Keap vs ActiveCampaign: What You Need to Know
Established SMB CRM-and-invoicing vs deep email-automation — Keap's flat per-user price vs ActiveCampaign's per-contact climb, and neither has an AI receptionist.
- Keap pricing: From $299/mo ($249 annual, 2 users, 1,500 contacts) + $39/user + paid implementation
- ActiveCampaign pricing: ~$15–$145/mo at 1,000 contacts (annual, configurator-gated); climbs with list size
- The real trade-off: Established SMB CRM-and-invoicing vs deep email-automation — Keap's flat per-user price vs ActiveCampaign's per-contact climb, and neither has an AI receptionist.
- The third option: SeldonFrame ships the whole front office at $29/mo flat — see below
Keap
Keap (owned by Thryv since October 2024) is a veteran small-business CRM and automation platform with invoicing and payments.
- +You have years of mature Keap automations already built
- +Invoicing and payments are central to your workflow
- +The acquisition-era changes don't concern your use case
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is an automation-first email marketing platform with a light CRM layer, priced per contact.
- +Segmented email automation is your core deliverable
- +You need deep integration with 900+ marketing tools
- +Your business runs on newsletter and broadcast sequences
Keap vs ActiveCampaign vs SeldonFrame
| Features | Keap | ActiveCampaign | SeldonFrame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Established SMBs with mature Keap automations already built | Email marketers running deep automated sequences | Agencies & builders running AI front offices for clients |
| Pricing model | From $299/mo ($249 annual, 2 users, 1,500 contacts) + $39/user + paid implementation | ~$15–$145/mo at 1,000 contacts (annual, configurator-gated); climbs with list size | From $29/mo flat — unlimited workspaces (agency whitelabel from $99/mo) |
| AI receptionist (calls, SMS, chat) | None — no phone, SMS or chat AI agent | None — Active Intelligence AI assists with content/predictions, not phone or SMS answering | Native — AI receptionist answers, qualifies & books across voice, SMS & web chat |
| Website, CRM & booking behind the agent | Partial — CRM, invoicing and payments; no website builder, no AI-driven booking | None — email/CRM only; no website builder, booking calendar or intake forms | Included — multi-page website, CRM, booking calendar, intake forms, review requests in every workspace |
| Whitelabel & client workspaces | None — not built for agency resale | None — not built for agency resale | Included — whitelabel client portal, per-client workspaces, custom domains, one-click multi-client deploy |
| AI usage costs | Not applicable — no native AI agent | Bundled into per-contact plan tiers | BYOK — bring your own AI (and Twilio) keys and pay providers at raw cost, zero markup |
| Sell / resell what you build | No | No native reseller program | Built in — publish agents to the marketplace or rent them via MCP (5% marketplace fee) |
Prices checked July 2026 on Keap's pricing page.
Prices checked July 2026 on ActiveCampaign's pricing page.
The honest take
Keap: Choose Keap if you have years of automations, invoicing, and payment workflows already built there and the acquisition-era changes don't affect your use case.
ActiveCampaign: Choose ActiveCampaign if segmented, deeply automated email marketing is your core deliverable and you need its depth with 900+ integrations.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Keap or ActiveCampaign?
It depends what you need. Keap: Choose Keap if you have years of automations, invoicing, and payment workflows already built there and the acquisition-era changes don't affect your use case. ActiveCampaign: Choose ActiveCampaign if segmented, deeply automated email marketing is your core deliverable and you need its depth with 900+ integrations.
What does Keap cost vs ActiveCampaign?
Keap: From $299/mo ($249 annual, 2 users, 1,500 contacts) + $39/user + paid implementation. ActiveCampaign: ~$15–$145/mo at 1,000 contacts (annual, configurator-gated); climbs with list size.
Is there an alternative to both?
Yes — SeldonFrame ships the AI receptionist plus the website, CRM and booking calendar it books into, for $29/mo flat with unlimited workspaces. See how it compares: /alternatives.
Can I switch from Keap or ActiveCampaign?
Yes — see the full switching guides for each: /alternative-to-keap and /alternative-to-activecampaign.
Need what both Keap and ActiveCampaign do?
Most people running this comparison actually need the outcome underneath both tools: calls and chats answered, leads qualified, jobs booked into a real calendar and CRM, on a site the client owns. SeldonFrame ships that whole front office from one conversation — $29/mo flat, unlimited workspaces, your own AI keys at raw cost, whitelabel included.