Campaign Features
The first thing to consider when purchasing an email marketing platform is how this tool can help you create, schedule, and send email campaigns. Here are the key campaign options you will find in Klaviyo vs ActiveCampaign.
Campaign Features Klaviyo
Klaviyo features a drag-and-drop editor that enables you to create and set up a new campaign in minutes. You can easily change images, social links, buttons, text characteristics. This builder also has a dynamic product feed, which means you can connect your store to your Klaviyo account and simply allow the tool’s feed to import the products that interest you in your campaigns. You can set up the feed based on a product category, collection, or tag and allow it to automatically update the emails after those specific products have been updated in your store thanks to its dynamic character.
Campaign Features ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign also features a drag-and-drop email builder which makes it pretty easy to use. Here too, you can adapt your emails and personalize them based on your brand by playing with different elements. ActiveCampaign also offers more than 125 expertly crafted templates that are suitable both for B2B and B2C and have a responsive format. The templates work with HTML. You can also create personalized templates from scratch.
The verdict
Klaviyo’s builder is easier to use than ActiveCampaign builder, so the winner is Klaviyo in this first round.
Testing
To make sure your email campaigns get to your contacts’ main inboxes where they are likely to be opened, you should be able to test your emails before sending them. Here is a quick overview of the spam and design testing tools you get with Klaviyo and Activecampaign.
Klaviyo Testing
This platform enables users with A/B testing options. You can use this feature either to test one-off emails or automated workflows. You can compare different email versions by changing subject lines and content and optimize your campaigns according to the winning formula.
Moreover, you can also use A/B testing for your sign-up forms. These tests will help you collect the data you want to through your forms faster by helping you optimize the forms. For example, you can test two forms that feature differently colored CTA buttons to see which one draws users’ attention more and gets more subscribers.
Activecampaign Testing
With ActiveCampaign, you can test your emails for spam to make sure they reach your customers. These are simple pass or fail tests that are carried out automatically by ActiveCampaign’s Spam Assistant. You can also preview your emails to see how they look in different client inboxes (e.g. Gmail or Apple Mail). However, this feature is not available for free, and you will have to buy credits to use it.
Moreover, you can also split-test different elements of your emails such as subject lines, images, CTAs from information, or email content to understand which version has the highest open rates.
The verdict
ActiveCampaign features multiple spam and design testing options. We consider it the winner.
eCommerce Features
If you have an online store, the good news is that both these platforms offer several features for your domain. Here are the most important ones.
Klaviyo eCommerce Features
This platform offers multiple features for eCommerce, starting with powerful integrations with platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce. With this tool, you can get a clear overview of your buyers’ activity thanks to its reporting; website visits, purchased products, started or completed checkouts, and plenty of other insights are available in real-time.
With Klaviyo, you can also access dynamic coupons for Magento and Shopify.
ActiveCampaign eCommerce Features
ActiveCampaign also offers reliable integrations with major eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, or WooCommerce. You can also see website visits through ActiveCampaign as a feed. To view checkout statuses, the products your customers viewed or recently purchased, the platform offers specific fields that are automatically updated according to the most recent website activity. However, this feature is only available for the most recent activity and doesn’t store past data. This platform doesn’t feature dynamic coupons, but it offers the possibility to generate dynamic codes automatically through Revenue Conduit.
The verdict
Klaviyo wins in this round too as it is more eCommerce-oriented.
Forms
Forms are useful tools you can leverage to collect more leads and target your audience better according to the insights you gather.
Klaviyo Forms
Klaviyo features an intuitive form builder that allows you to easily create and customize your forms by dragging content blocks. There are multiple elements you can use to personalize your forms: buttons, images, you also get different text options. As design options, you can add multi checkboxes, dropdown lists, or several other elements. Overall, the process is fast and straightforward.
ActiveCampaign Forms
To start creating a form in ActiveCampaign, you simply have to go to the Forms section you’ll find in the top banner. Creating a form will take as little as a few minutes once you experiment with it a few times with this feature. You can easily duplicate existing forms, delete them, and customize forms based on your needs.
There are different form types you can choose from: floating box, inline, modal pop-ups, floating bar. You can add as many form actions as you want when creating forms. For example, you can add tags to contacts, create deals, notify users when a form is submitted, or automatically enter a new subscriber to your list. You also get unlimited custom fields, personalized tags to display them, and the possibility to create custom fields on the fly.
The verdict
Both platforms offer similar options, we consider it a tie.
Automation
Automated workflows are an essential part of an effective email marketing strategy. Both Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign offer great automation features.
Klaviyo Automation
Klaviyo’s automation builder is fairly easy to use. To create flows, you have to choose from several triggers. Klaviyo’s main advantage in terms of automation is that it offers lots of ready-made flows for eCommerce. The platform accurately tracks users’ actions and the purchase process so that it can send a new email once an action is completed (eg. a new purchase, abandoned cart, etc.).
ActiveCampaign Automation
ActiveCampaign features a flexible automation builder that allows you to create complex flows. Compared to Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign offers more triggers, which means more advanced flows that bring higher conversions. ActiveCampaign is marketed as an automation and CRM email marketing platform. Not surprisingly, their multi-step automation is quite efficient and intuitive, and you can also benefit from ready-made recipes. To build automation, you rely on a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. You can also automate sales flow thanks to the platform’s robust CRM integration.
The verdict
ActiveCampaign features more powerful automation.
Ease of Use
A good email marketing tool is one that doesn’t require a lot of prior experience. Find out more about Klaviyo vs ActiveCampaign's ease of use.
Klaviyo Ease of Use
Klaviyo beats many of its rivals when it comes to ease of use. This platform has an intuitive and well-organized interface, which makes navigation easy. You can also access simple instructions if you ever get stumbled while using the platform. The email-building process is fast and simple and requires minimal coding skills. The automation is fairly easy to set up.
ActiveCampaign Ease of Use
ActiveCampaign is a powerful platform that centers a lot on automation and CRM integrations. As such, it might be a bit more difficult to get used to it in the beginning because it has plenty of features. You can learn how to navigate the platform by accessing the Help button or going through the available training materials.
The verdict
Klaviyo takes the lead this time because it is more intuitive.
Pricing
Pricing is one of the main factors that will help you decide whether you want to choose Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign. Here are the pricing options you can opt for.
Klaviyo Pricing
Klaviyo has a free plan which you can use for up to 250 subscribers. The sending limit of this free plan is 500 emails. Nonetheless, if you choose this plan, you’ll double opt-in for all contacts and the company’s logo will be present at the bottom of your emails or any other content you create within the platform.
The price of the paid plans depends on the number of subscribers you have. The good news is that you will have no sending limit if you’re on a paid plan. For 500 contacts, you will pay $20 per month. Moreover, as you upgrade your plan, you will also benefit from more customer support options. The price can exceed $1,500 per month if you’ve got a contacts list that’s larger than 130,000 contacts.
As for the features package, each tier basically includes the same features. For the higher tiers, there is also a dedicated account manager.
ActiveCampaign Pricing
ActiveCampaign also offers different subscription options, and they are quite flexible about their offering. The first plan is called ‘Lite’ and you can pay as little as $9 per month for it if you decide to pay yearly, alternatively, the cost is $15 per month. The next tier is the Plus plan and it costs $49 per month if paid yearly. The Professional plan is the next step, and it costs $129 per month. The Enterprise plan costs $229/month. All the plans can be paid for either monthly or yearly. Unfortunately, there is no free tier with ActiveCampaign. However, you can benefit from a free test period of 14 days.
The verdict
ActiveCampaign takes the lead this time as it provides more affordable pricing plans.
Reporting
Reporting is an essential feature that any modern email marketing platform should offer. Here is a quick overview of the reports you can generate with Klaviyo vs ActiveCampaign.
Klaviyo Reporting
This platform’s reporting function is quite flexible. You can build your own analytics dashboard based on your needs and select the information you want to view such as the current number of subscribers, how many people have unsubscribed from your list, or the number of page visits. You can also get detailed reports on your sales. For example, you can classify your products according to the revenue they generated. You can also choose how you want to view data. The tool provides real-time reports for all categories.
ActiveCampaign Reporting
ActiveCampaign also offers a good selection of reports. However, their reporting functionality is centered more on campaigns than on products and sales. With ActiveCampaign, you can easily get real-time stats on how many people have opened your emails, clicked on a link, or joined your list. Reports on your campaign’s goals, our deals are also available, as well as stats on converted leads.
The verdict
Unless you need detailed eCommerce reports, ActiveCampaign might actually be a better, less complicated choice.
Integrations
Integrations are a must these days as you probably use multiple tools for your marketing or sales strategy. Being able to connect them with your email marketing platform is important.
Klaviyo Integrations
Klaviyo can offer you a great selection of integrations. Besides eCommerce platforms, the platform also connects to social platforms, lead generation, and marketing tools, or content management tools. Some of the big names in its integration list include Facebook, Convertful, Desk, Eventbrite, Lightspeed. Moreover, Klaviyo integrates seamlessly with major CRMs and with Zapier, which enables you to create tons of other integrations with third-party apps. You can integrate more than 2000 apps with Klaviyo.
ActiveCampaign Integrations
This platform currently offers more than 300 native integrations. Some of the most popular tools you can integrate with ActiveCampaign include WordPress, Facebook, Google Analytics, Pipedrive, Typeform, ClickFunnels, Unbounce, OptiMonk, Arrivy, NativeForms, AccessAlly, Agile CRM, Act!, AdMailr, and plenty more.
ActiveCampaign also offers an API that helps you build more integrations with any other software. It also integrates with Zapier, which helps you connect other apps with your account. To create new integrations via API, you can access numerous training resources and support options.
The verdict
The options are similar, however, we choose ActiveCampaign for its API.
Customer Support
No matter how tech-savvy you are, you might need customer support at some point in your journey. Learn more about the customer support these two platforms offer.
Klaviyo Customer Support
Klaviyo offers reliable customer support through different channels: phone, email, or live chat. You can contact an agent via live chat support from Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. The support department also offers you help at weekends but only until 4 PM. Live chat support is only available for paying customers. Email support is also available from Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 10 PM and from 10 AM to 4 PM at weekends.
Furthermore, Klaviyo also provides a vast knowledge base that contains numerous guides, videos, or webinars. There is, for example, a useful onboarding course for beginners and different certification courses. You can also join Klaviyo’s user community to get useful tips from your peers.
ActiveCampaign Customer Support
Compared to many other email marketing platforms, including Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign is more generous with its customer support options. ActiveCampaign offers email support 24/7. Their live chat support is available from Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 12 PM and from 4 PM to 11 PM from Friday to Sunday. To contact the support team, you simply have to click on the Help button and select the option that interests you. ActiveCampaign also offers a comprehensive knowledge base, as well as free onboarding, individual or group seminars, as well as migration services.
The verdict
Overall, ActiveCampaign provides more customer support options. It wins in this round.
When to Use Each
If you haven’t managed to read the full Klaviyo vs ActiveCampaign comparison, here’s a quick summary that will help you understand when it’s better to use each one of these tools.
When to Use Klaviyo
Klaviyo is primarily targeting eCommerce businesses. With advanced analytics that can track your customers at each stage of the sales funnel, automation that is suitable for online stores, and robust integrations with eCommerce platforms, this is indeed a good tool for online commerce..
When to Use ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign, on the other hand, is also suitable for eCommerce, but it doesn’t necessarily target this audience. This is mainly a tool for small companies. Relatively affordable and offering a robust set of reports, automation, email, or form design options, ActiveCampaign can suit the needs of any SME.
Pros and Cons
Each one of the two platforms we’ve been focusing on has its pros and cons. Here is a quick overview.
Klaviyo Pros vs Cons
Klaviyo’s pros include the powerful integrations with eCommerce platforms and the fact that it allows you to integrate your products and offers into your email campaigns. Overall, this platform is quite intuitive, and it also provides numerous additional features such as SMS marketing, social advertising, forms, or in-app store notifications. When it comes to spam and design testing, customer support, and pricing plans, this tool lags behind its competitor.
ActiveCampaign Pros vs Cons
ActiveCampaign is a powerful email marketing platform that provides you all the features you need to create outstanding email campaigns: templates, design and spam testing, audience segmentation, ready-made automation. This platform also features flexible pricing plans. However, there’s a steep learning curve if you want to use ActiveCampaign and the tool is sometimes rigid imposing a strict order for certain processes (e.g. to create a campaign, you must create a list first).
Alternatives to Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign
If you haven’t found what you were looking for in ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo, here are two valuable alternatives:
- MailChimp: This software stands out through its multiple reliable integrations (more than 250), affordable pricing plans, and good automation capabilities.
- Moosend: This platform offers outstanding API and SMTP integrations, powerful and complex automated workflows, lead generation tools, responsive and professional-looking templates, and segmentation capabilities.
Final Winner:
Both platforms we compared in this post offer outstanding features. However, our final vote goes to ActiveCampaign as this tool is more suitable for a generic audience. It has affordable and flexible pricing, good customer support, and reliable automation and reporting features.
Check out our other comparisons