ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit vs Brevo: which email marketing software is best for a small business in 2026?
Every price and fact below was checked on each company's own website on October 11, 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom. No company pays to appear.
The short answer
Brevo is the best fit for most small businesses on a budget, with a free plan and paid plans from $9 a month. ActiveCampaign is the pick if marketing automation and CRM are the point, from $15 a month billed annually. ConvertKit, now called Kit, suits creators and newsletter writers, with a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers and paid plans from $33 a month for 1,000 subscribers.
Side by side
| ActiveCampaign | ConvertKit | Brevo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #1 | #2 | #3 |
| Best for | Businesses that want deep automation and a built-in CRM | Creators, newsletter writers and people selling digital products | Small businesses that want low prices and a free plan |
| Plans and starting price | Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79, Enterprise $145 a month, billed annually. Shown for the smallest contact tier on the page | Free $0, Creator $33, Pro $66 a month for 1,000 subscribers ($390 a year for Creator when billed yearly) | Free, Starter $9, Standard $18, Professional $350 a month. Enterprise is custom. Yearly billing is 10% cheaper |
| Free plan | None listed. 14-day free trial | Yes, up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages, forms and email broadcasts | Yes, 300 emails a day, after the account is approved for sending |
| How pricing scales | By email contacts, from 1,000 to over 50,000. Email sends are capped at 10x to 15x the contact limit depending on plan | By subscriber count. Prices on the page are for 1,000 subscribers | By plan and email volume. Starter starts from 5,000 emails a month, Professional from 150,000 emails a month |
| Users | 1 on Starter and Plus, 3 on Pro, 5 on Enterprise | Unlimited users on Pro | 1 on Starter, up to 3 on Standard, 10 seats on Professional |
| Automation | Starter limits automations to 5 actions each. Plus and above have unlimited actions | Unlimited visual automations and email sequences from Creator ($33) | Marketing automation listed on the paid plans. Workflow limits not stated on the pricing page |
| CRM and sales tools | Standard CRM integrations on all plans. Pipelines and sales engagement are paid add-ons | Not mentioned on the pricing page | Sales Essentials with Starter and Standard, Sales Advanced with Professional |
| SMS and WhatsApp | SMS and WhatsApp are paid add-ons | SMS marketing listed from Creator ($33) | SMS credits sold separately. WhatsApp listed on Professional |
| Remove vendor branding | Not mentioned on the pricing page | From Creator ($33) | From Starter ($9), which includes no Brevo logo |
| Trial and guarantee | 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee | 14-day free trial, no credit card needed | Free plan, no credit card needed |
The winner, by what you need
Small business on a tight budget
Brevo
It has a free plan and the cheapest paid plan of the three, Starter at $9 a month.
Creators and newsletter writers
ConvertKit
The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, and Creator at $33 a month adds unlimited automations and sequences.
Complex automation and CRM
ActiveCampaign
Plus and above have unlimited automation actions, and it offers Pipelines and sales engagement CRM add-ons.
Teams with several users
ConvertKit
Pro at $66 a month includes unlimited users. ActiveCampaign caps Pro at 3 users and Brevo Standard at 3.
Worth knowing
- ConvertKit has been renamed Kit. convertkit.com redirects to kit.com, and the prices above come from kit.com.
- ActiveCampaign prices are billed annually and rise with the contact count you select. Kit prices are shown for 1,000 subscribers. Brevo prices are base plan prices and email volume add-ons cost extra. Check your own numbers on each pricing page.
- Kit shows a limited-time Pro offer of $50 a month for the first year instead of $66. Kit also says it saves 17% on yearly billing.
- Prices are US dollar list prices as shown on 11 October 2026 and can change at any time.
See all eleven in the full ranking: ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit vs Brevo: 11 Best Email Marketing Software 2026.
Sources
- ActiveCampaign plans, starting prices, users, automation limits, add-ons, 14-day trial, 30-day guarantee: https://www.activecampaign.com/pricing
- Kit (formerly ConvertKit) plans, prices for 1,000 subscribers, free plan up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited users on Pro, 14-day trial, SMS and branding removal on Creator: https://kit.com/pricing
- Kit rebrand: convertkit.com redirects to kit.com: https://convertkit.com
- Brevo plan features, 300 emails a day on the free plan, no Brevo logo on Starter, Professional with 10 seats and WhatsApp: https://www.brevo.com/pricing/
- Brevo base plan prices in USD, yearly discount, seat limits: https://www.brevo.com/pricing.md