Ortto (Formerly Autopilot) Review: Pricing, Features, Pros and Cons

Autopilot, the marketing automation tool that earned a loyal following for its visual journey builder, no longer exists under that name. The product rebranded to Ortto in early 2022, and as of April 2026, was acquired by Canva. But the platform is very much alive, now positioning itself as a unified customer data, marketing automation, and analytics solution. If you came here looking for the Autopilot you remember, this review covers what that product has become and whether it still deserves your attention.

The short answer: Ortto has evolved considerably from its Autopilot roots. The visual journey builder that made the original product popular is still the centerpiece, but it now sits alongside a customer data platform (CDP), AI-powered tools, omnichannel messaging (including WhatsApp and push notifications), and a conversational tool called Talk. The platform serves over 11,000 customers across 190 countries. It is a strong mid-market option, but pricing that starts at $199 per month will immediately disqualify it for smaller teams on tight budgets.

What Is Ortto (Formerly Autopilot)?

Ortto was originally launched as Autopilot in 2015 by co-founders Michael and Chris Sharkey. The company is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and has raised $35 million in funding from Blackbird Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and Rembrandt Venture Partners. Between 2018 and 2021, the founding team rebuilt the platform from the ground up around an event-based customer data model, culminating in the rebrand to Ortto in 2022.

On April 8, 2026, Canva acquired Ortto. The 40-person Ortto team will continue developing the standalone product while contributing their marketing automation expertise to Canva’s emerging “Canva Grow” initiative. What this means for Ortto’s long-term roadmap, pricing, or independence remains to be seen, but for now the product continues to operate as a standalone SaaS platform. Ortto is popular with SaaS companies, ecommerce businesses, fintech firms, and mission-driven organizations.

Ortto Key Features

Visual Journey Builder

This is the feature Ortto was built on, and it remains the platform’s strongest differentiator. The drag-and-drop journey builder lets you map out multi-step customer journeys visually, combining triggers, conditions, delays, and actions across email, SMS, in-app messaging, and WhatsApp. Non-technical marketers can build complex branching logic without developer support. The interface is genuinely intuitive for basic and intermediate workflows, though advanced configurations involving CDP event triggers carry a steeper learning curve.

Customer Data Platform (CDP)

Ortto’s CDP is what separates it from simpler email marketing tools. It aggregates customer data from connected apps, website tracking, and manual imports into unified customer profiles. You can see a contact’s entire history (page visits, emails opened, purchases, support tickets) in one view. This powers more precise segmentation and personalization than what you get from standalone email platforms. The CDP requires thoughtful setup, especially around event tracking and data hygiene, but it provides a foundation that tools like Mailchimp or basic ActiveCampaign plans simply do not offer.

Multi-Channel Campaigns

Ortto supports email, SMS, push notifications, in-app messaging, onsite pop-ups, WhatsApp (a recent addition), and even physical postcards through third-party integrations like Lob. This omnichannel approach means you can reach customers wherever they are, orchestrated from within a single journey. The email builder, however, is a weak spot. It works, but the WYSIWYG editor feels clunky, and pasting text from external sources can cause formatting issues with font sizes and styles. Template variety for both emails and landing pages is limited compared to competitors like Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign.

Ortto AI

AI capabilities have been woven throughout the platform. Ortto AI can generate email subject lines and body copy, predict optimal send times, and surface insights from campaign performance data. A recent 2026 update added MCP integration with Claude AI, expanding the AI assistant’s capabilities. These tools are helpful for speeding up content creation, though the AI features are not as deeply embedded into segmentation and predictive modeling as what you would find in enterprise-tier platforms like Braze or Adobe Marketo.

Talk (Conversational Tool)

Talk is Ortto’s built-in live chat and email conversation tool, enabling real-time customer communication directly within the platform. It supports multi-language conversations and ties into the CDP, so agents can see a customer’s full history during a chat. This eliminates the need for a separate Intercom or Drift subscription for basic conversational marketing, though Talk is not as feature-rich as those dedicated tools.

Analytics and Reporting

Ortto provides a real-time analytics dashboard covering campaign performance, journey completion rates, click-through rates, conversion tracking, and revenue attribution. Recent updates added pie charts and table chart report types. However, reporting is one of the platform’s most consistently criticized areas. Custom reporting options are limited, drill-down capabilities are shallow, and exporting data for external analysis requires workarounds. If deep, customizable marketing analytics is a priority, you will likely need to supplement Ortto with a dedicated BI tool.

Lead Scoring

Ortto includes lead scoring that assigns point values based on behavioral signals (email opens, page visits, form submissions) and demographic attributes. Scores can trigger journey actions, route leads to sales in connected CRMs, or flag high-value prospects. This is particularly useful for B2B SaaS companies running trial-to-paid conversion workflows.

Landing Page Builder

A landing page builder was added as a more recent product update, addressing one of the original Autopilot’s most noted shortcomings. It is available on the Professional plan and above. While it fills a gap, it is a relatively new addition, and the template library and design flexibility do not yet match what dedicated landing page tools (or competitors like HubSpot) offer.

Ortto Pricing and Plans

Ortto uses contact-based pricing across four tiers. The Starter plan is the only option available month-to-month; Professional and above require annual commitments. Quarterly billing is available with a 10% discount, and annual billing offers a 15% discount. A 14-day free trial is available with up to 10,000 contacts and limited email sends.

Important pricing notes: Some third-party sources list the Professional plan at $599/month and the Business plan at $999/month, suggesting either recent price changes or configuration-dependent pricing. Confirm current rates directly with Ortto. Prices scale upward with contact count. Annual commitments cannot be downgraded within the contract term. Taxes are not included.

Qualifying startups can receive a $10,000 discount in credits for the first two years on Professional and Business plans. This is a meaningful incentive for early-stage companies, but the base pricing still positions Ortto firmly in the mid-market tier. There is no free plan and no tier below 5,000 contacts, which means very small businesses or solo operators are effectively priced out.

Integrations

Ortto’s integration ecosystem has expanded significantly since the Autopilot days. Native integrations include: Salesforce (with 2-way sync, widely praised as one of the platform’s strongest integrations), HubSpot, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365 (2-way sync added in 2026), Stripe, Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, Squarespace, Segment, Slack, Facebook, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Calendly, Chargebee, Recurly, Typeform, Zendesk, Intercom, Help Scout, Gorgias, WhatsApp, Amazon S3, and Google Cloud Storage.

For anything not covered natively, Ortto connects with Zapier, unlocking access to over 4,000 additional apps. The platform also offers API access for custom integrations, which multiple reviews describe as well-built and flexible. The Salesforce integration in particular is cited as superior to competing platforms, including Salesforce’s own Marketing Cloud, for mid-market use cases.

That said, some integrations are locked behind higher-tier plans, and there are gaps. Users have noted the absence of certain niche or vertical-specific integrations, and some native connectors require manual configuration that could be smoother. If your tech stack relies on tools outside the major platforms listed above, verify native support before committing.

Customer Support

Ortto offers 24/6 live chat and email support across all plans. Live chat response times average under 7 minutes, and email responses typically arrive within 6 hours. These are strong benchmarks for a mid-market SaaS product. Enterprise plan customers receive a dedicated success manager and an email deliverability consultant, both of which add meaningful value during onboarding and for ongoing optimization.

Self-service resources include a knowledge base, blog, case studies, and product demos. The documentation covers core functionality adequately, though some areas (particularly advanced CDP configuration and API usage) have been described as confusing or incomplete.

Customer support is consistently one of Ortto’s highest-rated attributes. The team is described as responsive, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful. One caveat for U.S.-based teams: because the company is headquartered in Sydney, some users have reported overnight waits when issues arise outside of the Australian business day, despite the 24/6 coverage commitment.

Pros and Cons

After analyzing Ortto’s current capabilities, pricing, and real-world performance, here is our assessment of its key strengths and weaknesses.

Who Should Use Ortto?

Best fit: Mid-market companies (50 to 500 employees) in SaaS, ecommerce, fintech, or subscription-based businesses that need a unified platform combining customer data management with multi-channel marketing automation. If you are running complex lifecycle journeys (trial nurturing, onboarding sequences, re-engagement campaigns) and want to consolidate your CDP and marketing automation into one tool rather than stitching together Segment plus Mailchimp plus a separate analytics platform, Ortto is a strong candidate.

Also a good fit for: Marketing teams that use Salesforce as their CRM and want a marketing automation layer with a best-in-class native Salesforce integration. Funded startups that qualify for the $10,000 credit program. Ecommerce businesses on Shopify, BigCommerce, or WooCommerce that need behavioral automation beyond what Klaviyo or Mailchimp provide.

Not a good fit for: Solopreneurs, freelancers, or very small businesses with fewer than 5,000 contacts and limited budgets. At $199/month minimum, Ortto is significantly more expensive than alternatives like ActiveCampaign (starting around $15/month) or Mailchimp (which offers a free tier). It is also not the right choice for enterprises requiring deep, highly customizable reporting or teams that need an extensive library of email and landing page templates out of the box.

Ortto Alternatives

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is the most direct alternative for teams that want strong automation at a lower price point. Starting at roughly $15 per month, it offers a visual automation builder, email marketing, CRM functionality, and a larger template library. ActiveCampaign lacks Ortto’s built-in CDP and unified data platform, but for teams that do not need deep customer data unification, it delivers comparable automation capabilities at a fraction of the cost. Choose ActiveCampaign if budget is a primary concern or if you need a built-in CRM.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is the strongest alternative for ecommerce-focused businesses, particularly those on Shopify. It offers a free plan (up to 250 contacts), superior ecommerce analytics, and deep product recommendation capabilities. Klaviyo’s segmentation is more ecommerce-native, with built-in revenue attribution per campaign. However, it lacks Ortto’s CDP breadth and is not as strong for B2B or SaaS use cases. Choose Klaviyo if you run an ecommerce store and want purpose-built ecommerce marketing automation.

Customer.io

Customer.io is a strong choice for product-led SaaS companies that need event-driven messaging. It offers more flexible event-based triggering and developer-friendly tooling than Ortto, with pricing that scales more predictably for high-volume messaging. The tradeoff is a less polished visual builder and no built-in CDP. Choose Customer.io if your engineering team is heavily involved in marketing automation and you need granular control over event-based workflows.

HubSpot Marketing Hub

HubSpot is the go-to for companies that want marketing automation tightly integrated with a full CRM, sales, and service suite. Its free CRM and lower-tier marketing plans make entry easier, but comparable automation features (A/B testing, advanced workflows) require the Professional tier at $800+ per month. HubSpot’s ecosystem is broader and more mature, but Ortto’s journey builder is more visually intuitive and its CDP is more focused. Choose HubSpot if you want an all-in-one business platform, not just marketing automation.

Braze

Braze is the enterprise-grade alternative for companies that have outgrown mid-market tools. It offers superior mobile engagement, real-time data streaming, and cross-channel orchestration at scale. Pricing is significantly higher (typically starting in the low five figures annually), and implementation requires dedicated resources. Choose Braze if you have a large mobile user base, need real-time messaging at scale, and have the budget and team to support an enterprise platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Autopilot the same as Ortto?

Yes. Autopilot rebranded to Ortto in early 2022 after rebuilding the platform around a customer data platform model. All Autopilot customers were migrated to Ortto. The core journey builder remains, but Ortto now includes a CDP, AI tools, analytics, and a conversational messaging tool (Talk) that were not part of the original Autopilot product.

Does Ortto offer a free plan?

No. Ortto does not have a free plan. The lowest tier is the Starter plan at $199 per month for up to 5,000 contacts. A 14-day free trial is available with access to up to 10,000 contacts and limited email sends, which gives you enough time to evaluate the journey builder and core features before committing.

What happened to Ortto after the Canva acquisition?

Canva acquired Ortto on April 8, 2026. The Ortto team of approximately 40 people continues to develop the standalone product while also contributing to Canva Grow. As of mid-2026, Ortto operates independently with no announced changes to pricing, features, or support. Long-term integration plans have not been disclosed.

Does Ortto integrate with Salesforce?

Yes, and the Salesforce integration is one of Ortto’s most praised features. It supports 2-way sync of contacts, leads, and custom objects. Multiple independent assessments describe it as superior to other mid-market Salesforce integrations, including some comparisons favorable to Salesforce’s own Marketing Cloud for smaller deployments.

Is Ortto suitable for small businesses?

It depends on your budget and contact volume. At $199 per month minimum with no tier below 5,000 contacts, Ortto is expensive for very small businesses. However, qualifying startups can access a $10,000 credit discount over two years, which significantly reduces the effective cost. For small businesses with established revenue and a need for multi-channel automation, Ortto can deliver strong ROI. For bootstrapped teams or those under 1,000 contacts, ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo offer more accessible entry points.

What compliance certifications does Ortto hold?

Ortto is GDPR compliant, ISO certified, HIPAA compliant, and SOC2 certified. It offers regional data centers in the United States, European Union, and Australia, allowing you to keep customer data within your preferred jurisdiction. These certifications make it suitable for regulated industries including healthcare and financial services.

Can I send transactional emails through Ortto?

Transactional email capability is available but may be restricted to higher-tier plans. At least one source indicates transactional emails are locked behind the Enterprise tier. Confirm the specific plan requirements with Ortto’s sales team before purchasing if transactional email is critical to your use case.

The Bottom Line

Ortto has come a long way from its Autopilot origins. The combination of a visual journey builder, customer data platform, multi-channel messaging, and AI tools makes it one of the more complete mid-market marketing automation platforms available. The Salesforce integration is genuinely excellent, the support team is responsive, and the CDP provides a data foundation that most competitors in this price range simply do not offer.

The platform’s weaknesses are real but manageable for the right buyer. The email builder needs refinement, reporting depth lags behind the competition, and pricing creates a hard floor that excludes smaller teams. The Canva acquisition introduces some uncertainty about the product’s long-term direction, though for now, the standalone product continues to receive active development with meaningful updates.

We rate Ortto a 3.8 out of 5. It earns that score for its strong journey builder, CDP capabilities, and support quality, with deductions for pricing accessibility, reporting limitations, and occasional platform roughness. If you are a mid-market marketing team running multi-channel lifecycle campaigns and you need your customer data and automation in one place, Ortto belongs on your shortlist. If you are budget-constrained or need deep reporting and template variety out of the box, look at ActiveCampaign or Klaviyo first.