ActiveCampaign vs beehiiv
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on several things that matter more than the monthly price.
ActiveCampaign
beehiivWhich one, for whom
- A list already in the thousandsbeehiivbeehiiv stays free to 2,500 subscribers against ActiveCampaign's nothing.Start free on beehiiv
- Worried about being locked inbeehiivActiveCampaign's terms cut off access to your contact data when you cancel. beehiiv does not do that.
- Selling the course from the same toolbeehiivbeehiiv can take the payment itself, so you do not need a separate checkout.
Side by side
| ActiveCampaign | beehiiv | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None | 2,500 subscribers |
| Free sends | 14-day trial only | Unlimited sends |
| Welcome sequence on free | No | No |
| Connects to Teachable | Direct | Not listed |
| Connects to Kajabi | Direct | Not listed |
| Connects to Podia | Direct | Not listed |
| Connects to Thinkific | Direct | Not listed |
| Paid from | A$23/mo AUD | $43/mo USD |
| At 5,000 subscribers | Not published | $78 |
| At 25,000 subscribers | Not published | $149 |
| The catch | Starter caps you at 5 actions per automation, which a real welcome sequence will hit. | You cannot sell anything from the free plan: paid subscriptions and digital products both need a paid plan. |
| G2 score | 4.4 out of 5, from 14,791 reviews | 4.5 out of 5, from 40 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 2.7 out of 5, from 1,433 reviews | 4.0 out of 5, from 386 reviews |
Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page on 9 September 2026. Where a row says not published, that vendor does not state a price at that list size and we will not invent one.
The last two rows are other people's scores, not ours, read on 6 September 2026. Check them yourself:ActiveCampaign on G2, ActiveCampaign on Trustpilot, beehiiv on G2, beehiiv on Trustpilot.
- ActiveCampaign: Reviewers disagree about this one. It scores 4.4 on G2 and 2.7 on Trustpilot. Read a page of each before you decide, because one of those audiences is having a different experience to the other.
- beehiiv: The G2 score rests on 40 reviews, which is a small enough number that a handful of unhappy or delighted people can move it.
Getting your list back out
ActiveCampaignHard to leave
Read this before you sign up. Their terms say that on cancellation "you will not have access to or be able to restore any Contact Data". Export your list before you cancel, not after. Source
beehiivEasy to leave
Cancelling a paid plan alone does not delete anything: downgrading to the free Launch plan "keeps your account and all your content intact," per their own help centre. Data is destroyed only if you take the separate, explicit step of deleting the publication or workspace, which their docs call irreversible and warn will delete any subscribers and segments tied to it. Their terms also disclaim any general duty to preserve data after cancellation, so exporting your list is worth doing as routine practice either way. Source
ActiveCampaign vs beehiiv, answered
- Is ActiveCampaign or beehiiv better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. beehiiv if you are a list already in the thousands. beehiiv if you are worried about being locked in. beehiiv if you are selling the course from the same tool.
- Which of ActiveCampaign and beehiiv has the better free plan?
- beehiiv allows more free subscribers (2,500 against none). A bigger allowance is not automatically the better plan: check the welcome sequence row above, because that is where the two usually part company.
- Can I move from ActiveCampaign to beehiiv later?
- Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep whatever marks who bought from you. We wrote the whole running order up separately.
Try either one
ActiveCampaignDeepest automation, once the list pays for itself
A$23/mo AUDpaid plans start here. No free plan. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
See ActiveCampaign pricingRead the full ActiveCampaign breakdownbeehiivBest if the course sits beside a newsletter
$43/mo USDpaid plans start here. Free up to 2,500. Read off their pricing page on 9 September 2026.
Start free on beehiivRead the full beehiiv breakdownMoving between them? Read the switching guide first, or answer 5 questions to check neither of these is the wrong shortlist.
Neither of these? See all 14, including which ones connect straight to Teachable, Kajabi, Podia or Thinkific, or compare what they cost as your list grows.