# Keap vs ActiveCampaign: What You Need to Know (July 2026)

> Established SMB CRM-and-invoicing vs deep email-automation — Keap's flat per-user price vs ActiveCampaign's per-contact climb, and neither has an AI receptionist.

HTML version: https://www.seldonframe.com/compare/keap-vs-activecampaign

## The short version

- **Keap pricing:** From **$299/mo** (**$249** annual, 2 users, 1,500 contacts) + **$39/user** + paid implementation
- **ActiveCampaign pricing:** ~**$15–$145/mo** at 1,000 contacts (annual, configurator-gated); climbs with list size
- **The real trade-off:** Established SMB CRM-and-invoicing vs deep email-automation — Keap's **flat** per-user price vs ActiveCampaign's per-contact climb, and neither has an AI receptionist.
- **The third option:** SeldonFrame ships the whole front office at **$29/mo** **flat** — see below

## Keap

Keap (owned by Thryv since October 2024) is a veteran small-business CRM and automation platform with invoicing and payments.

- Best for: Established SMBs with mature Keap automations already built
- Pricing: From $299/mo ($249 annual, 2 users, 1,500 contacts) + $39/user + paid implementation
- AI receptionist: None — no phone, SMS or chat AI agent
- Website/CRM/booking behind the agent: Partial — CRM, invoicing and payments; no website builder, no AI-driven booking
- Whitelabel: None — not built for agency resale

## ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is an automation-first email marketing platform with a light CRM layer, priced per contact.

- Best for: Email marketers running deep automated sequences
- Pricing: ~$15–$145/mo at 1,000 contacts (annual, configurator-gated); climbs with list size
- AI receptionist: None — Active Intelligence AI assists with content/predictions, not phone or SMS answering
- Website/CRM/booking behind the agent: None — email/CRM only; no website builder, booking calendar or intake forms
- Whitelabel: None — not built for agency resale

## Side-by-side

| Feature | Keap | ActiveCampaign | SeldonFrame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Established SMBs with mature Keap automations already built | Email marketers running deep automated sequences | Agencies & builders running AI front offices for clients |
| Pricing model | From **$299/mo** (**$249** annual, 2 users, 1,500 contacts) + **$39/user** + paid implementation | ~**$15–$145/mo** at 1,000 contacts (annual, configurator-gated); climbs with list size | From **$29/mo** **flat** — **unlimited workspaces** (agency whitelabel from **$99/mo**) |
| AI receptionist (calls, SMS, chat) | None — no phone, SMS or chat AI agent | None — Active Intelligence AI assists with content/predictions, not phone or SMS answering | Native — AI receptionist answers, qualifies & books across voice, SMS & web chat |
| Website, CRM & booking behind the agent | Partial — CRM, invoicing and payments; no website builder, no AI-driven booking | None — email/CRM only; no website builder, booking calendar or intake forms | Included — multi-page website, CRM, booking calendar, intake forms, review requests in every workspace |
| Whitelabel & client workspaces | None — not built for agency resale | None — not built for agency resale | Included — whitelabel client portal, per-client workspaces, custom domains, one-click multi-client deploy |
| AI usage costs | Not applicable — no native AI agent | Bundled into per-contact plan tiers | BYOK — bring your own AI (and Twilio) keys and pay providers at raw cost, zero markup |
| Sell / resell what you build | No | No native reseller program | Built in — publish agents to the marketplace or rent them via MCP (**5%** marketplace fee) |

Prices checked July 2026 on [Keap's pricing page](https://keap.com/pricing) and [ActiveCampaign's pricing page](https://www.activecampaign.com/pricing).

## If you need what BOTH do

Most people comparing Keap and ActiveCampaign actually need the outcome underneath both: calls and chats answered, leads qualified, jobs booked into a real calendar and CRM, on a site the client owns. SeldonFrame ships that whole front office from one conversation at $29/mo flat (unlimited workspaces, bring-your-own AI keys), with whitelabel included for agencies.

- Honest deep-dives: https://www.seldonframe.com/alternative-to-keap and https://www.seldonframe.com/alternative-to-activecampaign
- Start free: https://www.seldonframe.com/signup · Book a demo: https://app.seldonframe.com/book/seldonframes-workspace-7798/default