ActiveCampaign vs Beehiiv
Pick any two tools to get a head-to-head breakdown.
- Most powerful automation builder at this price point
- Built-in CRM with deal tracking — no extra tool needed
- Site tracking lets automations trigger on page visits
- SMS messaging included
- Machine learning send-time optimisation
- Deep Shopify and WooCommerce integrations
- 500+ integration partners
- Built-in paid subscription and paywall features
- Beehiiv Ad Network connects you to paid advertisers
- Referral programme grows your list automatically
- Boosts lets you earn by recommending other newsletters
- Beautiful, customisable newsletter templates
- Free plan: up to 2,500 subscribers
- Web archive of all past issues included
- Steep learning curve — not beginner-friendly
- Interface feels dated compared to ConvertKit or Klaviyo
- Pricing increases sharply with list size
- Reporting can be confusing to interpret
- Some features require technical understanding
- No free plan — starts at $29/month
- $42/month Scale plan required for monetisation features
- Automation less powerful than ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign
- Smaller user community than Mailchimp or ConvertKit
- Less suitable for promotional email — built for editorial
- Analytics focused on newsletter metrics, not e-commerce
- Relatively new — fewer integrations than established tools
ActiveCampaign has the most powerful email automation of any tool at its price point. Its automation builder handles complex multi-branch sequences based on site visits, email behaviour, CRM data, and custom events — the kind of automation that Mailchimp charges enterprise prices for. It also includes a built-in CRM, SMS, and site tracking at no extra cost. The learning curve is steep and the interface feels dated, but for businesses where email automation drives revenue, nothing in this price range comes close.
Beehiiv is purpose-built for newsletter publishers and has become the platform of choice for independent creators looking to monetise. Its built-in referral network, ad network (Beehiiv Ad Network), paid subscriptions, and boosts programme create revenue streams that no other email platform offers natively. At $42/month for the Scale plan it is not cheap, but for newsletter operators the monetisation features can generate more than the subscription cost. The free plan allows up to 2,500 subscribers — genuinely useful for starting out.