In-Depth Comparison
ActiveCampaign vs Brevo
In-depth comparison of ActiveCampaign and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) for B2B SaaS companies. We analyze features, pricing, deliverability, API quality, automation, and real-world use cases to help you choose the right email platform.
Last updated: 2026-03-15
ActiveCampaign
www.activecampaign.comThe email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM tools you need to create incredible customer experiences.
Ideal for: Mid-market businesses and SaaS companies that need deep automation, built-in CRM, and advanced segmentation across email and other channels
Brevo
www.brevo.comThe most approachable CRM suite to cultivate lasting customer relationships across email, SMS, chat, and more.
Ideal for: Small to mid-size businesses that want an affordable all-in-one marketing platform with email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, and CRM
TL;DR: ActiveCampaign vs Brevo
ActiveCampaign wins for teams that need deep automation, advanced segmentation, and a built-in CRM for complex sales processes. Brevo wins for budget-conscious teams that want a multi-channel marketing suite (email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat) at a lower price point. Sequenzy is the strongest choice for B2B SaaS teams that need lifecycle email tied directly to billing events from Stripe, Paddle, or other payment providers.
The enterprise-grade marketing automation platform with built-in CRM
The affordable all-in-one marketing suite with multi-channel reach
Purpose-built SaaS email with native billing integration
Editor's Note
Neither ActiveCampaign nor Brevo was built specifically for B2B SaaS lifecycle email. ActiveCampaign is a powerful general-purpose automation platform with CRM, while Brevo is an affordable multi-channel marketing suite. If your core need is billing-triggered workflows (trial conversion connected to Stripe, dunning emails triggered by failed payments, churn prevention based on subscription data), Sequenzy (sequenzy.com) is designed specifically for that use case.
ActiveCampaign vs Brevo vs Sequenzy: Quick Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Advanced marketing automation with CRM | Affordable multi-channel marketing (email, SMS, WhatsApp) | B2B SaaS lifecycle email with billing integration | Sequenzy |
| Starting Price | $29/mo (1,000 contacts) | Free plan (300 emails/day), paid from $25/mo | $19/mo for 15,000 emails | Brevo |
| Marketing Emails | Full campaign builder with dynamic content and predictive sending | Drag-and-drop builder with responsive templates | Campaign builder with SaaS templates | ActiveCampaign |
| Transactional Email | Via Postmark add-on (separate product) | Built-in transactional email with dedicated SMTP | Supported with SaaS-specific templates | Brevo |
| Automation | Industry-leading visual workflow builder with 900+ recipes | Solid visual automation builder with pre-built workflows | Pre-built SaaS workflows + visual builder | ActiveCampaign |
| Template System | 250+ templates with drag-and-drop editor | 40+ templates with drag-and-drop editor | Drag-and-drop with SaaS-specific blocks | ActiveCampaign |
| User Segmentation | Advanced multi-condition segments with contact scoring | Segment by demographics, behavior, and engagement | Subscription-aware segments (trial, paid, churned) | Sequenzy |
| Payment Integration | Stripe via third-party or Zapier | Stripe/PayPal via plugins and Zapier | Native Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, LemonSqueezy | Sequenzy |
| API Quality | Comprehensive REST API with extensive documentation | Well-designed REST API with good SDK support | Clean REST API with SaaS event endpoints | Tie |
| Trial Conversion Sequences | Build your own in automation builder | Build your own in automation builder | Pre-built, optimized templates included | Sequenzy |
| Dunning Emails | Manual workflow setup via webhooks | Manual workflow setup via webhooks | Built-in, auto-triggered by payment failures | Sequenzy |
| Multi-channel | Email + SMS + site messages | Email + SMS + WhatsApp + push + live chat | Email focused with webhook notifications | Brevo |
Score Breakdown
Each category scored out of 10. Totals: ActiveCampaign 74/100, Brevo 75/100, Sequenzy 86/100.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Detailed feature analysis across every category that matters for B2B SaaS email.
📧 Email Campaigns
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-drop editor | 9/10 Mature editor with 250+ templates and dynamic content blocks | 8/10 Clean editor with responsive templates and brand kit | 8/10 Visual editor with SaaS-specific content blocks (pricing tables, feature lists) |
| Campaign scheduling | 9/10 Advanced scheduling with predictive send time optimization | 8/10 Scheduling with send time optimization on paid plans | 8/10 Schedule with timezone and plan-based optimization |
| A/B testing | 9/10 Test subject, content, from name, send time with up to 5 variants | 7/10 Subject line and content A/B testing | 7/10 Subject line and send-time A/B testing |
| Newsletter support | 9/10 Full newsletter platform with RSS-to-email and subscription forms | 8/10 Newsletter support with subscription forms and landing pages | 7/10 Product update newsletters with changelog integration |
| Template library | 9/10 250+ professionally designed templates | 7/10 40+ templates across industries | 9/10 SaaS-specific templates for onboarding, dunning, upsell, churn prevention |
⚙️ Automation & Workflows
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual workflow builder | 10/10 Industry-leading builder with 900+ recipes and multi-path branching | 7/10 Visual builder with pre-built automation templates | 9/10 Visual builder with pre-built SaaS workflow templates |
| Event-based triggers | 8/10 Site visits, email engagement, CRM actions, custom events | 7/10 Website events, email engagement, contact attribute changes | 10/10 Billing events (trial start, upgrade, churn) trigger automatically from Stripe/Paddle |
| Drip sequences | 9/10 Sophisticated drip campaigns with conditional timing and branching | 7/10 Time-based drip campaigns with basic branching | 9/10 Pre-built drip sequences for each SaaS lifecycle stage |
| Conditional logic | 10/10 Advanced if/else with nested conditions and predictive content | 7/10 If/else based on contact attributes and engagement | 9/10 Branch by plan, MRR, trial status, payment status, usage level |
| Wait steps | 9/10 Time delays, wait-until-date, wait-until-condition | 7/10 Time delays and date-based waits | 8/10 Time delays with smart send-time optimization |
👥 Contacts & Segmentation
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact management | 9/10 Full CRM with deals, contact scoring, and custom fields | 8/10 Contact database with CRM features on Business plan | 9/10 Contact database enriched with subscription data (plan, MRR, trial status) |
| Segmentation | 9/10 Advanced segments with scoring, engagement tracking, and 20+ condition types | 7/10 Segments by demographics, behavior, email engagement | 9/10 SaaS-native segments: trial users, churned, power users, at-risk |
| Custom properties | 9/10 Unlimited custom fields with types, visibility, and defaults | 8/10 Custom contact attributes with various data types | 8/10 Custom properties plus auto-synced billing properties |
| Event tracking | 7/10 Site tracking and custom event tracking via API | 7/10 Website tracking and automation triggers | 9/10 Product events + billing events tracked automatically |
| Import/export | 9/10 CSV import, CRM sync, 900+ integrations | 8/10 CSV import, API import, multiple integration options | 7/10 CSV import plus auto-import from Stripe/Paddle |
💻 Developer Experience
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| API design | 7/10 Comprehensive REST API, though complex due to breadth of features | 8/10 Well-designed REST API with clear documentation | 8/10 Clean REST API with SaaS-specific endpoints for events and sequences |
| SDK support | 7/10 Official PHP SDK, community SDKs for Node.js, Python, Ruby | 8/10 Official SDKs for Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, C# | 7/10 Node.js and Python SDKs with billing provider helpers |
| Webhook reliability | 8/10 Comprehensive webhooks for contact, deal, and automation events | 7/10 Webhook events for email delivery and engagement | 8/10 Webhook events with retry and billing event forwarding |
| Documentation quality | 8/10 Extensive docs with guides, API reference, and community resources | 8/10 Clear docs with code examples in multiple languages | 8/10 SaaS-focused docs with integration guides for Stripe, Paddle, etc. |
| SMTP relay | 5/10 Not a core feature. Transactional via Postmark add-on. | 9/10 Dedicated SMTP relay service included in all plans | 6/10 API-based sending, no standalone SMTP relay |
🚀 Deliverability & Infrastructure
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared IP reputation | 8/10 Large shared IP pool with established reputation | 8/10 Large shared IP infrastructure with good reputation | 8/10 SaaS-only shared IPs with better sender reputation |
| Dedicated IP | 8/10 Available on Professional plan ($149/mo+) | 8/10 Available as add-on ($12/mo) on any paid plan | 7/10 Available on Growth plan with guided warmup |
| Domain authentication | 9/10 Full SPF, DKIM, DMARC with guided setup wizard | 8/10 SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup with verification wizard | 8/10 Guided SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup |
| Bounce handling | 8/10 Automatic bounce processing with reputation management | 8/10 Automatic bounce handling with hard/soft classification | 8/10 Automatic bounce handling with payment-status-aware suppression |
| Sending speed | 8/10 High throughput for large campaigns | 8/10 Good throughput with dedicated SMTP for transactional speed | 7/10 Reliable throughput, optimized for lifecycle email timing |
ActiveCampaign vs Brevo vs Sequenzy: Pricing
ActiveCampaign charges by contacts with feature-gated plans. Brevo charges by email volume with generous free tier and unlimited contacts. Sequenzy charges by email volume with all features included.
14-day free trial, no free plan
Free plan: 300 emails/day (unlimited contacts)
Free trial: 14 days with full features, then $19/mo for 15,000 emails
| Tier | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/mo 1,000 contacts, email marketing, basic automation, inline forms | $25/mo 20,000 emails/month, unlimited contacts, no daily sending limit, no Brevo logo | $19/mo 15,000 emails/month, all SaaS workflows, Stripe/Paddle integration | 1K contacts / 20K emails / 15K emails |
| Growth / Business | $149/mo 2,500 contacts, CRM, lead scoring, landing pages, SMS | $65/mo 60,000 emails/month, marketing automation, A/B testing, advanced stats | $49/mo 50,000 emails/month, dedicated IP, advanced analytics, priority support | 2.5K contacts / 60K emails / 50K emails |
| Enterprise | $259+/mo 10,000+ contacts, custom reporting, SSO, dedicated account rep | $1,000+/mo 1M+ emails, sub-account management, advanced integrations, priority support | $149/mo 200,000 emails/month, custom onboarding, SLA, SSO | 10K+ contacts / 1M+ emails / 200K emails |
ActiveCampaign: Watch Out For
- !Price increases sharply at each contact tier (10K contacts costs $149-259/mo)
- !Key features (CRM, lead scoring, SMS) locked behind Professional plan ($149/mo+)
- !Transactional email requires a separate Postmark add-on
- !Contact limits include unsubscribed contacts unless manually cleaned
Brevo: Watch Out For
- !Free plan includes Brevo branding on all emails
- !Marketing automation only available on Business plan ($65/mo+)
- !Advanced reporting requires Business plan
- !WhatsApp and live chat are separate add-ons with per-message pricing
Sequenzy: Watch Out For
- !Smaller integration ecosystem compared to both ActiveCampaign and Brevo
- !No built-in CRM, SMS, or multi-channel marketing
- !Free tier is a 14-day trial rather than a permanent free plan
Pricing Verdict: For B2B SaaS teams, Sequenzy at $19/mo offers the best value with purpose-built lifecycle features. Brevo is the best value for general marketing with its generous free plan and low starting prices. ActiveCampaign offers the most features but at the highest cost, best justified when you need CRM and advanced automation together.
Cost Comparison Note
When comparing total cost, factor in what you actually need. Brevo is the cheapest for general email marketing. ActiveCampaign is the most expensive but includes CRM. For B2B SaaS teams that primarily need lifecycle email, Sequenzy at $19/mo includes all billing-aware features that would require $149/mo on ActiveCampaign or significant custom development on Brevo.
B2B SaaS Use Cases
How each platform handles the email workflows that matter most for B2B SaaS companies.
🎯 User Onboarding Sequences
Automated email sequences that guide new signups through activation milestones during their first days with your product.
ActiveCampaign
Build onboarding automations using the visual workflow builder with 900+ recipes. Use conditional branching, CRM deal stage updates, and lead scoring to personalize the journey.
Brevo
Create automation workflows triggered by signup events. Use the visual builder with time delays and conditions. Includes transactional email for immediate welcome messages via SMTP.
Sequenzy
Pre-built onboarding sequence templates that auto-connect to your billing provider. Sequences trigger from signup events and branch based on plan type, feature adoption, and payment status.
Verdict: Sequenzy wins for SaaS onboarding with pre-built templates and billing-aware branching. ActiveCampaign has the most flexible builder. Brevo works but requires more manual setup for SaaS-specific flows.
Real-World Example
A project management SaaS wants to send a 5-email onboarding sequence over 7 days, with different content for free vs. trial users.
Example subject line: Welcome to [App]. Here is your quickstart checklist.
💰 Trial-to-Paid Conversion
Strategic emails during the trial period designed to demonstrate value and convert free trial users into paying customers.
ActiveCampaign
Build trial conversion workflows with lead scoring to identify high-intent users. Advanced conditional content based on engagement level. Requires manual trial status tracking via custom fields.
Brevo
Create time-based automation sequences with conditional branching. Segment by engagement. Requires manual trial event tracking via API or webhooks.
Sequenzy
Purpose-built trial conversion sequences that connect directly to Stripe/Paddle. Sequenzy knows when a trial starts, how many days remain, and whether the user has engaged. Pre-built templates with automatic branching by engagement level.
Verdict: Sequenzy wins for trial conversion with native billing awareness. ActiveCampaign can build sophisticated conversion flows but requires manual billing integration. Brevo handles basic conversion sequences but lacks SaaS-specific intelligence.
Real-World Example
A SaaS with a 14-day trial wants to send different conversion emails based on whether the user has completed key activation steps.
Example subject line: Your trial ends in 3 days. Here is what you would lose.
🔔 Transactional Notifications
System-generated emails like password resets, invoice receipts, and account notifications that must be delivered instantly and reliably.
ActiveCampaign
Transactional email via the Postmark add-on (separate product, separate pricing). Excellent delivery speed through Postmark, but requires managing two platforms.
Brevo
Built-in transactional email with dedicated SMTP relay. Send via API or SMTP with real-time tracking. Transactional and marketing share the same platform.
Sequenzy
Send transactional emails via API. Includes SaaS-specific transactional templates (invoice emails, payment confirmations, plan change notifications) that auto-populate with billing data.
Verdict: Brevo offers the best integrated transactional email experience with built-in SMTP relay. ActiveCampaign via Postmark is excellent for delivery quality but requires a separate product. Sequenzy adds SaaS-specific transactional templates.
Real-World Example
A SaaS needs to send password resets, invoice receipts, and usage alerts from the same platform as marketing emails.
Example subject line: Your invoice for March 2026: $299.00
🔄 Churn Prevention & Re-engagement
Automated emails to users showing declining engagement to bring them back before they cancel.
ActiveCampaign
Use contact scoring and CRM data to identify at-risk users. Build multi-channel re-engagement with email + SMS. Advanced conditional workflows with predictive content.
Brevo
Segment inactive users by engagement metrics. Create re-engagement automations with time-based triggers. Multi-channel approach with email + SMS + WhatsApp.
Sequenzy
Churn prevention sequences that combine product usage signals with billing data. Automatically identify users who downgrade, reduce usage, or have upcoming renewal dates. Pre-built win-back sequences.
Verdict: Sequenzy has the edge for SaaS churn prevention because it combines behavior with billing signals. ActiveCampaign has strong automation for re-engagement. Brevo offers multi-channel reach but lacks SaaS-specific churn intelligence.
Real-World Example
A CRM SaaS wants to automatically email users who have not logged in for 7 days, with escalation to SMS if email is ignored.
Example subject line: We noticed you have not logged in this week. Everything OK?
💳 Payment Failed (Dunning)
Automated recovery emails when a customer's payment method fails, designed to reduce involuntary churn.
ActiveCampaign
Set up dunning workflows triggered by Stripe webhooks via Zapier or custom integration. Manual escalating sequence setup. Requires significant configuration.
Brevo
Create dunning automations triggered by webhook events. Send transactional dunning emails via SMTP for reliable delivery. Requires manual webhook setup.
Sequenzy
Dunning sequences activate automatically when Stripe or Paddle reports a failed payment. No webhook setup needed. Includes escalating templates with direct payment update links. Automatically stops when payment succeeds.
Verdict: Sequenzy dominates dunning. It detects failed payments natively from your billing provider and runs pre-built recovery sequences. Both ActiveCampaign and Brevo require manual webhook setup and workflow configuration.
Real-World Example
A subscription SaaS needs to send 3 payment retry emails over 10 days, with the final email warning of account suspension.
Example subject line: Action required: your payment for [App] failed
📢 Product Changelog & Feature Announcements
Targeted emails announcing new features and updates to existing users based on their plan, usage, or segment.
ActiveCampaign
Create visually rich campaigns with the advanced editor. Segment by any contact attribute. A/B test with up to 5 variants. Use predictive sending for optimal delivery.
Brevo
Build campaigns with the drag-and-drop editor. Segment by contact attributes and engagement. A/B testing available on paid plans.
Sequenzy
Campaign builder with plan-aware segmentation. Announce features to relevant plan tiers automatically. Segments stay accurate because they sync with billing data.
Verdict: ActiveCampaign has the best campaign builder and A/B testing. Sequenzy adds automatic plan-aware targeting. Brevo is solid for basic announcements but has fewer testing and targeting options.
Real-World Example
An analytics SaaS launches a new Pro feature and wants to announce it to Pro users while upselling Free users.
Example subject line: New: AI-powered reports are here (available on Pro)
📱 Multi-channel Engagement
Reaching users across email, SMS, WhatsApp, and other channels based on their preferences and behavior.
ActiveCampaign
Email + SMS + site messages in one automation. CRM data informs channel preferences. Strong for sales-assisted workflows.
Brevo
Email + SMS + WhatsApp + push notifications + live chat in one platform. The broadest multi-channel coverage among these options.
Sequenzy
Primarily email-focused. Webhook notifications can trigger external channels. Best suited for email-centric SaaS communication.
Verdict: Brevo wins for multi-channel engagement with the broadest channel coverage. ActiveCampaign is strong with email + SMS + CRM. Sequenzy focuses on email, which is the right choice for most B2B SaaS lifecycle communication.
Real-World Example
A SaaS wants to reach trial users via email first, then SMS if unopened, then WhatsApp for high-value prospects.
Example subject line: Your trial ends tomorrow (we sent you a WhatsApp too)
📈 Upsell & Expansion Revenue
Targeted emails to existing customers promoting plan upgrades based on their current behavior and plan.
ActiveCampaign
Use CRM deal tracking and lead scoring to identify upsell opportunities. Build upgrade sequences with predictive content. Multi-channel follow-up.
Brevo
Segment by engagement and attributes. Create upgrade-focused automations. Basic targeting compared to ActiveCampaign.
Sequenzy
Automatic upsell triggers when users approach plan limits or show power-user behavior. Sequences personalized by current plan and billing history with deep-link upgrade CTAs.
Verdict: Sequenzy is purpose-built for SaaS expansion revenue with native billing data. ActiveCampaign has CRM context for upselling. Brevo handles basic upgrade campaigns but lacks billing awareness.
Real-World Example
An API platform SaaS wants to upsell users who consistently hit 80%+ of their plan limits.
Example subject line: You have used 90% of your API calls this month
The Bigger Picture
The use cases above highlight that ActiveCampaign excels at complex automation and CRM-driven workflows, while Brevo offers the broadest channel coverage at the best price. For SaaS-specific use cases like dunning, trial conversion, and churn prevention, Sequenzy was built to handle these natively with direct billing provider integrations.
Automation Capabilities
Email automation is critical for B2B SaaS. Here is how ActiveCampaign, Brevo, and Sequenzy compare.
| Capability | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual workflow builder | Yes Industry-leading builder with 900+ recipes and CRM actions | Yes Visual builder with pre-built automation templates and multi-channel steps | Yes Visual builder with pre-built SaaS workflow templates |
| Time-based triggers | Yes Send after X days/hours, wait-until-date, predictive send time | Yes Time delays and date-based triggers | Yes Time-based with billing-aware scheduling (e.g., 3 days before trial ends) |
| Event-based triggers | Yes Site tracking, custom events, CRM deal events, form submissions | Yes Website events, contact attribute changes, email engagement | Yes Product events + auto-detected billing events (payment failed, upgrade, churn) |
| Conditional branching | Yes Advanced if/else with nested conditions and predictive content | Yes If/else based on contact attributes and engagement data | Yes Branch by plan, MRR, trial status, payment status, usage level |
| Multi-step sequences | Yes Unlimited steps with complex branching and CRM actions | Yes Multi-step with email, SMS, WhatsApp, and webhook steps | Yes Multi-step with pre-built SaaS sequence templates |
| Goal tracking | Yes Goal conditions that remove contacts from automations | Yes Basic goal tracking with exit conditions | Yes Auto-remove on billing events (e.g., stop dunning when payment succeeds) |
| Send time optimization | Yes Predictive sending based on historical engagement patterns | Yes Send time optimization on Business plan | Yes Timezone + engagement-based send time optimization |
| Dynamic content | Yes Conditional content blocks, personalization tags, predictive content | Yes Personalization with contact attributes and conditional display | Yes Dynamic content with billing data (plan name, MRR, usage stats) |
API & Developer Experience
For B2B SaaS teams, the API quality directly impacts how fast you can integrate and iterate on email.
ActiveCampaign API
- SDKs: PHP (official), Node.js (community), Python (community), Ruby (community), C# (community)
- Docs: 8/10
- Webhooks: Contact updates, automation events, deal changes, campaign events, bounce/unsubscribe
- Rate Limit: 5 requests/second per account
- Batch: Bulk import contacts, batch automation triggers
Brevo API
- SDKs: Node.js (official), Python (official), PHP (official), Ruby (official), Go (official), Java (official), C# (official)
- Docs: 8/10
- Webhooks: Email delivered, opened, clicked, bounced, unsubscribed, spam complaint
- Rate Limit: 10 requests/second
- Batch: Batch contact import, batch email sending via SMTP or API
Sequenzy API
- SDKs: Node.js (official), Python (official), REST API for all languages
- Docs: 8/10
- Webhooks: Email events plus billing events (trial started, payment failed, churned). With retry logic.
- Rate Limit: 50 requests/second, higher on Scale plan
- Batch: Batch sending with per-recipient personalization
ActiveCampaign Code Example
import ActiveCampaign from "activecampaign";
const ac = new ActiveCampaign({
url: "https://yourname.api-us1.com",
token: "your_api_key",
});
// Create or update a contact
await ac.contacts.create({
contact: {
email: "user@company.com",
firstName: "Sarah",
fieldValues: [
{ field: "plan", value: "pro" },
],
},
});
// Add contact to automation
await ac.contacts.addToAutomation({
contactAutomation: {
contact: 123,
automation: 5,
},
});Brevo Code Example
const SibApiV3Sdk = require("sib-api-v3-sdk");
const apiInstance = new SibApiV3Sdk.TransactionalEmailsApi();
apiInstance.setApiKey(
SibApiV3Sdk.TransactionalEmailsApiApiKeys.apiKey,
"your_api_key"
);
// Send transactional email
await apiInstance.sendTransacEmail({
to: [{ email: "user@company.com", name: "Sarah" }],
templateId: 12,
params: {
plan: "Pro",
trialDays: 14,
},
sender: { email: "hello@app.com", name: "App" },
});
// Create or update contact
const contactApi = new SibApiV3Sdk.ContactsApi();
await contactApi.createContact({
email: "user@company.com",
attributes: { PLAN: "pro", MRR: 99 },
listIds: [5],
});Sequenzy Code Example
import { Sequenzy } from "sequenzy";
const sq = new Sequenzy("sq_your_api_key");
// Add a subscriber (auto-syncs with Stripe)
await sq.subscribers.add({
email: "user@company.com",
firstName: "Sarah",
companyName: "Acme Inc",
stripeCustomerId: "cus_abc123",
});
// Trigger a lifecycle sequence
await sq.sequences.trigger({
email: "user@company.com",
sequence: "trial_onboarding",
});
// Send a transactional email
await sq.emails.send({
to: "user@company.com",
template: "invoice_receipt",
data: { amount: "$299.00", plan: "Pro" },
});Email Deliverability Comparison
Your emails are useless if they do not reach the inbox. Here is how all three platforms handle deliverability.
| Factor | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Own infrastructure with large-scale IP pool established over 20+ years | Own infrastructure with dedicated transactional and marketing IP pools | Managed infrastructure with SaaS-only sender pools |
| Inbox Placement Rate | ~94-97% (estimated, varies by sender) | ~93-96% (estimated) | ~96-98% (estimated, SaaS-only pools help reputation) |
| Dedicated IP | Available on Professional plan ($149/mo+) | Available as add-on ($12/mo) on any paid plan | Available on Growth plan ($49/mo) with guided warmup |
| Auth Protocols | SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Custom Return-Path | SPF, DKIM, DMARC | SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Custom Return-Path |
| IP Warmup | Automated warmup with volume scaling recommendations | Manual warmup with guidelines | Guided warmup with volume recommendations |
| Spam Testing | Built-in spam testing with SpamAssassin scoring | Spam checker on Business plan | Spam score checking with inbox placement preview |
Both ActiveCampaign and Brevo have large-scale sending infrastructure with strong deliverability. Brevo offers the most affordable dedicated IP option at $12/month. Sequenzy benefits from SaaS-only IP pools where all senders are legitimate SaaS companies, which tends to improve shared reputation.
Integration Ecosystem
ActiveCampaign has ~900 integrations, Brevo has ~60, and Sequenzy has ~25. Here is how they compare across key B2B SaaS categories.
Payment & Billing
| Service | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Yes (3rd Party) | Yes (3rd Party) | Yes (Native) |
| Paddle | Yes (3rd Party) | Yes (3rd Party) | Yes (Native) |
| LemonSqueezy | No (None) | No (None) | Yes (Native) |
CRM
| Service | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Yes (Native) | Yes (3rd Party) | Yes (Official) |
| Salesforce | Yes (Native) | Yes (Official) | Yes (3rd Party) |
| Pipedrive | Yes (Native) | Yes (3rd Party) | No (None) |
Product Analytics
| Service | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Segment | Yes (Native) | Yes (3rd Party) | Yes (Official) |
| Mixpanel | Yes (3rd Party) | No (None) | Yes (3rd Party) |
| Amplitude | Yes (3rd Party) | No (None) | Yes (3rd Party) |
Automation & Workflow
| Service | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Yes (Native) | Yes (Official) | Yes (Official) |
| Make (Integromat) | Yes (Official) | Yes (Official) | Yes (Official) |
| n8n | Yes (Official) | Yes (3rd Party) | Yes (3rd Party) |
E-commerce & Payments
| Service | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Yes (Native) | Yes (Official) | No (None) |
| WooCommerce | Yes (Native) | Yes (Official) | No (None) |
| WordPress | Yes (Native) | Yes (Native) | No (None) |
Analytics & Reporting
What data you can track and how each platform helps you measure email performance.
| Metric | ActiveCampaign | Brevo | Sequenzy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open rate tracking | Campaign, automation, and contact-level analytics with trends | Campaign and automation analytics with real-time tracking | Per-campaign, per-sequence, and per-lifecycle-stage analytics |
| Click tracking | Link-level click tracking with click maps and attribution | Link-level click tracking with heat maps | Link-level click tracking with conversion attribution |
| Bounce tracking | Automatic bounce categorization with reputation scoring | Automatic bounce handling with hard/soft classification | Bounce tracking with payment-status-aware suppression |
| Unsubscribe tracking | Built-in unsubscribe with preference center | Built-in unsubscribe management with compliance tools | Built-in unsubscribe management with preference center |
| Revenue attribution | E-commerce revenue tracking via integrations. Not SaaS-native. | Basic conversion tracking via goals | Native revenue attribution tied to billing data (MRR impact per sequence) |
| Dashboard | Comprehensive dashboard with campaign, automation, CRM metrics | Real-time dashboard with email and automation performance | SaaS-focused dashboard with MRR, churn rate, and sequence performance |
| Export capabilities | CSV export, custom reports, API access | CSV export, API access, scheduled reports on Business plan | CSV export plus API access to all data |
ActiveCampaign: Unique Features
- + CRM deal pipeline analytics and forecasting
- + Contact engagement scoring with predictive analytics
- + Multi-channel attribution (email + SMS + site)
- + Custom report builder with saved views
Brevo: Unique Features
- + Real-time email delivery tracking with SMTP logs
- + Transactional email analytics separate from marketing
- + WhatsApp and SMS campaign analytics
- + Landing page conversion tracking
Sequenzy: Unique Features
- + MRR impact per email sequence (shows revenue generated by each automation)
- + Trial conversion rate tracking by sequence variant
- + Dunning recovery rate dashboard
- + Churn prevention effectiveness metrics
- + Subscriber lifecycle stage overview
Pros & Cons
ActiveCampaign
Pros
- + Industry-leading automation builder with 900+ pre-built recipes
- + Built-in CRM with deals pipeline eliminates the need for a separate CRM
- + Massive integration ecosystem with 900+ native connections
- + Advanced contact scoring and predictive analytics
- + Multi-channel marketing (email + SMS + site messages)
- + Mature platform with 20+ years of deliverability reputation
- + Comprehensive A/B testing with up to 5 variants
- + Enterprise features including SSO, custom reporting, and SLA
Cons
- - Pricing gets expensive quickly as contact lists grow
- - Not purpose-built for SaaS. No native billing integration.
- - Transactional email requires separate Postmark add-on
- - API rate limits are lower than competitors (5 req/sec)
- - Interface can feel overwhelming for small teams
- - Feature gating forces upgrades for basic CRM functionality
- - Contact-based pricing includes unsubscribed contacts
- - Steeper learning curve compared to simpler platforms
Brevo
Pros
- + Very affordable pricing with generous free plan (300 emails/day)
- + Built-in transactional email with dedicated SMTP relay
- + Multi-channel marketing (email, SMS, WhatsApp, push, live chat)
- + Official SDKs in 7 languages with active maintenance
- + Unlimited contacts on all plans (pricing by email volume)
- + Affordable dedicated IP option ($12/month add-on)
- + Landing page builder included on paid plans
- + Strong EU data hosting and GDPR compliance
Cons
- - Not purpose-built for SaaS. No native billing integration.
- - Automation capabilities are less advanced than ActiveCampaign
- - Marketing automation requires Business plan ($65/mo+)
- - Smaller integration ecosystem than ActiveCampaign
- - No native product event tracking for PLG companies
- - A/B testing is more limited than ActiveCampaign
- - Free plan includes Brevo branding on emails
- - CRM features are basic compared to ActiveCampaign
Who Should Use What?
Specific recommendations based on your company type and needs.
Early-stage SaaS (pre-PMF)
You are building your product, have fewer than 1,000 users, and need to set up basic onboarding and transactional emails.
Sequenzy at $19/mo gives you pre-built SaaS sequences and Stripe integration. Brevo is free to start but lacks SaaS features. ActiveCampaign at $29/mo is a general-purpose tool without SaaS workflows.
Budget-conscious team needing multi-channel marketing
You want email, SMS, and WhatsApp marketing in one affordable platform without deep SaaS-specific requirements.
Brevo offers the broadest multi-channel coverage at the lowest price. Free plan to start, SMS and WhatsApp built in, and unlimited contacts on all plans.
SaaS that also needs a CRM
Your team needs marketing automation, email campaigns, and a CRM for deal tracking in one tool.
ActiveCampaign is the only option here with a full built-in CRM with deals pipeline, lead scoring, and sales automation.
SaaS focused on reducing churn and recovering payments
Your main email priority is dunning, churn prevention, and trial conversion with billing-aware automation.
Sequenzy was built for exactly this. Native billing integration means dunning sequences activate automatically, and trial conversion sequences understand trial status natively.
SaaS needing reliable transactional + marketing email
You need one platform for both marketing campaigns and high-reliability transactional email (password resets, invoices).
Brevo uniquely combines marketing and transactional email with built-in SMTP relay. ActiveCampaign requires a separate Postmark add-on for transactional.
Bootstrapped SaaS watching every dollar
You have 5,000 contacts and need lifecycle email on a tight budget.
Sequenzy at $19-49/mo gives you all SaaS lifecycle features. ActiveCampaign costs $149/mo+ for 5K contacts with useful features. Brevo is cheap but lacks SaaS workflows.
Enterprise SaaS with complex sales process
You have a sales team, need CRM integration, and want advanced automation for multi-touch campaigns.
ActiveCampaign has the most advanced automation, built-in CRM, and enterprise features. Neither Brevo nor Sequenzy matches its depth for sales-driven workflows.
EU-based SaaS concerned about data sovereignty
You need GDPR compliance and EU data hosting for your email platform.
Brevo is headquartered in Paris and offers EU data hosting by default. ActiveCampaign and Sequenzy can comply with GDPR but may require additional configuration for EU-specific data residency.
Migration Guide
Migrating from ActiveCampaign to Brevo
Steps
- 1. Export contact list from ActiveCampaign with all custom fields
- 2. Map ActiveCampaign fields to Brevo contact attributes
- 3. Import contacts to Brevo via CSV or API
- 4. Recreate automation workflows in Brevo visual builder
- 5. Recreate email templates in Brevo editor
- 6. Configure domain authentication in Brevo
- 7. Set up transactional email via Brevo SMTP
- 8. Test all flows and gradually migrate sending
Watch Out For
- ! CRM deals and pipeline data do not transfer to Brevo CRM
- ! ActiveCampaign automation recipes have no Brevo equivalents. Rebuild manually.
- ! Lead scoring must be rebuilt using Brevo engagement tracking
- ! Advanced conditional logic may be harder to replicate in Brevo
- ! Historical analytics and engagement data will not transfer
Migrating from Brevo to ActiveCampaign
Steps
- 1. Export contacts from Brevo with all attributes
- 2. Import contacts to ActiveCampaign with field mapping
- 3. Recreate automations in ActiveCampaign workflow builder
- 4. Recreate email templates in ActiveCampaign editor
- 5. Set up transactional email via Postmark add-on if needed
- 6. Configure domain authentication in ActiveCampaign
- 7. Test all automation workflows
- 8. Switch API/SMTP endpoints from Brevo to ActiveCampaign
Watch Out For
- ! Brevo SMTP-based integrations need reconfiguration for ActiveCampaign/Postmark
- ! WhatsApp and multi-channel automations cannot be replicated directly
- ! Brevo landing pages must be recreated or moved to a separate tool
- ! ActiveCampaign pricing will likely be higher for the same contact count
The Bottom Line
Choose ActiveCampaign if...
- ✓ You need a built-in CRM with deals pipeline alongside email marketing
- ✓ You want the most advanced automation builder available (900+ recipes)
- ✓ You need enterprise features like SSO, custom reporting, and SLA
- ✓ Your marketing strategy involves multi-channel outreach (email + SMS)
- ✓ You have a complex sales process with lead scoring and deal tracking
- ✓ You prefer the most established and mature platform
Choose Brevo if...
- ✓ Budget is a top priority and you want the lowest cost per email
- ✓ You need multi-channel marketing (email + SMS + WhatsApp + chat)
- ✓ You want built-in transactional email with SMTP relay in one platform
- ✓ You need unlimited contacts without per-contact pricing
- ✓ EU data hosting and GDPR compliance are important to your team
- ✓ You want official SDKs in 7 languages for developer integration
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brevo the same as Sendinblue?
Yes. Sendinblue rebranded to Brevo in 2023 to reflect its expansion beyond email into a full CRM suite. All features, pricing, and accounts remain the same. If you had a Sendinblue account, it is now a Brevo account.
Which has better automation: ActiveCampaign or Brevo?
ActiveCampaign has significantly more advanced automation. It offers 900+ pre-built recipes, multi-path branching with nested conditions, predictive content, CRM-triggered actions, and lead scoring. Brevo has a solid visual automation builder, but it is more limited in branching complexity, condition types, and recipe variety. If automation depth is your top priority, ActiveCampaign is the clear winner.
Can Brevo handle transactional email?
Yes, and this is one of Brevo's strongest features. It includes built-in transactional email with dedicated SMTP relay, separate from marketing email infrastructure. You can send password resets, invoices, and notifications via SMTP or API with real-time delivery tracking. ActiveCampaign requires a separate Postmark add-on for transactional email.
Is ActiveCampaign good for SaaS?
ActiveCampaign is a capable platform that SaaS companies can use, but it was not built specifically for SaaS. It lacks native billing provider integrations, SaaS-specific workflow templates, and subscription-aware segmentation. The built-in CRM is valuable for sales-assisted SaaS, but product-led growth companies may find it excessive. For SaaS lifecycle email, purpose-built tools like Sequenzy offer faster setup and better billing integration.
Which platform offers better value for money?
It depends on your needs. Brevo is the cheapest option with its free plan and unlimited contacts starting at $25/mo. ActiveCampaign is the most expensive but includes CRM. Sequenzy is the best value specifically for B2B SaaS, offering all lifecycle email features at $19/mo, which would cost $149/mo+ on ActiveCampaign and would require significant custom setup on Brevo.
Do ActiveCampaign and Brevo integrate with Stripe?
Neither has a native, deep Stripe integration. Both connect to Stripe through Zapier or third-party plugins. This means you need to set up Zap workflows for each billing event you want to trigger email automation. Sequenzy offers native Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, and LemonSqueezy integrations that sync subscription data automatically.
Which has better deliverability?
Both have strong deliverability infrastructure. ActiveCampaign has a longer track record with its 20+ year history. Brevo offers the most affordable dedicated IP option at just $12/month as an add-on. Sequenzy benefits from SaaS-only IP pools. Ultimately, deliverability depends more on your sending practices and content quality than the platform.
Can I use Brevo for WhatsApp marketing?
Yes, Brevo supports WhatsApp as a marketing channel. You can send WhatsApp messages as part of automation workflows and campaigns. This is a unique advantage over both ActiveCampaign and Sequenzy, neither of which offers native WhatsApp integration. However, WhatsApp is less relevant for B2B SaaS lifecycle email than it is for e-commerce or consumer businesses.
Which platform has better customer support?
ActiveCampaign offers more support channels including live chat, email, phone (on higher plans), and an extensive knowledge base. Brevo offers email and live chat support on paid plans, with phone support on Business plan and above. Sequenzy offers email and chat support with SaaS-specific onboarding assistance.
Can I migrate from ActiveCampaign to Brevo or vice versa?
Both migrations are moderately difficult and take 1-2 weeks. Contact data transfers via CSV, but automations must be rebuilt. The main challenge in going from ActiveCampaign to Brevo is the loss of CRM functionality and advanced automation features. Going from Brevo to ActiveCampaign means reconfiguring SMTP-based transactional email.