tech from europe
vsActiveCampaign

Clever Elements vs ActiveCampaign

Last updated October 2026

Looking for a European alternative to ActiveCampaign? Here's how Clever Elements compares, on EU hosting, GDPR and what it does.

Our pick for a European buyer: Clever Elements. We weight data residency, GDPR and EU jurisdiction above everything else — that is the constraint this directory exists to solve.

Clever Elements
ActiveCampaign
What it is
Email marketing with drag-and-drop editor and built-in GDPR compliance
Marketing automation, email marketing, and CRM platform for businesses.
Headquarters
🇩🇪 DE
🇺🇸 US · 2003
EU data residency
Yes, for all customers
Available on some plansEU data residency is available on Enterprise plans or by request.
DSGVO / GDPR
Yes
Yes
Certifications
No
ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II
Price from
€10
$29/mo
Free plan
No
No
Open Source
No
No
Ratings
No
G2 4.5/5 (1,245) · CAPTERRA 4.6/5 (1,892)
Integrations
API, WordPress Plugin, Zapier, HubSpot, Google Sheets +8
Shopify, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Make (Integromat) +5

Where each one wins

Clever Elements

ActiveCampaign

Strengths

  • +Highly customizable automation workflows
  • +Strong CRM integration with marketing tools
  • +Excellent deliverability rates
  • +Comprehensive reporting and analytics

Limitations

  • −Steep learning curve for beginners
  • −Higher cost for larger contact lists
  • −Complex interface for non-technical users
  • −Limited free plan features

Data residency & compliance

Clever Elements
ActiveCampaign
EU data residency
Yes, for all customers
Available on some plansEU data residency is available on Enterprise plans or by request.
Transfer mechanism
Not required — data stays in the EU
Standard Contractual Clauses
DPA
Published →
Published →
Sub-processors
Listed →
Listed →
Certifications
No
ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II

Pricing

Clever Elements

  • Launch (Subscription) €20 per month for up to 1,000 recipientsUnlimited sends · Full feature set · Free personal support
  • Grow (Subscription) €90 per month for up to 10,000 recipientsUnlimited sends · Full feature set · Free personal support
  • Scale (Subscription) €360 per month for up to 50,000 recipientsUnlimited sends · Full feature set · Free personal support
  • Launch (Prepaid Credits) €10 for 1,000 credits (1 credit per recipient + 250 per send)No monthly fee · Full feature set · Free personal support
  • Grow (Prepaid Credits) €100 for 10,000 creditsNo monthly fee · Full feature set · Free personal support
  • Scale (Prepaid Credits) €240 for 50,000 creditsNo monthly fee · Full feature set · Free personal support

All prices exclude VAT. Custom pricing available for 100,000+ recipients.

ActiveCampaign

  • Lite $29 per monthUp to 500 contacts · Email marketing and automation · Basic CRM features
  • Plus $49 per monthUp to 500 contacts · Advanced automation and CRM · Custom branding
  • Professional $149 per monthUp to 500 contacts · Advanced reporting and analytics · Custom user permissions
  • Enterprise On request per monthCustom contact limits · Dedicated account representative · EU data residency available

Pricing varies based on the number of contacts. Discounts available for annual billing.

Features

Clever Elements

Creation & Design
Drag-and-drop editor for newsletters, Modern templates and custom design options, Expert design service available, No programming skills required
Sending & Deliverability
High-deliverability server infrastructure, 100% GDPR-compliant sending, Dedicated IP and own mail server, DKIM, Sender ID, SPF signing
Growth & Signups
Customizable, embeddable signup forms, Brand-aligned forms with adjustable fields and styles, WordPress plugin for easy integration, Social sharing options in newsletters
Monetization
Paid subscriptions toolkit for monthly/yearly tariffs, Full revenue retention (100% of earnings kept), Automated handling of paid newsletter subscriptions
Automation & Personalization
Automated campaigns (e.g., welcome emails), Behavior-based follow-up emails, Dynamic recipient segmentation with conditions, Personalized sending with direct recipient addressing

ActiveCampaign

Marketing Automation
Drag-and-drop automation builder, Pre-built automation templates, Conditional logic and branching, Lead scoring and tagging
Email Marketing
Customizable email templates, A/B testing for campaigns, Advanced segmentation, Dynamic content personalization
CRM & Sales
Contact and deal management, Pipeline visualization, Task and activity tracking, Integration with sales tools
Analytics & Reporting
Campaign performance tracking, Custom reports and dashboards, Revenue attribution, Automation performance metrics
Integrations
Native integrations with 900+ apps, Zapier and Make (Integromat) support, API access for custom integrations, Webhook support
See Clever Elements →More ActiveCampaign alternatives