As your business grows, managing leads, automating emails, and tracking sales pipelines becomes critical. That’s where Keap and ActiveCampaign come in—two of the most powerful tools for small business CRM and marketing automation.
In this 2025 comparison, we’ll break down what each platform offers, their differences, and which one might be right for you.
Platform Overview
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is a CRM-first platform with built-in automation, payments, appointment booking, and sales pipelines—tailored for service businesses.
ActiveCampaign is an email-first CRM designed for deep automation, segmentation, and customer journeys—great for digital marketers and SaaS businesses.
[[Top CRM Tools for Small Business 2025]]
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Keap | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|
| CRM & Sales Pipelines | Yes (visual pipelines) | Yes (flexible pipelines + deals) |
| Email Marketing | Yes (basic & advanced) | Yes (advanced + deep segmentation) |
| Marketing Automation | Yes (visual builder) | Yes (visual builder + site tracking) |
| Appointment Booking | Yes (built-in) | No (requires third-party) |
| Invoicing & Payments | Yes (native invoicing & PayPal/Stripe) | No (via integrations only) |
| Segmentation & Tags | Yes (basic) | Yes (powerful + behavioral logic) |
| Landing Page Builder | Yes | Yes |
| SMS & Multi-Channel | Yes (on Max plans) | Yes (built-in on higher tiers) |
| Free Plan | No (14-day trial) | No (14-day trial) |
When to Choose Keap
✅ Choose Keap if you:
Run a service-based business with scheduling, invoicing, and client tracking
Need an all-in-one solution with CRM + automation + payment tools
Prefer a simpler interface tailored for non-tech business owners
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When to Choose ActiveCampaign
✅ Choose ActiveCampaign if you:
Need powerful automation and advanced email segmentation
Want deep CRM with sales pipelines, tagging, and scoring
Are a marketer or SaaS founder who needs behavioral targeting
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Pricing Comparison (2025)
Keap
Pro: $159/month (2 users)
Max: $229/month (3 users, advanced automations, analytics)
Max Classic (formerly Infusionsoft): Custom
14-day free trial available
ActiveCampaign
Lite: $39/month
Plus: $70/month
Professional: $187/month
Enterprise: Custom
14-day trial, no free plan
Final Verdict: Keap or ActiveCampaign?
✅ Choose Keap if you’re a small service business needing CRM, automation, payments, and scheduling in one place.
✅ Choose ActiveCampaign if you’re a digital marketer or SaaS business focused on powerful segmentation and automation.
Both tools are top-tier, but cater to different business types.
Try Them Today
👉 Start your free trial with Keap – CRM + automation + invoicing in one place
👉 Try ActiveCampaign free for 14 days – Deep automation and CRM tailored for marketers
Keap made it easy to book appointments, send invoices, and track my clients without juggling multiple tools.
ActiveCampaign’s automation builder is a beast. I built my entire customer journey with tags, triggers, and logic.