I’ve used both for real work. Not a quick test. I ran my own candle shop emails in ActiveCampaign. I also built a full sales funnel in ClickFunnels for a friend’s parenting course. Two very different jobs. Two very different moods.
You know what? They both helped. But not in the same way.
I still use both, but not for the same thing. If you want a deeper, step-by-step comparison, I wrote this full blow-by-blow here. For an unbiased industry overview, Forbes Advisor also published an in-depth comparison of ActiveCampaign and ClickFunnels you might find useful.
The short, honest summary
- ActiveCampaign: best for email, tags, and smart follow-ups. Great reports. Clean sends.
- ClickFunnels: best for pages, carts, and the whole “buy now” flow. Fast to launch.
I still use both, but not for the same thing.
How ActiveCampaign saved my candle shop
I sell three scents. Lavender, Citrus, and Cedar. Cute, right? I set up tags like “Lavender Lover” and “Citrus Clicked.” When someone clicked a Lavender email, they went into a little path. It sent:
- Day 1: a note about how I pour small batches
- Day 3: a simple care tip
- Day 5: a gentle coupon for first-time buyers
I also added an abandoned cart email. Nothing pushy. Just, “Hey, your cart is waiting.” That one email paid for the tool in the first week. Open rate sat near 45%. Clicks around 8%. Not wild, but steady.
The builder felt like Lego. Triggers, actions, goals. I built a “win-back” flow too. If a person didn’t buy for 90 days, they got a warm note. If they clicked, they got bumped into a new path. It was smooth. And the reports? Clear. I could see which email made money, and which one flopped.
What bugged me? The form builder looked a bit plain. I styled it, but it took a minute. Also, the email drag-and-drop editor sometimes nudged my padding. Tiny thing. Still, I noticed.
How ClickFunnels carried a course launch
My friend runs a small parenting workshop. We needed speed. A landing page. A checkout. An upsell. And a thank-you page. All in a weekend. So I spun up ClickFunnels 2.0.
The steps were clear:
- Page 1: a simple video and a signup form
- Page 2: checkout with an order bump (a printable workbook)
- Page 3: one-click upsell for a Q&A call
- Page 4: thank you with next steps
I A/B tested the headline. Version B won by a mile. Signup rate jumped from 23% to 31% in two days. The order bump hit 27% take rate. The upsell grabbed 11%. Revenue per visitor went up 19%. That felt great.
What bugged me? The page builder is strong, but the design can look “ClickFunnels-y” if you don’t tweak it. I had to adjust spacing on mobile. Also, pages were heavy with extras, so I kept images tiny. Deliverability on their email tool was fine, but my segments felt flat. I missed the deep tags and goals from ActiveCampaign.
Ease of use: day one feels
- ActiveCampaign: The automations take a beat to learn. But once it clicks, it clicks. The map view helps.
- ClickFunnels: Pages and checkout are fast. The flow builder makes sense. You see the steps like a chain.
Email power: no contest here
ActiveCampaign is the email champ. Better tagging, better triggers, and cleaner sends. It handled site tracking and “if this, then that” rules like a pro. I even tested “predictive sending.” It picked good times. My opens nudged up 5%.
ClickFunnels email (in 2.0) is handy if you want one tool for all. But my smarter segments lived in ActiveCampaign. So for launches, I built pages in ClickFunnels and sent emails through ActiveCampaign. Best of both worlds. Some folks ask why I don’t just use GetResponse instead—if you’re curious, here’s my side-by-side on ClickFunnels vs. GetResponse.
Funnels and checkout: ClickFunnels wins
Want a full sales path with bumps, downsells, and timers? ClickFunnels makes that simple. Stripe and PayPal plugged in with no fuss. I could set a one-click upsell in minutes. You can do that with other tools too, but it’s built-in here.
If you’re mostly after sleek landing pages, you might peek at my Instapage vs. ClickFunnels field test or the ClickFunnels vs. Unbounce comparison—both dig into how those page builders stack up for conversion work.
ActiveCampaign can make landing pages now, but they’re basic. No serious cart flows. No real upsell magic.
Data and reports: different, not equal
- ActiveCampaign: Deep email reports. Heat maps. Link clicks. Revenue per email if you connect your store. I could slice by tag, last click, or last purchase.
- ClickFunnels: Clear funnel stats. Views, conversion, and checkout data. Great for quick wins. Not as rich for email behavior.
I also tracked UTM tags in both. ActiveCampaign gave me cleaner source data for emails. ClickFunnels helped me see which page step lost people.
Integrations I used
- ActiveCampaign: Shopify, WooCommerce, Typeform, Zapier, Stripe (through store), and a WordPress plugin. No drama.
- ClickFunnels: Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Deadline Funnel, Google Analytics. Also smooth.
Price feel, not just numbers
ActiveCampaign charges by contact count. If your list grows fast, the bill grows too. ClickFunnels is a flat plan by features. It can feel pricey, but you get pages, checkout, and more. Here’s how I judge it:
- Big email list, slower sales flow? ActiveCampaign first.
- Smaller list, but ready to sell? ClickFunnels first.
- Running real launches? Use both.
On the budget side, some marketers swap in Builderall instead of ClickFunnels—my warts-and-wins write-up on that matchup breaks down where the savings show up.
Annoyances and gotchas
- ClickFunnels: Domain mapping took me two tries. Also, 2.0 is better, but some old guides are for Classic, which caused a bit of “huh?” for me.
- ActiveCampaign: The form themes feel dated. The email editor sometimes shifts spacing. Not a deal-breaker, just a sigh.
When I pick one over the other
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I pick ActiveCampaign when:
- I need smart tags and deep segments
- I care about deliverability and clear email reports
- Sales happen on Shopify or WooCommerce already
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I pick ClickFunnels when:
- I want a page, checkout, and upsell by Friday
- I need A/B tests on pages fast
- I want a simple stack for a launch
My current stack (and why)
For campaigns, I run pages in ClickFunnels, take payments with Stripe, and send all emails with ActiveCampaign. I connect them with Zapier. A buyer tag fires. The welcome path starts fast. It’s simple, and it works. Less stress. More sales. If you’d rather wire them up without Zapier, the platforms provide a step-by-step official integration guide that walks you through the native connection.
Real quick examples you can copy
- Local gym: I tagged “Yoga,” “HIIT,” and “Weights” in ActiveCampaign based on clicks. Yoga folks got a calm sequence and a Sunday class invite. Show-up rate went up 14%.
- Community event organizer in El Monte: they drummed up early RSVPs by posting in local classifieds; if you want to see a living example of where small businesses advertise around that city, swing by this Backpage El Monte listings roundup—it showcases the kinds of offers locals are browsing, giving you fresh ideas for copy angles and lead magnets.
- Handmade soap shop: ClickFunnels order bump for a mini travel bar raised average order value by $6. Small thing, big change.
- Webinar launch: I used ClickFunnels for the pages and checkout. ActiveCampaign sent a 3-part reminder series—48 hours, 2 hours, and 10 minutes before the event. Show rates were much better with the last short reminder.
- Fitness coach: After a holiday weekend campaign, I sent subscribers an evidence-based email explaining how a few drinks can suppress testosterone levels for up to 24 hours—see this research summary from Chad Bites for a solid