Bluey · GrowSend-based
$30/mo/month
- Flat send-based pricing with no per-contact creep
- CRM, AI writer and unlimited flows included, no add-ons
- Real free plan and a gentle learning curve
- Marketing and transactional email on one bill
Side-by-side · honest pricing
BlueyvsActiveCampaign
Automation power, at add-on prices
ActiveCampaign owns the deepest automation builder, but bills per active contact with paid add-ons stacked on top. Bluey trades some depth for all-inclusive, send-based pricing.
The worked example10,000 contacts · 40K emails/mo
ActiveCampaign · PlusPublished rate
~$189/mo · Plus/month
- Bills unsubscribed and bounced contacts (since late 2025)
- No free plan, trial only
- Real cost often 30-50% higher after CRM, SMS and users
- Steep learning curve is the most-cited drawback
84% lower on Bluey · same volume
Quick answer — which should you choose?
ActiveCampaign is the most powerful automation and sales-CRM builder in the category, priced per active contact with no free plan. Bluey gives strong-enough automation on flat, send-based pricing with a real free plan. Choose ActiveCampaign if multi-branch lifecycle automation is your growth engine; choose Bluey for predictable cost and a gentler learning curve. At 10,000 contacts emailed about four times a month (40K sends), Bluey Grow is $30/mo versus roughly $189/mo on ActiveCampaign Plus (annual, before add-ons).
Starting price
Bluey$7/mo · 6K emails
ActiveCampaign$15/mo · 1K (Starter, annual)
Pricing scales with
BlueyEmails sent
ActiveCampaignActive contacts (incl. unsub/bounced)
Marketing + transactional
BlueySame plan
ActiveCampaignTransactional is separate/add-on
Every row
The boring details, side by side.
Feature
Bluey
ActiveCampaign
Pricing — the maths
Billing basis
Emails sentActive contactsCharges for unsubscribed / bounced contacts
Free plan
Cost at 10K contacts / 40K sends
$30/mo~$189/mo (Plus)Annual commitment for headline price
The add-on stack
CRM included at no extra cost
Higher tiers / add-onSMS billed as separate credits
N/AExtra users cost more
Real bill vs headline price
SameOften 30-50% higherAutomations & data
Unlimited automations on entry plan
Plan-dependentAI subject and body writer included
PartialSend-time optimization
Higher tiersTime to first value
FastSlow (steep curve)Where ActiveCampaign wins — the honest rows
Multi-branch conditional automation depth
SolidBest-in-classSales CRM and pipeline automation
Built-in CRMDeeper, sales-gradeEcommerce / Shopify automation depth
Core flowsAdvancedNative SMS marketing
CRM & support
Marketing + transactional on one bill
CRM without upgrading tiers
Predictable, all-inclusive invoice
Onboarding difficulty
LowHighWhy teams move
Three things that come up in every conversation.
The headline price is the real price
ActiveCampaign quotes per contact, then CRM, SMS and extra seats push the bill 30-50% higher. Bluey includes CRM, AI and unlimited flows, so what you see is what you pay.
You do not pay for bounced or unsubscribed contacts
Since late 2025 ActiveCampaign bills those too. Bluey charges only for emails actually sent, so list hygiene never raises your invoice.
Value on day one
No steep learning curve and a real free plan mean small teams ship a welcome flow and a newsletter without a consultant.
Being straight with you
When ActiveCampaign is the better choice.
Bluey is honestly not built for every team.
Automation is your competitive edge and you need multi-branch, conditional logic
You run a lead-driven B2B motion that lives in a sales-grade CRM and pipeline
You want native SMS and advanced Shopify automation in one platform
If a best-in-class builder drives your growth, ActiveCampaign earns its price and its learning curve.
Switching from ActiveCampaign? Here is the short version.
Switching means exporting contacts and rebuilding your essential flows; complex multi-branch automations take the most time.
1Export contacts, tags and custom fields from ActiveCampaign
2Import to Bluey and map tags to segments and the CRM
3Rebuild your core welcome, nurture and re-engagement flows
4Verify your domain, move templates, and send a test
Free download
The ActiveCampaign to Bluey migration checklist (PDF)
Start your free trial and we will send the step-by-step checklist to your inbox.
Start free and get the checklistFAQ
Bluey vs ActiveCampaign, answered.
Is Bluey cheaper than ActiveCampaign?
Almost always, and the gap widens once add-ons stack up. At 10,000 contacts emailed about four times a month, Bluey Grow is $30 versus roughly $189 on ActiveCampaign Plus (annual), before CRM, SMS and extra-user charges.
Is ActiveCampaign's automation better than Bluey's?
Yes. It is the most powerful automation builder available, with multi-branch conditional logic. Bluey's automation is solid and simpler, which most teams find sufficient.
Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan?
No, only a 14-day free trial. Bluey has a permanent free plan with 500 contacts and 500 sends a month.
Does ActiveCampaign charge for unsubscribed contacts?
As of late 2025, yes. It began billing unsubscribed and bounced contacts, which pushes the effective cost higher. Bluey bills only emails sent.
Can Bluey handle sales-CRM workflows?
Bluey includes a built-in CRM suitable for most small teams. For deep, sales-grade pipeline automation, ActiveCampaign is the stronger tool.
Pricing verified 11 July 2026 against each provider’s public pricing page. Bluey figures use the Grow plan (send-based). Competitor tiers shift at least quarterly; figures marked “~” are interpolated between published tiers.
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