ActiveCampaign has no free plan. MailerLite does. That is the whole comparison in one line — but the interesting part is what ActiveCampaign gives you for $15/month that MailerLite cannot do at any price: start an automation when someone visits a page on your website.
ActiveCampaign publishes annual-billing rates only, so its figures are annual; MailerLite’s are monthly. Both captured 8 August 2026 in USD. Nothing here was tested in a live account — this is published pricing and the conclusions that follow from it, with no score attached.
The Short Version
MailerLite is an email platform with automation included. ActiveCampaign is automation software that sends email. The price difference follows from that, and so does the answer for most people. Full detail in our MailerLite review and ActiveCampaign review.
Free Plans Compared
| MailerLite Free | ActiveCampaign | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month | None |
| Trial | 14-day premium trial on top | 14-day trial only |
| Automations on free | 3, capped at 5 steps each | Not applicable |
| Cost to start | $0 | $15/month, billed annually |
This is the only pairing in our library where one side has no free tier at all. If your intention is to validate an idea before spending, ActiveCampaign is structurally the wrong starting point.
Paid Pricing Compared
| MailerLite | ActiveCampaign | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid | Comfort $12/mo at 500 subscribers | Starter $15/mo at 1,000 contacts, billed annually |
| Mid tier | Power $25/mo at 500 | Plus $49/mo, Pro $79/mo |
| Monthly billing published | Yes | No — annual rates only |
| Automation actions | 100 steps per workflow | 5 per automation on Starter; unlimited from Plus |
| User seats | 3 on Comfort, unlimited on Power | 1 on Starter and Plus, 3 on Pro |
| Website-visit triggers | No | Yes |
| Built-in CRM | No | Yes |
Two things stand out. ActiveCampaign’s pricing page carries no monthly toggle — all four plans are labelled “billed annually”, so the monthly rate is not disclosed until checkout. And ActiveCampaign Starter caps automations at five actions each, the same practical ceiling MailerLite applies to its free plan.
The Number That Actually Decides It
Whether you need behavioural triggers. Everything else here is a price argument that MailerLite wins. But if your funnel depends on reacting to what someone does on your site rather than what they click in an email, MailerLite cannot do it at any tier, and the comparison ends there.
Verdict
MailerLite for almost every solo creator and small business — cheaper, free to start, and enough automation for sequences and branching. ActiveCampaign when there is a real sales motion behind the list: lead scoring, a CRM in daily use, behavioural targeting, several people working the same data.
Disclosure
RightToolHQ’s affiliate application with MailerLite is pending approval, and RightToolHQ has no affiliate relationship with ActiveCampaign at the time of writing. This page contains no affiliate links. If that changes, this notice will be updated and any affiliate link clearly marked. See our editorial policy and affiliate disclosure.