Updated 2026-03-01
EngageBay
Keap

EngageBay vs Keap

Budget all-in-one CRM vs established small business automation

15
Features Compared
4
Key Differences
2
User Reviews
8
FAQs Answered
TL;DR

EngageBay is a budget all-in-one CRM with marketing, sales, and support starting at $12.74/month with a free plan for 250 contacts. Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is an established small business automation platform starting at $299/month for 1,500 contacts. EngageBay costs 70-85% less; Keap has more mature automation and deeper small business features.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Price Gap
EngageBay wins

EngageBay costs roughly $100/month at 10k contacts. Keap costs $399+/month. That is a 4x price difference. EngageBay covers the basics at a fraction of the cost; Keap provides deeper capability at a premium price.

Automation Maturity
Keap wins

Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) built its reputation on marketing automation for small businesses over 20+ years. Its campaign builder, tagging system, and automation sequences are more mature and powerful than EngageBay's basic workflows.

Business Operations
Keap wins

Keap includes invoicing, payment processing, order forms, and SMS — essentially business operations tools. EngageBay focuses on CRM and marketing without these business transaction features. For service businesses needing invoicing, Keap is more complete.

Accessibility
EngageBay wins

EngageBay has a free plan, lower pricing, simpler interface, and a gentler learning curve. Keap has no free plan, costs 3-5x more, and has a steeper learning curve. For budget-constrained small businesses, EngageBay is far more accessible.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

EngageBay
$99.99/month

Pro plan required for 10k+ contacts. Per user pricing. Free plan for 250 contacts.

Visit EngageBay
Keap
$399+/month

Grow plan base, pricing scales with contacts. 1,500 contacts included. Additional contacts add cost.

Visit Keap
Best for SaaS
Sequenzy
$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends. SaaS-focused email automation.

Start Free Trial

Feature Comparison

15 features compared side-by-side

Feature
EngageBay
Keap
Sequenzy
CRM & Automation
CRM
Basic but functional
Mature, small-business focused
Marketing Automation
Basic workflows
Advanced campaign builder
AI sequences
Sales Pipeline
Basic pipeline
Advanced with automation
Lead Scoring
Basic
Advanced with tagging
Limited
Appointment Scheduling
Basic
Advanced with reminders
Business Operations
Invoicing
Built-in invoicing
Payment Processing
Built-in payments
Stripe integration
E-commerce
Basic
Order forms, upsells
Customer Support
Built-in helpdesk
Text Messaging
Built-in SMS
Platform & Pricing
Price at 10k Contacts
~$100/month
~$399+/month
$49/month
Free Plan
250 contacts
14-day trial only
Free tier
Annual Discount
Up to 15% biennial
17% annual discount
Annual option
Learning Curve
Low
Moderate to steep
Low
Established Track Record
Newer platform
20+ years (since 2001)
Newer platform

Pros & Cons

Honest strengths and weaknesses of each platform

EngageBay

Pros
  • 70-85% cheaper than Keap
  • Free plan available with 250 contacts
  • Built-in helpdesk and live chat
  • Low learning curve
  • No annual contract required
  • All-in-one CRM, marketing, and sales
  • Simple, transparent pricing
Cons
  • Basic automation compared to Keap
  • No invoicing or payment processing
  • No SMS marketing
  • Less mature platform
  • Limited e-commerce capabilities
  • Smaller knowledge base and community

Keap

Pros
  • Mature automation refined over 20+ years
  • Built-in invoicing and payment processing
  • Order forms with upsells for e-commerce
  • SMS/text messaging integrated with automation
  • Advanced lead scoring and tagging
  • Proven track record with small businesses
  • Dedicated customer success for onboarding
  • Deeper CRM with business operations focus
Cons
  • Expensive starting at $299/month
  • No free plan (14-day trial only)
  • Steep learning curve initially
  • Contact-based pricing scales quickly
  • 1,500 contacts included in base plan is limiting
  • No built-in helpdesk or support tools
  • No native Stripe OAuth for subscription events

What Users Say

Real reviews from EngageBay and Keap users

EngageBay Reviews

Capterra

“We switched from Keap to EngageBay to save money. At $100/month vs $450/month, the savings were huge. We lost invoicing and had to use a separate tool for that, but the core CRM and email marketing are adequate for our 3-person team.”

Kevin B.2025-10-30

Keap Reviews

G2

“Keap's automation is genuinely powerful for our coaching business. Automated invoicing, appointment reminders, follow-up sequences — all connected. It is expensive at $400+/month but replaces 4 separate tools we used to pay for. EngageBay could not match the automation depth.”

Patricia H.2025-12-12

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose EngageBay if you...
  • Budget-constrained small businesses under $150/month
  • Startups wanting a free plan to test
  • Teams with basic CRM and marketing needs
  • Companies wanting CRM + helpdesk in one tool
  • Solopreneurs with simple automation requirements
Choose Keap if you...
  • Service businesses needing invoicing and payments
  • Companies needing mature, proven automation
  • Small businesses wanting e-commerce with order forms
  • Teams that need SMS alongside email marketing
  • Established businesses with $400+/month marketing budget

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

50-87% Cost Savings

Sequenzy costs $49/month for 10k contacts — half of EngageBay and 87% less than Keap. For SaaS email automation, the savings versus both platforms are substantial.

Native Stripe Integration

Keap has built-in payments but not native Stripe OAuth for subscription lifecycle events. Sequenzy connects directly to Stripe for trial conversions, churn events, and revenue-based automation.

SaaS Focus

Both EngageBay and Keap are built for general small businesses. Sequenzy is purpose-built for SaaS email automation with subscription billing at its core.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

EngageBay and Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) both serve small businesses with CRM and marketing automation, but at vastly different price points and capability levels. EngageBay is the budget option — basic CRM, email marketing, sales pipelines, and helpdesk at aggressive pricing. Keap is the established player — mature automation built over 20+ years with invoicing, payment processing, and deeper business operations tools at 3-5x the price.

The 4x Price Question

At 10,000 contacts, EngageBay costs roughly $100/month. Keap costs $399+ per month. Is Keap worth 4x the price? For service businesses that use invoicing, payment processing, order forms, SMS, and advanced automation sequences — yes, Keap replaces multiple separate tools. For businesses that only need basic CRM and email marketing — no, EngageBay covers those fundamentals at a fraction of the cost.

Automation Maturity

Keap's automation was built over two decades, starting as Infusionsoft — one of the original marketing automation platforms for small businesses. Its campaign builder, tagging system, and automation sequences are significantly more sophisticated than EngageBay's basic workflows. If your business depends on complex automated sequences (consultation follow-ups, multi-step onboarding, conditional nurture paths), Keap's automation maturity matters.

Business Operations

Keap's biggest differentiator beyond automation is built-in business operations. Invoicing, payment processing, order forms with upsells, and SMS are all integrated. EngageBay does not offer any of these. For service businesses (coaches, consultants, agencies) that bill clients and need automation around the billing process, Keap provides a complete workflow that EngageBay cannot match.

The SaaS Alternative

Neither EngageBay nor Keap is designed for SaaS subscription businesses. While Keap has payment processing, it is not native Stripe OAuth for subscription lifecycle events. Sequenzy offers email automation with native Stripe integration at $49/month — purpose-built for SaaS subscription events like trial conversions, upgrades, and churn.

Frequently Asked Questions

8 questions answered about EngageBay vs Keap

Not sure which to pick?

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses email-volume-based pricing. You only pay for emails you send. Unlimited contacts on all plans — storing subscribers is always free.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 2.5k emails/month: Free (Free annually)
  • 15k emails/month: $19/month ($205/year annually)
  • 60k emails/month: $29/month ($313/year annually)
  • 120k emails/month: $49/month ($529/year annually)
  • 300k emails/month: $99/month ($1069/year annually)
  • 600k emails/month: $199/month ($2149/year annually)
  • 1.2M emails/month: $349/month ($3769/year annually)
  • Unlimited emails/month: Custom pricing (Custom annually)

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 (15k - 1.2M emails/month)

  • 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 (Unlimited emails)

  • 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 emails you send — unlimited contacts on all plans
  • 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