BentovsActiveCampaign

Bento vs ActiveCampaign

Modern simplicity vs full automation suite

TL;DR

Bento is a simpler, SaaS-focused email platform with per-user pricing ($0.01/user). ActiveCampaign is a full marketing automation suite with CRM, advanced automation, and multi-channel capabilities. Bento is easier and cheaper. ActiveCampaign is more powerful.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Scope
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign is a complete marketing and sales platform with CRM, automation, and multi-channel tools. Bento focuses on email with behavioral tracking. Choose based on how much platform you need.

SaaS Fit
Bento wins

Bento was built for SaaS with native event tracking and per-user pricing. ActiveCampaign works for SaaS but requires more integration work for product events.

Pricing Simplicity
Bento wins

Bento charges $0.01 per user with unlimited sends. ActiveCampaign has multiple tiers with different feature access. Bento is easier to predict costs.

Automation Power
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign has industry-leading automation with advanced branching, lead scoring, and attribution. Bento's automation is simpler but sufficient for many use cases.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 contacts

Bento
$100/month

$0.01 per tracked user. Unlimited email sends.

Visit Bento
ActiveCampaign
$145+/month

Lite $145, Plus $229, Professional $385.

Visit ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Bento
ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy
Core Platform
Email Marketing
CRM
Built-in
Lead Scoring
Sales Automation
Automation
Visual Workflows
Advanced
Conditional Logic
Basic
Advanced branching
Good
Event-Based Triggers
Built-in
Via integrations
Built-in
Automation Templates
Limited
Extensive
SaaS-focused
Behavioral Features
User Tracking
JS snippet + API
Limited
API
Product Events
Native
Via integrations
Native
Site Tracking
Built-in
Built-in
Multi-Channel
SMS Marketing
Add-on
Chat/Messaging
Conversations add-on
Landing Pages

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Bento if you...
  • SaaS companies wanting simple email
  • Teams needing behavioral tracking without CRM
  • Startups wanting predictable per-user pricing
  • Developers preferring code-first integration
Choose ActiveCampaign if you...
  • Businesses needing full marketing automation
  • Companies wanting CRM and email together
  • Teams with complex sales processes
  • Organizations needing lead scoring and attribution
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders with Stripe billing
  • Companies wanting payment-triggered emails
  • Teams seeking simpler than both options

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Native Stripe Integration

Trigger emails from Stripe events. Neither Bento nor ActiveCampaign offers this natively.

Simpler and Cheaper

At 10,000 contacts, Sequenzy is $49/month vs Bento's $100 and ActiveCampaign's $145+.

Built for SaaS

Pre-built automations for trial conversion, subscription lifecycle, and payment failures.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Bento and ActiveCampaign serve different market needs. Bento is a modern, SaaS-focused email platform with simple per-user pricing. ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive marketing automation suite with CRM, sales tools, and multi-channel capabilities. See our ActiveCampaign alternatives for more options.

Feature Scope

ActiveCampaign is a full platform: email, CRM, lead scoring, sales automation, SMS, and more. It handles complex marketing and sales workflows with advanced conditional logic and attribution tracking.

Bento focuses purely on behavioral email marketing for SaaS. It tracks user events via JavaScript and API, triggering automations based on product behavior. Less scope, but deeper SaaS focus.

Pricing Comparison

Bento charges $0.01 per tracked user with unlimited sends. At 10,000 users, that is $100/month. ActiveCampaign starts at $145/month for Lite (limited features) and goes to $385+ for Professional with full automation.

For simple email needs, Bento is more cost-effective. For full marketing automation with CRM, ActiveCampaign's price includes much more functionality.

SaaS Fit

Bento was built for SaaS companies with native event tracking and behavioral automation. ActiveCampaign works for SaaS but was designed for traditional marketing workflows. Getting product events into ActiveCampaign requires more integration work.

For product-led growth companies, Bento fits the mental model better. For sales-led companies with complex funnels, ActiveCampaign's CRM and lead scoring add significant value.

Making the Decision

Choose Bento for focused behavioral email with simple pricing. Choose ActiveCampaign for complete marketing automation with CRM and multi-channel tools. For SaaS with Stripe integration, Sequenzy offers a third option.

The Sequenzy Alternative

If you run a SaaS with Stripe billing, Sequenzy provides native Stripe integration, smart segmentation, and AI sequences at lower cost than both Bento and ActiveCampaign.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. ActiveCampaign has CRM, lead scoring, multi-channel marketing, and advanced automation. Bento is simpler with behavioral email focus. Choose based on your needs.

No. Bento focuses on email. If you need CRM functionality, ActiveCampaign includes it. Or use Bento with a separate CRM.

Bento is built for SaaS with native event tracking. ActiveCampaign works but requires more setup for product behavior tracking. For SaaS with Stripe, consider Sequenzy.

Yes, via integrations and API. But it is not as native as Bento's approach. ActiveCampaign's strength is traditional marketing automation.

Bento is simpler with fewer features to learn. ActiveCampaign has a steeper curve due to its comprehensive feature set.

Both offer Zapier integrations. Neither has native Stripe integration. For payment-triggered emails, consider Sequenzy instead.

Export your contacts and automations from ActiveCampaign. Import contacts into Bento. Rebuild automations in Bento's simpler workflow builder. Note that CRM data, lead scores, and multi-channel workflows will not transfer.

Export subscribers and event data from Bento. Import into ActiveCampaign and set up automations. You will gain CRM and advanced automation but may lose some of Bento's behavioral tracking simplicity.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com