Is ActiveCampaign or Sender better for an online course?

Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. Sender if you are starting out with no budget. Sender if you are a list already in the thousands. Sender if you are worried about being locked in.

Which of ActiveCampaign and Sender has the better free plan?

Sender 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 Sender later?

Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep the tag that says who bought from you. We wrote the order of operations up separately.

ActiveCampaign vs Sender

Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on several things that matter more than the monthly price.

ActiveCampaign

Sender

Which one, for whom

Starting out with no budget Sender Sender can run an automated welcome sequence on its free plan. ActiveCampaign cannot, so a new subscriber hears nothing from you until you pay.
A list already in the thousands Sender Sender stays free to 2,500 subscribers against ActiveCampaign's nothing.
Worried about being locked in Sender ActiveCampaign's terms cut off access to your contact data when you cancel. Sender does not do that.

Side by side

	ActiveCampaign	Sender
Free plan	None	2,500 subscribers
Free sends	14-day trial only	15,000 emails/mo
Welcome sequence on free	No	Yes
Paid from	A$23/mo	$7/mo
The catch	Starter caps you at 5 actions per automation, which a real welcome sequence will hit.	A smaller name with a smaller integration list. Check it connects to your course platform before you commit.

Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page on 5 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.

Getting your list back out

ActiveCampaign

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.

Sender

The friendliest exit terms of the nine. Cancelling drops you to the free plan instead of deleting anything: their help page says subscribers, campaigns, automations, forms and reports are all retained.

Try either one

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ActiveCampaign

Deepest automation, once the list pays for itself

We may earn a commission on this link. It never affects the ranking.

See ActiveCampaign pricing Read the full ActiveCampaign breakdown

Sender

The most generous free plan we found

We may earn a commission on this link. It never affects the ranking.

Start free on Sender Read the full Sender breakdown

ActiveCampaign vs Sender, answered

Is ActiveCampaign or Sender better for an online course?: Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. Sender if you are starting out with no budget. Sender if you are a list already in the thousands. Sender if you are worried about being locked in.
Which of ActiveCampaign and Sender has the better free plan?: Sender 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 Sender later?: Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep the tag that says who bought from you. We wrote the order of operations up separately.

Moving between them? Read the switching guide first, or answer four questions to check neither of these is the wrong shortlist.