ActiveCampaign
Make
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Make |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $15/mo | Free / from $10.59/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | ecommerce-businesses, saas-companies, marketing-agencies, small-businesses | power-users, agencies, developers, small-businesses |
| Founded | 2003 | 2012 |
| Email Marketing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Crm | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sales Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sms Marketing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Predictive Sending | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scenarios | ✗ | ✓ |
| Modules | ✗ | ✓ |
| Routers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Webhooks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Stores | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ ActiveCampaign Pros
- Most powerful automation builder in email marketing
- Combined CRM and email in one platform
- Excellent deliverability rates consistently
- 800+ integrations with third-party tools
✗ ActiveCampaign Cons
- Steeper learning curve than simpler tools
- No free plan available
- Reporting could be more intuitive
✓ Make Pros
- Visual workflow builder
- Affordable pricing
- 1,000+ app integrations
- Complex branching logic
✗ Make Cons
- Steeper learning curve than Zapier
- Smaller app library
- Can be slow with large scenarios
The Verdict
ActiveCampaign is built for ecommerce businesses and saas companies, with a focus on email-marketing and marketing-automation. Make targets power users and agencies and leads with scenarios and modules.
Pricing is close: Make starts at $10.59/mo versus $15/mo for ActiveCampaign — not a deciding factor on its own.
Make has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. ActiveCampaign requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, ActiveCampaign offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Make takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for small businesses — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.
