Beehiiv vs ActiveCampaign – Which Is Better?

When it comes to email marketing, choosing the right platform is crucial for the success of your campaigns. Beehiiv and ActiveCampaign are two popular options in the market.

Beehiiv is an all-in-one newsletter platform that provides powerful tools for creators to build, grow, and monetize their newsletters.

ActiveCampaign is a powerful marketing automation platform that provides a comprehensive suite of features for email marketing, social media integration, and advanced analytics to help businesses streamline their marketing efforts and drive growth.

In this article, we will compare various aspects of these platforms to determine which platform is better suited for your email marketing needs.

Let’s begin!

Overview of Beehiiv

Beehiiv is a dynamic and modern email marketing platform that caters specifically to the needs of content creators and bloggers.

It offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to aid in newsletter growth and monetization, making it an ideal choice for individuals looking to connect with their audience and drive revenue.

• Newsletter Builder: Beehiiv offers a modern and minimalistic newsletter builder that makes it easy to write and send emails.
• Website Hosting: When you create a Beehiiv newsletter, it gets its website where all your past newsletter issues are hosted.
• Analytics and Reporting: Beehiiv provides detailed analytics on your newsletter performance, including subscriber counts, open rates, click-through rates, and more.
• Subscriber Management: Beehiiv makes it easy to manage your email list, allowing you to segment subscribers, run surveys and polls, and even set up a referral program to grow your audience.
• Monetization Tools: Beehiiv offers features to help you monetize your newsletter, such as the ability to offer paid subscriptions and launch a referral program to incentivize subscribers to share your content.

Overall, Beehiiv is a top choice for individuals looking to build a successful newsletter that connects with their audience and generates revenue.

Also read: Beehiiv vs ConvertKit

Overview of ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive email marketing platform that specializes in email automation, CRM integration, and customer segmentation.

It offers a wide range of features and tools to help businesses optimize their email marketing campaigns and engage with their audience in a personalized manner.

• Email automation capabilities: This allows users to create personalized email workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and deliver targeted content at the right time to the right audience.

• CRM integration: This feature enables users to manage and track customer interactions and data more effectively and deliver more targeted messages based on customer behavior and preferences.

• Customer segmentation:  ActiveCampaign allows segmenting subscribers based on demographics, interests, or purchasing behavior, so that businesses can deliver personalized content and offers.

• Integrations: With over 800 integrations, ActiveCampaign provides extensive connectivity options, making it a flexible and versatile choice for businesses of all sizes.

In short, ActiveCampaign offers a comprehensive set of features for businesses looking to optimize their email marketing efforts.

It provides the tools necessary to deliver personalized and engaging content to the right audience at the right time.

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Ease of Use

It is interesting to note the differences between Beehiiv and ActiveCampaign in terms of ease of use.

User Interface

• Beehiiv has a cleaner, more intuitive user interface that is easier for beginners to navigate.
• ActiveCampaign has a more complex interface with more features and options, which can be overwhelming for those new to email marketing.

Learning Curve

• Beehiiv has a shorter learning curve and is quicker to set up and start using.
• ActiveCampaign requires more time to learn how to use all of its advanced features and capabilities effectively.

Automation Setup

• Beehiiv’s automation workflows are simpler to set up, with fewer options and triggers.
• ActiveCampaign’s automation is more robust but requires more time to configure complex workflows.

Reporting

• Beehiiv’s reporting dashboard is more user-friendly and highlights key metrics prominently.
• ActiveCampaign’s reporting is more comprehensive but can be complex to navigate.

Beehiiv is easier to use, with a clean interface, quick setup, and simple automation. ActiveCampaign is powerful but requires more time to learn and configure.

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Newsletter/Email Builder

Beehiiv

Beehiiv offers a modern, minimalistic newsletter builder with customizable designs and the ability to add various content types like videos and images.

Its key features include:

• Customizable templates and designs that can be saved and reused
• User-friendly editor with no coding required, even for custom templates
• Ability to add videos, images, polls, surveys and other interactive content
• Clean, distraction-free interface focused on content creation

ActiveCampaign

In comparison, ActiveCampaign provides an improved email designer with more advanced features for creating branded, high-performing emails:

• Drag-and-drop editor with pre-built content blocks and layouts
• Dynamic content options to personalize emails based on subscriber data
• A/B testing to optimize email content and subject lines
• Integrations with stock photo libraries
• More robust and feature-rich for complex email marketing at scale

Beehiiv’s newsletter builder is modern, user-friendly and ideal for content creators.

In contrast, ActiveCampaign’s email designer provides more advanced functionality for larger businesses to create highly branded, personalized email campaigns.

The best choice depends on the specific needs and resources of the newsletter or business.

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Subscriber Management

There are significant differences between Beehiiv and ActiveCampaign in subscriber management.

Subscriber Segmentation

• ActiveCampaign offers more advanced segmentation tools that allow you to effectively target specific groups within your list based on various criteria.
• Beehiiv provides simpler but still robust segmentation capabilities.

Subscriber Interface

• Beehiiv has an easy-to-use interface for managing contacts and subscribers.
• ActiveCampaign’s subscriber management interface is more complex due to its advanced features.

Subscriber Growth

• Both platforms provide features to help grow your subscriber base, such as signup forms and landing pages.
• Beehiiv focuses more on providing tools for content-driven newsletter growth, while ActiveCampaign caters to businesses that need CRM and marketing automation.

Subscriber Engagement

• ActiveCampaign excels at automating personalized email sequences to engage subscribers based on their behavior and interests.
• Beehiiv offers simpler but effective automation workflows and a referral program to boost engagement.

Subscriber Monetization

• Beehiiv has built-in features like paid subscriptions and an ad network to help you monetize your newsletter subscribers.
• ActiveCampaign lacks native monetization tools but integrates with ecommerce platforms.

ActiveCampaign provides more advanced, enterprise-level subscriber management capabilities, while Beehiiv offers a simpler, more user-friendly interface.

The right choice depends on whether you prioritize complex segmentation and automation or an all-in-one platform optimized for newsletter creators.

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Automation & Workflows

Here is a look into the main differences between Beehiiv and ActiveCampaign in terms of automation and workflows.

Automation Capabilities

• ActiveCampaign provides more advanced automation features tailored for larger businesses and complex marketing strategies. It offers an “Automation Map” to visually build complex workflows.
• Beehiiv has simpler automation capabilities. However, they are still effective and user-friendly for growing creators and content-focused newsletters.

Personalization

• ActiveCampaign allows for more dynamic, personalized content in emails based on subscriber data and behavior.
• Beehiiv’s automation is more focused on basic list segmentation and triggered emails, rather than highly personalized campaigns.

Integrations

• ActiveCampaign integrates with a wide range of third-party tools to extend its automation capabilities.
• Beehiiv has fewer native integrations, but focuses on providing an all-in-one platform for newsletters.

Complexity

• ActiveCampaign’s automation is more robust and powerful. It is also more complex to set up and manage.
• Beehiiv’s automation is simpler and more user-friendly, making it a better fit for smaller teams or creators without dedicated marketing resources.

ActiveCampaign is the stronger choice for businesses that require advanced, enterprise-level marketing automation.

Beehiiv provides a more streamlined, accessible automation experience tailored for content creators and growing newsletters.

Also read: Beehiiv vs AWeber 

Analytics & Reporting

Comprehensiveness

• ActiveCampaign provides more comprehensive analytics and reporting features, with in-depth statistics to support sales, lead nurturing, and ecommerce activities
• Beehiiv’s analytics are more focused on newsletter performance metrics like open rates and click-through rates

User-Friendliness

• Beehiiv’s analytics dashboard is more user-friendly and easier to navigate, with key metrics displayed prominently
• ActiveCampaign’s reporting is more robust but can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of metrics and options

Customization

• ActiveCampaign allows for a higher degree of customization in reporting, with the ability to create custom reports and dashboards
• Beehiiv provides pre-built reports that are effective for most use cases but have less flexibility

Integrations

• ActiveCampaign’s analytics deeply integrate with its CRM and automation features, providing a more holistic view of customer data
• Beehiiv’s analytics are focused on newsletter performance and have fewer integrations with external data sources

Metrics

• Both platforms provide detailed metrics on email performance like open rates, click rates, and unsubscribes
• Beehiiv also tracks referral program performance and revenue generated from paid subscriptions

ActiveCampaign provides advanced, enterprise-level analytics tailored for complex marketing and sales user cases.

Beehiiv offers a simpler, more user-friendly analytics experience focused on newsletter metrics.

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Monetization Tools

There are considerable variations between Beehiiv and ActiveCampaign in terms of monetization options.

Paid Subscriptions

• Beehiiv has built-in features to offer paid subscriptions for your newsletter content.
• ActiveCampaign lacks native paid subscription capabilities. However, it can integrate with third-party platforms.

Referral Programs

• Beehiiv provides integrated referral programs to incentivize subscribers to share your content and grow your audience.
• ActiveCampaign does not have a built-in referral program feature.

Advertising

• Beehiiv offers an ad network that allows you to monetize your newsletter through advertising.
• ActiveCampaign does not have any native advertising or monetization features.

Ecommerce Integration

• ActiveCampaign integrates with various ecommerce platforms to support sales and revenue tracking.
• Beehiiv’s monetization is more focused on newsletter-specific features like paid subscriptions and referrals.

Beehiiv is the stronger platform for built-in monetization tools tailored for newsletter creators, such as paid subscriptions, referral programs, and an ad network.

ActiveCampaign, on the other hand, lacks these native monetization features but provides deeper integrations with ecommerce and sales platforms.

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Website Integration

Now, let’s see how Beehiiv and ActiveCampaign score across different aspects of website integration.

Website Hosting

• Beehiiv provides an integrated website to host your newsletter archives and content.
• ActiveCampaign offers a custom page builder but does not have a built-in website feature.

Subscriber Authentication

• Beehiiv allows for user authentication and paywalling of newsletter content on the integrated website.
• ActiveCampaign lacks native support for subscriber authentication and paid access to content.

RSS Integration

• Beehiiv supports integrating RSS feeds to automatically pull in content to your newsletter.
• ActiveCampaign does not have built-in RSS integration capabilities.

Website Customization

• Beehiiv offers more flexibility to customize the design and branding of the integrated newsletter website.
• ActiveCampaign’s page builder provides less design control compared to Beehiiv’s newsletter-focused website.

Beehiiv is the stronger platform in terms of website integration features tailored for newsletters.

It provides an all-in-one solution with a built-in website, subscriber authentication, and RSS support.

ActiveCampaign, on the other hand, lacks these newsletter-specific website capabilities but may be a better fit if you need more general website building and CMS functionality.

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Ideal Use Cases

Beehiiv

Beehiiv is best suited for:

• Content creators and bloggers who want an all-in-one platform to build, grow, and monetize their newsletter
• Entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to engage their audience through a newsletter
• Freelancers and solopreneurs who need an easy-to-use newsletter tool with built-in monetization features
• Niche publishers or community leaders who want to offer paid newsletter subscriptions
• Creators who want to leverage referral programs and an ad network to generate revenue from their newsletter

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is better suited for:

• Larger businesses and enterprises with complex marketing and sales needs
• Companies that require advanced automation, segmentation, and personalization capabilities
• Ecommerce businesses that need to tightly integrate email marketing with their sales and customer data
• Organizations with dedicated marketing and customer service teams that can leverage ActiveCampaign’s robust feature set
• Businesses that need to scale their email marketing efforts across multiple products, services or locations

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Third-party Integrations

Let’s explore how these two platforms perform when it comes to third-party integrations.

Integration Ecosystem

• ActiveCampaign has a larger ecosystem of third-party integrations, with hundreds of apps available through their marketplace.
• Beehiiv has fewer native integrations but focuses on providing an all-in-one platform for newsletters.

Integration Types

• ActiveCampaign integrates with a wide variety of tools across CRM, ecommerce, social media, and other categories.
• Beehiiv’s integrations are more focused on newsletter-related tools like RSS feeds, referral programs, and ad networks.

Integration Depth

• ActiveCampaign’s integrations tend to be deeper, allowing for more advanced functionality and data sharing between apps.
• Beehiiv’s integrations are simpler but still effective for core newsletter use cases.

Integration Platforms

• Both platforms integrate with popular automation tools like Zapier and Integrately.
• ActiveCampaign has more direct integrations with enterprise tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Shopify.

ActiveCampaign has a more extensive and flexible integration ecosystem, making it a better choice for businesses that need to connect their email marketing to a wide variety of other tools and platforms. .

On the other hand, Beehiiv’s integrations are more limited but tailored specifically for newsletter creators.

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Pricing Comparison

Beehiiv

Here are the details of Beehiiv’s pricing structure:

Pricing Model: Beehiiv has a flat-rate pricing model, with plans starting at $39/month. The Scale Plan priced at $39 per month offers email automation, premium subscriptions and community access.

The Max plan priced at $99 provides priority support and Newsletter XP course.

Subscriber-Based Pricing: Beehiiv’s flat-rate pricing is not directly tied to the size of your subscriber base.

Pricing Transparency: Beehiiv’s pricing is more straightforward and transparent, with a clear breakdown of features for each plan.

Free Plan: Beehiiv offers a free Launch plan that supports up to 2,400 subscribers and offers features such as a custom website, unlimited email sends, and campaign analytics.

Enterprise Pricing: Beehiiv’s Enterprise Plan comes with custom pricing and an array of features such as dedicated IP addresses and a designated account manager.

ActiveCampaign

Let’s take a look at the pricing plans from ActiveCampaign.

Pricing model: ActiveCampaign uses a tiered pricing model based on the number of contacts, with plans starting at $15/month.

Pricing for the Starter plans begins at $15 per month while you can access the Plus plan at rates starting from $49 per month. There is also the Pro plan starting from $79 per month.

Subscriber-Based Pricing: ActiveCampaign’s pricing scales up as you add more subscribers to your list.

Pricing Transparency: ActiveCampaign’s pricing can be more complex, with add-ons and features that increase the overall cost

Free Plan: ActiveCampaign does not have a free plan option.

Enterprise Pricing: ActiveCampaign has customized enterprise-level pricing for larger businesses with complex needs. It starts from $145 per month.

Beehiiv’s flat-rate, transparent pricing model is better suited for growing creators and small businesses.

ActiveCampaign’s subscriber-based, tiered pricing is more tailored for larger enterprises that require advanced features and functionality.

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Customer Support & Resources

When it comes to customer support and resources, both Beehiiv and ActiveCampaign prioritize your success and provide the necessary assistance to help you maximize the potential of their platforms.

Beehiiv

Beehiiv offers a range of customer support options to ensure you have access to timely help when you need it.

You can rely on their live chat support and email support to address any questions or issues you may encounter. Their dedicated support team is committed to providing prompt and helpful assistance, so you can focus on growing your newsletter.

Additionally, Beehiiv offers a comprehensive knowledge base where you can find detailed guides and tutorials to help you navigate their platform with ease.

ActiveCampaign

On the other hand, ActiveCampaign also puts a strong emphasis on customer support.

They offer 24/7 customer support via email and chat, ensuring that you can reach out to their team whenever support is needed.

Furthermore, ActiveCampaign understands that sometimes you prefer to explore and learn on your own, which is why they provide an extensive library of video tutorials and guides.

These resources enable you to deepen your understanding of their platform and make the most of its features.

Whether you choose Beehiiv or ActiveCampaign, you can rest assured that you will receive reliable and responsive customer support.

Both platforms value your success and are committed to helping you achieve your goals.

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Conclusion

Beehiiv is an excellent choice for newsletters and publications, providing a comprehensive solution for website management and email marketing.

On the other hand, ActiveCampaign excels in automation, CRM integration, and customer segmentation, making it a preferred choice for businesses seeking advanced functionality.

Before making a final decision, take advantage of free trials or demos offered by both platforms.

This will allow you to test the capabilities of each platform firsthand and make an informed choice based on your unique requirements.

Whether you prioritize content optimization or advanced automation, the choice between Beehiiv and ActiveCampaign ultimately depends on your individual preferences and goals.