ClickFunnels vs ActiveCampaign

With the current state of the world’s economy, many of the world’s countries have unanimously decided to shut down countless jobs, and companies that are the primary source of income of many of the world’s population have left them defeated and helpless. As a solution to this situation, many have converted to online selling as a way to make do with their expenses and necessities for survival. Luckily, many who have converted have since then acquired long-term success throughout their journey, and it’s all because of them using a trusty marketing tactic that helps them gain lots of profit.

With that said, the trusty marketing tactic that they use to employ a competent online marketing web service. Many of these web services have since then appeared as a way to assist those who have found that integrating their businesses online can be easy money. Services such as ClickFunnels and ActiveCampaign are known to do the trick, so we will be assessing these programs to see which of them you should use and how they can assist you in acquiring the success that you desire.

First, let us look into the various services the ClickFunnels & ActiveCampaign background to know the multiple similarities and differences that both applications acquire. 

Description and Features

Today, we will be exploring the different types of services and offers that you can receive once you choose either of the two programs. Since there are many ways that these programs can help you promote your business or product, we will start at the uncommon services that each program offers and then proceed with the common ones. 

ClickFunnels

Since its founding in 2014, ClickFunnels’ founder Todd Dickerson has since then regulated their services that purely centralizes on allowing their users to build their own sales funnels personally. Sales funnels function as the direct gateway for your site(s). To do this, you must be able to execute a step-by-step process that will be demonstrated by ClickFunnels. The effectiveness of these sales funnels have been proven to work with utmost accuracy, but of course, sales funnels wouldn’t be enough if you wish to advertise or preserve quality service within your services. (READ More: Everything you need to know about ClickFunnels) 

Some of its features include:

• Customizable Domains
• Email Integrations
• Optin Funnels
  • ClickPops
    • You can ClickPops by putting additional pop-ups for your funnels that directly opt-in your potential prospects into your account.
  • ClickOptin
    • ClickOptin can automatically allow your visitors to receive an email that consists of a link that can automatically direct them to your primary funnel.

• All Advanced Funnels Such as:
  • Sales Funnels

• • • Order Pages, Upsell Pages, and Downsale Pages
  • Membership Funnels
  • Auto Webinar Funnels
    • Webinar Funnels and Hangout Funnels
  • Share Your Funnels
• Membership Area
  • Current users, especially business owners within ClickFunnels affiliates, can set up their membership area that will only be accessible to their subscribers who have chosen to sign up for the said membership.
• Affiliate Program
  • A collaborative program, whereas the user will receive a commission fee every time he/she successfully refers ClickFunnels to their leads or potential prospects.

ActiveCampaign

Founded in 2003 by Jason VanderBoom, ActiveCampaign started its operations as a cloud software program that allows small to mid-size businesses to have access to their automation. Automations have a crucial part in acquiring your success. The way automation works are, it will enable its users to have automatic access and control to their marketing and email advertising tasks. Compared to ClickFunnels, they do not offer page builders and funnels inside their side, but what they do best is to calculate an effective plan when it comes to email marketing.

In addition to what is said above, the following are some of the features that you will get access to when subscribed to their plans:

• Marketing automation
  • The way automation works is that it allows the user to release a series of emails only if certain conditions are met and or done by the receiver or the user.
  • Although ClickFunnels also have the same mechanism, the complex yet comprehensible automation of ActiveCampaign is far more superior by default.
• Smart autoresponders
  • Personally composed emails by the user, whereas these autoresponders will act as the response based on the receiver’s choice of action.
• Built-in integrations 
• Drag and drop email designer
  • A User-friendly interface that allows the user to build their letters with such ease.
• Track your contacts on-site and in your apps
  • Social media monitoring as well as reaction automation
• Campaign, contact, as well as list reporting
  • Track where your contacts live or travel
  • Add live eCommerce data and even videos to your emails
  • SMS marketing
  • Send newsletters
• CRM & Sales automation
  • Advanced segmentation and targeting
  • Dynamic (as well as conditional) email content
  • Free email templates
  • Build custom forms for your landing pages

Features offered by both programs: 

• Priority Support
  • ClickFunnels offers its support in Windows, Mac, and Web-based devices.
  • ActiveCampaign, on the other hand, supports its users in Windows, Linux, Android, iPhone/iPad, Mac, Web-based, and Windows Mobile

• Split Testing or A/B Testing
  • Are tactical features that allow the users to compose or build two distinct types of sales elements that they will simultaneously release onto the public eye. The user will then monitor the performance of these varying elements. After the test, will the user receive the data regarding the positive feedback of the said elements? The features that allow A/B Testing varies depending on the service platform that you’re using.
  • In this case, both programs offer A/B Testing for their marketing features such as landing pages, email autoresponders, and newsletters.

Integrating ClickFunnels and ActiveCampaign

Now that we know the various features that each program offers let us now analyze the ways both programs can help you in your desire to start your business. Since both programs are not all-in-one when it comes to online business management, the following tutorial will teach you how to integrate both programs into one cohesive yet effective marketing and management program that you can use to gain experience and sales by tenfold. 

Since both programs have their advantages that each cannot possibly possess at the moment, our suggestion is to use ClickFunnels as your marketing manager and ActiveCampaign as your Brand Promoter. Fortunately for the beginning entrepreneurs, this is possible! 

Migrating your data to another platform can be tricky, especially if you don’t execute it well without guidance from the credible source material. So, we will be providing a step-by-step of how you can perfectly integrate your accounts from both programs to each other. Let’s dive right into the tutorial!

Integrate your ClickFunnels account on your ActiveCampaign account.

1.     Go to your ActiveCampaign Dashboard and Click on the “Settings”
2.     Click on “Developer” on the next page.
3.     Copy the API URL and API Key that’s displayed in front of you.
4.     Go to your ClickFunnels account settings, then go to the Integration settings
5.     Find and click the “Add New Integration” segment
6.     Search for ActiveCampaign in the search bar
7.     Paste Your API URL and API Key to the space that is given and rename it if you wish to do so.
8.     Click on Add integration.

Integrate your ActiveCampaign account on Your ClickFunnels account.

1.     Retrieve Your ActiveCampaign API Credentials in your ActiveCampaign account settings.
2.     Once you’ve acquired your credentials, You need to Integrate your AC account by going to the Integration settings in your CF Account
3.     Search AC and rename your Integration. Along the process, you’ll have to enter both your API Key and URL.
4.     Once done inputting your credentials, click “Add Integration.”

Pros and Cons 

Now that you are equipped with the information regarding the program’s accessibility, let’s overlook the possible benefits and downside that you might encounter once you subscribe to one of the programs that are featured above.  

Possibilities are endless once you venture into the online world. Both positive and negative can happen in times where you wouldn’t expect it to happen. That’s why many people depend on programs that can help prevent such circumstances from happening to your business, but how can we be so sure that these preventive actions can be of use? We will be basing our programs’ pro’s and con’s based on the opinions and experiences of the former users of each program.

ClickFunnels

PROS

• Easy and Comprehensive Landing Page Builder
• Has an accommodating support group within its team
• Its ability to generate leads through its effective sales funnels is superb

CONS

• It doesn’t operate with email blast functionalities or marketing automation tools
• Needs a compatible CRM Software integrated into it so it can assess your business in  an orderly fashion
• Too much complexity when it comes to its range of various features

ActiveCampaign

PROS

• Exquisitely structured marketing automation
• Just like Clickfunnels, offers a wide range of features
• Great support and training practicums       

CONS

• Deliverability rate has higher chances of failing
• Certain complications in campaign tracking
• No transactional email functionality

 

Both programs possess necessary elements that you can only experience from the other program. Without a doubt, it would be best if you were to initiate the idea of simultaneously using both programs for you to have access to the features that you will be required to use if you wish to attain long term success. 

Pricing Plans

For the sake of newbies, we will focus on the most affordable plans of each program has within their price lists. That way, you can mentally process the number of expenses that you will eventually invest with the said program that you will probably put your trust into. 

ClickFunnels

FREE TRIAL –  14 Days Free Trial

• Allows access to limited and basic features

STARTUP – $97/Month

• 20 Funnels
• 100 Pages
• 20,000 Visitors
• Unlimited Contact Leads
• 3 Custom Domains
• A/B Split Tests
• Email Integrations
• Optin Funnels
• ClickPops
• ClickOptin
• All Advanced Funnel (Sales Funnels, Membership Funnels)
• Unlimited Members
• Auto Webinar Funnels (Webinar Funnels, Hangout Funnels)
• Order Pages (Upsell Pages, Downsale Pages)
• Share Your Funnels

(READ More: ClickFunnels Pricing Plans and Packages)

 

ActiveCampaign

FREE TRIAL – 15 Days Free Trial

• Allows access to limited and basic features within its email marketing services

LITE PLAN – $15/Month

• Up to 3 Users
• Unlimited Sending
• Chat & Email Support
• Email Marketing
• Marketing Automation
• Send Newsletters 

The Verdict

Since both programs have different focuses when it comes to online marketing, it really is hard to compare the two against each other. Our best recommendation is to use both programs simultaneously since both can excel in their respective fields of digital marketing. It would be the most advantageous to your endeavors as an entrepreneur.

Price-wise, the basic package of ClickFunnels cost is about $97/month. When integrated with the lite plan($15/month) of ActiveCampaign, it will suffice for almost all the essential needs of a typical digital marketer. This will cost you just $112/month. That price point in itself would be enough and would be easy to return through your income once you’ve fulfilled your desired quota within the month.