MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign: Best Comprasion in 2025

The comparison involves evaluating the features of MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign. The comparison between ActiveCampaign and MailerLite (ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite) is also examined. The user-friendly features along with budget-friendly nature of MailerLite become its main identifying characteristics. Many companies select ActiveCampaign because it delivers powerful automation abilities alongside business growth potential.

The following guide presents an examination of these two platforms. This analysis will evaluate key features between these programs including their design capabilities along with automation features, CRM tools and connectors and delivery performance and support levels and monetary costs.

The objective seeks to uncover an ideal platform for business needs in 2025. SMBGuide reports that MailerLite uses simple automation together with an intuitive builder interface. The automation capabilities and analytical details within ActiveCampaign exceed those available in the platform. Additional details regarding these differences follow in the subsequent explanation.

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TL;DR: Quick Verdict

A brief summary comparison table evaluates MailerLite and ActiveCampaign through G2 ratings and features their pricing options and user characteristics as well as their benefits and drawbacks.

The simple application and free account together make MailerLite a suitable option for users who are starting out or have limited funding but ActiveCampaign provides the automation, CRM and integration capabilities a team seeking growth requires.

MailerLite Overview

MailerLite is an easy-to-use email marketing platform, perfect for small businesses and beginners. It has important features like creating email campaigns with a drag-and-drop tool, basic autoresponders, landing pages, pop-ups, and a website or blog builder. It also comes with a built-in photo editor and tools for e-commerce to help sell products directly from emails.

MailerLite started in 2010. The team led by Ignas Rubežius established this tool in Lithuania. The organization originally operated as a web design agency until they pivoted towards email marketing operations. Many people required accessible yet affordable equipment which caught the attention of MailerLite's creators.

The platform's clean interface together with user-friendly design principles drove users to adopt the platform. By joining MailerGroup through MailerLite the platform operates a remote-first workforce that serves clients worldwide.

Pros

• Easy Interface: The simple drag-and-drop editor and clean dashboard make MailerLite easy to use for non-technical people.

• Free Plan: There is a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers. This is great for startups with low budgets.

• Cost-Effective: Paid plans start at just $9 to $18 a month for several thousand subscribers. This is much cheaper than many other options.

• Built-In Extras: MailerLite also has landing page and website builders. It has cool features like photo editing built right in.

• Solid Deliverability: It keeps high inbox delivery rates and has spam-testing tools to keep your lists clean.

Cons

• Basic Automation: Automation tools are only for simple drip campaigns. The advanced triggers and sequences are not as flexible as ActiveCampaign’s. For example, it does not support multi-step split-paths for automations.

• Limited Segmentation: The segmentation and dynamic content options are basic. It has tags and simple segments, but it does not offer the deeper features found in ActiveCampaign’s dynamic segmentation and CRM-based personalization.

• Fewer Integrations: It connects with popular tools like WordPress, Shopify, and Zapier. However, the app library has about 140 apps, which is smaller than what ActiveCampaign provides.

• Basic Reporting: It provides standard reports for campaigns, such as open and click rates. Yet, there are fewer advanced analytics, like revenue attribution or goal tracking.

• Less Support: Support is only through email and chat, with no phone assistance. While the resources are helpful for beginners, high-level training and onboarding sessions similar to ActiveCampaign’s one-on-one training are not offered.

Pricing MailerLite’s Pricing is Straightforward​:

• Free Plan: $0 for up to 1,000 subscribers.

• Growing Business Plan: Begins at $9 per month (up to 5,000–10,000 subscribers).

• Advanced Plan: Starts at $18 monthly (up to 100,000+ subscribers).

• Enterprise: Has custom pricing for very large lists (over 100K subscribers).
  These plans come with unlimited emails and almost all features. (You can add a screenshot of MailerLite’s pricing page here.)

MailerLite started in 2010 as a web design agency. Its email tool became so popular that the team pivoted fully to email marketing — and never looked back.

ActiveCampaign Overview

The marketing solution ActiveCampaign delivers advanced features in both email marketing and automation tools. Businesses which demand sophisticated tools will find ActiveCampaign to be their ideal solution. The platform provides both CRM features and automated email sequencing as an integrated solution.

The platform enables organizations to execute marketing through various platforms which include email and SMS and CRM and social media. ActiveCampaign enables users to build intricate customer pathways through dynamic content while delivering personalized communication to their subscribers.

ActiveCampaign started in 2003. Founder Jason VandeBoom established the company in the Chicago metropolitan area. The platform from ActiveCampaign helped small businesses tackle their email marketing operations. ActiveCampaign restructured its business operations throughout different time periods. It became a cloud-based platform.

Customers access modern automation systems together with CRM and customer experience tools through the ActiveCampaign platform. ActiveCampaign enables more than 180,000 enterprises worldwide to run their organizational operations through their solution. Marketing automation sector recognizes ActiveCampaign as one of its leading market participants while maintaining its ongoing success.

Pros:

• Advanced Automation: This tool offers top-notch automation. You can create multi-step, conditional workflows, including SMS and split-URL tests, using a simple visual builder. You can set triggers based on things like site tracking, email actions, purchases, and more.

• Built-In CRM & Sales: The platform offers a complete CRM and pipeline management. You can score leads, track contacts, and automate follow-ups all in one place.

• Deep Segmentation & Personalization: It allows for detailed segmentation by using tags, custom fields, and behaviors. You can send targeted campaigns by using rich data about your contacts.

• Robust Analytics: You will get detailed reports on campaign performance, automation paths, revenue tracking, and predictive sending. These insights help you improve your marketing strategies.

• Extensive Integrations: It connects to over 850 third-party apps and services like Shopify, Salesforce, and Zapier. This makes for smooth workflows between your sales and marketing tools.

• Scalability: The platform is built for growth. It can manage large subscriber lists and offers advanced features like split testing automations and two-factor authentication.

• Comprehensive Support: You can get support 24/7 through email, chat, and phone, especially for higher-tier plans. There are also many training resources. Premium plans even include one-on-one onboarding sessions with account representatives.

Cons:

• Steeper Learning Curve: The interface offers many features, which can feel complicated at first. It may take new users some time to learn how to use the automation map and CRM.

• No Free Plan: There is no permanent free option. There is only a 14-day trial available. (In comparison, MailerLite has a helpful free plan.)

• Higher Cost: The basic plan (Lite) starts at $15 per month for 500 contacts. Prices can increase quickly if you want more advanced features or have larger lists. The different pricing tiers (Lite, Plus, Professional, Enterprise) may become costly for users with many contacts.

• Overkill for Simple Needs: Smaller businesses or those with simple campaigns might not require all the features that ActiveCampaign offers.

Pricing ActiveCampaign’s Plans (billed annually)​:

• Lite: Starts at $15 per month for up to 500 contacts.

• Plus: Starts at $49 per month for up to 1,000 contacts.

• Professional: Starts at $79 per month for up to 2,500 contacts.

• Enterprise: Custom pricing for more than 5,000 contacts and larger teams. With each higher tier, you get advanced features like lead scoring, split testing, and increased sending limits.

ActiveCampaign Founded in 2003, began as an on-premise software for small businesses — but in 2013, it transformed into a cloud-based SaaS platform, helping it grow into a global leader in marketing automation.

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Selection Criteria

To compare MailerLite and ActiveCampaign, we focused on important factors that marketers think about when picking an email platform. We checked for ease of use, how flexible the email builder and templates are, and how strong the automation and CRM tools are. We also looked at how well each platform works with segmentation and personalization. Lastly, we reviewed the quality of landing pages and signup forms.

An evaluation of analytics features helped us determine our ability to monitor marketing campaign effectiveness and make improvements. Our analysis included evaluation of both third-party integration variety and customer support service quality.

Our final evaluation focused on examining each tool's pricing structure and comparison of its value proposition. The evaluation points demonstrate which platform matches the specific requirements of various business needs.

G2 Ratings: What Real Users Say

This G2 rating comparison shows how people rate MailerLite and ActiveCampaign in five important areas: overall satisfaction, ease of use, customer support, features, and value.

Both platforms are well-liked. However, ActiveCampaign often rates higher in features and support. This makes it a preferred choice for businesses that need more advanced services.

Integrations and Performance: MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign connects with many tools. It links to over 850 tools like Shopify, Salesforce, and Zapier. This helps businesses create smooth and automatic workflows in marketing, sales, and support. Its strong performance comes from good delivery optimization, detailed reports, and data syncing in real-time. This makes it perfect for teams that need to work effectively and accurately.

MailerLite supports about 140 important integrations. This includes popular platforms like WordPress, Stripe, and WooCommerce. It does a good job with the basics and works reliably for smaller campaigns. However, it doesn't have the depth and flexibility for automation that bigger operations need. As your business gets larger, these limits might hold back productivity.

MailerLite vs ActiveCampaign: Detailed Comparison Table

This comparison table shows the main differences between MailerLite and ActiveCampaign. MailerLite is perfect for beginners. It has a free plan, a low starting price, and an easy drag-and-drop editor. It offers basic tools like landing pages and simple automation. However, it does not have many features for segmentation, reporting, or integrations.

ActiveCampaign is pricier and does not offer a free plan. However, it provides advanced tools for automating tasks, dynamic segmentation, strong analytics, and more than 850 integrations. This service is great for growing businesses that require strong marketing automation and CRM features.

Why ActiveCampaign is Still the Best Choice

Most growing businesses should select ActiveCampaign instead of MailerLite despite the platform's affordable cost and easy usability. ActiveCampaign presents users with powerful automation through its advanced feature set.

The platform features complex workflow systems alongside A/B testing and SMS capabilities as well as built-in CRM functions beyond MailerLite's simple email sequence capabilities. Users can enhance targeted marketing through segmentation tools with tags and custom fields and behavioral triggers that generate customized promotional campaigns.

Reporting is much better. It includes goal tracking, revenue attribution, and performance analytics. These features are missing in MailerLite. ActiveCampaign is also very scalable, which makes it great for bigger teams. It has important tools like lead scoring, pipelines, and strong security for enterprises.

With over 850 integrations, 24/7 support, and a good reputation in the market, ActiveCampaign is designed for long-term growth. If you are looking at ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite, the depth and performance of ActiveCampaign make it the better option in 2025.

Conclusion

Both MailerLite and ActiveCampaign are good tools for email marketing, but they are for different types of users. MailerLite is great if you are on a tight budget or just starting out. It is easy to use and offers a free plan. On the other hand, ActiveCampaign is much better for advanced marketers. It has stronger automation, CRM, segmentation, and analytics.

This means ActiveCampaign can help you run more complex campaigns and get a better return on investment. If your business needs a powerful and flexible email marketing solution, ActiveCampaign is the best choice. If you have advanced needs or want to grow, ActiveCampaign's features will support you.

I hope you found the solution that best suits your needs. If you're looking for more comparisons, feel free to check out our blog :)

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Last updated: 07.05.2025