EmmavsActiveCampaign

Emma vs ActiveCampaign

Brand-controlled team email vs best-in-class automation

TL;DR

Emma is mid-market email with brand governance for distributed teams at $99+/month. ActiveCampaign is best-in-class marketing automation starting at $15/month with powerful workflows and CRM. ActiveCampaign wins on automation, price, and features. Emma wins only on multi-location brand control.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Automation Quality
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign's visual automation builder is widely considered the best in the industry. Split-test automation paths, predictive sending, advanced conditional logic. Emma's automation is basic by comparison.

Brand Governance
Emma wins

Emma's only real advantage: centralized brand control for distributed teams. If you have 20+ locations all sending email, Emma's locked templates and approval workflows prevent brand dilution.

Overall Value
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign at $79/month gives you better automation, more integrations, a CRM, and excellent deliverability. Emma at $99+/month gives you basic email with brand governance. For most businesses, ActiveCampaign is far better value.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 contacts

Emma
$99+/month

Base plan. Drag-and-drop editor, basic automation. Contact sales for pricing.

Visit Emma
ActiveCampaign
$79/month

Pro plan. Advanced automation, split testing, predictive sending, CRM.

Visit ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k subscribers, unlimited emails, transactional + marketing, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Emma
ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy
Automation
Visual Automation Builder
Basic workflows
Best-in-class
AI sequences
Automation Split Testing
Full split testing
Predictive Sending
Yes (Pro plan)
Send time optimization
Conditional Content
Basic
Advanced conditional blocks
Template variables
Brand & Team
Brand Governance
Centralized control
Basic brand kit
Sub-Accounts
Per location/department
Approval Workflows
Built-in
CRM
Built-in (Plus plan)
Stripe-based
Value
Price at 10k
$99+/mo
$79/mo
$49/mo
Integrations
Limited
900+ integrations
Stripe, Zapier, API
Deliverability
Good
Excellent
Good
E-commerce
Basic
Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce
Stripe

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Emma if you...
  • Franchises needing brand-controlled email
  • Multi-location businesses with approval workflows
  • Organizations with strict brand governance requirements
Choose ActiveCampaign if you...
  • Businesses wanting best-in-class automation
  • E-commerce stores needing deep integrations
  • Companies wanting CRM + email at affordable prices
  • Teams that value automation depth over brand governance
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing Stripe-integrated email
  • Teams wanting transactional + marketing combined
  • Startups wanting AI-generated sequences

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Specific

Neither Emma's brand governance nor ActiveCampaign's general automation is built for SaaS. Sequenzy syncs with Stripe for subscription-aware automation.

Simpler and Focused

At $49/month with AI-generated sequences, Sequenzy is simpler than ActiveCampaign and more relevant for SaaS than Emma.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Emma (by Marigold) and ActiveCampaign serve different needs. Emma focuses on brand governance for distributed teams. ActiveCampaign focuses on automation excellence at affordable prices. For our take on each, see our Emma comparison and ActiveCampaign comparison.

Automation: Not Even Close

ActiveCampaign's visual automation builder is best-in-class. Split-test entire automation paths, use predictive sending, build sophisticated conditional workflows — all at $79/month. Emma's automation is functional but basic. For any business that values automation, ActiveCampaign is the clear winner.

Emma's Single Advantage

Emma shines in one scenario: multi-location brand governance. Lock brand elements in templates, set up approval workflows, manage sub-accounts per location. For franchises with 20+ locations, this solves a real problem. But it's a narrow niche.

The Value Comparison

ActiveCampaign at $79/month: best-in-class automation, 900+ integrations, built-in CRM, excellent deliverability. Emma at $99+/month: basic email with brand governance. Unless brand governance is your primary need, the value comparison isn't close.

The Sequenzy Alternative

For SaaS founders, neither platform is ideal. Sequenzy combines transactional email and marketing campaigns with native Stripe integration at $49/month.

Frequently Asked Questions

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) - 3k 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 (2,500 emails/month)

  • 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