GetResponse vs ActiveCampaign 2026: Which One Is Right for You?

Every comparison of these two opens with the same figure: ActiveCampaign starts at $15/mo, GetResponse at $19/mo. ActiveCampaign wins on price.

Two things are wrong with that.

First, those numbers aren't the same kind of number. ActiveCampaign's pricing page publishes annual rates only — every plan is labelled “Billed annually” and there is no monthly toggle. GetResponse publishes both: $19 monthly, $15.58 if you pay for the year. So the familiar “$15 vs $19” is ActiveCampaign's annual rate against GetResponse's monthly one. Compared like for like on annual billing, it's $15.00 against $15.58 — a gap of 58 cents, not 21%.

Second, both prices are quoted at 1,000 contacts and both scale with list size — but not at the same rate. Take the same two entry plans to 10,000 contacts and ActiveCampaign Starter goes from $15 to $149, while GetResponse Starter goes from $15.58 to $64.78. The plan that was 58 cents cheaper is now $84 a month more expensive.

The steepest curve on either platform is ActiveCampaign's cheapest plan. Starter multiplies by 9.9× between 1,000 and 10,000 contacts. Its own Plus plan multiplies by 3.9× over the same range, and GetResponse Marketer by just 1.9×. The plan that looks like the bargain is the one that punishes list growth hardest — which matters because list growth is the one variable a working email programme is guaranteed to change.

And neither entry plan really does automation. ActiveCampaign Starter caps you at 5 actions per automation with limited segmentation and 1 user. GetResponse Starter gives you exactly 1 custom automation workflow. If automation is why you're shopping — and with these two, it usually is — the real comparison is ActiveCampaign Plus against GetResponse Marketer: $49 vs $48.38 at 1,000 contacts, and $189 vs $93.48 at 10,000.

So the honest answer depends on one question nobody asks first: how big is your list going to get? Under a couple of thousand contacts, these platforms cost the same and you should choose on features — ActiveCampaign for CRM depth and segmentation, GetResponse for webinars, courses and a website builder. Past roughly five thousand, GetResponse's gentler curve compounds into real money, and ActiveCampaign has to earn a widening premium on capability alone.

Pricing verified against activecampaign.com/pricing and getresponse.com/pricing on July 20, 2026, at both the 1,000 and 10,000 email-contact settings. ActiveCampaign figures are annual-billing rates, which is the only basis its pricing page displays; GetResponse is shown on annual billing for comparability, with monthly rates in the table below. Both platforms price in bands, so a list between the two points shown will land between the two prices rather than on a straight line. Verify current rates before purchasing.