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ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce Essentials comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

ActiveCampaign
Ranking in CRM
28th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Salesforce Essentials
Ranking in CRM
25th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the CRM category, the mindshare of ActiveCampaign is 0.6%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Essentials is 0.6%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
CRM Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Salesforce Essentials0.6%
ActiveCampaign0.6%
Other98.8%
CRM
 

Featured Reviews

Laura Oosterbroek - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Markting at Vanderkamp
Easy to use, efficient marketing automation and CRM tool
AI is upcoming, so for reporting and dashboarding, it would be nice to have some AI integrated into the system. Overall, some AI features can be added. For example, I can ask, like, we have imported conversion rates, and you can ask like, "What is the trend of the conversion of the last half year?" So, more on a reporting side you can get those kinds of AI skills. Not that you have to download an Excel and put it into another AI system to do the analysis, but that it would be possible to do it on its own.
SB
Growth Adviser at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Creates efficient integrations and boosts operational efficiency through comprehensive dashboards
I have experience with products such as Acronis and Huntress, though Salesforce Essentials serves a different purpose. I have had experience with Huntress for the last few months as we are an MSSP and offer Huntress to our clients. I have used Odoo and HubSpot recently, though not extensively. The main differences between Salesforce Essentials and HubSpot or Odoo is the market presence. It is comparable to the Windows versus Linux situation because both have a huge presence. They have deeper pockets so they can spend money on collecting insights and developing features. Integration and good partnerships with major companies make Salesforce Essentials better than the others.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"ActiveCampaign is for medium-sized companies is the better solution because it’s way less complex than the other solutions."
"Salesforce Essentials is a reliable and powerful application."
"The combination of product and service are exceptional."
"High availability is really important for us when getting our reports as a vendor."
"I can download the data to Excel, create tables, and do whatever I want. I am very comfortable with the tool's mobile application. Its main benefit is transparency because I can share it with representatives."
"The product is stable."
"The CRM system has SAP Sales, SAP Service, and SAP Billing, with everything integrated into an on-premise SAP CRM system. Salesforce Essentials replaced this on-premise system, bringing all functionalities onto the cloud platform."
"In terms of features, the cloud-based solution and easy deployment are standout elements that have made a difference."
"Their reporting and analytics features have a very significant impact on my company's operational efficiency."
 

Cons

"AI is upcoming, so for reporting and dashboarding, it would be nice to have some AI integrated into the system."
"Areas that could be improved or upgraded in the next release include analytics, automation capabilities, and stability."
"The solution needs to be more user-friendly. It's difficult for a senior to track leads when a salesperson uploads leads. The solution should also improve its integration capabilities."
"Salesforce Essentials operates in a table format where the entire user interface is based on tables, more specifically pivot tables. This is not very user-friendly for mobile."
"The solution's UI is not user-friendly."
"Integrating Salesforce with SAP, considering our business relies heavily on SAP for ERP, has been quite challenging due to the intricate product configurations. Unlike standard products like computers with a few options, our products have hundreds of configurable options, making the integration complex. If such integration were possible, it would have been easier to understand the unique nature of our industry and the limited number of customers who buy steel products, unlike consumer electronics."
"Salesforce should encourage new users by offering smaller license packages, such as packages for three or two users."
"The primary area for improvement in Salesforce Essentials is its pricing. There are other competitors, like Zoho CRM, that offer similar features at a lower cost."
"The product's reporting area has certain shortcomings, making it an area where improvements are required."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The development costs are lower because you don’t have to have consultants changing and all that stuff."
"We chose quarterly payments."
"There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution."
"The tool is moderately priced."
"I rate Salesforce Essentials' pricing an eight out of ten."
"It's a perpetual license, and the subscription can be expensive."
"The pricing is on the higher side, especially with additional costs for professional services like consultants."
"The pricing is a bit on the expensive side."
"Salesforce Essentials is quite expensive, almost 10 out of 10. I don't have the exact cost, but we found it to be very expensive based on our budget constraints."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Construction Company
24%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ActiveCampaign?
The development costs are lower because you don’t have to have consultants changing and all that stuff. I feel that it’s a bit cheaper than the other systems.
What needs improvement with ActiveCampaign?
AI is upcoming, so for reporting and dashboarding, it would be nice to have some AI integrated into the system. Overall, some AI features can be added. For example, I can ask, like, we have importe...
What is your primary use case for ActiveCampaign?
I use it For marketing automation purposes and for share repurpose purposes.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Essentials?
Salesforce Essentials is very expensive, but it delivers exceptional value. It is a good platform to have if you can afford it because it has numerous add-ons and modules. Anything that Salesforce ...
What needs improvement with Salesforce Essentials?
The mobile access can be improved in several ways. Salesforce Essentials operates in a table format where the entire user interface is based on tables, more specifically pivot tables. This is not v...
What is your primary use case for Salesforce Essentials?
I have experience with Salesforce Essentials' Tableau and Salesforce Marketing Cloud, but not extensively. I was more focused on their CRM platform, specifically the core CRM and sales basics. My e...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about ActiveCampaign vs. Salesforce Essentials and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.