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Head-to-head · Email Marketing Software

ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score ActiveCampaign #2 in Email Marketing Software 9.2/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit ActiveCampaign
MailerLite #6 in Email Marketing Software 8.7/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit MailerLite

ActiveCampaign leads on 1 check, MailerLite on 1, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreActiveCampaign · 9.2/10
  • Free planonly MailerLite
  • Free trialboth

ActiveCampaign scores higher on our rubric for email marketing software: 9.2 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

MailerLite offers free plan; ActiveCampaign doesn't. ActiveCampaign leads on native integrations: 1000 integrations versus 100 integrations.

ActiveCampaign is the better fit for advanced automation and large audiences. MailerLite is the better fit for affordable all-around email marketing.

  • ActiveCampaign fits best

    Advanced automation and large audiences

  • MailerLite fits best

    Affordable all-around email marketing

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature ActiveCampaign 9.2/10 Visit ↗ MailerLite 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.7
Ranking #2 in Email Marketing Software #6 in Email Marketing Software
Best for Advanced automation and large audiences Affordable all-around email marketing
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — $12/mo
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial 14 days 14 days
Free trial length 14 days · no card needed 14 days · no card needed
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Cloud
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web
Support Email, Live chat, Community, Docs Email, Live chat, Community, Docs · 24/7
Compliance SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, SSO/SAML, 2FA ISO 27001, GDPR
Integrations 1,000+ integrations 100+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ActiveCampaign 4/4 · MailerLite 4/4
Email automation ✓ ✓
Audience segmentation ✓ ✓
Landing pages ✓ ✓
A/B testing ✓ ✓
Specs
Subscriber limit Not checked yet 500 contacts
Monthly send limit Not checked yet 5000 emails/mo
Native integrations 1000 integrations (best) 100 integrations
Our review
Pros
  • Multi-step automation with behavior-based customer journeys
  • Up to 25,000 contacts and 10x contact-limit email sending
  • AI builders, analytics, A/B testing, and 1,000 integrations
  • Free plan includes 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails
  • Visual automation, segmentation, A/B testing, and reporting
  • Includes landing pages, websites, and digital-product sales tools
Cons
  • No free plan is available
  • Starter includes limited segmentation
  • Pricing varies with contact volume and feature tier
  • Free plan is limited to 250 subscribers
  • Comfort starts at 500 subscribers and 5,000 monthly emails
  • Enterprise is designed for businesses with over 200,000 subscribers
Our verdict

ActiveCampaign is a paid email marketing and marketing automation platform for small and midsize businesses. It combines email campaigns, newsletters, contact profiles, custom fields, tags, lists, audience segmentation, landing-page…

Read the review →

MailerLite is an email marketing platform for businesses, creators, solopreneurs, and small teams. It combines campaign creation, subscriber management, visual automation workflows, audience segmentation, landing pages, websites, signup…

Read the review →
  1. ActiveCampaignEmail Marketing Software 9.214-day trial
  2. MailerLiteEmail Marketing Software 8.7Free plan · 14-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • ActiveCampaign — where it wins

    • Multi-step automation with behavior-based customer journeys
    • Up to 25,000 contacts and 10x contact-limit email sending
    • AI builders, analytics, A/B testing, and 1,000 integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is available
    • Starter includes limited segmentation
    • Pricing varies with contact volume and feature tier

  • MailerLite — where it wins

    • Free plan includes 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails
    • Visual automation, segmentation, A/B testing, and reporting
    • Includes landing pages, websites, and digital-product sales tools

    Where it doesn't

    • Free plan is limited to 250 subscribers
    • Comfort starts at 500 subscribers and 5,000 monthly emails
    • Enterprise is designed for businesses with over 200,000 subscribers

More comparisons

All email marketing software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update