ActiveCampaign vs Klaviyo

We put ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo head to head across pricing, features, ratings and the type of team each one fits best.

Quick Answer

ActiveCampaign scores 4.6 / 5 and Klaviyo scores 4.5 / 5 in our editorial rating. ActiveCampaign starts at $15/month and Klaviyo starts at Free up to 250 contacts; from ~$20/month. See the feature comparison below for the full breakdown.

Winner

ActiveCampaign — 4.6 / 5

ActiveCampaign leads with an overall rating of 4.6 / 5.

Pricing Comparison

ActiveCampaignKlaviyo
Starting Price$15/monthFree up to 250 contacts; from ~$20/month
Free TrialYesYes
Free PlanNoYes
Pricing ModelPer-contact monthly subscriptionProfile and send-volume based subscription

ActiveCampaign starts at $15/month and Klaviyo starts at Free up to 250 contacts; from ~$20/month. Free trial: ActiveCampaign offers a trial; Klaviyo offers a trial.

Feature Comparison

DimensionActiveCampaignKlaviyo
Overall Rating4.6 / 54.5 / 5
Starting Price$15/monthFree up to 250 contacts; from ~$20/month
Free TrialYesYes
Free PlanNoYes
DeploymentCloud / SaaSCloud / SaaS
Best ForB2B businesses, Advanced automation needs, Sales + marketing teams, Ecommerce brandsShopify and ecommerce brands, Teams measuring revenue per email, Brands combining email and SMS, DTC companies with retention focus
Key FeatureVisual automation builder with conditional branchingRevenue attribution for every campaign and flow
IntegrationsShopify / WooCommerce / Salesforce / WordPress / Zapier / StripeShopify / WooCommerce / BigCommerce / Magento / Recharge / Gorgias
Features Rating4.9 / 54.7 / 5
Ease of Use Rating3.9 / 54.0 / 5
Pricing Rating4.2 / 53.6 / 5
Integrations Rating4.6 / 54.8 / 5
Support Rating4.3 / 54.0 / 5
Value for Money Rating4.4 / 54.2 / 5

Where Each One Wins

ActiveCampaign Advantages

  • The most powerful automation builder in the category
  • Built-in CRM and sales pipeline
  • Multi-channel automation (email, SMS, site)
  • Top-tier deliverability

Klaviyo Advantages

  • Best-in-class ecommerce segmentation using real order data
  • Revenue attribution shows exactly what each flow earned
  • Email and SMS in one visual flow builder
  • Deep Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce integrations

How to Choose

Choose ActiveCampaign If…

  • B2B businesses
  • Advanced automation needs
  • Sales + marketing teams
  • Ecommerce brands

Choose Klaviyo If…

  • Shopify and ecommerce brands
  • Teams measuring revenue per email
  • Brands combining email and SMS
  • DTC companies with retention focus

Best For

ActiveCampaign

B2B businesses, Advanced automation needs, Sales + marketing teams, Ecommerce brands

Klaviyo

Shopify and ecommerce brands, Teams measuring revenue per email, Brands combining email and SMS, DTC companies with retention focus

Value for Money

ActiveCampaign scores 4.4 / 5 for value and Klaviyo scores 4.2 / 5. See our full reviews of both tools for the complete value breakdown.

Final Verdict

Our verdict on ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is the platform to choose when email marketing needs to behave like a sales engine rather than a newsletter tool. The automation builder, built-in CRM and multi-channel capabilities are the deepest in the category, and it consistently leads on deliverability. You pay for that power in two ways: a steeper learning curve and no free tier. For B2B teams and ecommerce brands that will actually use advanced automations and pipeline logic, ActiveCampaign delivers measurable returns; for simple broadcast sends, it is more than you need. Our verdict on Klaviyo: Klaviyo is the clear leader for ecommerce email and SMS, and the reason is data rather than templates. Because it ingests orders, browsing and catalog information, you can segment on real purchase behavior and Klaviyo will tell you how much revenue each flow generated, which is exactly the number a DTC brand needs. The Shopify integration is best in class and email plus SMS in one builder is genuinely useful. The costs are the catch. Pricing scales with active profiles, so a large list becomes expensive fast, support on lower tiers is uneven, and the whole value proposition weakens outside ecommerce. For online retail it is the default choice. For B2B, newsletters or service businesses, ActiveCampaign or Mailchimp will make more sense.

Explore Alternatives

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does ActiveCampaign cost?
ActiveCampaign starts at $15/month for 1,000 contacts (Starter), with Plus at $49/month and higher tiers scaling with list size.
Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan?
No, it offers a 14-day free trial but no permanent free tier.
Is ActiveCampaign better than Mailchimp?
Yes for automation and CRM; Mailchimp is easier and has a free plan.
Is ActiveCampaign good for ecommerce?
Yes, it offers deep ecommerce automation and full revenue attribution, especially for Shopify brands.
How much does Klaviyo cost?
Klaviyo is free for up to 250 contacts and 500 email sends. Paid plans start around $20 per month for 500 contacts and scale with profile count and email volume, with SMS credits billed separately.
Why is Klaviyo better than Mailchimp for ecommerce?
Klaviyo builds segments from your actual order and browsing data and attributes revenue to each message. Mailchimp is a capable general email tool but its ecommerce segmentation and attribution are much shallower.
Does ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo offer a free trial?
ActiveCampaign offers a free trial. Klaviyo offers a free trial. A free trial lets you test core features with your own data before committing to a paid plan.
Which is easier to use, ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo?
ActiveCampaign scores 3.9 / 5 for ease of use and Klaviyo scores 4 / 5. Klaviyo is the easier-to-learn option for most teams, though real onboarding time depends on your existing stack.
Which is more affordable, ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo?
ActiveCampaign starts at $15/month and Klaviyo starts at Free up to 250 contacts; from ~$20/month. Compare the listed plans against your team size, because per-user pricing changes the real monthly cost as you add seats.
Who should choose ActiveCampaign over Klaviyo?
Choose ActiveCampaign if your priority is B2B businesses, Advanced automation needs, Sales + marketing teams, Ecommerce brands. Choose Klaviyo if you need Shopify and ecommerce brands, Teams measuring revenue per email, Brands combining email and SMS, DTC companies with retention focus. Match the tool to your primary workflow rather than the feature list, because the right fit depends on which jobs your team runs every day.

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