Last Updated: March 19, 2026 | Quick Answer: ActiveCampaign is best for SMBs, course creators, ecommerce brands, and B2B teams that rely on email automation, while HubSpot excels for Small businesses and startups that want a free CRM today with room to scale into marketing and sales automation. Both are strong email marketing options — your choice depends on your specific needs and budget.
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At a Glance
| ActiveCampaign | HubSpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | SMBs, course creators, ecommerce brands, and B2B teams that rely on email automation | Small businesses and startups that want a free CRM today with room to scale into marketing and sales automation |
| Starting Price | Starter from $15/mo; Plus from $49/mo; Pro from $79/mo (1,000 contacts, billed annually) | Free CRM; Starter from $20/mo |
| Free Plan | Check website | Check website |
| Our Rating | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Key Strength | Most powerful automation builder in its price range, with built-in CRM | Genuinely powerful free CRM that serves as the foundation for an all-in-one business platform |
ActiveCampaign Overview
ActiveCampaign is a customer experience automation (CXA) platform that combines email marketing, marketing automation, CRM, and sales tools in a single platform. Founded in 2003 by Jason VandeBoom in Chicago, the company bootstrapped for over a decade before raising $100 million from Silversmith Cap
Top Features:
- Email Marketing and Designer
- Automation Builder
- CRM and Sales Automation
- Lead Scoring
Read our full ActiveCampaign review
HubSpot Overview
HubSpot is an all-in-one CRM platform that combines marketing, sales, customer service, and content management into a single system. Founded in 2006 by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah at MIT, HubSpot pioneered the concept of “inbound marketing” — attracting customers through valuable content rather
Top Features:
- Free CRM
- Email Marketing and Marketing Automation
- Sales Pipeline and Deal Tracking
- Landing Pages and Forms
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing and Designer | Yes | Similar |
| Automation Builder | Yes | Similar |
| CRM and Sales Automation | Yes | Similar |
| Lead Scoring | Yes | Similar |
| Site and Event Tracking | Yes | Similar |
| What We Like | Yes | Similar |
| Free CRM | Similar | Yes |
| Email Marketing and Marketing Automation | Similar | Yes |
Pricing Comparison
| ActiveCampaign | HubSpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Starter from $15/mo; Plus from $49/mo; Pro from $79/mo (1,000 contacts, billed annually) | Free CRM; Starter from $20/mo |
| Free Plan/Trial | Check website | Check website |
Pros and Cons
ActiveCampaign
Pros:
- The most powerful visual automation builder available below enterprise price points
- Built-in CRM removes the need for a separate tool for many SMBs
- Lead scoring, site tracking, and event tracking enable sophisticated behavioral marketing
- Strong email deliverability — consistently outperforms Mailchimp in delivery benchmarks
Cons:
- 900+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, Salesforce, Stripe, and Zapier
- Excellent customer support reputation and comprehensive onboarding resources
HubSpot
Pros:
- The free CRM is the best in the industry — functional enough to run a small business without paying a dollar
- All-in-one platform eliminates the need to stitch together separate tools for CRM, email, landing pages, and support
- Clean, modern interface with a relatively gentle learning curve for a platform this powerful
- Extensive integration marketplace (1,500+ integrations) connects HubSpot to nearly every tool you already use
Cons:
- You want a lightweight, sales-focused CRM without the marketing overhead (consider Pipedrive)
When to Choose ActiveCampaign
- You need most powerful automation builder in its price range, with built-in crm
- Your primary focus is smbs, course creators, ecommerce brands, and b2b teams that rely on email automation
- You want a platform rated 8.5/10 by our team
When to Choose HubSpot
- You need genuinely powerful free crm that serves as the foundation for an all-in-one business platform
- Your primary focus is small businesses and startups that want a free crm today with room to scale into marketing and sales automation
- You want a platform rated 8.5/10 by our team
FAQ
Is ActiveCampaign better than HubSpot?
It depends on your needs. ActiveCampaign is better for smbs, course creators, ecommerce brands, and b2b teams that rely on email automation, while HubSpot is stronger for small businesses and startups that want a free crm today with room to scale into marketing and sales automation. We rated ActiveCampaign 8.5/10 and HubSpot 8.5/10.
Can I use both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot?
Yes, many teams use both tools together. ActiveCampaign and HubSpot can complement each other depending on your workflow requirements.
Which is cheaper, ActiveCampaign or HubSpot?
ActiveCampaign starts at Starter from $15/mo; Plus from $49/mo; Pro from $79/mo (1,000 contacts, billed annually), while HubSpot starts at Free CRM; Starter from $20/mo. Both offer different tiers, so compare plans based on the features you actually need.
Our Verdict
Both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot are solid choices in their respective categories. Choose ActiveCampaign if you prioritize most powerful automation builder in its price range, with built-in crm. Choose HubSpot if genuinely powerful free crm that serves as the foundation for an all-in-one business platform matters more to your workflow. Either way, both tools offer free trials or plans so you can test before committing.
Read our full ActiveCampaign review | Read our full HubSpot review
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