ActiveCampaign Software Reviews

“email scheduling automation works well”

Pros

Sending out emails scheduled for specific days is so simple. I can draft the content I need for the week and then automate the whole send process without any difficulty.

Cons

There's a learning curve when getting started. It would be really helpful to have videos showing how to build emails using different templates since the current guidance isn't quite enough for me.

“Worth the cost”

Pros

Offers a lot of useful features without being overly complicated unlike tools like Marketo or HubSpot.

Cons

Often feels a bit sluggish on my end not to the point of being unusable but slow enough that I can definitely notice it while working.

“great at follow ups”

Pros

Configuration is one of the best parts of this tool. It's also noticeably fast and the overall ease of use is a big advantage. The ability to send follow up emails is a standout feature that I really liked a lot.

Cons

Third party tool integrations feel a bit limited compared to what you'd expect. The pop up functionality doesn't work properly. Pricing also feels a little expensive when compared to SendGrid and Mailchimp.

“solid drag and drop feature”

Pros

Importing contacts was simple and there's no need to go through double opt in just to get started. The email builder's drag and drop layout is something I genuinely enjoyed using since it makes designing campaigns quicker.

Cons

Compared to other software, the Lite tier offers noticeably less functionality. Pricing also feels on the high side for what you get. On top of that the CNAME feature is restricted to the upgraded plans which was disappointing.

“not beginner friendly”

Pros

Using this software was genuinely enjoyable and it feels well suited for people who already know what they're doing. It definitely has the depth and controls that can make sense when you're comfortable with expert level tools.

Cons

A few moments were where things started getting overly complicated and hard to follow. Since there wasn't any real time to learn the software properly, I ended up giving up. I just wish it were more user friendly so beginners could jump in without getting stuck.

“great contact import function”

Pros

Contact import and segmentation workflow is well organized. There are plenty of templates for email campaigns and they also work well for setting up drip sequences.

Cons

HTML emails could be cleaner and more organized, similar to what you get with Mailchimp.

“responsive support”

Pros

The automation features are genuinely useful and there's a lot you can do once everything is set up. Support has also been very helpful throughout which made a big difference when I ran into questions.

Cons

Setting up the automation takes a bit of time and managing your lists and contacts requires extra attention. Organizing who goes where isn't as simple as I expected so it can feel a little manual at first.

“Very powerful once you get used to it”

Pros

This is hands down the best tool if you're able to take advantage of all its features properly and use them at full capacity.

Cons

The feature list is a bit overwhelming there should be a more basic package option under $10 for people who don't need everything.

“Too expensive”

Pros

Comes with a lot of useful features and integrations and it's generally easy to use (even if it's not as effortless as a few other options).

Cons

Might be too expensive when you consider alternatives like MailChimp. We ultimately moved on from ActiveCampaign to an all in one integrated platform (Kartra) since it's been a better fit for us and costs less.

“powerful campaign management”

Pros

One of the strongest tools for managing online business campaigns. It helps you speed up sales by giving you better control over your campaign flow and it works well across different kinds of businesses. With the right setup, the results can be really solid.

Cons

This isn't ideal for beginners. Before jumping in, it helps a lot to understand online marketing so you can use the features effectively.

“feature rich b2c campaigns”

Pros

Packed with features there's pretty much everything you need to run B2C campaigns especially when you're using segmentation. You can get your targeting and campaign setup done without feeling like you're missing key pieces.

Cons

Support and onboarding weren't very guided, it felt like we had to figure out a lot on our own. We ended up relying on YouTube to learn the workflow and the platform also doesn't offer account based functionality.

“Takes too long to learn”

Pros

It includes most of the features you'd expect from more advanced platforms like HubSpot.

Cons

That said, it's not simple to find marketers who are actually fluent with active campaigns. Because of that, the time your team spends learning how to use this solution can end up costing more than sticking with HubSpot or RD Station.

“easy setup”

Pros

Easy to use and doesn't come with any over designed features which makes it a solid option if you're just starting out. The layout feels beginner friendly and gets the job done without trying too hard.

Cons

Managing lists feels awkward and takes way longer than it should. The workflow isn't very user friendly so moving, updating or organizing items ends up being more time consuming than expected.

“segment builder is missing key options”

Pros

Interface feels well designed and very user friendly. Report exporting works quickly and the outputs are generally clear even though they don't include much detail. Template creation through drag and drop is easy to use which is a nice fit if you're not comfortable with HTML. Also, the Customer Support and Customer Success teams have been genuinely helpful.

Cons

Segment building is where things fall apart: there's no support for options like "last open" or "last click" while creating a segment. Our BI and Data teams also reported that it doesn't reliably pull/share information from the database and that there are bugs in the API. There's no SMS or Push notification metrics so you can't tell whether people actually clicked those messages. SMS and Push delivery only happens through automations, not via ad hoc campaigns. Finally, Shopify order data is shown only as revenue in dollars, without any breakdown for the number of orders.

“incredibly easy automation”

Pros

Extremely user friendly. Every time I think, "I want to do this," the option is usually right on the screen or only a click away which makes the whole process feel very fast and simple.

Cons

The drag and drop automation builder can get a bit taxing on the eyes sometimes.

“strong deliverability and support”

Pros

Deliverability has been genuinely impressive rates look noticeably better than other tools I've tried. They also handled our migration away from Mailchimp at no extra cost which saved a ton of hassle. The support team has been really responsive and helpful throughout the setup and questions.

Cons

Pricing isn't cheap. Even though it begins with a low starting point, costs ramp up as your subscriber list grows. Usability also took a little getting used to at first, there's a learning curve and it can feel a bit frustrating until you figure out the right workflow. After you get past that initial hurdle, the payoff is there.

“fast campaign creation”

Pros

Using this platform to set up and launch an email marketing campaign felt surprisingly simple. I also appreciated how simple it was to build different automation workflows without a lot of hassle.

Cons

UI really didn't work for me considering it's one of the most popular email marketing options, the design feels like it could be a lot better. Pricing also bothered me, it feels too expensive for what you actually get.

“solid landing pages”

Pros

This feels like a pretty useful tool for building landing pages alongside email marketing campaigns. Having both in one place makes it convenient to put together and launch content without juggling too many different platforms.

Cons

Even with that convenience I didn't notice a huge difference or added value versus other similar software options out there. It ended up feeling fairly comparable to what you can already find elsewhere.

“glitchy editor”

Pros

I used this software for about seven years because I hadn't come across another tool that genuinely combined email marketing with a CRM. During that time, I was able to grow a big subscriber list and build a lot of automations so it clearly supported the kind of workflow I was after. That said, the results felt more tied to how I used the platform than to the software itself so there's a good chance I could've achieved similar outcomes with another provider too.

Cons

Customer support has noticeably slipped recently and the overall day to day experience just hasn't felt acceptable for a service I pay more than $100 a month for. The chat feature won't work reliably and when I report issues, I don't get meaningful replies by email. Building emails also feels frustrating so much so that I've started avoiding writing emails something I'm not usually like. The editor still feels outdated and even after their recent upgrade it still doesn't match up to ConvertKit which is why I decided to switch. Since migration takes a ton of time and effort, I try to stay loyal and stick with tools as long as possible but I've reached the point where I can't spare more energy for this platform. On top of that I ran into several frustrating support interactions where I was sent through multiple unnecessary steps for problems that weren't actually connected. Overall, it felt like newer support staff may not fully understand what they're doing.

“simple email editing”

Pros

Using it feels pretty easy so setting up and working on emails doesn't take much time to get used to.

Cons

My only complain is that the emails themselves don't come out particularly exciting and rearranging elements while editing can get a bit tricky at times.