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AWeber vs ActiveCampaign: cost and features compared (2026)
Last verified against official pricing pages · USD, monthly billing, excluding tax
Prices change often. Every price here was checked against the platform's official pricing page on the date shown, but plans, promos and taxes vary. Always confirm on the official site before you buy or switch. Not financial advice.
Quick answer
- Basic newsletter: AWeber is cheaper at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers; ActiveCampaign is cheaper at 1,000 subscribers.
- With automations: AWeber is cheaper at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers; ActiveCampaign is cheaper at 1,000 subscribers.
- Paid newsletter: only AWeber has a verified option at every size we checked.
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Cost at 1k, 5k, 10k and 25k subscribers
Basic newsletter (no automations)
| Subscribers | AWeber | ActiveCampaign | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $25 (Lite) | $19 (Starter) | ActiveCampaign by $6/mo |
| 5,000 | $60 (Lite) | $99 (Starter) | AWeber by $39/mo |
| 10,000 | $100 (Lite) | $189 (Starter) | AWeber by $89/mo |
| 25,000 | $210 (Lite) | $489 (Starter) | AWeber by $279/mo |
With automations (welcome sequences, drips)
| Subscribers | AWeber | ActiveCampaign | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $25 (Lite, limited) | $19 (Starter) | ActiveCampaign by $6/mo |
| 5,000 | $60 (Lite, limited) | $99 (Starter) | AWeber by $39/mo |
| 10,000 | $100 (Lite, limited) | $189 (Starter) | AWeber by $89/mo |
| 25,000 | $210 (Lite, limited) | $489 (Starter) | AWeber by $279/mo |
Paid newsletter (5% of subscribers pay $8/mo)
| Subscribers | AWeber | ActiveCampaign | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $58.40 (Lite) | n/a | AWeber (only option in our verified data) |
| 5,000 | $227 (Lite) | n/a | AWeber (only option in our verified data) |
| 10,000 | $434 (Lite) | n/a | AWeber (only option in our verified data) |
| 25,000 | $1,045 (Lite) | n/a | AWeber (only option in our verified data) |
Switching? AWeber → ActiveCampaign cost · ActiveCampaign → AWeber cost · Best platform for your needs
Cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and required features. Paid totals = plan + platform cut + Stripe card fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment, estimate) + Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments where confirmed (beehiiv, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack, AWeber and Flodesk); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees. "limited" = feature is capped on that plan. Run your exact numbers →
Key differences
| AWeber | ActiveCampaign | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | free up to 500 subscribers | no free plan |
| Fee on paid subscriptions | 0.6–1% platform cut depending on plan + Stripe fees | not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages) |
| Cheapest plan with automations | Plus (from $30/mo) | Starter (from $19/mo) |
| Cheapest plan with own domain | Lite (from $15/mo) | Plus (from $59/mo) |
| Cheapest plan without platform branding | Plus (from $30/mo) | Plus (from $59/mo) |
| Plans | Free, Lite, Plus | Starter, Plus, Pro, Enterprise |
| Prices verified | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-20 |
Who each is best for
AWeber is best for
Small businesses and creators who want a long-established email tool with a simple subscriber-based price, landing pages and built-in selling, and who email a few times a week at most.
- Priced by active subscribers (unsubscribes and unconfirmed contacts don't count). Each tier includes monthly sends of 10× the tier on Lite and 12× on Plus; going over the subscriber count or the sends moves you up a tier automatically. source
- Free plan: up to 500 subscribers and 3,000 sends a month, 1 automation, 1 landing page, AWeber branding stays. source
- Lite caps you at 3 email automations, 3 landing pages and 1 list, and keeps AWeber branding; Plus removes branding and limits. source
- Paid subscriptions are sold via Stripe on AWeber landing pages: AWeber takes 1.0% per transaction on Free and Lite and 0.6% on Plus, plus Stripe fees. source
ActiveCampaign is best for
Businesses that live on automation (multi-step journeys, scoring, CRM-style follow-up) and are happy to pay more per contact than newsletter-first tools.
- Priced by contact count in bands (1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 7,500, 10,000, 15,000 ... 50,000); above 50,000 you request a quote. No free plan, only a 14-day trial. source
- The pricing page shows yearly billing; monthly billing costs more (e.g. Starter at 1,000 contacts: $19/mo monthly vs $180/yr), as shown on the official checkout page. source
- Monthly sends = 10× contacts on Starter and Plus, 12× on Pro, 15× on Enterprise; extra sends cost $0.005 each. source
- Multi-step automation on every plan. Landing pages on your own domain and turning off ActiveCampaign branding start at Plus. source
Try AWeber (paid link) Try ActiveCampaign
FAQ
Is AWeber cheaper than ActiveCampaign?
It depends on your list and needs. In our data (monthly billing, 1,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / 25,000 subscribers): basic newsletter — AWeber is cheaper at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers; ActiveCampaign is cheaper at 1,000 subscribers. With automations — AWeber is cheaper at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers; ActiveCampaign is cheaper at 1,000 subscribers. Paid newsletter — only AWeber has a verified option at every size we checked. Prices verified 2026-10-20.
Which has the bigger free plan, AWeber or ActiveCampaign?
AWeber: free up to 500 subscribers. ActiveCampaign: no free plan. Free plans have feature limits — see the comparison table.
Do AWeber and ActiveCampaign take a cut of paid subscriptions?
AWeber: 0.6–1% platform cut depending on plan + Stripe fees. ActiveCampaign: not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages).
What do AWeber and ActiveCampaign cost at 10,000 subscribers?
On monthly billing, a basic newsletter costs $100/mo on AWeber Lite and $189/mo on ActiveCampaign Starter. With automations: $100/mo (AWeber Lite) vs $189/mo (ActiveCampaign Starter).
Sources
- AWeber pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- AWeber: paid subscriptions
- AWeber: docs.aweber.com/getting-started-with-aweber/aweber-information/pricing-frequently-asked-questions
- AWeber: docs.aweber.com/getting-started-with-aweber/aweber-information/how-much-does-aweber-cost
- ActiveCampaign pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- ActiveCampaign: activecampaign.com/signup/?code=ac&tier=starter&contacts=1000¤cy=USD
- ActiveCampaign: help.activecampaign.com/hc/en-us/articles/10918125380764-About-email-send-limits-and-overage-fees
- ActiveCampaign: help.activecampaign.com/hc/en-us/articles/206775170-How-to-turn-off-ActiveCampaign-branding-in-your-account
- Stripe pricing (card-fee estimate)
- Stripe Billing pricing (0.7% on recurring payments)
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Guides: AWeber Free plan (2026)
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