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ActiveCampaign vs. ontraport: a marketing automation comparison

Marketing automation can be a very powerful tool for businesses. In this review, we compare ActiveCampaign vs. Ontraport for features, cost, and ease of use.

Switching email marketing platforms can be expensive and disruptive for your business. We want to make sure you all the information needed to make the best decision for your sales and marketing efforts.

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Home » ActiveCampaign » ActiveCampaign vs. Ontraport

is it time to upgrade to activeCampaign or ontraport?

If you’ve been in business online for a while, you might have reached a point where your current online marketing systems aren’t serving you as well as they used to.

Maybe you have more products and need to be able to segment your email lists better, or you’d like to automate different marketing campaigns and track affiliate sales more effectively. Or, you’ve just got too many different systems cobbled together and things are falling through the cracks.

That’s where marketing automation platforms like ActiveCampaign and Ontraport come in. Both of these systems require an investment of time and money to get set up so I want to give you my honest take on each one so you can make the right decision for you and your needs.

Both platforms provide some sweet automation, which can definitely streamline your email marketing and site management. However, advanced functionality comes at a slightly higher price point than some of the free email marketing systems that are embraced by those who might not have a huge budget.

Of course, you get what you pay for. Whether you decide to invest in ActiveCampaign vs. Ontraport will affect your online business for the better.

If you’re also considering other email automation tools like Drip, Ontraport, or ConvertKit we cover multiple tools in our CRM software comparison.

Who's Behind This Ontraport vs. ActiveCampaign Comparison?

Hi, we’re the team at AccessAlly, developers of the most comprehensive WordPress LMS plugin for industry leaders.

We’ve used our fair share of email marketing solutions, and we help our clients make the best decision for their businesses every day.

You’ll find links to both ActiveCampaign and Ontraport that use our referral tracking links, which means we may earn a commission if you sign up through us. Rest assured that our recommendations aren’t influenced by the affiliate commissions, and it won’t cost you more to sign up through our links.

Tag Contacts For Organization And Automation

Both Ontraport and ActiveCampaign utilize “tags” to categorize and assign properties to the members within your CRM. In each platform, these tags are automatically applied and function according to the parameters that you set. Within both platforms, these tags can be used for a variety of purposes.

For example, you might choose to segment your email list, or grant a user specific permissions based on a purchase or opt-in. Tagging is invaluable when you’re ready to really start targeting specific client groups and provide a more personal experience for them.

Screenshot Ontraport tags

Ontraport excels in complex tag scenarios

Ontraport’s tag manager allows you to categorize your tags by “groups.” When you’re working with dozens – or hundreds – of tags, the ability to filter and group is definitely pretty handy. Likewise, when working with several complex email marketing campaigns (all of which are guided by unique tags) and a membership site (whose access is also made possible by tags), a lack of filtering could definitely make tag management a bit of a hassle.

Screenshot of list of tags in ActiveCampagin

ActiveCampaign tagging is great for straightforward use

Although ActiveCampaign also uses tags, it does not currently allow you to organize these in any way.

Realistically, for a number of entrepreneurs who have, say, less than 100 tags, this doesn’t pose a problem in the least.

Of course, there are super easy ways to work around this if ActiveCampaign seems to be your perfect fit in the other areas.

Creating a spreadsheet for your tags can be a great way to manage them (as long as you have a process to always keep it up to date). Since ActiveCampaign does allow you to search for tags by name, you can easily locate the right ones that you need to edit or merge.

Automated email Sequences

Ontraport and ActiveCampaign both automate the email marketing process by allowing you to use a drag-and-drop sequence builder.

Screenshot of email sequence in ActiveCampaign

E-Commerce & Sales Tracking

If you are planning to sell products on your website, the e-commerce side of the Ontraport vs. ActiveCampaign debate is going to be big.

In this area, Ontraport has a lot of strengths that ActiveCampaign currently falls short of. If you’re big into product sales, upsells, and automated follow-ups, you’re probably going to lean towards Ontraport.

But, if ActiveCampaign is a better fit overall for your online business, take the time to really look into which e-commerce integration will also be able to do what you want it to. And if you’re only working with a few products and don’t mind using a couple of different tools to create a solid sales email sequence, ActiveCampaign will be perfectly fine.

Screenshot Ontraport Reports

ontraport: built-in e-commerce

Ontraport offers a built-in e-commerce management area, which will allow you to create product listings and easily integrate them into your sequences.

Although Ontraport does use a payment gateway for the actual transfer of funds (they offer detailed information about that in their knowledge base), the rest of the e-commerce happens inside of the Ontraport platform.

Not only can you set up your products, but Ontraport also includes a super handy one-click upsell form that you can use in your sales strategy.

When you add in the sweet selection of sales reports (kind of a “must” for your business, especially when it’s time to call in your accountant or tax person!), the Ontraport e-commerce platform is really one of the best around.

Note: the e-commerce feature is only available at certain subscription levels.

Screenshot of ActiveCampaign eCommerce Integrations

ActiveCampaign: integrate with a 3rd party tool

Within ActiveCampaign, the e-commerce side of things requires a little more work on your part, in addition to the basic setup.

To begin with, ActiveCampaign actually does not include any e-commerce within its platform. However, it does have the capability to integrate with any number of payment processing systems, such as PayPal, Stripe, WooCommerce, etc.

Before you get super excited that your favorite payment processor claims an ActiveCampaign integration, be aware that not all integrations work the same. (See the current list of integrations here.)

Example: The Shopify integration will actually auto-add a new customer to your ActiveCampaign email list only if that customer chooses to optin to your marketing updates during the checkout process.

If they don’t, you’ll have to manually add them yourself before you can apply any tags and add them to a follow-up sales sequence.

Whereas the Bigcommerce integration does point out that it will automatically add any new clients to your ActiveCampaign CRM.

ease of use

This is where ActiveCampaign really shines in the eyes of most users! It’s so, so sleek and user-friendly, requiring minimal effort on the part of a dedicated user to become familiar with getting stuff done.

The drag-and-drop interface of the sequence builder is super nice (and kind of fun, if you like that stuff!), and the site is easy to navigate.

Ontraport, on the other hand, is a little different story. It does require you to take some time to learn how to navigate and take advantage of its functionality, whether you’re going to do something basic or more complex.

Yes, it does have more options to offer in terms of customization and potential, which definitely adds to the steeper learning curve.

After you’ve become familiar with the interface, you’ll probably find that the more complex things (think coupons, limited trials, and a couple hundred tags to manage) will probably perform better for you in Ontraport. Keep in mind that these more complex functions might also require a bit of tech savviness on your part to make it happen.

Fortunately, if you’re leaning towards Ontraport and can’t (or don’t have the time to) do all the setup yourself, there are actually quite a few Ontraport certified consultants who are ready and willing to help make your Ontraport dreams a reality.

Overall, if you’re not going to get down and dirty with the more intricate features of Ontraport, you’ll probably enjoy using ActiveCampaign much more. But if you’re maxing out on CRM capabilities and are longing for more advanced potential, Ontraport is the stronger contender.

Afilliate tracking & payments

Setting up an affiliate program can be a great way to boost your sales and business reach. Of course, it also includes an entirely different set of responsibilities for you to manage, including unique affiliate links, sales, and refunds.

Not surprisingly (since it doesn’t include e-commerce), ActiveCampaign does not offer its own affiliate tracking system. However, it definitely does integrate with various 3rd party platforms to make this feature a possibility.

Ontraport does include a Partner (Affiliate) program that will allow you to manage a unique set of permissions that can be applied to your affiliates.

Price

If the whole Ontraport vs. ActiveCampaign decision is still a toss-up for you, the pricing system should help you lean in one direction or another.

The ActiveCampaign pricing system is separated into three tiers: Lite, Small Business, and Enterprise. Each of those tiers represents the functionality you’ll get, rather than a set price range.

The price is actually largely dependent on the number of contacts you have within your CRM. So if you have under 5,000 contacts, pretty much any of the three tiers will cost less than Ontraport.

Ontraport’s pricing is also divided into three tiers.

However, the price point of each tier varies much less (if at all) on a per-user basis compared to ActiveCampaign until you get into the realm of 100,000 + subscribers, at which point you’ll have to start paying extra.

Definitely take time to look through each of their pricing pages to see which area you fall into.

Generally speaking, though, a business with a smaller email list is going to lean towards ActiveCampaign as the more affordable option. It seems like the price plateaus between the two at about 10K subscribers, after which Ontraport starts coming out ahead.

One more thing to think about when deciding based on price is whether you intend to expand your business significantly in the future.

If this is the case, you might find that you’ll “outgrow” ActiveCampaign and should consider whether it will be worthwhile to start small now and port everything over to Ontraport later on, or whether you’d prefer to start with Ontraport in anticipation of a large email list of subscribers coming down the road.

ActiveCampaign Vs. Ontraport: Pros And Cons

ActiveCampaign Logo

ActiveCampaign

PROS:

  • Great automation and tagging of people based on their actions
  • A solid marketing automation system that can integrate with 3rd party tools
  • Can integrate with other platforms if you need e-commerce or an affiliate program
  • You can use AccessAlly to design your membership management on WordPress
  • User-friendly interface that’s easy to learn
  • A visual automation builder that’s straightforward and fun to use
  • Starts at a much lower price point

CONS:

  • Not an all-in-one solution, so you’ll have to turn to 3rd-party tools for e-commerce, affiliate programs, etc.
  • Tagging system can be overwhelming since it lacks categorized organization
  • A large volume of email contacts can significantly raise your subscription price

SUMMARY:

If you are a newer business owner or have more confined email marketing needs, ActiveCampaign is probably your strongest option.

Check out ActiveCampaign
Ontraport Logo

Ontraport

PROS:

  • Great email deliverability, and segmentation of people.
  • Recently added a visual campaign builder that rivals ActiveCampaign’s in terms of visually reporting statistics
  • Free membership site plugin for WordPress sites to create a members only area for your customers, or if you’re looking for a PilotPress alternative you can also use AccessAlly now.
  • Handles email marketing, e-commerce, and affiliates all in one place
  • Customer relationship management for 1-1 sales processes
  • OntraPages landing page builder for opt-in pages and sales page

CONS:

  • Affiliate tracking links don’t always work as expected and might not reflect clicks properly
  • Not as many integrations and plugins in the marketplace specifically for this platform because it is newer

SUMMARY:

If you find yourself in the category of a more experienced entrepreneur – or have simply outgrown your current CRM – Ontraport is going to be a great option.

Check out ontraport

How Will These Marketing Automation Sytems Integrate With Your Tech Stack?

Chances are, you won’t be using your CRM in isolation and you’ll want to integrate with other tools. If you plan to take payment, run online courses, or put together a membership site then you’ll love knowing that AccessAlly is the ideal companion to both ActiveCampaign and Ontraport.

ontraport vs. activeCampaign: It's your turn

While I can’t make the decision for you, I hope that now you have a better understanding of what each system is best used for, and which one you’ll want to investigate further.

In terms of when the right time to make the move is… I say before you’re ready. Because it takes awhile to make a big move to a new platform like this. I’ll also say that it’s best to be running from a profitable place, because these monthly fees are in the triple digits.

Take a look at both ActiveCampaign and Ontraport’s websites and try their demos or talk to their representatives to get a feel for what they can offer.

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