MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign

Prices read from both vendors on 2026-10-19. No invented scores.

Short answer: MailerLite starts at $12 per month; ActiveCampaign starts at $15 per month billed yearly. MailerLite is the better fit for small lists that want a real free plan and cheap paid tiers. ActiveCampaign is the better fit for businesses that want serious automation and a crm in one place.

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Price comparison

 MailerLiteActiveCampaign
Cheapest paid plan$12/mo$15/mo billed yearly
Free planYesNo
Plans listed44

MailerLite plans

PlanMonthlyBilled annuallyWhat you get
FreeFreeFree250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo, 2 user seats, 1 website, 1 landing page, 3 signup forms
Comfort$12$10.8/moStarts at 250 subscribers, 3 user seats, 50 automations, 10 websites and landing pages, 5 digital products
Power$25$22.5/moStarts at 250 subscribers, unlimited monthly emails, unlimited user seats, unlimited automations and landing pages
EnterpriseCustom—Custom pricing above 200,000 subscribers

Best for: Small lists that want a real free plan and cheap paid tiers.

Not for: Big lists — the free plan shrank to 250 subscribers and the ladder climbs fast.

See MailerLite pricing →

ActiveCampaign plans

PlanMonthlyBilled annuallyWhat you get
Starternot printed$15/moAt 1,000 email contacts. Starts at $15/mo, billed annually. 1 user, limited segmentation, 5 actions per automation, Active Intelligence with limits.
Plusnot printed$49/moAt 1,000 email contacts. Starts at $49/mo, billed annually. 1 user, standard segmentation, unlimited automation actions, landing pages, Active Intelligence with limits.
Pronot printed$79/moAt 1,000 email contacts. Starts at $79/mo, billed annually. 3 users, advanced segmentation, unlimited automation actions, landing pages, predictive and conditional content, attribution. ActiveCampaign labels this card Popular.
Enterprisenot printed$145/moAt 1,000 email contacts. Starts at $145/mo, billed annually. 5 users, premium segmentation, unlimited automation actions, custom objects, single sign-on, a dedicated account team, Active Intelligence.

Best for: Businesses that want serious automation and a CRM in one place.

Not for: Anyone who needs the price at a list size other than 1,000 email contacts, or a month-to-month dollar. The page we read prints only the annual starting rate at 1,000 contacts.

See ActiveCampaign pricing →

How to choose

MailerLite starts at $12 per month; ActiveCampaign starts at $15 per month billed yearly. MailerLite is the better fit for small lists that want a real free plan and cheap paid tiers. ActiveCampaign is the better fit for businesses that want serious automation and a crm in one place.

Run the 12-month cost calculator →

Sources: https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing, https://www.activecampaign.com/pricing. Checked 2026-10-19.