EngageBay vs ActiveCampaign

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison — features, pricing, performance, and more.

Data last refreshed October 2026

EngageBay

AI-powered CRM software for small businesses to automate marketing, sales, and support.

Freemium

76% verification coverage

ActiveCampaign

Cut 13 hours of marketing busywork each week with autonomous marketing.

Paid

81% verification coverage

Trust & Reliability

EngageBay

Users:10K-100K

Customers (per vendor):A+ Test Prep, IN Business Ninjas

GDPR

ActiveCampaign

Uptime:99.85%Status page

Users:100K-500K

Customers (per vendor):Pit Boss Grills, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Ducks Unlimited Canada +5

GDPR

SOC 2

HIPAA

Overall Winner: ActiveCampaign

8.0/10 vs EngageBay at 6.2/10

Leads in:

Integration

Customization

Support

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

AI Comparison Summary

EngageBay

6.2

avg score

ActiveCampaign

8.0

avg score

ActiveCampaign leads overall — particularly in Support and Compliance & Data Protection and 1 more.

EngageBay has an edge in Ease of Use.

Based on 6 dimensions

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

Overall Winner

ActiveCampaign

8.0 / 10

EngageBay

Best For

Solopreneurs needing a free CRM with essential marketing and sales tools

Small businesses looking to automate marketing and sales processes

Startups managing customer relationships and scaling operations

Growing businesses seeking an affordable all-in-one CRM alternative to HubSpot

ActiveCampaign

Best For

Mid-market marketing teams seeking to automate customer journeys

Businesses looking to integrate AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude into their marketing stack

Ecommerce and retail companies needing personalized email and SMS campaigns

Agencies managing multiple client brands with cross-channel marketing needs

* Verdict is based on our algorithmic scoring of publicly available data. Learn about our methodology

EngageBay is best for

🤖Automation & Agents7.3🎧Customer Support6.2💬Chat & Conversation6.0

ActiveCampaign is best for

🤖Automation & Agents7.0📊Data & Analytics6.4💻Coding & Dev5.0

Filter by your use case:

Limitations

EngageBay

Cons

Free plan is limited to 250 contacts and 1,000 branded emails per month
Free plan supports only 2 lists, 10 web pop-ups, 10 forms, and 1 landing page
Growth plan supports 10 automations/workflows with 15 nodes per automation/workflow
Pro plan supports 20 automations/workflows with 25 nodes per automation/workflow
API calls are limited to 5,000/month on Basic, 10,000/month on Growth, and 15,000/month on Pro plans

ActiveCampaign

Cons

Active Intelligence features have limits on lower-tier plans
SMS marketing is an add-on and MMS is only available in the US and AU
WhatsApp messaging is an add-on.
Transactional email is an add-on.
Custom reporting is an add-on for Plus and Pro plans and is not available on Starter

Weighted Score — Adjust What Matters to You

Pick a profile or drag sliders — scores and radar update instantly on the right.

Quick profiles:

Ease of Use5

Customization5

Support5

Integration5

Compliance & Data Protection5

Performance5

Planning Quality5

Dimension Comparison

EngageBay

6.2

/ 10

ActiveCampaign

8.0

/ 10

Clear winner

Dimension Breakdown

Ease of Use

How intuitive is onboarding, UI navigation, and day-to-day usage for the target audience?

EngageBay

8.0▲ +2.0

ActiveCampaign

6.0

Customization

Calculated

How much can users tailor workflows, settings, prompts, or outputs to their needs?

EngageBay

7.0

ActiveCampaign

8.0▲ +1.0

Support

How strong is the documentation, customer support, community, and learning resources?

EngageBay

4.0

ActiveCampaign

8.0▲ +4.0

Integration

Calculated

How well does it connect with other tools, APIs, and workflows?

EngageBay

9.0

ActiveCampaign

10.0▲ +1.0

Compliance & Data Protection

Calculated

Compliance certifications and data-protection posture, counted from ten verified signals: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliance, HIPAA, WCAG AA/AAA, PII redaction, licensed-only training, a published sub-processor list, a downloadable DPA, not training on user data, and a documented deletion path

EngageBay

4.0

ActiveCampaign

8.0▲ +4.0

Performance

Calculated

Latency + throughput speed

EngageBay

5.0

ActiveCampaign

8.0▲ +3.0

Planning Quality

Calculated

Multi-step planning depth + replanning capability

EngageBay

—

ActiveCampaign

—

Calculated = derived from structured signals (integration count, API/open-source config, compliance certs, response-time). AI = LLM-assessed from public website content. Methodology

Task Performance

EngageBay

Task

ActiveCampaign

8.0

Campaign Creation

9.0

7.0

Audience Targeting

8.0

6.0

Performance Analytics

8.0

5.0

Content Calendar

6.0

3.0

Brand Monitoring

4.0

2.0

Competitive Analysis

5.0

2.0

Budget Optimization

3.0

8.0

Multi Channel Management

8.0

7.0

Lead Scoring

8.0

4.0

Attribution Tracking

7.0

8.0

Pipeline Management

7.0

Outreach Automation

7.0

* Task scores (1–10) are algorithmically generated from publicly available data.

Data is sourced from public information and vendor websites. It may not always be up-to-date — verify pricing and features directly with the vendor before purchasing.Report inaccuracy

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main differences between EngageBay and ActiveCampaign?

EngageBay — "AI-powered CRM software for small businesses to automate marketing, sales, and support". ActiveCampaign — "Cut 13 hours of marketing busywork each week with autonomous marketing". The Features section on this page compares them side by side.

Who is EngageBay best for compared with ActiveCampaign?

EngageBay is best for Solopreneurs needing a free CRM with essential marketing and sales tools; and for Small businesses looking to automate marketing and sales processes. ActiveCampaign is best for Mid-market marketing teams seeking to automate customer journeys; and for Businesses looking to integrate AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude into their marketing stack.

How does the pricing of EngageBay compare with ActiveCampaign?

EngageBay is freemium, includes a free plan. ActiveCampaign is paid, offers a free trial. Always verify current pricing with the vendor.

Does EngageBay or ActiveCampaign have a free plan?

EngageBay has a free plan. ActiveCampaign lists no free plan and offers a free trial. Always verify current pricing with the vendor.

Do EngageBay and ActiveCampaign offer an API?

EngageBay offers a public API. ActiveCampaign offers a public API.

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