ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit: Which Email Marketing Tool is Better ?

Choosing the right email marketing software for your business can be tricky. There are so many options to choose from! Researching each of these tools and comparing their features is an excellent way to determine which one will best fit your needs.

In this blog post, we’ll compare ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit to help you decide which email marketing service might work best for you.

To help you make a decision, we’ll compare the two based on features, pricing, and ease of use. Let’s take a look!

An introduction to ActiveCampaign Vs ConvertKit

I love both ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit email because they’re so easy to use.

I’m excited to help you find the best email marketing tools for your business needs, so let’s dive right in!

What is ActiveCampaign And What Does It Offer?

ActiveCampaign has been around for over a decade now. It started as just an email autoresponder, but it’s grown into something exceptional with AI-backed features like CRM and sales automation to help you keep track of your contacts better than ever before!

ActiveCampaign is highly user-friendly and easy to use. It includes a powerful visual automation editor that allows you to build great email workflows in minutes, which few other email service providers can match!

ActiveCampaign also has the concepts of tags (or triggers), which allow for highly targeted emails with just one click.

ActiveCampaign lets you easily create eye-catching email campaigns to help you stay in touch with your subscribers.

You get free migration included, which means ActiveCampaign will help you move all your data and subscribers from another email autoresponder.

How to set up your account with ActiveCampaign

There are 13 steps to create a new account with an activecampaign.

Step 1 The Basics of your account Sign up for an ActiveCampaign Account.

Sign up for the 14-day free trial and choose a plan.

After that, you need to enter your company name (if you have one), create a password and enter your email address, and more.

Step2: Create List

You need to create a list of your contacts

Step3: Verify Your Domain

You will need an email address from your website domain; an email address from a Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail won’t work.

Step 4: Provide Mailing Address

You also need to enter a physical mailing address. This is very important to verify your account with ActiveCampaign, so don’t skip it.

Step 5: Communicate With Your Customers: Enable Site Tracking

Step6: Integrate With Apps such as WordPress, Zapier, etc

Step7: Create Forms to start collecting email addresses.

You’ll set up signup forms to start collecting the email addresses and build your list in this step.

Step 8: Your Customer Experience: Create a Campaign

Create your first campaigns for your list.

Step 9: Start Sending Emails to your list

Step 10: Build an Email Automation

Automations are the best part of ActiveCampaign, and you’ll be creating the first one for your list for a better experience for your list.

Step 10: Manage Your Sales Cycle

Step 12:Setup Pipeline

Step 13: Import Contacts List

You can check out my full review on ActiveCampaign.

What is ConvertKit And What Does It Offer?

ConvertKit is a marketing automation platform design and created specifically for professional bloggers.

From its design to its functionality, ConvertKit was undoubtedly designed for bloggers and content creators. It’s relatively new in the email marketing industry, but they have built a good reputation.

How to set up your account with ConvertKit

Step 1: Sign up

ConvertKit offers plans based on how many emails you have on your list.

You can start with a free plan, but if you want to take advantage of automation features and other essential tools that will help grow your business, then the monthly plan is the way to go!

Step 2: Set up your account info

It would be best to input some info on your business, such as company name and email address. You will need an email address from your website domain; an email address from Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail won’t work.

Setup a password for your account.

You also need to enter a physical mail address. This is very important to verify your new account also, so don’t skip this.

Step 3: Set up a form

You need to add a form to start building your email list.

Click on the ‘+ Create Form’ button to add a new form and choose from Landing pages or Forms. For example, if you want to create a popup for your homepage signup page, select that as your landing page type first before choosing between forms like popups and sidebars.

Step 4: Add tags and segments

Tagging allows you to assign tags (or labels) to your subscribers. I like to use tags to track individual actions. For example, you can tag people who signed up for one of your retreats. This allows you to send out an email only to those people OR send an email to everyone BUT people with this tag.

Import your list (if you already have one)

Send out your first email

Step 4: Add the form to your website

You can embed a form in WordPress with ConvertKit by installing the plugin and using shortcode. Activate it, set up your API key (found on the Settings page), then add it to any webpage you want!

The pros of using ActiveCampaign vs the pros of using ConvertKit

Let’s Take a look at the pros of Convertkit and ActiveCampaign.

ActiveCampaign’s Pros

A complete email marketing automation and CRM platform

ActiveCampaign is the best software for deep analytics, automation, and testing. You can use this powerful platform to expand your marketing capabilities with its comprehensive tools that will give you a 360-degree view of what’s going on in your company: from customer interactions like clicks or messages through parameters such as time spent on campaign elements.

Active Campaign offers every detail, including stats about how much money people are spending by day/month, which campaigns were successful (or not), and even more importantly, where they’re coming from – whether it’s social media sites advertising or other sources.

ActiveCampaign is a perfect choice if you’re looking to grow your email campaigns and automate lead relationships. Activecampaign makes it easy for businesses of any size or budget to make marketing more efficient with features like automated emails, customizable website forms, real-time reporting dashboards that stay on top of campaign success rates in seconds–no code required!

Easy to Segment Your Subscribers

ActiveCampaign uses “tags,” which is the concept used to segment your email list. You see, email segmentation is a highly effective strategy in significantly increasing subscriber engagement and sales conversions; it all comes down to little things like what type of content they enjoy reading or whether you want them on a newsletter that includes discounts only for their products.

So ActiveCampaign’s cleverly designed tags let you do just this with lists (to group contacts based on how they contacted you), custom fields (so groups are more likely to engage with certain types of emails), and influential segments between both physical locations such as city/state but also demographics too!

Tags are great because they allow marketers like yourself to execute targeted marketing techniques precisely through emails and not waste time with ones that don’t work well on individual segments of the list.

Excellent User Interface

ActiveCampaign’s user interface is easy to use, which allows for the quick creation of campaigns that will convert and enhance customers’ experience.

With the help of this tool, you can start creating attractive emails with a designer-like platform where simplicity meets power.

Zapier integration

ActiveCampaign is the perfect way to make your life easier and increase productivity.

With a paid Zapier subscription, you can connect ActiveCampaign with over 150 different web apps like Google Sheets or PayPal, automating day-to-day business tasks while saving time and energy in the process.

Whether you’re looking for a marketing automation software that integrates well with other tools from within one platform, such as Gmail Postmaster Tools or Salesforce Pardot – there’s an app for everything on this list!

Very Cost-Efficient

ActiveCampaign is a monthly subscription starting as low as $15/month that will help you maximize your email marketing efforts and fit any budget.

The Basic plan includes all of the necessary features for organizing your emails, while Plus starts at just $70 per month to include automated sales CRM functions.

You can experience ActiveCampaign and discover which plan best fits your goal in a 14-day trial period with no credit card required for signup.

ConvertKit’s Pros

Here are the pros of ConvertKit 

Only One List 

ConvertKit only charges you once per email because there is only one list, unlike most email marketing services. What’s more? You can tag and segment subscribers with ease based on their profiles – ensuring that each of your customers receives the content they signed up for!

Nice Looking Opt-in Forms 

ConvertKit is a more user-friendly email service that allows you to create attractive opt-in forms without any hassle.

It was built with new users’ needs and desires in mind, so they can easily set up simple templates when starting on ConvertKit or use tools like OptinMonster for customizing the form later down the line.

Landing Page Templates

ConvertKit’s landing page templates are a powerful tool for helping you get people signed up to your email list.

Landing Pages are included with ConvertKit. They allow you to create an entire page dedicated to the opt-in form on one side of the screen while providing clear benefits or offers that convert potential subscribers into raving fans in plain sight on the other side.

Easy-to-Follow Autoresponder Sequences

ConvertKit makes the process intuitive.

You can even drag and drop your messages to change the sequence, so you won’t be worried about breaking a chain of emails if one person doesn’t get their email on time because they’re away from their inbox for a while or something like that.

ConvertKit also lets users broadcast emails at any given moment with just one list!

Tagging Based on Your Subscribers’ Activity

ConvertKit lets you use messages to convert leads on your subscriber list based on their activity.

ConvertKit’s tags make it possible to quickly customize emails without deleting the entire contact from our database- saving time while achieving better results!

Easy to Understand Analytics

A subscriber graph that shows you your growing list is available in the ConvertKit dashboard.

ConvertKit’s handy subscriber growth chart will show you how effective your marketing campaigns have been daily by showing changes to signups and unsubscribers who manage their preferences online before deleting them from future lists.

Integration with Third-Party Software

ConvertKit integrates seamlessly with other software apps like LeadPages, Clickfunnels, and OptinMonster, so you can be sure your marketing messages are being delivered most effectively.

The cons of using ActiveCampaign vs the cons of using ConvertKit

Let’s take a look at the Cons of convertkit vs activecampaign

ActiveCampaign Cons

• ActiveCampaign is a powerful and robust tool that often lacks simplicity. The number of features can be overwhelming for new users, which means they have to spend more time learning how it all works before getting the hang of using ActiveCampaign efficiently.
• With only thirty templates available, it’s difficult to stand out from other emails in your inbox or even look professional with such a limited selection.
• ActiveCampaign’s logo is the first thing you see with a basic form builder. You have to pay almost double for a plan just so that it doesn’t show anymore, which makes this an expensive affair from the get-go!

ConverKit Cons

• The ConvertKit Email Editor is disappointing; there are only about five templates and no options for making it visually attractive.
• It only allows for the testing of email subject lines; you can’t test the content, delivery time, or design compare to ActiveCampaign
• Tracking and tagging of visitors based on their behaviours are only available to WordPress users.

Pricing For Each Service

ActiveCampaign Pricing

ActiveCampaign has four plans, as shown below.

Lite – This plan starts at $15 per month for 500 subscribers. CRM, lead scoring, sales automation are not available in this plan. The lite plan only handles up to 3 users. Your forms will bear the ActiveCampaign logo when using this plan.

Plus – This plan offers all the features discussed, including those omitted in the Lite plan. It handles up to 25 users and works excellent if you own a small to medium-sized business, e-commerce site, or blog.

Professional – This plan is similar to the Plus plan, adding the number of users to 50.

Enterprise – For comprehensive functionality, technical support (both live chat and phone calls), an unlimited number of users, this plan does it all. You also get 1-on-1 training for an indefinite period.

ActiveCampaign pricing is based on the number of Subscribers.

I did a detailed post on the ActiveCampaign pricing plan.

ConvertKit Pricing

includes free and paid account

Free– For this plan, you can send up to 1000 emails monthly and get 1,000 subscribers. However, the following features are not available; reports and tracking, autoresponders, and automation. In this plan, only one user is allowed per account.

Paid Account- All features are available in two paid plans, Creator and Creator Pro.

With added features such as

• Free migration from another tool
• Automated funnels & sequences
• Facebook custom audiences
• Newsletter referral system
• Subscriber scoring
• Advanced reporting

ConvertKit pricing is based on the number of Subscribers.

ConvertKit Vs ActiveCampaign: Which is better for your business goals?

Let’s take a look at both ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign to see which one comes at the top and is better for your business goals.

Segmentation

You can use ActiveCampaign to combine and manage lists across multiple websites, which is an excellent way for marketers who sell on more than one platform. It’s also possible to measure subscribers’ activity levels by assigning lead scores that rank prospective buyers, so they get the best deals!

ConvertKit is an easy-to-use email marketing tool that enables you to communicate with your subscribers. However, it does not offer lead scoring and requires multiple accounts for more than one website or blog.

Winner is ActiveCampaign

Automation

ActiveCampaign offers up to 22 triggers and integration with a CRM. You can also include segments in a workflow, unlike in Convertkit.

ConvertKit’s automation is overwhelming at first and takes longer to learn. It has a limited number of triggers, about 7 of them.

It’s straightforward to use, even for a beginner.

ActiveCampaign’s features are superior to ConvertKit’s, especially when it comes to advanced automation and reporting.

Winner is ActiveCampaign

Integrations

ActiveCampgain offers a comprehensive integration of most third-party software. It provides integrations with over 250 apps, meaning you’ll probably discover what you’re looking for. It also integrates with Zapier and makes building an API a simple affair.

ConvertKit is a relative newcomer to the industry, which means it has fewer integrations than other CRM tools. They make claims near 90 integrations so far and offer 24/7 customer service should you ever find yourself needing assistance!

Winner is ActiveCampaign

Reports and Tracking

AC offers a comprehensive reporting of open rates, click rates, reply rates, and even Google analytics.

ConvertKit offers basic reporting on the open rate, click rate, and subscription rate. It can’t be used for advanced marketing campaigns.

Winner is ActiveCampaign

A/B Testing

ActiveCampaign offers two types of testing, email subject lines and email content.

It lets you perform split testing quickly to perfect your campaigns and increase conversions, which eventually leads to an increase in sales.

You can also test your automation workflows.

With ConvertKit, Testing is limited to email subject lines in broadcast mode.

Winner is ActiveCampaign

Form Builder and Landing pages

It has a popup option for enticing your visitors.

ActiveCampaign has a higher number of form templates to choose from

AC has more options for sharing your form, such as using it as a WordPress plugin, posting on Facebook, embedding in your webpage’s code, and sharing it as a link.

ActiveCampaign’s newly created landing pages service is available with the Plus plan or higher.

ConvertKit lacks the popup.

It also has a few form and landing page templates to choose from.

There are limited options for integrating your form.

ConvertKit allows you to create different landing pages as part of its service. This means you won’t have to purchase a third-party service such as ClickFunnels. That’s awesome!

Winner is ActiveCampaign

Email Templates

ActiveCampagin You get at least 30 templates, whereas ConvertKit offers just five email templates.

Winner is ActiveCampaign

Pricing

ActiveCampaign has no free version, just a 14-day trial period.

Not all features are available in each package.

With ConvertKit, All features are included in each package with a 14-day trial period. CovertKit also has a Free Plan that consists of 1,000 subscribers that allows you to build an email list without a paid subscription.

Both ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign charge you based on subscriber count rather than emails sent.

Winner is ConvertKit

Ease of Use & Editor

Though both of these tools have an adequately designed backend, it is a little much easier to find what you need in ConvertKit’s menu. It’s not that ActiveCampaign’s interface is developed. It simply has several more alternatives than ConvertKit. If you’re merely starting or not likely to utilize all the functions, this can be a little overwhelming.

ActiveCampaign’s editor is the best I’ve used so far. It has a drag and drop interface, which makes it easy to learn in just minutes! Hovering over an area will give you helpful tips on getting started or what that specific element does.

In terms of the editor, ActiveCampaign beats ConvertKit by far; with its intuitive design and simple layout, this tool takes no time at all for me to master my way around- even if I need some help once in a while (which is always nice).

ConvertKit is unique in its simplicity. Its overly simplified editor has two different editors: a plain-text editor and a recently upgraded one that includes more content options. However, since it lacks formatting features or interactivity (including drag & drop), neither do much to help develop visual emails.

Winner is ActiveCampaign

Why You Should Choose One Tool Over the Other

ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit are two different email marketing platforms that have been designed for various applications. So, which tool you should choose depends on what you want to achieve with your business.

If you’re looking for software that gives deep insight into your subscriber list, offers integrations with most software, gives you a lot of control in automation, analytics, and A/B testing. We recommend ActiveCampaign because it’s more potent than ConvertKit. It also offers a better overall user experience.

However, if all you need is an easy way to send emails quickly without too much hassle or expense, go ahead and use ConvertKit!

The great thing about these two options is they both offer free trials, so get started today by signing up at their websites below!

FAQ’s

An Alternative to ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign

MailChimp’s FREE plan is suitable for up to 2,000 subscribers.

ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign aren’t for everyone, but the Free plan is available. Migrating to ConvertKit is free once you outgrow your list, and it’s easy to move to it once you’re outgrown.

If you’re starting out and only have one website, this is plenty.

Is ActiveCampaign better than ConvertKit?

Based on the reviews and comparison, it seems that ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit have been designed for different applications. So, the best service for your business depends on what you want to achieve.

If you want a basic email editor that’s fast, easy to use, has basic reporting and basic automation, ConvertKit is the best for you. It also allows you to create landing pages as part of its service.

If you’re looking for software that gives deep insight into your subscriber list, offers integrations with most software, gives you a lot of control in automation, and A/B testing, ActiveCampaign is the best.

Since they are pretty similar in terms of Pricing, ActiveCampaign is the best for serious marketing campaigns. If you’re a beginner, choose ConvertKit since it also has a free version.

What is better than ActiveCampaign?

You can try other email marketing tools such as ConvertKit, Getresponse, Aweber, and constant contact, but in my option, none of them is better than Activecampaign.

It’s an excellent piece of software with only a small number of flaws. It has one of the best user interfaces for building email automation campaigns, A/B testing, making it easy and enjoyable to use.

Conclusion