ActiveCampaign Pricing 2026: The “Unbundling” Trap
ActiveCampaign is still the king of automation, but their 2026 pricing strategy is confusing. They advertise a $15 entry point, but if you want the famous “Sales CRM” combined with email automation, you are looking at a completely different bill.
We analyzed the new Marketing vs. Bundles structure to show you the real cost of building a funnel in 2026.
The Pricing Table (2026 Update)
Forget the old “Lite” names. Now it’s mostly about Starter vs Plus, and the strict send limits that were introduced recently.
| Plan (Marketing Only) | Advertised Cost (1k contacts) | The Real Limits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $15 / mo | 1 User Seat (Strict) No “If/Then” logic in automation 10x Send Limit (10k emails/mo) | Solopreneurs (Basic Newsletters) |
| Plus | $49 / mo | CRM is NOT included (Sold separately) 3 User Seats Facebook Custom Audiences | Growth Teams & E-commerce |
| Professional | $149 / mo | Predictive Sending (AI) Split Automation Testing Salesforce Integration | Data-Driven Marketers |
| Bundle (Mktg + Sales) | ~$93 / mo | Includes Pipelines CRM Lead Scoring Sales Automation | B2B Companies |
The “Hidden Costs” & Gotchas
ActiveCampaign is powerful, but they nickel-and-dime you on the extras in 2026:
- The “CRM” is Gone from Marketing Plans: Years ago, the “Plus” plan included a CRM. Now, “Marketing Plus” ($49) strictly handles emails. If you want a Deal Pipeline (Kanban board), you must buy the “Pipelines Add-on” or the “Marketing + Sales Bundle”, which nearly doubles the price.
- The 10x Send Limit: On the Starter plan, you can only send 10 times your contact limit.
- Example: You have 1,000 contacts. You can only send 10,000 emails/month. If you send a daily newsletter (30 sends/month), you will hit the cap in 10 days.
- Transactional Email (Postmark): Want to send password resets or receipts? That’s not ActiveCampaign. That’s Postmark (which they own), and it’s a separate paid subscription starting at ~$15/mo.
- SMS Credits: SMS automation is available on Plus, but sending the actual texts requires buying “credits” separately. It’s not unlimited.
💰 The Maths: Do You Need the Bundle?
Let’s calculate the cost for a B2B Agency with 2,500 contacts needing a Sales CRM.
- Option A (Marketing Plus only): $99/mo.
Problem: No Deal Pipelines. You can’t track leads. - Option B (Marketing + Sales Bundle): ~$160/mo.
Benefit: You get the CRM and Email Automation talking to each other.
Verdict: If you are B2B, budget for the Bundle. If you are E-commerce (Shopify), stick to the Marketing Plus plan ($99) and use your e-commerce platform as the “CRM”.
Verdict: Should You Buy It?
- ✅ YES, if: You need complex automation (e.g., “If user clicks link A, wait 2 hours, send SMS, then check if they visited the pricing page”). ActiveCampaign is still the best logic-builder in the world.
- ❌ NO, if: You are a simple creator just sending a weekly newsletter. Use ConvertKit (Kit) or Beehiiv instead. The “Starter” plan here is too limited (no conditional logic) to be worth $15.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is the $15 Starter plan worth it?
Honestly? No. It lacks the “conditional logic” (If/Else branches) that makes ActiveCampaign famous. It’s basically a glorified Mailchimp. Only buy ActiveCampaign if you start at the Plus tier.
2. Does it integrate with Salesforce?
Only on the Professional tier ($149+). If you are on Plus, you have to use Zapier, which adds another cost.
3. What happens if I go over my contact limit?
They don’t block you, but they will auto-upgrade your billing tier for the next month. Keep your list clean!
