ActiveCampaign vs Brevo
Compare ActiveCampaign and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) for drip email campaigns. Covers automation, pricing, deliverability, and which tool fits your needs.
Last updated: 2026-03-15
ActiveCampaign
www.activecampaign.comMarketing automation built for customer experience
Best for: Mid-size businesses needing advanced drip logic and CRM integration
Brevo
www.brevo.comAll-in-one marketing platform for growing businesses
Best for: Budget-conscious businesses wanting email, SMS, and CRM in one affordable package
TL;DR: ActiveCampaign vs Brevo for Drip Campaigns
ActiveCampaign is the superior drip email platform with deeper automation logic, better deliverability, and more sophisticated conditional branching. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) offers a compelling budget option with its email-volume-based pricing and free plan. If drip automation depth is your priority, ActiveCampaign wins. If you need affordable multi-channel messaging (email plus SMS plus WhatsApp), Brevo delivers more value per dollar.
Deep automation powerhouse with CRM.
Affordable multi-channel marketing with basic drip.
SaaS-native drip platform with billing triggers.
Editor's Note
Brevo multi-channel capabilities (SMS, WhatsApp) are a genuine differentiator. If your drip campaigns span multiple channels, this matters more than automation depth alone.
ActiveCampaign vs Brevo vs Sequenzy: Quick Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automation builder | Advanced visual flowchart with branching, goals, splits | Basic visual workflow builder with limited branching | Step-based builder with conditions | ActiveCampaign |
| Pricing model | By contacts | By emails sent (unlimited contacts) | By emails sent | Brevo |
| Free plan | No (14-day trial) | Yes (300 emails/day, unlimited contacts) | No (14-day trial) | Brevo |
| SMS marketing | Available on Plus plan | Built-in on all plans (pay per SMS) | Not available | Brevo |
| WhatsApp campaigns | Not supported | Native WhatsApp integration | Not supported | Brevo |
| CRM included | Full sales CRM with deal tracking | Basic CRM with deal pipeline | Subscriber profiles with billing data | ActiveCampaign |
| Transactional email | Via separate Postmark integration | Built-in transactional email API | Billing-triggered transactional sequences | Brevo |
| Billing/payment triggers | Via Shopify or Zapier | Via Shopify or Zapier | Native Stripe and Paddle triggers | Sequenzy |
Score Breakdown
Totals: ActiveCampaign 66/80, Brevo 54/80, Sequenzy 61/80.
Drip Email Feature Comparison
Feature-by-feature analysis of drip campaign capabilities.
Sequence Building
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-step sequences | 9/10 Unlimited steps with complex branching | 6/10 Multi-step workflows with basic logic | 8/10 Unlimited steps with conditional logic |
| Conditional branching | 9/10 If/else, split actions, wait conditions | 5/10 Basic yes/no conditions | 7/10 If/else based on tags, events, billing status |
| Goal tracking | 9/10 Built-in goal steps that advance contacts | 3/10 No native goal tracking | 7/10 Conversion goals per sequence |
| Time delays | 9/10 Wait for time, date, condition, or day of week | 7/10 Wait for time period or specific date | 8/10 Wait for duration, date, or business hours |
Targeting and Segmentation
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| List segmentation | 9/10 Tags, custom fields, lead scoring, engagement data | 7/10 Lists, attributes, basic engagement segments | 7/10 Tags, custom fields, billing segments |
| Dynamic content | 8/10 Conditional content blocks in emails | 6/10 Basic personalization with attributes | 7/10 Conditional blocks based on subscriber data |
| Lead scoring | 9/10 Contact and deal scoring with custom rules | 4/10 Basic lead scoring on Business plan | 5/10 Engagement scoring for opens and clicks |
Multi-Channel
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS campaigns | 7/10 Available on Plus plan and above | 8/10 Built into all plans, pay per message | 0/10 Not available |
| 0/10 Not supported | 7/10 Native WhatsApp campaigns and automations | 0/10 Not supported | |
| Transactional email | 5/10 Requires separate integration | 8/10 Built-in transactional API | 6/10 Billing-triggered transactional flows |
Pricing Comparison
Brevo charges by email volume (unlimited contacts), making it ideal for large lists with low send frequency. ActiveCampaign charges by contacts, which can be expensive for large lists. Brevo is significantly cheaper at most tiers.
14-day free trial. No free plan.
Free plan: 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts, Brevo branding.
14-day free trial. Plans from $19/mo for 15,000 emails.
| Tier | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 emails/mo | $29/mo (1K contacts) Lite plan, pricing by contacts | $25/mo Starter plan, no daily send limit | $19/mo (15K emails) Full drip features included |
| 40,000 emails/mo | $99/mo (5K contacts) Plus plan recommended | $45/mo Business plan for automation | $49/mo (50K emails) Growth plan |
| 100,000 emails/mo | $259/mo (25K contacts) Professional plan | $75/mo Business plan | $99/mo (150K emails) Pro plan |
| 250,000 emails/mo | $489/mo (50K contacts) Enterprise tier | $169/mo Business plan | $199/mo (500K emails) Enterprise plan |
Pricing Verdict: Brevo is dramatically cheaper at high volumes due to email-based pricing. ActiveCampaign costs more but delivers far superior automation. For SaaS drip campaigns, Sequenzy offers competitive per-email pricing with native billing integration.
Cost Note
Pricing checked March 2026. Brevo email-volume pricing is a major advantage for businesses with large contact lists and moderate send frequencies.
Drip Campaign Types Comparison
How each platform handles different types of drip email campaigns.
Welcome Series
Onboarding emails for new subscribers
ActiveCampaign
Full automation with conditional branches
Brevo
Pre-built welcome workflow template
Sequenzy
Pre-built SaaS welcome sequences
Verdict: ActiveCampaign provides far more customization for welcome sequences.
Trial-to-Paid Conversion
Converting trial users to paying customers
ActiveCampaign
CRM pipeline plus custom automation
Brevo
Basic time-based series, no native trial tracking
Sequenzy
Native Stripe/Paddle trial tracking with pre-built sequences
Verdict: Sequenzy is purpose-built for trial conversion drips.
Abandoned Cart
Recovering abandoned shopping carts
ActiveCampaign
Via Shopify/WooCommerce integrations
Brevo
Native abandoned cart for Shopify and WooCommerce
Sequenzy
Not applicable (SaaS-focused)
Verdict: Both handle e-commerce cart recovery well.
Re-engagement
Win back inactive subscribers
ActiveCampaign
Engagement scoring with automated re-engagement
Brevo
Basic inactivity triggers
Sequenzy
Engagement-based triggers with churn risk detection
Verdict: ActiveCampaign engagement scoring makes re-engagement more intelligent.
Multi-Channel Drip
Email plus SMS plus WhatsApp nurture
ActiveCampaign
Email and SMS on Plus plan
Brevo
Email, SMS, and WhatsApp in unified workflows
Sequenzy
Email only
Verdict: Brevo leads for multi-channel drip campaigns with native WhatsApp.
Churn Prevention
Automated emails for cancellation signals
ActiveCampaign
Custom triggers with CRM deal stages
Brevo
Basic tag or attribute triggers
Sequenzy
Native subscription cancellation triggers
Verdict: Sequenzy excels with native billing event triggers.
The Bigger Picture
Neither ActiveCampaign nor Brevo offers native billing-event triggers for SaaS. Sequenzy fills this gap with direct Stripe and Paddle integration for trial, upgrade, and churn-related drip sequences.
Automation Builder Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual flow editor | Yes Advanced drag-and-drop flowchart | Yes Basic visual workflow builder | Yes Step-based visual editor |
| If/else branching | Yes Unlimited nested conditions | Yes Basic yes/no conditions | Yes Conditional branches per step |
| Wait conditions | Yes Wait for time, condition, day, date | Yes Wait for time period | Yes Wait for time, date, event |
| Webhook triggers | Yes Incoming and outgoing webhooks | Yes Incoming webhooks available | Yes Incoming webhooks for events |
| Split testing | Yes Split actions in automations | No A/B testing for campaigns only, not automations | Yes A/B testing per step |
| Goal steps | Yes Skip contacts to goal when met | No Not available | Yes Conversion goal tracking |
| SMS in automation | Yes On Plus plan and above | Yes SMS steps in any workflow | No Not available |
| WhatsApp in automation | No Not supported | Yes WhatsApp steps in workflows | No Not supported |
Email Templates & Editor
| Aspect | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editor type | Drag-and-drop plus HTML editor | Drag-and-drop editor with code option | Drag-and-drop with code option |
| Pre-built templates | 125+ email templates | 60+ email templates | 40+ SaaS-focused templates |
| Mobile preview | Built-in mobile and desktop preview | Built-in responsive preview | Responsive preview included |
| Dynamic content | Conditional content blocks based on any field | Basic personalization with contact attributes | Conditional blocks for subscriber data |
| AI content assist | AI subject line generator | AI email content assistant | Not available |
Deliverability Comparison
| Factor | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average inbox placement | 93% (industry tests) | 85% (industry tests) | 91% (internal benchmarks) |
| Dedicated IP | Available on Enterprise plan | Available as add-on ($250+ setup) | Not available |
| DKIM/SPF | Full support with guided setup | Full support with setup guide | Full support with setup wizard |
| Bounce handling | Automatic hard/soft bounce management | Automatic bounce handling | Automatic bounce management |
| IP reputation | Well-maintained shared IP pools | Mixed reputation due to large free-tier user base | Curated shared IP pool |
| Unsubscribe handling | Automatic compliance | Automatic compliance | Automatic compliance |
ActiveCampaign has notably better deliverability than Brevo in independent tests. Brevo large free-tier user base can affect shared IP reputation.
Integration Ecosystem
ActiveCampaign: ~900 integrations. Brevo: ~65. Sequenzy: ~35.
E-commerce
| Service | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Yes (Deep native integration) | Yes (Native integration) | No (Not supported) |
| WooCommerce | Yes (Native integration) | Yes (Native plugin) | No (Not supported) |
Payment/Billing
| Service | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Yes (Via Zapier) | Yes (Via Zapier) | Yes (Native deep integration) |
| PayPal | Yes (Via Zapier) | Yes (Via Zapier) | Yes (Native deep integration) |
CMS
| Service | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | Yes (Native plugin) | Yes (Native plugin) | Yes (Basic plugin) |
| Webflow | Yes (Via Zapier) | Yes (Via Zapier) | No (Not supported) |
Analytics & Reporting
| Metric | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open rate tracking | Yes, with trends over time | Yes, per campaign | Yes, per step and overall |
| Click rate tracking | Yes, with click maps | Yes, with click tracking | Yes, per link tracking |
| Revenue attribution | Via e-commerce integrations | Via Shopify/WooCommerce | Native Stripe/Paddle revenue tracking |
| Workflow analytics | Per-step conversion rates | Basic workflow completion stats | Per-step metrics with conversion tracking |
| Real-time stats | Real-time automation dashboard | Real-time campaign stats | Near real-time sequence dashboard |
ActiveCampaign: Unique
- + Contact trending reports
- + Deal attribution
- + Custom report builder
- + Automation map
Brevo: Unique
- + Multi-channel campaign reports
- + WhatsApp analytics
- + Transactional email logs
Sequenzy: Unique
- + MRR impact per sequence
- + Trial conversion funnel
- + Churn prevention metrics
Pros & Cons
ActiveCampaign
Pros
- + Best-in-class automation builder for drip campaigns
- + Built-in CRM with lead scoring
- + Highest deliverability in independent tests
- + Largest integration ecosystem (900+)
- + Predictive sending and content optimization
Cons
- - More expensive than Brevo at all tiers
- - No free plan available
- - No WhatsApp integration
- - No built-in transactional email
- - Contact-based pricing penalizes large lists
Brevo
Pros
- + Free plan with unlimited contacts
- + Email-volume pricing is generous for large lists
- + Native SMS and WhatsApp in workflows
- + Built-in transactional email API
- + Simple and affordable for basic drip needs
Cons
- - Automation builder is basic compared to ActiveCampaign
- - Lower deliverability rates in tests
- - No goal tracking or split testing in automations
- - Limited conditional branching
- - Free plan shared IPs can hurt deliverability
Best For: Who Should Use What?
Budget-conscious newsletter with drip
Large list, low frequency, basic welcome series
Brevo unlimited contacts and email-volume pricing make it the cheapest option for large lists with basic drip needs.
Complex lead nurture
Multi-step B2B nurture with lead scoring
ActiveCampaign automation builder, CRM, and lead scoring handle complex nurture workflows that Brevo cannot match.
Multi-channel drip
Email plus SMS plus WhatsApp customer journey
Brevo is the only option here with native WhatsApp integration alongside email and SMS in automations.
SaaS trial conversion
Converting free trial to paid subscribers
Sequenzy native Stripe/Paddle integration and pre-built trial conversion sequences are purpose-built for this.
High-volume transactional drip
Combining transactional email with nurture sequences
Brevo built-in transactional email API alongside marketing automation simplifies the tech stack.
Migration Guide
ActiveCampaign to Brevo
- 1. Export contacts with tags and custom fields from ActiveCampaign
- 2. Import contacts into Brevo with attribute mapping
- 3. Recreate automations as Brevo workflows
- 4. Set up equivalent segments and lists
- 5. Configure domain authentication (DKIM/SPF)
- 6. Test workflows before activating
Watch Out
- ! Complex branching will need to be simplified for Brevo
- ! CRM deals and lead scoring data will not transfer
- ! Goal-based automations have no Brevo equivalent
- ! Split testing in automations is not available in Brevo
Brevo to ActiveCampaign
- 1. Export contacts from Brevo with attributes
- 2. Import contacts into ActiveCampaign with field mapping
- 3. Recreate workflows as ActiveCampaign automations
- 4. Set up CRM and lead scoring if needed
- 5. Configure DKIM/SPF for your domain
- 6. Test automations before going live
Watch Out
- ! SMS and WhatsApp workflows cannot be fully replicated
- ! Transactional email will need a separate solution
- ! Contact-based pricing may cost more than Brevo for large lists
The Bottom Line
Choose ActiveCampaign if...
- ✓ You need advanced drip sequences with conditional branching and goals
- ✓ CRM and lead scoring are essential to your workflow
- ✓ Deliverability is a top priority
- ✓ You want the deepest automation builder available
Choose Brevo if...
- ✓ Budget is your primary concern
- ✓ You have a large list but send infrequently
- ✓ You need multi-channel messaging (email, SMS, WhatsApp)
- ✓ You want built-in transactional email alongside marketing
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brevo good for drip email campaigns?
Brevo handles basic drip campaigns (welcome series, simple follow-ups) adequately. For complex multi-branch sequences with conditional logic, ActiveCampaign is significantly better.
Why did Sendinblue rename to Brevo?
Sendinblue rebranded to Brevo in 2023 to reflect its expansion beyond email into an all-in-one CRM and marketing platform. The product remains the same.
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or Brevo?
Brevo is cheaper at almost every tier due to its email-volume pricing with unlimited contacts. ActiveCampaign contact-based pricing is more expensive but includes far more automation depth.
Can Brevo replace ActiveCampaign?
For basic email marketing and simple drip sequences, yes. For advanced automation, lead scoring, CRM, and complex conditional drips, Brevo is not a full replacement.
Does Brevo support WhatsApp in drip sequences?
Yes, Brevo offers native WhatsApp integration that can be included as steps in automated workflows, making it one of the few platforms supporting WhatsApp in drip sequences.