GetResponse vs ActiveCampaign (2026)
GetResponse has a free plan, webinars, and a course builder. ActiveCampaign has the best automation engine in the category. We break down which one is right for your business.
Our verdict
—GetResponse wins on value; ActiveCampaign wins on automation depth
GetResponse
ActiveCampaign
Starting price
$0 (free plan)
$15/month
Free plan
✓ 500 contacts
✗ None
Free trial
30 days
14 days
Webinars
✓ Included
✗ Not included
Last updated: May 2026
GetResponse Starting Price
$0/mo
Free plan available
ActiveCampaign Starting Price
$15/mo
Annual billing, 1k contacts
GetResponse Free Trial
30 days
No credit card needed
AC Automation
Best-in-class
Visual workflow builder
Quick Verdict
GetResponse wins on price and breadth — it offers more features at a lower cost, including a free plan, built-in webinars, and a course and paid newsletter builder that ActiveCampaign cannot match. ActiveCampaign wins on automation depth and CRM — its visual automation builder is the best in the email marketing category, and its built-in CRM with deal pipelines makes it the stronger choice for businesses that are serious about sales pipeline management and advanced behavioural segmentation.
Best free plan
Best automation engine
Best all-in-one value
Best CRM integration
Best for beginners
Best for segmentation
What Is GetResponse?
GetResponse is a Polish-founded all-in-one email marketing platform that has been operating since 1998 — making it one of the longest-running tools in the category. It serves over 350,000 customers worldwide and has evolved far beyond its email marketing roots to include landing pages, marketing automation, sales funnels, webinars, a website builder, and a course and paid newsletter builder.
What sets GetResponse apart is its combination of breadth and affordability. The free plan gives users up to 500 contacts with email marketing, a website builder, and basic automation at no cost. The paid Starter plan at $19/month unlocks unlimited email sends, landing pages, autoresponders, and 24/7 support — making it one of the most generous entry-level packages in the market.
The platform is particularly strong for content creators, coaches, and small businesses who want to run webinars, sell courses or paid newsletters, and manage email marketing from a single platform without paying for multiple separate tools.
GetResponse pricing at a glance
- Free ($0): Up to 500 contacts, email marketing, website builder, 30-day premium trial
- Starter ($19/month ($15.58/mo annually)): 1,000 contacts, unlimited emails, autoresponders, landing pages, basic automation
- Marketer ($59/month): Advanced automation, abandoned cart recovery, sales funnels, contact tagging, webinars
- Creator ($69/month): Everything in Marketer plus online courses and paid newsletters
- MAX (Enterprise (contact sales)): Custom limits, dedicated support, advanced integrations
Annual billing saves 18%. No refunds policy on annual plans.
What Is ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign is a customer experience automation platform that combines email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM in a single product. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Chicago, it is used by over 180,000 businesses across more than 170 countries.
The platform is best known for its visual automation builder — a drag-and-drop canvas for creating sophisticated multi-branch email workflows triggered by subscriber behaviour. Contacts who click different links, visit specific pages on your site, or reach different lead score thresholds can be routed into entirely different sequences — all without manual intervention. This depth of automation is what separates ActiveCampaign from most email marketing tools, including GetResponse.
From the Plus plan ($49/month), ActiveCampaign also includes a full sales CRM with deal pipelines — making it suitable for businesses that want email automation and sales pipeline management tightly integrated in one platform.
ActiveCampaign pricing at a glance
- Starter ($15/month annually, 1,000 contacts): Email marketing, basic automations, landing pages, site tracking, 1 user
- Plus ($49/month annually, 1,000 contacts): CRM with deal pipelines, lead scoring, advanced automations, 3 users
- Professional ($79/month annually, 1,000 contacts): Predictive sending AI, split automation testing, conversion reporting, 5 users
- Enterprise ($145/month annually, 1,000 contacts): Custom reporting, SSO, custom domain, unlimited users
No free plan. 14-day free trial. Pricing scales with contact count.
Pricing Comparison
GetResponse
Free ($0): 500 contacts, basic email, website builder
Starter ($19/mo): 1,000 contacts, unlimited emails, autoresponders, landing pages
Marketer ($59/mo): Advanced automation, abandoned cart, sales funnels, webinars
Creator ($69/mo): Everything + online courses and paid newsletters
See full GetResponse pricing.
ActiveCampaign
Starter ($15/mo): 1,000 contacts, email marketing, basic automations, 1 user
Plus ($49/mo): CRM with pipelines, lead scoring, advanced automations, 3 users
Professional ($79/mo): Predictive AI, split testing, conversion reporting, 5 users
Enterprise ($145/mo): Custom reporting, SSO, custom domain, unlimited users
See full ActiveCampaign pricing.
Verdict: GetResponse has a clear price advantage — a free plan, a cheaper paid entry point, and more features per dollar on the Starter and Marketer tiers. The key nuance is that ActiveCampaign’s $15/month Starter plan does not include a CRM — you need Plus at $49/month for that. If CRM is a requirement, the price gap narrows significantly. Both platforms scale with contact count; always check current pricing calculators with your actual list size before committing.
Features Comparison
Automation: ActiveCampaign’s automation builder is the standout feature in this comparison. It supports multi-branch if/then logic, behavioural triggers (site visits, link clicks, purchases), lead scoring, and CRM pipeline updates — all within a single visual workflow. GetResponse’s automation is capable and covers most standard use cases, but it lacks the same depth of conditional branching and CRM integration.
CRM and sales pipeline: ActiveCampaign includes a full CRM with deal stages and sales automation from the Plus plan ($49/month). GetResponse offers contact tagging and basic segmentation but does not have a comparable deal pipeline or sales automation feature. For businesses that need email marketing and CRM in one place, ActiveCampaign is the stronger choice.
Webinars and courses: GetResponse wins clearly here. It is one of the only email platforms with a built-in webinar tool (Marketer plan, $59/month) and an online course and paid newsletter builder (Creator plan, $69/month). ActiveCampaign does not offer either of these features — you would need separate tools like Zoom (for webinars) and Kajabi or Teachable (for courses).
Landing pages: Both platforms include landing page builders on all paid plans. The quality is comparable — drag-and-drop, templates included, conversion tracking available.
| Feature | GetResponse | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Winner$0 (free plan) | $15/month |
| Free plan | Winner✓ Up to 500 contacts | ✗ None |
| Free trial | Winner30-day premium trial | 14 days |
| Contacts on entry plan | Tie500 (free) / 1,000 (Starter) | 1,000 |
| Unlimited email sends | Tie✓ Starter and above | ✓ All paid plans |
| Marketing automation | Good (Starter+) | Winner✓ Best-in-class |
| CRM built-in | Basic (contact tagging) | Winner✓ Plus plan ($49/mo) |
| Landing pages | Tie✓ All plans | ✓ All plans |
| Course builder | Winner✓ Creator plan ($69/mo) | ✗ Not available |
| E-commerce features | Tie✓ Marketer+ (funnels, cart) | ✓ Via integrations (Plus+) |
| Users on entry plan | WinnerUnlimited | 1 user |
| Best for | TieCreators & small businesses | Automation-serious marketers |
Ease of Use
GetResponse
GetResponse is the more beginner-friendly of the two. The dashboard is clean and logically organised, the email builder is modern and easy to navigate, and the free plan gives users time to learn without any financial commitment. Setting up basic automations, landing pages, and a first email broadcast can be done within hours. The webinar and course builder add some complexity on higher plans, but the core experience remains accessible. Most users are comfortable within a day or two of signing up.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign has a steeper learning curve, particularly once you move beyond basic email campaigns into automation, CRM, and segmentation. The automation builder is powerful but requires time to master — understanding how to structure branches, set goals, and avoid common mistakes typically takes a few sessions of hands-on practice. The email editor is modern and polished. The CRM adds another layer of complexity for new users. Expect to invest one to two weeks before feeling fully confident across the platform.
Verdict: GetResponse wins on ease of use for beginners and small businesses. ActiveCampaign rewards the investment of learning it properly — the platform’s automation depth pays back significantly once you are comfortable with it.
Who Should Choose GetResponse
GetResponse is the better fit if you are:
- ✓A small business owner, coach, or creator who wants email marketing, landing pages, and basic automation without paying for multiple separate tools
- ✓Someone who wants to start with a free plan and upgrade only when your list and revenue justify it — no credit card required
- ✓A course creator or coach who wants to sell online courses or paid newsletters directly through your email marketing platform
- ✓A business that runs regular webinars and wants a built-in tool rather than paying separately for Zoom or GoToWebinar
- ✓Someone who wants an affordable, beginner-friendly platform that covers the full marketing funnel from email capture to sale
Free plan available — no credit card required.
GetResponse full review coming soon.
Who Should Choose ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is the better fit if you are:
- ✓A business that is serious about using email automation as a primary revenue driver — not just for newsletters but for complex behavioural sequences
- ✓A sales team or B2B company that needs email nurture sequences tightly integrated with a CRM and deal pipeline
- ✓An e-commerce store that wants to trigger automations based on purchase history, cart abandonment, and site behaviour
- ✓A marketer who has outgrown simpler tools and needs multi-branch automation with lead scoring and deep segmentation
- ✓A business willing to invest in a learning curve of one to two weeks in exchange for significantly more powerful automation capabilities
14-day free trial. No credit card required in most regions.
For a full breakdown, see our ActiveCampaign review.
Frequently asked questions
What Independent Reviews Say
ActiveCampaign is one of the most reviewed email marketing platforms on the market and consistently earns top ratings from verified business users. GetResponse has a smaller but solid review base, with users most frequently praising its value for money and breadth of features. Both platforms score well on ease of setup relative to their feature depth.
G2 — ActiveCampaign
4.5/5
From 13,000+ verified reviews — one of the highest-rated email platforms on G2
Read ActiveCampaign reviews on G2 →Capterra — ActiveCampaign
4.6/5
Verified business user ratings on Capterra
Read ActiveCampaign reviews on Capterra →Final Verdict
Best Value & Breadth
🏆GetResponse
Free plan, webinars, courses, and more features per dollar
Best Automation & CRM
⭐ActiveCampaign
Best-in-class automation builder and built-in CRM pipelines
Both GetResponse and ActiveCampaign are excellent platforms — they just serve different users. GetResponse is the better choice for the majority of small businesses, creators, and coaches who want a full marketing toolkit at an affordable price. The free plan removes the barrier to entry entirely, and the Marketer plan at $59/month covers webinars, advanced automation, and sales funnels — capabilities that would require multiple separate tools and a much larger monthly budget on competing platforms.
ActiveCampaign earns its place at the top of the automation category. If your business relies on complex behavioural email sequences, needs a CRM integrated with your marketing automation, or has a dedicated person managing email strategy, ActiveCampaign’s depth will pay back the investment many times over. The $15/month Starter plan is genuinely affordable — just remember that CRM and advanced automation require Plus at $49/month, and pricing scales with your contact count.
If you are deciding between the two: start with GetResponse if you want simplicity, value, and a free plan. Choose ActiveCampaign if you are ready to invest in the most powerful automation engine in the category.
GetResponse
Best for creators, coaches, and small businesses who want email marketing, webinars, courses, and funnels in one affordable platform — with a free plan to get started.
Try GetResponse Free →ActiveCampaign
Best for businesses serious about advanced automation, behavioural segmentation, and CRM-integrated email marketing — willing to invest in learning the platform.
Try ActiveCampaign Free for 14 Days →Explore more: ActiveCampaign Review · GetResponse Review (coming soon) · Mailchimp vs ConvertKit · Compare All Tools · Best Marketing Tools