Act!
5.4/10Act! is a long-running CRM with contact management, sales pipelines and built-in marketing automation, sold to small and midsize businesses in cloud and Windows desktop editions.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
Act! is one of the oldest CRM products still on sale. It was first released in 1987 and has been owned by Symantec, Sage and Swiftpage. Swiftpage renamed itself Act! in 2020. The core product, Act! Premium, centres on detailed contact records, activity and calendar scheduling, a visual sales opportunity pipeline, custom fields, and Insight dashboards for individual, team and company KPIs. Marketing automation came from the 2018 Kuvana acquisition and includes a drip-campaign builder, lead scoring and website visitor tracking. Act! Premium can run as a cloud subscription or as a Windows desktop install. The desktop option, including hybrid sync, appeals to firms that need offline access or local data. Mobile apps for iOS and Android launched in 2024 at no extra cost for Premium Cloud subscribers. Third-party pricing listings put Premium Cloud at about $30 per user per month and Premium Desktop at about $37.50, billed annually. Act's own Premium Cloud page has shown $22.50 per user per month with an asterisked condition. A basic marketing automation tier is included. Larger marketing tiers (AMA Select, Complete and Advanced) are priced per account rather than per user. Paid add-ons include enhanced support, custom tables, extra storage and SMS. Integrations cover Microsoft Outlook and Office, Gmail, Zapier and Sage 50, and an API is available. The main limitation is age: reviewers describe a dated, dense interface, weak pipeline and profit reporting, and occasional slowness, and they say it does not scale well to large enterprises.
Our Rating
Who Act! is best for
Good fit
Reviewers and listings position Act! for small businesses that want contacts, pipeline and email marketing in one product.
It offers pipeline, opportunity and activity tracking, though reviewers say its pipeline reporting is weak.
Less suited
- Mid-Market6/10
It is marketed to SMBs, but reviewers say scalability falls short for larger organisations.
Some reviewers say solo users find it overloaded with features and hard to set up without an admin.
CRM.org says enterprises needing advanced reporting should look elsewhere.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Contact management is detailed and copes with large contact databases and big imports.
- A desktop and hybrid deployment allows offline work, which most cloud-only CRMs do not offer.
- Basic marketing automation is included in Premium, with drip campaigns, lead scoring and web visitor tracking.
- Fields and sales processes are highly customisable.
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android are included at no extra cost for Premium Cloud subscribers.
Cons
- Reviewers describe the interface as dated and dense, comparable to older Windows software.
- Pipeline and profit reporting is a recurring complaint, and the date-based pipeline can hide open deals.
- Users report freezing and slowness, especially with remote databases.
- There is no native Mac desktop app.
- Enhanced support and several capabilities cost extra on top of the per-user fee.
Key Features
Act! Pricing
Act! Premium Cloud
or $360/user/year
- Insight dashboards
- iOS and Android mobile apps included
- AMA Basic marketing automation included
- Contact, lead and opportunity management
- Third-party listings give $30 per user per month billed annually; Act's own page has shown $22.50 per user per month with conditions
Act! Premium Cloud with desktop sync
or $480/user/year
- About $40 per user per month
- Cloud plus hybrid desktop sync
Act! Premium Desktop
or $450/user/year
- Offline access
- On-premises Windows install
- About $37.50 per user per month billed annually
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Software Finder lists a free trial and a free demo, and Act! offers a self-guided product tour.
Yes. Act! Premium is available as a Windows desktop install and as a cloud subscription, with an optional hybrid desktop sync.
AMA Basic is included with Premium. The Select, Complete and Advanced tiers cost about $79, $199 and $399 per account per month.
Yes. iOS and Android apps launched in 2024 and are included for Premium Cloud subscribers. They cover contacts, activities, calendar and pipeline.
Microsoft Outlook and Office, Gmail, Zapier and Sage 50. An API is also available.
There is no Mac desktop app. Mac users access the cloud version through a browser.
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