ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce, Which One’s for You?

ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce, Which One's for You? (Read This First!)

Salesforce and ActiveCampaign are among the most common marketing automation platforms that help you manage your contacts, send emails, create tasks, and track the results of your campaigns. They have different features, but both platforms allow you to automate your marketing tasks and improve your sales pipeline.

Sales automation software can be a massive timesaver for sales teams, but with so many options on the market, it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. Your choice of sales automation platform will likely come down to key factors, such as price, features, scalability, integration, and support.

In this post, we'll compare ActiveCampaign and Salesforce to help you decide which one is the best fit for your business. Keep reading to learn more!

About this ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce review

I am a professional that specializes in helping businesses implement ActiveCampaign and Salesforce. I have used both platforms extensively and have helped many companies choose between the two. I help users implement ActiveCampaign and Salesforce and push for the best results for their business.

I have seen firsthand how you can leverage these platforms to create a powerful sales and marketing machine. I have also reviewed both websites and their features extensively.
This is a side-by-side comparison of ActiveCampaign and Salesforce to help you decide which one is the best fit for your business. This comparison includes an honest overview of the pros and cons of each platform, including features, pricing, automation, email marketing, scalability, integrations, and more.

What is ActiveCampaign?

ActiveCampaign refers to a set of marketing automation tools that users can use to grow their business. The web-based software includes features such as email marketing, contact management, task automation, and sales CRM.

ActiveCampaign is an easy-to-use but powerful CRM and marketing automation tool. It is suited for small businesses on a tight budget but includes an enterprise plan for larger companies.

The software is simple to use and navigate but includes features that allow users to create sophisticated marketing campaigns. ActiveCampaign also strongly focuses on automating repetitive tasks to save users’ time.

It was founded in 2003 by Jason VandeBoom and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that helps businesses manage their sales, marketing, and customer service. It offers various features, including contact management, task automation, sales force automation, and analytics. Salesforce also provides a wide range of integrations with third-party applications.

Salesforce is much more than just a CRM tool. It is a comprehensive sales and marketing platform that you can customize to fit your business needs. However, it has a cluttered interface that can be difficult to navigate for first-time users. The configuration and setup process can also be complex and time-consuming.

Salesforce was founded in 1999; by 2016, it had over 150,000 customers. It is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce: Feature Comparison 

ActiveCampaign and Salesforce offer a wide range of features that can be helpful for businesses of all sizes. For example, both platforms provide contact management, task automation, and email marketing. However, there are some key differences between the two platforms worth considering.

Here, I'll show you a side-by-side comparison of the features offered by ActiveCampaign and Salesforce. This will include a detailed overview of each platform's features and my thoughts on which platform offers the better solution for each feature.

ActiveCampaign CRM vs Salesforce CRM

ActiveCampaign and Salesforce offer CRM (customer relationship management) features that can be helpful for businesses of all sizes. The CRM features offered by each platform are similar, but there are some key differences to look out for.

ActiveCampaign offers features that allow you to manage your contacts, send emails, create tasks, and track the results of your campaigns. Salesforce's CRM features are more robust and include sales force automation, customer service, and analytics.

Conclusion: Salesforce is the clear winner in CRM features. However, if you're looking for a more basic CRM solution, ActiveCampaign may better fit your needs. ActiveCampaign's CRM features are more basic and may be less overwhelming for small businesses.

Sales Pipeline and Deals 

You can use both ActiveCampaign and Salesforce to track your sales pipeline and deals. ActiveCampaign's sales pipeline features are more basic, but they're still helpful for monitoring your deals and keeping your sales organized. They allow you to create custom statuses, assign tasks to team members, and set due dates.

Salesforce's sales pipeline features are more robust and include lead tracking, opportunity management, and forecasting.

Conclusion: ActiveCampaign and Salesforce offer helpful features for tracking your sales pipeline and deals. However, Salesforce's features are more robust and offer more features for managing your sales.

Automations and workflows

ActiveCampaign offers a wide range of automation and workflows that can be helpful for businesses of all sizes. For example, you can use ActiveCampaign to automate your email marketing, contact management, and sales processes. You can also create custom workflows to automate your business processes.

ActiveCampaign can be more powerful with integrations. You can connect ActiveCampaign to over 1000+ applications using Zapier. This allows you to automate your business processes even further.

Salesforce offers a similar range of automation and workflows. However, their automation builder is more complex and can be challenging for first-time users.

Conclusion: ActiveCampaign is the winner when it comes to automation and workflows. Its automation builder is more user-friendly, and its platform is more powerful with integrations.

Email Builder and Designs

A reliable email builder is an important part of any marketing platform. ActiveCampaign's email builder is one of the market's most user-friendly and robust email builders. It offers a wide range of features and templates that you can use to create beautiful and engaging emails.

I think that ActiveCampaign's email builder comes short when compared to Salesforce. This is because Salesforce's email builder is more complex and offers more features. It allows you to create custom fields, add merge tags, and create dynamic content. It also offers a wide range of templates that you can use to create beautiful and engaging emails.

Conclusion: Salesforce's email builder is user-friendly, offers more features, and has many templates. It allows you to write engaging emails.

Reporting

Businesses need to be able to track the results of their marketing campaigns. ActiveCampaign offers various reports you can use to track your campaign results. For example, you can track your open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, and more.

ActiveCampaign's reports are helpful but not as robust as Salesforce's reports. Salesforce's reporting features offer more insights into your marketing campaigns. For example, you can use Salesforce's reports to track your leads, opportunities, and pipeline. You can also use their reports to track your marketing ROI.

Conclusion: Salesforce’s features provide more insights into your marketing campaigns. It also gives easy access to the information in the system. 

Dashboards

ActiveCampaign dashboards are designed to be easy to use and understand. They offer a wide range of features that you can use to track your marketing campaigns. ActiveCampaign's dashboard is standard and does not require any training to use. It does not also offer extensive customization options.

However, I believe that Salesforce's dashboards are more powerful. They offer more features and insights into your marketing campaigns. Additionally, they are highly customizable, and you can tailor them to fit your specific needs. The only downside is that Salesforce's dashboards can be difficult to use for first-time users.

Conclusion: Salesforce is the winner when it comes to dashboards. Salesforce's dashboards offer more features and insights into your marketing campaigns. Additionally, their dashboards are highly customizable.

Ease of use

When comparing the two platforms, I think ActiveCampaign is easier to use. Their interface is more user-friendly, and their platform is more intuitive. Additionally, ActiveCampaign offers a wide range of features that are easy to use. For example, their automation and email builders are easy to use without technical experience.

I believe that Salesforce's platform is more complex and can be difficult to use for first-time users. Their interface is more complex, and their platform offers more features. It also requires more training to use.

Conclusion: ActiveCampaign comes with an interface that allows users to quickly and easily find the features they need. Additionally, their platform is more user-friendly and offers a wide range of features that are easy to use.

Getting started with ActiveCampaign and Salesforce

ActiveCampaign offers a free trial that allows you to try their platform before you commit to a paid plan. You must create an account and sign up for their free trial to get started. You'll then have access to their features and can start using their platform.

Salesforce also offers a free trial that allows you to try their platform for 30 days. To get started, you'll need to create an account and sign up for their free trial. You'll then get preloaded data or you can upload your own, pre-configured dashboards, reports, processes, and more.

Conclusion: ActiveCampaign offers a seamless experience to newcomers who are just getting started. This is because their free trial is simple to sign up for and provides access to all features. Additionally, their platform is easy to use and doesn't require any training to get started.

We help users get started with Salesforce Marketing Cloud and configure and activate their ActiveCampaign account.

ActiveCampaign Pricing vs Salesforce Pricing

After ActiveCampaign's free trial, their pricing plans start at $9/month. This plan includes email sending, automation, and more. However, the price depends on the number of contacts you have. If you have a maximum of 50,000 contacts, you will pay $339 per month, while a user with over 100,000 contacts will pay $549 and above.

Salesforce's pricing plans start at $25/month. This plan includes basic features such as contact management, automation, and more. However, the price increases as you add more features.

Conclusion: ActiveCampaign is more accessible price-wise. Their plans are more affordable and still offer a wide range of features.

Winner: ActiveCampaign

Which features are unique to each platform?

I will use this section to briefly outline some of the unique features that each platform offers. Both ActiveCampaign and Salesforce offer a wide range of features. However, some unique differing features are worth mentioning.

What type of business do you have?

Your business will play a significant role in deciding which platform is best for you. Some platforms are better suited for certain types of companies. They offer features that are geared towards businesses in that industry.

For example, ActiveCampaign offers various features and integrations perfect for small businesses. On the other hand, Salesforce's platform is more complex and can be difficult for first-timers. I find their features to be more geared towards enterprise businesses.

What types of businesses should use ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is ideal for small businesses, e-commerce businesses, bloggers, and digital marketers. This is because their platform is easy to use and offers a wide range of features that are effective for small businesses. Additionally, their plans are very affordable.

What types of businesses should use Salesforce?

Salesforce's platform is better suited for enterprise businesses. However, their wide range of features can benefit small businesses as well, but are ideal for larger corporations such as professional services like trucking companies, manufacturers, and more. Others include business-to-business companies and lead generation businesses.

ActiveCampaign Support vs Salesforce Support

When you are paying for a platform, you want to ensure that you get the best support possible. After all, you don't want to be left in the dark if something goes wrong. ActiveCampaign and Salesforce both offer great support.

ActiveCampaign offers 24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone. They also have a wide range of resources such as a knowledge base, blog, and more.

Salesforce offers 24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone. They also offer a wide range of resources such as a knowledge base, blog, and more.

Get the help you need, when you need it. Our team is here 24/7 to answer any questions.

ActiveCampaign Reviews

In this comparison, I have read several ActiveCampaign reviews, and I have to say that they are mostly positive. People love how user-friendly their platform is and how affordable their plans are. Additionally, people are impressed with their wide range of features and integrations.

GetApp: 4.6

Check out the full review and comments here.

G2Crowd: 4.6

Check out the full review and comments here.

Capterra: 4.6

Check out the full review and comments here.

G2Crowd: 4.2

Check out the full review and comments here.

Capterra: 4.4

Check out the full review and comments here.

ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce: Who’s the winner?

I would love to say there is a clear winner in this ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce comparison. However, the truth is that it depends on your specific needs. If you are a small business owner, then ActiveCampaign is the clear winner. However, if you are an enterprise business, then Salesforce is the better choice.

The best way to figure out which platform is right for you is to sign up for a free trial of both ActiveCampaign and Salesforce. This way, you can test out each platform and see which one is a better fit for your company.

ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce: Conclusion & Final Thoughts

Finding a CRM and marketing automation tool that meets all your needs can be daunting. In this ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce comparison, I have tried to make it easier for you by providing an overview of both platforms and highlighting their key features.

If you spend too much time trying to figure out which CRM is the best fit for your business, you're going to end up wasting a lot of time since there is no clear winner.

I get many questions about which CRM best fits a specific business. And my answer is always the same; it depends on your needs. Just like a professional services business will benefit from Salesforce's features, a lead generation business will find ActiveCampaign a better platform.

The two business persons do not succeed similarly, so their needs differ. Their efforts are what makes them grow and succeed. If you want to be a success story, you have to know what your needs are. Only then can you find the platform that is the best fit for your business.

I wrote this comparison to help you understand the key differences between ActiveCampaign and Salesforce. I hope this has been helpful and that you can now decide which CRM is the best fit for your business. Good luck!