MailUpvsActiveCampaign

MailUp vs ActiveCampaign

Unlimited contacts vs advanced marketing automation

TL;DR

ActiveCampaign has far superior automation, CRM, and lead scoring. MailUp has unlimited contacts, SMS, and the BEE editor at a much lower price. ActiveCampaign wins on automation. MailUp wins on contact pricing.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Automation
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign's automation is industry-leading. Complex conditional workflows, split testing paths, site tracking, event-based triggers. MailUp's automation is basic with limited conditions. If automation drives your marketing, ActiveCampaign justifies the price.

Price
MailUp wins

MailUp is roughly 5x cheaper at 10k contacts (~$47 vs $228). That gap reflects the automation and CRM gap. If you don't need advanced automation, MailUp saves a lot.

CRM
ActiveCampaign wins

ActiveCampaign includes a full CRM with deals pipeline, lead scoring, and sales automation. MailUp has no CRM. For sales-driven teams, ActiveCampaign is the complete package.

Email Design
MailUp wins

MailUp's BEE editor and 76 email client previews give more control over email design. ActiveCampaign's editor is good but not as specialized. For design-focused teams, MailUp has the edge.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

MailUp
~$47/month

Starter plan. Unlimited contacts and emails.

Visit MailUp
ActiveCampaign
$228/month

Lite plan. Advanced automation, CRM included.

Visit ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

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

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
MailUp
ActiveCampaign
Sequenzy
Email Marketing
Email Builder
BEE drag-and-drop editor
Drag-and-drop (polished)
Visual builder
Automation
Basic automation builder
Advanced visual automation (industry-leading)
Trigger-based sequences
A/B Testing
Up to 5 variants
Subject, content, automation paths
Subject line
SMS
Built-in (pay-per-message)
SMS marketing
Platform
CRM
Built-in CRM with deals pipeline
Lead Scoring
Built-in lead and contact scoring
Site Tracking
Website visitor tracking
Email Previews
Up to 76 email clients
Basic
Basic
Value
Price at 10k
~$47/month
$228/month
$49/month
Contact Model
Unlimited contacts
Tiered by contacts
Tiered by subscribers
Free Tier
15-day trial
14-day trial
100 subscribers
Deliverability
Good
Excellent (top-rated)
Good

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose MailUp if you...
  • Businesses wanting affordable high-volume sending
  • Teams wanting unlimited contacts at a flat rate
  • Companies wanting SMS alongside email
Choose ActiveCampaign if you...
  • Businesses needing advanced marketing automation
  • Teams wanting a built-in CRM with sales pipeline
  • Companies needing lead scoring and site tracking
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing Stripe-integrated email
  • Teams wanting transactional + marketing combined

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Focused

Neither has native Stripe integration. Sequenzy offers SaaS email with subscription automation at $49/month.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

MailUp and ActiveCampaign are in different categories. For our take on each, see our MailUp comparison and ActiveCampaign comparison.

The Automation Gap

ActiveCampaign's automation is in a different league. Conditional workflows, split testing automation paths, site tracking, lead scoring, and CRM-linked automations. MailUp's automation handles basic sequences but can't compete on complexity. If automation matters, ActiveCampaign wins.

MailUp's Volume Value

At 5x cheaper with unlimited contacts, MailUp makes financial sense for teams that primarily need to send campaigns to large lists. Not every business needs ActiveCampaign-level automation. If your workflows are simple, MailUp saves significant money.

The Sequenzy Alternative

For SaaS founders who need automation without the ActiveCampaign price, Sequenzy combines transactional email and marketing campaigns with Stripe integration at $49/month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not sure which to pick?

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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