Campaign MonitorvsActiveCampaign

Campaign Monitor vs ActiveCampaign

Design excellence vs automation leadership

TL;DR

Campaign Monitor (~$111/mo at 10k) has premium email design and agency features. ActiveCampaign ($149/mo at 10k) has industry-leading automation with CRM. Choose Campaign Monitor for design and agency work. Choose ActiveCampaign for sophisticated automation.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Email Design Quality
Campaign Monitor wins

Campaign Monitor has premium email design tools. ActiveCampaign's are good but not as polished. For design-focused brands, Campaign Monitor wins.

Automation Capabilities
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign has arguably the best automation builder in the industry. Visual workflows, unlimited conditions, goal tracking. Campaign Monitor's automation is basic by comparison.

CRM Features
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign includes a full CRM with deals, pipelines, and sales automation. Campaign Monitor has no CRM. For sales teams, ActiveCampaign wins.

Agency Features
Campaign Monitor wins

Campaign Monitor has robust agency features: client management, white labeling, reseller options. ActiveCampaign lacks these.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

Campaign Monitor
~$111/month

Lite plan, limited features.

Visit Campaign Monitor
ActiveCampaign
$149/month

Plus plan with CRM and automation.

Visit ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

Full features, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Campaign Monitor
ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy
Email Design
Email builder
Premium
Good
Good
Template quality
Premium
Good
Modern
Design flexibility
Excellent
Good
Good
Automation
Visual automation
Good
Industry-leading
Good
Conditional logic
Basic
Advanced
Event-based
Lead scoring
Advanced
Predictive sending
AI-powered
CRM & Sales
Built-in CRM
Full CRM
Sales pipeline
Deal tracking
Sales automation
Task automation
Agency Features
Client management
Advanced
Basic
White labeling
Reseller program

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Campaign Monitor if you...
  • Agencies managing multiple clients
  • Brands prioritizing email design
  • Companies needing white-label solutions
  • Design-focused marketing teams
Choose ActiveCampaign if you...
  • Businesses needing advanced automation
  • Sales teams wanting CRM
  • E-commerce with customer journeys
  • Companies with complex workflows
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies
  • Subscription businesses
  • Founders using Stripe
  • Teams wanting automation without complexity

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS Focus

Neither Campaign Monitor nor ActiveCampaign has native Stripe integration. Sequenzy is built for subscription businesses with Stripe.

Better Pricing

At $49/month vs both platforms' higher pricing, Sequenzy offers significant savings while still providing good automation.

Simpler Automation

ActiveCampaign's automation is powerful but complex. Sequenzy offers event-based automation that's simpler to set up and maintain.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Campaign Monitor and ActiveCampaign serve different priorities. Campaign Monitor emphasizes email design quality and agency workflows. ActiveCampaign is an automation powerhouse with full CRM capabilities.

Automation Capabilities

ActiveCampaign has arguably the best automation builder in the industry. Visual workflows with unlimited conditions, branching, goal tracking, and machine learning optimization. Campaign Monitor's automation is basic by comparison.

Email Design Quality

Campaign Monitor has premium email design tools with polished templates. ActiveCampaign's builder is good but not as design-focused. For brands prioritizing email aesthetics, Campaign Monitor wins.

CRM Features

ActiveCampaign includes a full CRM: contacts, deals, pipelines, tasks, and sales automation. Campaign Monitor has no CRM features. For businesses needing marketing and sales tools, ActiveCampaign replaces multiple subscriptions.

Agency Features

Campaign Monitor has robust agency features: client management, white labeling, reseller programs. ActiveCampaign lacks dedicated agency tools. For agencies, Campaign Monitor is the better choice.

For SaaS Companies

Neither has native Stripe integration. ActiveCampaign requires Zapier for Stripe. Sequenzy offers Stripe integration natively for subscription businesses.

Making the Choice

Choose Campaign Monitor for premium email design and agency features. Choose ActiveCampaign for advanced automation and CRM. The choice depends on design priorities vs automation needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

ActiveCampaign. It's arguably the best automation platform in email marketing. Campaign Monitor's automation is basic by comparison.

Campaign Monitor. Its premium design tools and templates are superior. ActiveCampaign's are good but not as polished.

No. Campaign Monitor focuses on email. ActiveCampaign includes a full CRM with deals, pipelines, and sales automation.

Campaign Monitor. It has dedicated agency features: client management, white labeling, reseller programs.

ActiveCampaign at $149/month vs Campaign Monitor's ~$111/month at 10k subscribers. But ActiveCampaign includes CRM and advanced automation.

Not quite. ActiveCampaign's email builder is good but Campaign Monitor's is premium. For design-focused brands, Campaign Monitor is better.

For businesses needing advanced automation and CRM, yes. If you only need email campaigns with great design, Campaign Monitor offers better value.

Export subscribers from Campaign Monitor. Import into ActiveCampaign. Build automations using the visual builder. Template quality may decrease.

Export contacts from ActiveCampaign. Import into Campaign Monitor. Rebuild templates with premium tools. CRM data, automations, and lead scores won't transfer.

Both have good deliverability. ActiveCampaign has dedicated deliverability teams. Campaign Monitor has a solid track record. Either can achieve excellent inbox placement.

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.

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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