ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter vs Brevo — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter starts at $19/mo. Brevo starts at $9/mo. Brevo is $10/mo cheaper on the entry tier than ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter.
See price history: ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter · Brevo
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter (Per Usage) — ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter bills purely on usage — contacts. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
- Brevo (Per Usage) — Brevo bills purely on usage — Emails/month. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter is ActiveCampaign's entry marketing automation product — email marketing, drip campaigns, segmentation, and basic automation at 1,000 contacts baseline for $19/mo monthly ($15/mo annual). Price scales with contact list size: 10K contacts ≈ $149/mo Plus. ActiveCampaign sells 2 additional products with independent pricing not tracked here: ActiveCampaign Sales (standalone CRM), ActiveCampaign Bundle (Marketing + Sales combined at a discount, Bundle Plus at $93/mo is the sweet spot for many customers). All three products scale with contact count. Popular with SMBs and solopreneurs graduating from Mailchimp.
French all-in-one marketing platform (formerly Sendinblue), positioned as the alternative to Mailchimp with better transactional email and SMS built in. Distinctive for pricing per email sent (not per contact) — flips Mailchimp's model on its head and saves money for teams with large-but-inactive lists. Priced $9-$18/mo for entry tiers. Popular with European SMBs and e-commerce.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter monthly | ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter annual | Brevo monthly | Brevo annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid | Starter / — | $19 | $15 | — | — |
| Mid tier | Plus / — | $59 | $49 | — | — |
| Pro / power | Pro / — | $99 | $79 | — | — |
| Enterprise | Enterprise / — | $179 | $145 | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter is worth it if… SMBs (500-5,000 contacts) that need email + basic automation + CRM in one tool without HubSpot's price tag. Starter covers most basic email flows; Plus adds sales automation and SMS.
Brevo is worth it if… Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is worth it for SMBs that need email + SMS + WhatsApp + basic CRM — particularly if you're European and value GDPR-first tooling. Free tier is generous (unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day); Starter and Business scale by monthly emails, not contacts — unique among ESPs.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter over Brevo if…
Choose ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, from $19/mo).
- You match the profile ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter is built for: SMBs (500-5,000 contacts) that need email + basic automation + CRM in one tool without HubSpot's price tag.
- You need a general-purpose marketing & email option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Brevo if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, from $9/mo).
- You match the profile Brevo is built for: Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is worth it for SMBs that need email + SMS + WhatsApp + basic CRM — particularly if you're European and value GDPR-first tooling.
- You need a general-purpose marketing & email option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter | Brevo | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Entry price | $19/mo | $9/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Per Usage |
| Last verified | September 12, 2026 | September 12, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 12, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
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Common questions about ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter and Brevo
- How much does ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter cost in 2026?
- Does ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter have a free plan?
- How often does ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter change prices?
- What are the best ActiveCampaign Marketing Starter alternatives in 2026?
- How much does Brevo cost in 2026?
- Does Brevo have a free plan?
- How often does Brevo change prices?
- What are the best Brevo alternatives in 2026?