ActiveCampaign vs Salesforce Sales Cloud comparison

Why PeerSpot?

ActiveCampaign and Salesforce are both solutions in the CRM category. ActiveCampaign is ranked #47, while Salesforce is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.0. ActiveCampaign holds a 0.6% mindshare in CRM, compared to Salesforce’s 2.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of ActiveCampaign users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Salesforce users who would recommend it.

ActiveCampaign

Read 2 ActiveCampaign reviews

2,274 Views
2,274 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Read 118 Salesforce Sales Cloud reviews

17,270 Views
12,953 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

ActiveCampaign

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Salesforce Sales Cloud and ActiveCampaign compete in the CRM landscape, offering solutions for sales automation and customer relationship management. Salesforce Sales Cloud is often considered more advantageous for larger enterprises due to its comprehensive features and scalability.

Features: Salesforce Sales Cloud includes dynamic CRM capabilities, advanced analytics, and extensive integration options. ActiveCampaign provides powerful email marketing, automation workflows, and user-friendly CRM functionalities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Salesforce Sales Cloud has a scalable and complex deployment model that can require significant implementation support. ActiveCampaign offers a quick setup and intuitive interface, with strong customer service resources that facilitate a smooth onboarding process.

Pricing and ROI: Salesforce Sales Cloud typically involves higher costs but promises significant ROI potential through its comprehensive capabilities. ActiveCampaign is priced more affordably, offering compelling ROI for small businesses looking for cost-effective marketing and CRM solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed ActiveCampaign vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud Report (Updated: November 2026).

Buyer's Guide

ActiveCampaign vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud

November 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 920,769 peers since 2012

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

47th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Ranking in CRM

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

118

Ranking in other categories

Opportunity Management (2nd), Sales Force Automation (3rd), Conversation Intelligence Software (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the CRM category, the mindshare of ActiveCampaign is 0.6%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Sales Cloud is 2.8%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

CRM Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Salesforce Sales Cloud	2.8%
ActiveCampaign	0.6%
Other	96.6%

CRM

Featured Reviews

Laura Oosterbroek

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.

Read full review

Jonny Katz

VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot

Uses data-driven insights to improve workflows and highlights a need for simpler automation tools

Salesforce Sales Cloud can be improved in several areas. First, the UI is an area for enhancement. Even though they've launched Lightning, it's clunky at times with page load speeds. It also needs to be made extremely more user-friendly. For new people using Salesforce Sales Cloud, there is a steep learning curve. Additionally, giving non-admins the ability to make changes on the fly is something that I feel is necessary. Currently with Salesforce Sales Cloud, you need to have a consultant. It's hard to build the flows or workflows. Making it easier for that end-user who's not so technically minded to help themselves is essential. I choose seven out of ten because I think you need a consultant or a consulting company to help you build it out. Certain changes should be made much easier and more user-friendly where an admin can do it. The automation processes need to be much simpler. If you're looking at other tools out there, for example SalesLoft or HubSpot, it's much easier to build those workflows and do automation.

Read full review

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."

"Great flexibility"

"The scalability is good."

"There is a ton of information on the dashboard. Reports are also there for us. We can analyze information across the team and across a period, such as quarterly or annually."

"The most valuable features are the reporting and the custom codes."

"The biggest benefit of the Salesforce Sales Cloud is a centralized point, a centralized source of truth for customer-related information; you centralize all the information in a single database, and that's the biggest benefit."

"The most valuable features of Salesforce Sales Cloud are the ability to track portfolio opportunities and reporting capabilities. The notification process inside the platform is also very valuable, and extracting reports is extremely useful. However, we are currently using only a small part of its functionality."

"The dashboards and dashboard customization are great."

"Salesforce is such a widespread software in terms of what it can do and its scope. Theoretically, you can run a whole company off of it. There are many valuable features, such as reporting and analytics. You can customize almost the whole environment is what appeals to so many companies the most."

More Salesforce Sales Cloud pros

Cons

"AI is upcoming, so for reporting and dashboarding, it would be nice to have some AI integrated into the system."

"One concern with Salesforce's CPQ solution is that the integration and user interface are not as seamless as possible."

"If they could integrate with other enterprises' IT aspects like SAP and ERP, it would be great."

"The solution's design could be improved."

"What I'm expecting from Salesforce Sales Cloud is a more user-friendly interface."

"The built-in functionality is a little dated."

"One aspect I find challenging with Salesforce Sales Cloud is its forecasting feature. While it's useful for analyzing sales data and predicting future revenue, I've encountered instances where the outcomes weren't as perfect as expected."

"One consistent comment about the product internally is that it has a steep learning curve, especially for some sales executives. Simplifying the interface would be a big leap forward. Like a chatbot, fewer clicks and more direct AI interaction could help. A simplified interface with AI support would make things much easier. We need an AI feature like ChatGPT that helps us to hold conversations."

"Sales Cloud could be improved with more training. In general, the training is very good, but you have to really seek out some good options in order to upskill yourself. Another thing, which could also be a benefit, is that Sales is very customizable. If you move from one organization to another, you can see your Salesforce as before, but their Sales Cloud may look completely different from what you're used to. It's not like Microsoft Excel or Trello, where the layout and all the functions are the same. Because it's so customizable, I feel like there is a bit of a learning curve when you inherit another Sales Cloud instance. To be honest, I think that's the beauty of Salesforce because you can customize it so much to fit your needs as a company. It follows your processes and use cases in order for you to get the most out of the system itself."

More Salesforce Sales Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The development costs are lower because you don’t have to have consultants changing and all that stuff."

"You need to pay for the license per user per month. For example, you need to pay $100 per user. If you have 200 users using your Salesforce, that would be multiplied by a hundred, that's $20,000 per month and a quarter million per year."

"I have found Salesforce Sales Cloud to be expensive. However, it is the number one CRM solution in the world. It is worth the money."

"The price of the product is very high. I rate the product price a ten on a scale of one to ten, where one means low price, and ten means expensive."

"The main thing is it is costly. Salesforce it is not cheap, it's costly. Some of our customers say it is a costly solution. So, we have lost some sale opportunities regarding the high price. This is the main thing that we are facing. It is sales per user and the user price is about $150 per month, per user for the Enterprise Edition. The other edition is less than this, but it is costly. A company that has 70 or 80 users would pay more than $8,000 USD yearly because it is cloud based."

"The licensing fees are reasonable."

"It is a premium product, so it is not the cheapest solution. I think if it's implemented well, and you're getting the soft cost benefits, the efficiencies, it's justified. But not if you're looking at just apples for apples as a subscription, without the complexity that you can achieve. It can deal with complex business requirements. Some other CRMs can't. But you certainly pay, so it's a premium-charged solution. It's one of the more expensive ones."

"The price is fair."

"My understanding is that Salesforce is a little bit expensive, but in terms of the efficiencies, automation, and visibility, I think it's definitely value for money."

More Salesforce Sales Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Construction Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Outsourcing Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	56
Midsize Enterprise	25
Large Enterprise	43

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Comparisons

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Compared 18% of the time

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Compared 15% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

Vtiger CRM vs ActiveCampaign

Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

SAP CRM vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

Oracle CRM vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

Compared 3% of the time

Salesforce Service Cloud vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

CRM

October 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Salesforce Sales Cloud

October 2026

Download Salesforce Sales Cloud product report

Also Known As

No data available

Sales Cloud, SFDC, Salesforce

Overview

ActiveCampaign provides marketing automation, email marketing, and CRM capabilities tailored for businesses looking to enhance customer engagement. Known for its rich feature set, it offers flexible solutions to help businesses streamline processes and improve marketing efforts.

ActiveCampaign serves as a key tool for businesses aiming to integrate automation with CRM functions. Its platform offers a robust range of features that help businesses engage effectively with their audience. Known for its flexibility, ActiveCampaign helps create personalized customer experiences. The platform is continually updated, reflecting feedback from a diverse user base. Some areas for improvement include intuitive navigation and analytics capabilities. Despite these, ActiveCampaign remains a popular choice among professionals who desire comprehensive marketing solutions.

What are the essential features of ActiveCampaign?

Marketing Automation: Offers sophisticated workflows for scheduling messages and segmenting contacts.
Email Marketing: Provides customizable templates and advanced reporting tools.
CRM Integration: Automates customer data management for efficient workflow processing.
Customer Experience Automation: Creates personalized experiences with data-driven insights.
Sales Automation: Streamlines sales processes through task management and deal updates.

What benefits should users look for in reviews of ActiveCampaign?

Enhanced Efficiency: Saves time through automation of repetitive tasks.
Improved Engagement: Increases interaction rates with personalized communications.
Scalable Solutions: Grows alongside business needs, adapting to larger campaigns.
Comprehensive Support: Provides extensive resources and support for seamless use.

In specific industries like e-commerce, ActiveCampaign is implemented to manage customer journeys from lead generation to purchase conversion. Retail businesses leverage its automation features to target promotions and optimize customer retention strategies. In the service sector, companies use its CRM functionality to maintain client relationships and streamline communication. These tailored approaches demonstrate the adaptability of ActiveCampaign across different market needs.

ActiveCampaign

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a comprehensive tool lauded for its customization, ease of use, and integration capabilities. Its cloud-based nature offers seamless access and scalability, helping manage leads, opportunities, and workflows efficiently. Powerful reporting and dashboards enhance visibility and productivity.

Salesforce Sales Cloud serves as an essential aid for companies aiming to streamline sales processes. It integrates sales and marketing, manages customer data, and supports automation, which increases efficiency. Despite its expense and complex interface, its ability to forecast, track customer engagement, and automate key workflows stands out. Companies encounter challenges with system costs and integration issues, particularly regarding third-party applications and mobile functionality. Reporting and dashboards offer significant insights, although room for improvement exists. Licensing costs and storage fees are considerations for prospects, alongside the need for improved training and AI features. Users maximize the platform for sales pipeline management, forecasting, and operational analytics.

What are the most important features?

Customization: Tailor the platform to fit exact business objectives.
Integration: Seamlessly connect with apps and platforms, improving workflow.
Automation: Streamline lead management and workflows, reducing manual tasks.
Reporting and Dashboards: Gain insights for informed decision-making.
Cloud-based Access: Ensure scalability and accessibility from anywhere.

What benefits can users expect?

Enhanced Productivity: Automation and robust tracking improve efficiency.
Increased Sales Efficiency: Manage pipelines and opportunities seamlessly.
Better Forecasting: Advanced features provide valuable foresight into sales trends.
Operational Efficiency: Analytics and reporting fortify strategic planning.

Organizations across industries utilize Salesforce Sales Cloud from finance to healthcare for business development and CRM tasks. It is integral to managing accounts, leading pipelines, and aligning sales with marketing strategies. Firms improve customer relations and operational efficiency through its analytics and reporting capabilities.

Salesforce

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Kuoni Global Travel Services, Financial Times, Just Eat, Jobsite, H.R. Owen, PlayerLayer, O2, DMGT, Philips, Xtreme.ie, Business Stream, Remote Asset Management, Dialogue Group

Buyer's Guide

ActiveCampaign vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud

November 2026

Free Report: ActiveCampaign vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud

Find out what your peers are saying about ActiveCampaign vs. Salesforce Sales Cloud and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.

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