If you want your business to grow, you need a way to create and manage customer relationships. As a result, your customer relationship management (CRM) software is one of the most important tools in your arsenal.
Choosing the best CRM software isn’t always so straightforward. Many seem to offer similar features and pricing, but the actual experience of using the software can be vastly different. Rather than just going with the most popular choice, it’s important to take the time to compare the different options and find a system with the right features that your team will actually enjoy using every day.In this guide, we compare Capsule CRM and Deals (ActiveCampaign’s CRM). Both tools can help you track opportunities, manage pipelines, and keep on top of follow-ups, but they also have some key differences that you need to be aware of.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have a better understanding of what both CRMs have to offer and which one will be the right fit for your team.
Capsule and Deals plans compared
For most small businesses and startups, a CRM that offers good value while scaling with your needs is a priority. A pricing model that’s hard to budget, or a plan you outgrow too quickly, can become more hassle than it’s worth.
If you’re just getting started, Capsule’s free plan is a helpful way to try out a dedicated CRM. You get access to all the essential features you need, including:
- Up to 2 users
- 250 contacts
- 1 sales pipeline
- 5 custom fields
- Contact history & activity log
- Gmail & Outlook add-ons
- Android & iOS mobile app
Deals is available as part of ActiveCampaign’s marketing platform. ActiveCampaign doesn’t offer a free plan, but you can try it (and its CRM capabilities) on a 14-day free trial.
Capsule and Deals (through ActiveCampaign) both offer affordable entry-level plans.
| Capsule Starter plan | ActiveCampaign Starter plan |
|---|---|
Dedicated CRM | Marketing platform with built-in CRM |
$18/user/mo for 30,000 contacts | Starting at $15/month for 1 user and 1,000 contacts |
Shared mailbox, templates, Gmail/Outlook add-ons | Full email marketing platform |
Pipeline, tasks, goals | Basic CRM features (add-ons available) |
Core sales reporting | Marketing and CRM reporting |
Capsule’s Starter plan gives you an affordable, predictable way to run your pipeline without paying for a full marketing suite. ActiveCampaign Plus is compelling if you’re primarily buying marketing automation and want a basic CRM in the same platform.
Both platforms also have higher-tier plans with additional features. Here’s what you get with Capsule’s premium plans:
- The Growth plan adds useful features like workflow automations, multiple pipelines, multiple project boards, advanced sales reporting, and more
- The Advanced plan includes up to 120,000 contacts, contact enrichment, and 50 project boards
- The Ultimate plan layers on premium onboarding, dedicated account management, and priority support for larger rollouts.
Meanwhile, ActiveCampaign’s Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans expand the email marketing, automation, and reporting features. However, as your email contact list grows, so does the cost.
For example, if you had 50,000 email contacts, the cheapest option is ActiveCampaign’s Plus plan at $609/mo (compared to $36/mo for Capsule’s Growth plan with 60,000 contacts).
In addition, if you want to upgrade ActiveCampaign’s Deals CRM features, you’ll need to purchase separate add-ons ($68/mo for the Pipelines enhanced CRM add-on and $111/mo for the Sales engagement enhanced CRM add-on), significantly pushing up the price.
What features and functionality do Capsule CRM and Deals offer?
When you’re comparing Capsule with Deals and looking at their different features, it quickly becomes obvious that they’re two very different platforms.
Capsule is 100% a CRM and, as a result, all its features naturally revolve around managing customer relationships. It gives you all the essential CRM tools you’d expect, like contact and pipeline management, alongside flexible features that adapt to your workflow.
For example, with Capsule’s Tracks feature, you can easily create task templates for repeatable processes, such as running product demos or onboarding new customers. The built-in Project Boards help manage your work post-sale, helping you deliver better customer experiences.
Capsule also comes with an AI Content Assistant to support your communication, while the Sales Analytics tools give you comprehensive insights into your team’s performance.
Deals, in contrast, is part of ActiveCampaign’s all-in-one marketing platform. You get your standard CRM functionality, but the focus is firmly on the marketing side of things. You can capture lead data and manage your contact details, but if you want to take things further, you’ll need to purchase one or more additional add-ons (available on the Plus plan and above).
For example, ActiveCampaign’s Pipelines enhanced CRM add-on unlocks features like enhanced pipeline management, deal records, account records, and lead scoring. The Sales engagement enhanced CRM add-on includes all of those features, plus automated 1:1 email and win probability.
For businesses focused on managing customer relationships, Capsule offers a streamlined experience with practical, easy-to-use features. If you’re primarily looking for a marketing platform with basic CRM capabilities, Deals makes sense.
Which CRM connects best with your existing software?
Even the smallest business uses a variety of different apps every day, from calendars to spreadsheets. The right CRM should slot into your stack with minimal fuss.
Capsule plugs neatly into the day‑to‑day tools most small teams already use, including:
- Email communication software, like Gmail and Outlook
- Accounting tools, like QuickBooks and Xero
- Marketing platforms, like Transpond and Mailchimp.
These integrations make it easy to keep all your data connected, enabling you to share vital information between your CRM, inbox, and email marketing. Capsule also connects with thousands of other apps through Zapier, or you can use the API to build custom integrations.
Deals lives inside ActiveCampaign’s marketing suite, allowing for deep integrations between your CRM and marketing (as long as you don’t mind using the same platform for both). It offers over 900 integrations, with more available through Zapier.
If you prefer to keep marketing tools interchangeable, Capsule offers the cleanest fit with minimal setup. If you’re campaign‑led and want CRM actions driven by marketing data, Deals benefits from ActiveCampaign’s wider marketing ecosystem.
Which CRM is best for ease of use?
One of the primary things to look for in any CRM is ease of use. After all, it doesn’t matter how amazing the features are or how cheap it is; if it’s too complicated to use, you may as well go back to using a Rolodex.
If you want a CRM your team can pick up quickly and maintain without hours of admin, Capsule is the simpler choice. The CRM is designed from the ground up to get you productive fast: set up a pipeline, create a contact, and add a deal.
With Capsule, reps can add notes, create tasks, and move deals with minimal effort. You can save even more time with Tracks for repeatable work, and Workflow Automations handle the more menial tasks. It’s also easy to get started by transferring your existing data from spreadsheets or other apps and CRMs using Import2.
“What I like best about Capsule CRM is its simplicity and ease of use, which makes it accessible to users of all technical skill levels. The user interface is clean and intuitive, allowing you to get started quickly without a steep learning curve or the need for extensive training.”
Matt. C
If you’re already running complex marketing automations and want CRM actions woven into those flows, Deals will feel familiar, but just expect a bit more setup. For example, you can set up automated deal creation based on criteria such as lead score.
Deals offers extensive options because it sits alongside email and marketing tools; the extra power is there when you need it, but it can take longer to dial in the right flows.
Which CRM offers more customization and flexibility?
Every business has its own way of working, whether it’s how you move deals through the pipeline, what data you need to track, or how you organise your tasks.
Capsule gives you the freedom to shape your CRM around the way your business works. You can adjust Sales Pipelines to reflect your process, add Custom Fields to capture the details that matter most, and organize information using Tags and DataTags.
Deals also offers plenty of ways to customize your data, including custom fields, custom objects, and AI-suggested segments. ActiveCampaign’s personalization particularly shines when used for marketing campaigns, with advanced personalization fields and dynamic content.
You can also tailor the CRM aspect with segmented contact lists and pipelines tailored to match your sales process. The automation builder is powerful, but setting up these flows and rules often requires more time and marketing know-how, particularly for teams that haven’t used automation tools before.
In short, both CRMs provide strong customization options, but Capsule keeps it straightforward and accessible, making it easier for growing teams to tailor their setup without technical expertise. Deals is better suited if your priority is advanced automation tied closely to marketing activity and you’re comfortable investing more time in setup and ongoing management.
Which platform is best for support and security?
Customer relationships are built on customer information. When you’re handling your customers’ valuable data, you need a platform that keeps it secure, offers straightforward filtering, and makes core details and history readily available when you need them.
Capsule provides reliable support for every plan. All users can access email support backed by a comprehensive online help center. Teams on the Ultimate plan receive extra assistance, including a dedicated account manager, tailored onboarding, and priority response to make sure they get the most from the platform.
On the security side, Capsule is SOC 2 Type II certified, which means that its systems and processes meet rigorous standards for safeguarding data. The platform also uses encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access permissions, and routine backups to keep information protected and accessible. The company also complies with GDPR, so you can be confident that your customers’ data is safe.
ActiveCampaign is a large US-based provider that offers support through email, live chat, and community forums. The level of service you receive depends on your plan: Pro users and above get priority support, while Enterprise customers benefit from a dedicated account team and an uptime SLA.
However, some customers outside US time zones have noted that response times can be less consistent, which may be a consideration if your team works elsewhere.
From a security perspective, ActiveCampaign is SOC 2 certified and GDPR compliant. The platform carries out daily vulnerability scans and ongoing penetration testing to maintain strong protection. In short, ActiveCampaign’s size allows it to deliver enterprise-grade infrastructure and compliance, though support can sometimes feel less personal compared with smaller vendors.
Which CRM is best for my business?
Both Capsule CRM and Deals will help you track deals and manage your customer relationships, but they start from very different places. Capsule is a dedicated CRM designed to stay simple as you grow. Deals is part of a marketing platform with CRM built in.
If you want a focused CRM that your team can pick up quickly, with predictable per‑user pricing and a free plan to get started, then Capsule ticks all the boxes. You can manage your contacts, deals, pipelines, and projects without any complicated setup.
On the other hand, if you’re primarily looking for a marketing platform and the CRM is secondary, then ActiveCampaign’s built-in CRM might be enough for your needs.
For most SMB and startup teams that value a user-friendly CRM with predictable costs, Capsule is the safer choice. If your sales motion lives inside complex marketing journeys, and you’ll fully use those capabilities, Deals can be a strong fit.
Try any Capsule plan free for 14 days or sign up to our free plan to get started with a simple yet powerful CRM.
