context; marketing sees sales outcomes.

6. You Have Sales Team to Enable

Act-On includes 100 sales users with lead notifications, intelligence, and handoff workflows. Marketing and sales alignment features.

Honest Limitations of Sequenzy

• No advanced lead scoring: Basic engagement tracking, not B2B lead scoring models.
• No ABM: No account-based marketing features.
• No website visitor tracking: Basic analytics, not enterprise behavior tracking.
• No multi-touch attribution: Email analytics, not full-funnel attribution.
• No CRM depth: Stripe integration, not Salesforce/Dynamics.
• SaaS focused: Templates and features assume SaaS, not traditional B2B.

Honest Limitations of Act-On

• Expensive: $900+/month with required annual contract. Steep for small teams.
• Complex: Enterprise feature set means significant learning curve.
• Annual lock-in: Required annual contracts with auto-renewal clauses.
• Sales required: Can't self-serve - requires demos and contract negotiation.
• Mid-market focus: Overkill for early-stage startups and small teams.
• Auto-renewal trap: No notification before auto-renewal locks you in.

The Real Cost Comparison

Sequenzy year one (10k contacts):

• Subscription: $588 (12 months x $49)
• Implementation: $0 (self-serve)
• Total: $588

Act-On year one (10k active contacts):

• Subscription: ~$15,000-25,000 (varies by tier)
• Implementation: Often required
• Total: ~$15,000-25,000+

You could run Sequenzy for 25-40 years for Act-On's first year cost.

Who Actually Needs Act-On?

Act-On makes sense when:

• You're a mid-market B2B company (200-2000+ employees)
• You have a dedicated marketing team
• Complex B2B sales cycles are your reality
• Lead scoring and ABM are strategic priorities
• Salesforce or Dynamics is your CRM
• You can commit to annual contracts and enterprise pricing

If that's your situation, Act-On delivers real value. If you're early-stage SaaS, simpler tools serve you better.

The Active Contact Pricing Reality

Act-On's active contact pricing can work in your favor:

• Advantage: Only pay for contacts you actually email each month
• Advantage: Large databases with targeted sending cost less
• Reality: You still need to estimate active contacts for contract
• Reality: Growth means renegotiating contracts and pricing

For early-stage SaaS with smaller lists, simple per-subscriber pricing is clearer.

Migration Reality

Companies typically move from Act-On to simpler tools when:

• They're smaller than mid-market and over-paying for features
• The annual contract renewal becomes a decision point
• They realize they mainly use Act-On for email
• Sales cycles don't require enterprise lead scoring

Contact exports are straightforward. Lead scores, automations, and CRM integrations need separate handling.

Use our email warmup calculator when transitioning, and check our SPF checker and DKIM checker to ensure your authentication is configured correctly.