Choosing the right marketing platform can make it easier to manage email campaigns, organize contacts, automate repetitive tasks, and understand how marketing activities are performing. Two well-known options are HubSpot and Mailchimp, but they are designed around somewhat different approaches.
In this HubSpot vs Mailchimp comparison, we look at their key features, pricing structures, automation capabilities, contact management, ease of use, advantages, limitations, and the types of businesses that may find each platform useful.
The right choice depends less on which platform has the longest feature list and more on what your business actually needs.
HubSpot vs Mailchimp: Quick Comparison
| Feature | HubSpot | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing | Yes | Yes |
| Contact management | Yes | Yes |
| CRM capabilities | Strong CRM integration | Audience/contact management |
| Marketing automation | Available, with capabilities depending on plan | Available, with capabilities depending on plan |
| Landing pages and forms | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting and analytics | Available, with advanced options on higher plans | Available, with advanced options on higher plans |
| Integrations | Broad ecosystem | 300+ integrations listed by Mailchimp |
| Free option | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Varies by product, plan, seats and contacts | Varies by plan, contacts and sending limits |
| Best suited to | Businesses wanting a broader customer platform | Businesses focused heavily on email and audience marketing |
The feature comparison above is a general overview. Exact capabilities depend on the plan selected, so businesses should check the current plan details before making a purchasing decision.
What Is HubSpot?
HubSpot is a customer platform that brings together marketing, sales, customer service, content, data, CRM and other business functions.
Its Marketing Hub is designed to help businesses generate leads and automate marketing activities. Depending on the plan, users can access tools for email marketing, lead generation, SEO, campaign management, automation, reporting and other marketing activities.
One important characteristic of HubSpot is its connection between marketing and CRM data. This can be useful for organizations that want marketing activity and customer information to work together in one broader system.
HubSpot’s Main Strengths
- CRM-centered customer management
- Marketing automation
- Lead generation tools
- Email marketing
- Forms and landing pages
- Campaign management
- Reporting and analytics
- SEO-related tools
- Integration with other HubSpot products
However, HubSpot can become considerably more expensive as a business moves into advanced plans and manages larger marketing operations.
What Is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is a marketing platform widely used for email campaigns, audience management, automation and related marketing activities.
Its current marketing plans include Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium options. Mailchimp’s pricing depends partly on the number of contacts and the selected plan, and different plans have different sending limits and features.
Mailchimp also provides features such as email scheduling, marketing automation, segmentation, forms, templates, reporting and integrations. Its pricing page currently lists more than 300 integrations.
Mailchimp’s Main Strengths
- Email marketing
- Audience management
- Email templates
- Marketing automation
- Segmentation
- Scheduling
- Forms
- Reporting
- Large integration ecosystem
- Several plan options for different business sizes
Its main limitation for some organizations is that businesses needing a more comprehensive CRM and broader customer-management environment may need additional tools or a different platform.
HubSpot vs Mailchimp for Email Marketing
Both platforms can be used to create and send marketing emails.
Mailchimp has a strong focus on email and audience marketing, with tools for templates, scheduling, segmentation, automation and campaign management. Its plans also use contact and email-send limits, so marketers should understand both when estimating costs.
HubSpot also supports email marketing, but email is part of a broader marketing and CRM environment. This can be useful when email campaigns need to connect closely with lead information, sales activity and other customer data.
Which Approach Makes Sense?
If your main requirement is creating newsletters, promotional emails and automated email campaigns, Mailchimp may provide the type of focused marketing environment you need.
If email marketing is only one part of a broader process involving lead management, CRM data, sales and customer journeys, HubSpot may be worth considering.
The important point is to compare the specific features included in the plans you would actually purchase rather than comparing the platforms only by their brand names.
HubSpot vs Mailchimp for CRM
CRM is one of the most important differences to consider.
HubSpot is built around a broader customer platform that includes a Smart CRM and connects marketing with sales, service, content and other functions.
Mailchimp provides contact and audience management, but businesses looking for a broader CRM-centered operating environment may have different requirements.
For example, imagine a company that collects leads through a website.
With a broader CRM setup, the company may want to:
- Capture the lead.
- Store contact information.
- Track interactions.
- Segment the contact.
- Send targeted marketing.
- Pass qualified leads to sales.
- Monitor the customer relationship.
If this type of workflow is central to your business, CRM capabilities should be one of the first areas you evaluate.
HubSpot vs Mailchimp for Marketing Automation
Automation can save time by handling repetitive marketing activities.
Both platforms provide automation capabilities, but the available functionality depends on the plan.
Mailchimp’s current pricing information lists marketing automation flows, with the number and complexity depending on the plan.
HubSpot offers marketing automation as part of Marketing Hub, with more advanced capabilities available in higher-level plans.
A simple automation might look like this:
New subscriber → Welcome email → Wait several days → Educational email → Segment based on engagement
More sophisticated organizations may need workflows connected to CRM properties, sales activity, customer lifecycle stages and multiple marketing channels.
Before choosing a platform, write down the workflows you actually need and check whether they are included in the plan you can afford.
HubSpot vs Mailchimp Pricing
Pricing is one of the areas where direct comparisons can become misleading because the platforms use different pricing structures.
HubSpot Pricing
HubSpot currently offers free tools as well as paid plans. Its pricing varies according to the product, plan, seats, contacts and other factors.
At the time of writing, HubSpot’s Marketing pricing page lists a free option and a Starter option, while higher Marketing Hub plans have substantially higher starting prices and additional features.
HubSpot also has separate pricing information for marketing contacts, and the cost can change depending on the number of contacts and the selected product configuration.
For example, HubSpot’s current pricing information lists Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise at much higher price levels than its entry-level options. Some higher-tier plans can also involve onboarding fees.
Mailchimp Pricing
Mailchimp currently offers Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium marketing plans.
Its pricing is connected to the number of contacts and the plan selected. The company explains that subscribed, unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts can count toward the contact total used for pricing.
Mailchimp’s current pricing page also lists different monthly email-send limits for its plans.
What Should You Compare?
Don’t compare only the advertised starting price.
Calculate your expected cost based on:
- Number of contacts
- Monthly email volume
- Number of users
- Automation requirements
- CRM requirements
- Required integrations
- Reporting needs
- Premium features
- Onboarding or implementation costs
- Potential overage charges
This gives you a more realistic picture of the total cost.
HubSpot Pros and Cons
Advantages of HubSpot
Broader customer platform: HubSpot connects marketing with CRM, sales, service, content and other business functions.
Strong CRM orientation: Businesses can organize marketing activity around customer and lead information.
Advanced marketing capabilities: Higher-tier Marketing Hub plans include capabilities such as automation, campaign management, advanced reporting and other marketing functions.
Scalability: Businesses can start with free or entry-level tools and add products or features as their requirements change.
Limitations of HubSpot
Cost can increase: Advanced functionality can require significantly more expensive plans.
More complexity: A broad platform may require more setup and learning than a tool used mainly for email marketing.
Plan differences matter: Important capabilities can depend heavily on the selected plan, contact structure and configuration.
Mailchimp Pros and Cons
Advantages of Mailchimp
Strong email focus: Mailchimp provides a broad set of tools for email marketing and audience engagement.
Multiple plans: Businesses can choose among Free, Essentials, Standard and Premium options.
Automation and segmentation: Paid plans provide different levels of automation, segmentation and testing capabilities.
Integrations: Mailchimp currently lists more than 300 integrations, which can help businesses connect marketing activities with other software.
Limitations of Mailchimp
Contact-based pricing needs attention: Your contact count can affect the pricing tier, so businesses should understand how their audience is counted.
Email sending limits: Plans have different monthly sending limits.
Broader CRM requirements may require more tools: Organizations wanting a comprehensive CRM-centered environment should evaluate whether Mailchimp alone meets those needs.
HubSpot vs Mailchimp: Which One Should You Choose?
Instead of asking which platform is universally better, start with your marketing requirements.
Consider HubSpot If:
- You need marketing and CRM closely connected.
- Your business has sales and marketing teams that need shared customer information.
- You want a broader customer platform.
- You need more advanced marketing workflows.
- You expect to use several HubSpot products.
- Detailed customer journeys and lifecycle management are important.
Consider Mailchimp If:
- Email marketing is your primary requirement.
- You want to manage newsletters and promotional campaigns.
- You need audience segmentation and email automation.
- You prefer a platform focused strongly on marketing communications.
- You want to compare several pricing tiers based on your contact and sending requirements.
These are practical use-case distinctions, not universal rules. A small business can use HubSpot successfully, while a larger organization may use Mailchimp effectively depending on its technology stack and marketing process.
How to Choose the Right Platform
Before subscribing, follow these steps.
1. Define Your Main Goal
Write down what you need the software to accomplish.
For example:
“We need to send two newsletters per month and automate welcome emails.”
That is very different from:
“We need lead capture, CRM management, sales handoffs, customer segmentation, automation and marketing reporting.”
The second requirement may call for a broader platform.
2. Count Your Contacts
Your contact database can have a major effect on pricing.
Check how each platform defines contacts and how different contact types affect billing.
3. Estimate Email Volume
Determine approximately how many emails you expect to send each month.
Don’t forget automated emails when calculating your expected volume.
4. List Your Required Integrations
Make a list of the systems you already use, such as:
- Website
- E-commerce platform
- CRM
- Analytics software
- Forms
- Customer support software
- Social media tools
- Accounting software
Then check whether the required integrations are available and whether they require additional configuration.
5. Test the User Experience
If a free plan or trial is available, use it to build a small real campaign.
Create an email, import or create a test audience, build a basic automation and review the reporting interface.
This gives you a better understanding of the platform than reading feature lists alone.
6. Calculate the Long-Term Cost
Don’t choose based only on the introductory price.
Consider what happens when:
- Your contact list grows.
- You add users.
- You need advanced automation.
- You increase email volume.
- You require additional features.
A platform that fits your current needs should also make financial sense as your marketing operation develops.
Common Mistakes When Choosing Marketing Software
Choosing Based Only on Price
The cheapest plan may not include the features your team actually needs.
Paying for Features You Don’t Use
A large feature list isn’t automatically valuable if your business only needs basic email campaigns.
Ignoring Contact Limits
Contact-based pricing can become important as your database grows.
Forgetting Integrations
A marketing platform may work well on its own but create unnecessary manual work if it doesn’t connect properly with your existing systems.
Not Testing the Workflow
Before purchasing, build a small campaign and automation. This can reveal usability issues that aren’t obvious from a pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is HubSpot better than Mailchimp?
There isn’t one platform that is better for every business. HubSpot is built as a broader customer platform with CRM, marketing, sales and service capabilities, while Mailchimp has a strong focus on email and audience marketing. Your decision should depend on your required features, workflow and budget.
2. Is Mailchimp cheaper than HubSpot?
The answer depends on the plan, number of contacts, email volume and features required. Both companies offer free or entry-level options, while advanced capabilities can increase costs. Always compare the specific plans and limits relevant to your business.
3. Can HubSpot and Mailchimp both send marketing emails?
Yes. Both platforms provide email marketing functionality. The difference is how email marketing fits into the wider platform and what additional customer-management and automation features are available under each plan.
4. Which platform is better for a small business?
It depends on the small business’s requirements. A business primarily sending newsletters may have different needs from one that needs a CRM, sales pipeline and advanced customer workflows. Compare the actual features and expected monthly cost rather than choosing based on company size alone.
5. Can I switch from Mailchimp to HubSpot or from HubSpot to Mailchimp?
Migration may be possible, but the difficulty depends on the data, integrations, automations and processes involved. Before switching, identify the contacts, tags or segments, campaign data, forms, integrations and automations that need to be recreated or transferred.
Conclusion
The HubSpot vs Mailchimp comparison is ultimately about matching the platform to your marketing process.
HubSpot provides a broader customer platform that connects marketing with CRM, sales, service and other business functions. Mailchimp provides a strong marketing environment centered around audiences, email campaigns, automation and related tools.
For a business making this decision, the most useful approach is to define the required workflows first, calculate contacts and email volume, check integrations, compare the relevant plan limits, and test the software before committing.
Pricing and features can change, so always review the latest official information before making a purchasing decision.
