ActiveCampaign vs Brevo (2026)
A side-by-side comparison of pricing, features and real-world ratings to help you choose between ActiveCampaign and Brevo.
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Email Marketing | Email Marketing |
| Starting Price | $19/mo | $9/mo |
| Free Trial | 14-day trial | Yes |
| G2 Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | Small Teams | Small Teams |
| Reviews | 10,300 | 2,400 |
Key differences between ActiveCampaign and Brevo
Brevo offers a free plan you can start on today, while ActiveCampaign requires a paid subscription (after its 14-day trial). If budget is the deciding factor, that difference matters more than any feature.
User sentiment favors ActiveCampaign: it averages 4.5/5 across 10,300 reviews versus 4.2/5 for Brevo (2,400 reviews).
ActiveCampaign leans into automation builder and crm, while Brevo puts its weight behind email & sms and automations — pick based on which of those you will actually use weekly.
🏆 Our Verdict
ActiveCampaign is our overall pick, scoring 4.5/5 across 10300 reviews. That said, Brevo remains a great option if you prioritise small-teams. Read the breakdown below before you decide.
Head to head
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is what small teams buy when email automation becomes the growth engine. Its journey builder handles branching logic, site tracking, lead scoring and a built-in sales CRM, at a price far below enterprise marketing clouds. Deliverability consistently benchmarks well. The learning curve is real — its power lives in a dense interface — and there is no free plan, so it fits businesses ready to invest in automation rather than dabble.
Email plus powerful marketing automation.
Visit ActiveCampaign →Pros
- ✓Best-in-class automation
- ✓Good deliverability
- ✓Built-in CRM
Cons
- ✗Learning curve
- ✗No free plan
Brevo
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) competes on inclusiveness: email, SMS, WhatsApp campaigns, transactional sending and a basic CRM in one plan, priced by emails sent rather than contacts stored. That pricing model is a quiet advantage for large lists with modest sending volume. The trade-offs are a template library and automation depth a notch below category leaders, making it strongest for cost-conscious businesses that want one tool covering many channels adequately.
Brevo
Email, SMS and chat marketing on a budget.
Visit Brevo →Pros
- ✓Very affordable
- ✓Generous free tier
- ✓SMS included
Cons
- ✗UI rough in places
- ✗Support varies
How we compare tools
Every comparison on SaaS Compare follows the same recipe: we aggregate verified user ratings from G2 and Capterra, track published pricing (including free plans and trial terms), and weigh the practical pros and cons reported by real users. We refresh this data on a regular schedule and never let affiliate partnerships influence a verdict — the same criteria decide every matchup, including this ActiveCampaign vs Brevo comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Is ActiveCampaign better than Brevo?
Based on aggregated ratings, ActiveCampaign edges ahead with a 4.5/5 score. The right choice still depends on your budget and use case — ActiveCampaign suits small-teams, while Brevo is strong for small-teams.
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or Brevo?
ActiveCampaign starts at $19/mo and Brevo starts at a free plan.
Does ActiveCampaign or Brevo offer a free trial?
ActiveCampaign: 14-day trial. Brevo: 0-day trial.
What do users say about ActiveCampaign and Brevo?
ActiveCampaign averages 4.5/5 from 10,300 reviews (G2: 4.5/5, Capterra: 4.6/5). Brevo averages 4.2/5 from 2,400 reviews (G2: 4.5/5, Capterra: 4.4/5). Ratings aggregate thousands of verified users, so small gaps are meaningful at this scale.
When should I pick Brevo instead?
Despite the overall verdict, Brevo is the better fit when very affordable and generous free tier matter most to your workflow, particularly for small teams.