HubSpot vs. Constant Contact
HubSpot and Constant Contact help businesses create and automate email campaigns, but they serve different needs. HubSpot combines email marketing with a broader CRM and marketing platform, while Constant Contact focuses on accessible email campaigns and tools for small businesses and organizations.
Users often compare them for their automation options, contact management, integrations, and potential to support business growth. The right choice depends on factors such as features, pricing, ease of use, scalability, and how much of an all-in-one marketing platform you need.
HubSpot VS Constant Contact: Which tool is the most popular?
| Tool | Reviews | Average rating | Popularity assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | 606 | 1.92 | Most reviewed, but has the lower average rating |
| Constant Contact | 247 | 2.21 | Fewer reviews, but has the higher average rating |
Summary: HubSpot is most popular by review volume. Constant Contact is least reviewed, while HubSpot has the lower average user rating.
HubSpot and Constant Contact: Quick Comparison Overview
| Category | Ahrefs | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Primary features | SEO research tools for backlink analysis, keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, and content research. | Broader digital-marketing suite covering SEO, competitor research, site audits, rank tracking, content marketing, local SEO, PPC, and social media. |
| Target audience | SEO specialists, content teams, and agencies focused on organic search and link building. | In-house marketing teams, agencies, and businesses managing several digital-marketing channels. |
| Main advantages | Strong backlink and competitor research, with a focused toolkit for finding SEO and content opportunities. | Wider range of marketing tools in one platform, especially useful for combining SEO with paid, local, and social campaigns. |
| Core value proposition | Make organic-search research and link-building workflows more effective. | Manage and measure a broader digital-marketing program from one platform. |
| Ideal use cases | Analyzing competitors’ backlinks, researching keywords and content gaps, auditing a site, and tracking organic rankings. | Coordinating SEO with PPC, local visibility, content, and social efforts; conducting cross-channel competitor research. |
Sources: Ahrefs features · Semrush features
Feature availability varies by plan and may change.
Most liked vs most disliked features of HubSpot and Constant Contact
| Platform | Overall sentiment | What users appreciate | Main concerns |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Generally positive about its breadth and flexibility, though some users find it costly and complex. | An integrated suite for marketing, sales, and customer service; an approachable interface; useful integrations and automation; and tools that can be tailored to business needs. | Paid plans may be expensive, especially for small businesses. The range of features can make onboarding difficult, while inconsistent save controls, missing basic functions, and a cluttered interface can frustrate users. |
| Constant Contact | Mixed sentiment: many users value the support and service, but recurring complaints about billing, cancellation, cost, and technical issues weigh on the experience. | Helpful support representatives, ease of navigation once familiar, and long-term service consistency. Some users also recognize the company’s efforts to respond to feedback and follow up on problems. | Support experiences can vary, with reports of long waits and unhelpful assistance. Users also cite phone-only cancellation, high costs, technical problems, and unclear account or billing communication. |
Key Features of HubSpot vs Constant Contact
HubSpot vs. Constant Contact for email automation
| Feature | HubSpot | Constant Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Automated email journeys | Build workflows that send emails and take other actions based on contact activity or CRM data. Benefit: tailor follow-ups to where each person is in the customer journey, rather than sending the same sequence to everyone. | Set up automated series such as welcome and follow-up emails; some automation options can respond to customer or ecommerce activity. Benefit: keep in touch with new subscribers and customers without sending each message manually. |
| Segmentation and personalization | Use contact records, properties, and interactions to target emails and personalize content. Benefit: make messages more relevant and coordinate email with sales and other marketing activity. | Organize contacts and target messages using list and contact information. Benefit: send more relevant campaigns to different audiences, even without a complex marketing setup. |
| Email creation | Create marketing emails within HubSpot’s marketing tools and connect them with landing pages and other campaign assets. Benefit: manage more of a campaign in one platform. | Use an email editor and templates to create campaigns, with tools intended to help small businesses produce emails quickly. Benefit: get a campaign out without needing advanced design or coding skills. |
| Campaign performance reporting | Measure email results alongside broader marketing and CRM activity. Benefit: understand how email contributes to lead generation and customer journeys, not just opens and clicks. | View campaign engagement and use results to inform future sends. Benefit: see how recipients respond and make practical improvements to campaigns. |
| Connections to other business tools | Integrates email with HubSpot’s CRM and its broader marketing, sales, and service products. Benefit: teams can work from shared customer information and coordinate handoffs. | Offers integrations with other business and marketing tools. Benefit: connect email marketing with tools a small business may already use. |
| Additional marketing tools | HubSpot’s wider platform includes tools such as forms, landing pages, and other campaign capabilities. Benefit: build a more connected inbound-marketing program around email. | Constant Contact also emphasizes capabilities beyond email, including social marketing and event-related tools. Benefit: manage more small-business outreach activities from the same provider. |
What stands out
- HubSpot’s distinctive strength is CRM-connected automation. Its email tools are part of a broader customer platform, so workflows can use CRM information and coordinate with sales and other marketing activity. This can suit businesses with more involved lead-nurturing processes.
- Constant Contact’s distinctive strength is approachable, small-business-focused marketing. Its email tools sit alongside features such as event and social marketing, making it a practical option for organizations that want straightforward campaigns and broader outreach tools in one place.
In short: HubSpot is often a better fit when automation needs to be closely tied to CRM data and a larger marketing or sales operation. Constant Contact may be a better fit when a business wants an accessible email-marketing tool with useful outreach features beyond email.
Feature availability and automation limits can vary by plan. For current details, see HubSpot’s products and Constant Contact.
HubSpot vs Constant Contact Pricing Comparison
USD list prices; starting rates. Constant Contact pricing rises with contact count. HubSpot’s paid Marketing Hub tiers include contact allowances, and higher contact volumes can increase the price. Promotions and prices may vary by region or at checkout.
| Brand and tier | Monthly subscription | Annual subscription | Main offerings |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Free | $0 | $0 | Ongoing free CRM and basic marketing tools, including email marketing, forms, and landing pages. A no-cost starting point, with fewer automation and reporting features than paid tiers. |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub Starter | $20/month | $15/month equivalent when billed annually | Entry-level marketing tools, including email, forms, landing pages, and basic automation. Starting price includes 1,000 marketing contacts; additional contacts can raise the price. |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional | From $890/month | From $890/month, on an annual commitment | More advanced automation and workflows, campaign and performance reporting, and broader marketing capabilities. Starting package includes 2,000 marketing contacts; onboarding fees may apply. |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub Enterprise | From $3,600/month | From $3,600/month, on an annual commitment | Advanced marketing and account controls, including expanded permissions and reporting capabilities. Starting package includes 10,000 marketing contacts; onboarding fees may apply. |
| Constant Contact Lite | From $12/month | About $10.20/month equivalent with 15% annual-prepayment discount | Entry-level email and social marketing tools, plus signup forms and landing pages. Starting rate is based on 500 contacts. |
| Constant Contact Standard | From $35/month | About $29.75/month equivalent with 15% annual-prepayment discount | Adds features such as multi-step automation, segmentation, and A/B subject-line testing. Starting rate is based on 500 contacts. |
| Constant Contact Premium | From $80/month | About $68/month equivalent with 15% annual-prepayment discount | Adds advanced segmentation and automation, plus more advanced marketing and reporting tools. Starting rate is based on 500 contacts. |
| Pricing detail | HubSpot | Constant Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Free access or trial | Has a permanent Free tier. Availability of trials for paid features may depend on the product or account. | Offers a 30-day free trial. |
| Annual-payment savings | Starter’s listed annual-billing rate is lower than its monthly rate: $15/month equivalent versus $20/month. Professional and Enterprise are generally sold on annual commitments. | Annual prepayment can reduce the subscription price by 15%; the annual-equivalent figures above reflect that discount. |
| Other special rates | No general discount is included in the prices above. | Eligible nonprofits may qualify for additional discounts, commonly advertised as 20% for six-month prepayment or 30% for annual prepayment. Eligibility and terms apply. |
| What can change the price | Marketing-contact volume, selected products, onboarding, and billing terms. | Contact-list size, billing frequency, and promotional offers. |
Sources: HubSpot pricing · Constant Contact pricing
Support Options Comparison: HubSpot vs Constant Contact
| Support option | HubSpot | Constant Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat | Available to eligible customers, with access depending on the HubSpot plan. | Available through the support site for help with account and product questions. |
| Phone support | Availability is plan-dependent; generally offered to Professional and Enterprise customers. | Phone support is offered, giving customers a direct way to contact the support team. |
| Documentation | Help Center articles and product guides cover setup, features, and troubleshooting. | The Support Center provides searchable articles and step-by-step guidance. |
| Webinars, tutorials, and other resources | HubSpot Academy offers courses, lessons, and tutorials; the community is another resource, particularly for users without direct support access. | Offers webinars, video tutorials, and other learning materials alongside its support articles. |
| Overall | A broad learning library, with direct support channels that vary by subscription. | Combines phone and chat support with a substantial library of self-service learning resources. |
Support availability can change by plan and account. Sources: HubSpot Help Center and Constant Contact Support.
Unique Features of HubSpot Vs Constant Contact
| Brand | Feature uncommon in email automation software | Added value | Why it may be a deciding factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Shared CRM across marketing, sales and customer service. HubSpot’s product suite connects marketing tools with sales pipelines and service tools in one customer platform. | Email activity can sit alongside sales and support interactions, giving teams a broader view of each customer and allowing workflows to span departments. | A strong fit for businesses that want to coordinate marketing, sales and service without stitching together separate systems. |
| HubSpot | Built-in content and website tools. HubSpot’s product lineup includes tools for creating and managing content and websites alongside marketing campaigns. | Teams can connect content, forms and campaign activity to the same customer data and measure how content contributes to leads. | Relevant for organizations that want one platform for attracting visitors, capturing leads and nurturing them—not just sending emails. |
| HubSpot | Commerce tools connected to the CRM. HubSpot includes commerce capabilities such as managing quotes, invoices and payments. | Commercial activity can be linked to customer records and other marketing or sales interactions. | Useful for businesses that want marketing and sales teams to work from information tied to the buying process, rather than relying on disconnected tools. |
| Constant Contact | Event marketing. Constant Contact offers tools for promoting events and managing event-related communications and registrations. | Event promotion and follow-up can be handled alongside email campaigns, reducing the need to coordinate separate event and email tools. | Particularly valuable for organizations that regularly run events, such as nonprofits, associations and local businesses. |
| Constant Contact | Social media marketing tools. The platform extends beyond email to support social media activity, including creating and scheduling posts. | Teams can coordinate social content and email campaigns from a more centralized marketing workflow. | A practical choice for small teams that want to manage more than email without adopting a separate social media tool. |
These are differentiators relative to email-focused automation software, not necessarily exclusive features. Email platforms increasingly overlap with broader marketing suites; the key distinction is how much of the surrounding customer, event and content workflow each product brings into the same platform.
Most frequently asked questions about HubSpot vs Constant Contact
Which is easier to use, Constant Contact or HubSpot for email automation?
Reviewers commonly describe Constant Contact as approachable for getting basic email campaigns up and running, especially for small teams new to email marketing. HubSpot is often praised for its polished interface and guided workflows, but reviewers note that its broader set of tools can take longer to learn. In short: Constant Contact tends to feel simpler for email-first work; HubSpot can feel more involved because email is part of a larger platform.
Which platform has more powerful email automation?
Review feedback generally favors HubSpot for complex automation. Users value its branching workflows, behavioral triggers, and ability to coordinate email with CRM activity and other marketing channels. Constant Contact reviews more often describe automation as straightforward and suitable for common tasks, such as welcome messages and follow-ups, while noting that advanced workflows may be more limited.
Which is better for small businesses and beginners?
Constant Contact is often favored by reviewers who want to send newsletters, announcements, or event-related campaigns without setting up a full marketing system. HubSpot can also work for small businesses, but reviewers tend to see more value in it when a business wants to manage contacts, sales activity, and marketing together. The better fit depends on whether the need is primarily email or a broader customer-management platform.
Which is more affordable: Constant Contact or HubSpot?
Reviewers frequently raise cost as a consideration for both products, but the pricing comparison depends on contact volume, plan features, and which HubSpot products are needed. Constant Contact is often viewed as a more direct email-marketing purchase. HubSpot may offer a useful starting point, but reviewers caution that costs can rise as a team adds contacts, automation capabilities, or other hubs. Compare the specific features and contact limits in the plans you would actually use.
Which offers better CRM and contact management?
HubSpot is generally the stronger choice in review comparisons for teams that want email automation tied closely to sales records, deal stages, and customer activity. Reviewers appreciate having marketing and sales information in one system, though some note that setup and data management require care. Constant Contact supports contact-list management for campaigns, but reviewers usually describe it as less of a full CRM solution.
Which has better integrations with other business tools?
Reviewers commonly point to HubSpot’s broad ecosystem and its ability to connect marketing activity with sales and service tools. Constant Contact is also used alongside other business applications, but feedback often frames integrations as a way to support email campaigns rather than as part of a unified business platform. Check that your essential tools are supported and verify whether an integration requires an additional plan or connector.
Which platform has better email templates and campaign design tools?
Constant Contact reviews often highlight ready-to-use templates and a relatively approachable campaign-building experience, which can help teams produce routine emails quickly. HubSpot reviewers value its editor’s connection to broader marketing workflows, while feedback on design flexibility and ease can vary by user and template. If visual customization is important, test both editors with one of your real campaigns before choosing.
Which provides better analytics and reporting?
HubSpot is commonly favored by reviewers who want to connect email engagement with contact records, campaigns, and sales activity. Constant Contact is often considered adequate for monitoring core email results, such as opens and clicks, but reviewers seeking more cross-channel or lifecycle reporting may prefer HubSpot. Reporting depth can depend on the plan and how consistently tracking is configured.
Which has better customer support?
Support reviews for both products are mixed, as is typical for software platforms. Some Constant Contact users praise helpful assistance with campaign setup, while others report inconsistent experiences or wait times. HubSpot reviewers often value its learning materials and help resources, but experiences with direct support can depend on the subscription tier. Compare support hours, channels, and plan eligibility rather than relying on a single review.
How should a business choose between Constant Contact and HubSpot?
Review themes suggest choosing Constant Contact when the priority is accessible email marketing for newsletters, promotions, or events. Choose HubSpot when email needs to be part of a connected system for CRM, lead management, and more elaborate automation. Reviewers also stress that the best choice depends on team capacity: HubSpot’s broader capabilities can be valuable, but they may require more setup and ongoing administration.
