Alternatives
Best Campaign Monitor Alternatives for Agencies (2026)
By Red Kite Search Agency Created Updated 8 min read
Summary
Campaign Monitor is a solid choice, but it does not fit every agency. Mailchimp: Email marketing and automation for small businesses. Constant Contact: Established email marketing with phone support and a multi-account plan for 5+ accounts. ActiveCampaign: Marketing automation and CRM with email and SMS. Prices and ratings below were checked in October 2026.
What are the best Campaign Monitor alternatives for agencies in 2026?
Campaign Monitor suits agencies, but contact-based pricing applies per client and the G2 score is middling.
We compared each option with Campaign Monitor on price, scope, and public ratings.
The three alternatives below are a market leader, an established small-business tool, and an automation platform.
The shortlist is Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign. The table puts them next to Campaign Monitor.
| Tool | Editorial score | Review-site ratings | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign Monitor | 4.4 / 5 | G2 4.1 | At 0 to 500 contacts, annual billing with a 10% discount. Lite $11.70 a month. Essentials $31 monthly, or $22.32 a month with a new-customer promotion until 3 January 2027. Premier $153.90 a month. Enterprise is custom. A free plan and a free trial are offered. | Agencies to enterprise teams |
| Mailchimp | 4.1 / 5 | G2 4.4 | Free for 250 contacts. Essentials $13, Standard $20 and Premium $350 a month at the smallest contact tier (500 contacts, 10,000 for Premium); prices rise with contacts. | Small teams to mid-size |
| Constant Contact | 3.9 / 5 | G2 4.1 | At the smallest contact tier. Lite $12 monthly or $10.20 billed yearly. Standard $35 monthly or $29.75 yearly. Premium $80 monthly or $68 yearly. Enterprise and Multi-Account are custom. A free trial needs no credit card. | Small agencies to multi-location teams |
| ActiveCampaign | 4.3 / 5 | G2 4.4 | 14-day free trial. Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79 and Enterprise $145 a month on annual billing at 1,000 contacts. | Small to enterprise teams |
Why do agencies look for Campaign Monitor alternatives?
Agencies usually look beyond Campaign Monitor for a free plan, a larger ecosystem, or deeper automation.
Others want a higher review score.
A fair test is to run one real client list through each option for two weeks. Track setup time, how often the team got stuck, and whether the campaigns were good enough to send without rework. Real use shows differences that feature lists hide.
Cost behaves differently in each tool. Some charge per account with subscriber tiers, some per user, and some have agency plans. Count what you will really use over twelve months, including a separate plan for each client, before you compare headline prices.
Think about the client side. Clients judge your agency by the campaigns and reports they receive, so look at the finished email and the reporting as a client would, and check what a client can see, change, or break.
Finally, plan the move. Export your lists, suppression data and templates, rebuild automations one at a time, and warm up sending gradually so deliverability does not suffer during the switch.
Common limitations of Campaign Monitor
- The Essentials price includes a 20% promotion for new customers that ends on 3 January 2027.
- Prices rise with contact count and the page shows the 0 to 500 tier.
- G2 shows 4.1 from 732 reviews, lower than several rivals.
- A mobile app was not stated.
Is Mailchimp a good Campaign Monitor alternative for agencies?
Mailchimp is the best-known tool with a free plan and a large G2 base.
Mailchimp is an email marketing platform with campaigns, automation flows, pop-up forms, templates and more than 300 integrations. It sells Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium plans priced by contact count, with a 14-day trial on paid plans.
Who it suits: Agencies that run newsletters and simple automation for small-business clients and want a familiar, easy tool.
Mailchimp pros
- A free plan for up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month.
- Entry paid plans from $13 a month for 500 contacts, with 24/7 email and chat support.
- More than 300 integrations and 100+ pre-built templates.
- SOC 2 reports, ISO 27001 and 2FA; enterprise SSO on Premium.
Mailchimp cons
- Prices scale with contacts and the stated figures are for the smallest tier.
- Free has no automation, and Essentials limits flows to 4 steps.
- Premium costs $350 a month from 10,000 contacts.
- Data is hosted in US data centers, and client accounts for agencies were not stated.
Is Constant Contact a good Campaign Monitor alternative for agencies?
Constant Contact has phone support and a multi-account plan for 5+ accounts.
Constant Contact is an email marketing platform with Lite, Standard and Premium plans scaled by contacts, and an Enterprise Multi-Account option for teams with five or more accounts. It offers a no-card free trial and customer service by phone.
Who it suits: Agencies serving small local businesses that value phone support and a familiar brand.
Constant Contact pros
- Lite costs $12 a month, or $10.20 billed yearly, at the smallest contact tier.
- Premium costs $80 a month, or $68 billed yearly, with unlimited users.
- Enterprise Multi-Account gives centralised control of messaging, templates and approvals for 5+ accounts.
- A free trial with no credit card.
Constant Contact cons
- Lite has 1 user and Standard 3, so team access costs more.
- Send limits are a multiple of contacts: 10x on Lite, 12x on Standard, 24x on Premium.
- G2 shows 4.1, lower than several rivals.
- SOC 2 and SSO were not stated.
Is ActiveCampaign a good Campaign Monitor alternative for agencies?
ActiveCampaign is an automation-focused platform with a very large G2 base.
ActiveCampaign combines email marketing, multi-step automation, a built-in CRM, landing pages and SMS (as an add-on) with more than 1,000 integrations and 950 automation recipes. It sells Starter, Plus, Pro and Enterprise plans priced by contact tier, each with a 14-day trial.
Who it suits: Agencies that build detailed automation and lifecycle journeys for clients and want a CRM alongside email.
ActiveCampaign pros
- Plans from $15 a month on annual billing at 1,000 contacts, with a 14-day trial.
- More than 1,000 integrations and 950+ automation recipes.
- Unlimited automation actions from Plus, plus landing pages and a CRM.
- MFA on every account, SSO, and a SOC 2 report through its Trust Center.
ActiveCampaign cons
- Prices shown are annual at 1,000 contacts; monthly prices were not shown.
- Starter limits automations to 5 actions and includes only 1 user.
- SMS and pipelines are paid add-ons.
- Client accounts for agencies and data hosting regions were not stated.
What is the quick verdict on each Campaign Monitor alternative?
If you only have a minute, this table gives our verdict on each alternative to Campaign Monitor, based on the research above.
| Tool | Verdict | Editorial score |
|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | A familiar, easy email tool with a free plan and 300+ integrations. Prices rise with your contact count, automation and seats are limited on lower plans, servers are US-only, and Mailchimp does not offer client accounts for agencies. | 4.1 / 5 |
| Constant Contact | A long-established tool with a huge review base and phone support. Its G2 score is lower than rivals, entry users are limited (1 on Lite, 3 on Standard), and the multi-account option is custom and aimed at five or more accounts. | 3.9 / 5 |
| ActiveCampaign | A strong automation platform with a CRM, 1,000+ integrations and SOC 2 evidence. Plans are priced by contacts and shown annually only, user seats are limited on lower plans, and agency client-account features were not stated. | 4.3 / 5 |
How much do Campaign Monitor and its alternatives cost?
Campaign Monitor Lite costs $11.70 a month billed yearly at 0 to 500 contacts. Mailchimp Essentials costs $13 a month, Constant Contact Lite costs $10.20 a month billed yearly, and ActiveCampaign Starter costs $15 a month billed yearly.
| Tool | Pricing summary |
|---|---|
| Campaign Monitor | At 0 to 500 contacts, annual billing with a 10% discount. Lite $11.70 a month. Essentials $31 monthly, or $22.32 a month with a new-customer promotion until 3 January 2027. Premier $153.90 a month. Enterprise is custom. A free plan and a free trial are offered. |
| Mailchimp | Free for 250 contacts. Essentials $13, Standard $20 and Premium $350 a month at the smallest contact tier (500 contacts, 10,000 for Premium); prices rise with contacts. |
| Constant Contact | At the smallest contact tier. Lite $12 monthly or $10.20 billed yearly. Standard $35 monthly or $29.75 yearly. Premium $80 monthly or $68 yearly. Enterprise and Multi-Account are custom. A free trial needs no credit card. |
| ActiveCampaign | 14-day free trial. Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79 and Enterprise $145 a month on annual billing at 1,000 contacts. |
What do reviewers say about Campaign Monitor and its alternatives?
Review-site scores are a useful signal for how happy teams are after the first few months. They are snapshots from October 2026, and review counts differ widely between tools.
| Tool | Source | Rating | Number of reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign Monitor | G2 | 4.1 / 5 | 732 |
| Mailchimp | G2 | 4.4 / 5 | 5,436 |
| Constant Contact | G2 | 4.1 / 5 | 7,625 |
| ActiveCampaign | G2 | 4.4 / 5 | 14,813 |
Which Campaign Monitor alternative suits which kind of agency?
The right pick depends mostly on team size, how clients interact with the tool, and whether you need money data. This table maps common situations to a recommendation.
| Agency situation | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Familiar tool | Mailchimp | Large ecosystem. |
| Phone support | Constant Contact | Local businesses. |
| Automation | ActiveCampaign | Deep workflows. |
How hard is it to switch away from Campaign Monitor?
Export your lists, templates, and reports from Campaign Monitor before you leave.
Rebuild client sub-accounts and automations in the new tool.
Warm up sending gradually and keep Campaign Monitor until the new setup is tested.
Before you leave Campaign Monitor
- List client sub-accounts.
- Export lists.
- Compare cost per client.
- Rebuild templates.
- Warm up sending.
How do you choose the right Campaign Monitor alternative?
Decide whether you resell or manage.
Compare cost per client.
A quick decision guide
- Choose Mailchimp for the best-known tool.
- Choose Constant Contact for phone support.
- Choose ActiveCampaign for automation.
- Stay with Campaign Monitor for agency features.
- Test each on one list.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best Campaign Monitor alternative?
- Mailchimp for familiarity, Constant Contact for phone support, and ActiveCampaign for automation.
- Why do agencies look beyond Campaign Monitor?
- Contact-based pricing per client and a middling G2 score.
- Which alternative is cheapest?
- Mailchimp Free.
- Does Campaign Monitor have a free plan?
- Yes, and a free trial.
- Which has the most G2 reviews?
- ActiveCampaign.
Sources
Prices, plan limits, and ratings were gathered in October 2026 from:
- Campaign Monitor pricing page
- Mailchimp pricing page
- Constant Contact pricing page
- ActiveCampaign pricing page