Mailchimp vs. HubSpot
Mailchimp and HubSpot are popular choices for email automation, but they serve different needs. Mailchimp focuses on email campaigns and marketing automation, while HubSpot combines email tools with a broader CRM and marketing platform.
Users often compare them for their campaign features, automation capabilities, integrations, and potential to grow with a business. Key factors include features, pricing, ease of use, CRM functionality, reporting, and support. Comparing these areas can help you choose the tool that best fits your goals and budget.
Mailchimp VS HubSpot: Which tool is the most popular?
| Tool | Reviews | Average rating | Popularity summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | 748 | 2.76 | Most popular: it has more reviews and a higher average rating than HubSpot. |
| HubSpot | 606 | 1.92 | Least popular: it has fewer reviews and a lower average rating than Mailchimp. |
Mailchimp and HubSpot: Quick Comparison Overview
I can’t perform a live web search in this chat, so this overview reflects established product positioning; features and plan limits may change.
| Ahrefs | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary features | Backlink and competitor analysis; keyword research; site audits; rank tracking; content research. | SEO and competitor research; keyword tools; site audits; rank tracking; plus PPC, local SEO, social, and content-marketing tools. |
| Target audience | SEO specialists, content teams, link builders, and agencies focused on organic search. | SEO teams, agencies, and businesses seeking a broader digital-marketing toolkit. |
| Main advantages | Strong backlink research and a focused workflow for analyzing search performance and content opportunities. | Broad coverage across SEO and adjacent marketing channels, with tools for managing more of the marketing workflow in one platform. |
| Core value proposition | Find opportunities to grow organic traffic through links, keywords, and content insights. | Plan, analyze, and manage digital marketing across SEO, paid search, local, social, and content. |
| Ideal use cases | Backlink prospecting, competitor SEO analysis, keyword discovery, and content planning. | Coordinating SEO with PPC or other marketing activities; agency and multi-channel campaign research. |
Most liked vs most disliked features of Mailchimp and HubSpot
| Platform | Overall sentiment | Most appreciated | Main concerns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | Generally positive: users value its accessibility and tools for creating and improving email campaigns. | Easy-to-use interface, audience segmentation, useful analytics, attractive templates, and integrations with other platforms. | Users want better customer support, more flexible pricing and trial options, longer-term scheduling, greater template customization, and more integration choices. |
| HubSpot | Generally positive, especially among users who want marketing, sales, and customer service tools in one platform; some find it costly and complex. | All-in-one functionality, ease of navigation, integrations and APIs, automation, and options to tailor the platform to business needs. | Paid plans may be expensive for small businesses. The broad feature set can be difficult for newcomers, while confusing save controls, missing basic functions, and a sometimes messy interface affect usability. |
Key Features of Mailchimp vs HubSpot
Mailchimp and HubSpot: key email-automation features
Both platforms can automate email campaigns using audience data and customer actions. Their main difference is emphasis: Mailchimp is centered on email and audience marketing, while HubSpot connects email automation to a broader CRM and marketing platform.
| Feature | Mailchimp | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Automated customer journeys / workflows | Build journeys triggered by actions such as signing up, making a purchase, or engaging with a campaign. Prebuilt journey templates can help users get started faster. Benefit: send timely follow-ups without manually managing each contact. | Create workflows that enroll contacts based on criteria or behavior, then automate actions such as sending emails and updating records. Benefit: coordinate follow-up with other CRM and marketing processes. |
| Audience segmentation and targeting | Organize contacts into segments and target campaigns using audience attributes and engagement or purchase activity. Benefit: send more relevant messages to different groups. | Use CRM records and activity to build targeted lists and personalize automation. Benefit: tailor communications using information collected across customer interactions. |
| Personalized email content | Use contact and audience information to tailor messages. Benefit: make campaigns feel more relevant to each recipient. | Personalize emails using CRM properties and, where configured, dynamic content. Benefit: adapt messages to a contact’s details and relationship with the business. |
| Email creation and templates | Provides email design and template tools to create campaigns. Benefit: users can produce branded emails without building everything from scratch. | Provides an email editor and templates within its marketing tools. Benefit: create and manage email campaigns alongside other HubSpot marketing assets. |
| Testing and optimization | Offers campaign testing and performance insights to help users compare approaches and improve future sends. Benefit: learn which content or tactics work better for an audience. | Offers email testing and performance reporting, with capabilities depending on the product tier. Benefit: refine campaigns using engagement results. |
| Reporting and analytics | Tracks campaign engagement and audience performance. Benefit: understand how recipients respond and identify opportunities to improve. | Reports on email performance and can connect marketing activity with CRM records and broader reporting. Benefit: relate email engagement to contact and business activity. |
| Connections to other tools | Integrates with a range of ecommerce and marketing services. Benefit: use store or app data to inform campaigns. | Connects email activity to HubSpot’s CRM and other products, and supports integrations with external tools. Benefit: keep more marketing and customer information together. |
What stands out about each
- Mailchimp: Its signature strength is an email- and audience-focused experience, including the Customer Journey Builder and campaign tools designed for creating, targeting, and measuring email marketing. It can suit businesses looking for a dedicated marketing platform without needing to run all customer operations in one system.
- HubSpot: Its key differentiator is the native CRM connection. Email automation can use CRM data and sit alongside other marketing and customer workflows, which can be useful when teams want a more unified view of the customer.
Sources: Mailchimp Features · HubSpot Products
Feature availability, limits, and automation options can vary by plan and may change over time.
Mailchimp vs HubSpot Pricing Comparison
Pricing comparison
USD list prices; pricing can vary by contact count, seats, billing term, location, and promotions. Mailchimp’s paid-plan prices below use the 500-contact starting level. HubSpot prices are for Marketing Hub.
| Tier | Mailchimp | HubSpot Marketing Hub |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month; $0/year. A limited plan for small lists, with basic email campaigns and forms. Current limits include 250 contacts and 500 email sends per month. Includes Mailchimp branding and fewer automation and reporting features than paid plans. | $0/month; $0/year. Free marketing tools include email marketing, forms, landing pages, and basic CRM features. Email sends and features are limited, and HubSpot branding is included. The free tools are ongoing, not a time-limited trial. |
| Entry paid tier | Essentials: starts at $13/month at the 500-contact level, or $156/year at the undiscounted monthly rate. Includes email templates, A/B testing, basic automation, and 24/7 email and chat support. Supports up to 3 seats and 3 audiences. | Starter: $20 per seat/month when billed monthly, or $15 per seat/month with annual billing—equivalent to $180 per seat/year on the annual rate. Adds more automation and removes some free-tier limits and branding. The total depends on the number of seats and marketing contacts. |
| Mid-tier | Standard: starts at $20/month at the 500-contact level, or $240/year at the undiscounted monthly rate. Adds more advanced customer journeys and targeting, including behavioral targeting and predictive segmentation. Supports up to 5 seats and 5 audiences. | Professional: starts at $890/month, billed annually—$10,680/year before any required onboarding fee. Adds advanced marketing automation, campaign reporting, and testing tools. The listed starting price includes a set number of seats and marketing contacts; extra seats or contacts can raise the cost. |
| Top tier | Premium: starts at $350/month at the 500-contact level, or $4,200/year at the undiscounted monthly rate. Designed for larger teams, with advanced segmentation and reporting, multivariate testing, and more seats and audiences than lower tiers. | Enterprise: starts at $3,600/month, billed annually—$43,200/year before any required onboarding fee. Adds enterprise-level permissions, reporting, and customization, with a higher included allowance for seats and marketing contacts. Additional capacity may cost extra. |
Discounts and pricing considerations
| Brand | Discounts, trials, and billing notes |
|---|---|
| Mailchimp | The pricing page advertises 15% off the first 12 months for eligible customers who choose annual billing. At the starting prices above, that would make the first-year monthly equivalent about $11.05 for Essentials, $17 for Standard, and $297.50 for Premium. The discount is promotional and eligibility may vary. |
| HubSpot | The published Starter rate is lower with annual billing: $15 per seat/month versus $20 per seat/month billed monthly. Professional and Enterprise starting prices are quoted with annual billing. HubSpot also offers free tools; paid-plan costs can increase with contact or seat requirements. |
Sources: Mailchimp pricing · HubSpot pricing
Support Options Comparison: Mailchimp vs HubSpot
| Support option | Mailchimp | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat | Available to eligible paid-plan users; access depends on the account’s plan. | Available to eligible customers through the help tools in their account. Availability depends on subscription level. |
| Phone support | Generally reserved for Premium-plan customers, with priority support. | Phone support is available to some paid-plan customers; access depends on the subscription. |
| Documentation | The Mailchimp Help Center provides searchable guides and troubleshooting information. | The HubSpot Help Center offers product documentation, setup instructions, and troubleshooting guides. |
| Additional resources | Mailchimp also offers learning materials, including tutorials and other educational content. | HubSpot offers tutorials and courses through HubSpot Academy, along with community resources and other learning materials. |
Overall: Both platforms combine self-service resources with direct support, but live chat and phone access depend on the customer’s plan. HubSpot’s Academy is a prominent structured learning resource; Mailchimp also provides tutorials and educational materials.
Unique Features of Mailchimp Vs HubSpot
| Brand | Less-common features in email automation software | Added value and why they may matter |
|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | A broader set of small-business marketing tools: Mailchimp combines email and SMS campaigns with landing pages, websites, social media tools, and digital advertising. | A business can run several common marketing activities from one platform instead of assembling a separate tool for each. This may suit smaller teams that value convenience over a specialist tool for every channel. |
| Mailchimp | Marketing CRM and audience tools: Contact profiles and audience segmentation sit alongside campaign features. | Marketers can use customer information to target messages and coordinate follow-up, rather than treating each email list as a separate campaign audience. This can be useful for businesses that want basic customer-management capabilities without adopting a larger CRM platform. |
| HubSpot | Marketing connected to sales and service: HubSpot’s product suite includes marketing, sales, and customer-service tools built around its CRM. | Marketing activity can be connected to sales pipelines and customer-support interactions. That shared context can help teams coordinate handoffs and understand a customer’s history—an important advantage for businesses with multiple teams managing the same accounts. |
| HubSpot | Content and website tools as part of the platform: HubSpot offers content-management capabilities alongside its marketing products. | Teams can connect website and content activity with CRM records and marketing campaigns. This may be a deciding factor for organizations that want their website, lead generation, and follow-up processes to work together. |
| HubSpot | Operations and data-management capabilities: The product suite includes tools for connecting and managing business data and processes. | These capabilities can reduce manual data transfers between systems and make it easier to keep customer records consistent. They are especially relevant when a business uses multiple tools or has complex workflows. |
| HubSpot | Commerce tools alongside customer management: HubSpot’s suite includes commerce capabilities in addition to marketing, sales, and service products. | Businesses can bring parts of the buying process closer to their customer records and team workflows. This may appeal to companies that want marketing and revenue teams working from a more connected system. |
These are differences in emphasis, not features exclusive to either brand: other platforms may offer individual capabilities, but they are less typical of email-automation-first software.
Most frequently asked questions about Mailchimp vs HubSpot
Which platform is easier to use for email automation: HubSpot or Mailchimp?
Reviewers commonly describe Mailchimp as easier to get started with, especially for straightforward campaigns and basic automations. HubSpot is often praised for its polished interface and guided tools, but users say its broader feature set can take more time to learn. In short: Mailchimp tends to suit teams seeking a simple start; HubSpot may be easier to manage once its connected CRM and marketing tools are part of the workflow.
Which has more powerful email automation features?
HubSpot is generally favored for complex, multi-step workflows, branching logic, and automation tied to CRM activity. Reviewers appreciate being able to connect email actions with a contact’s wider sales and marketing history. Mailchimp is commonly considered capable for welcome emails, follow-ups, and other standard journeys, though reviewers looking for intricate workflows may find it less flexible.
How do HubSpot and Mailchimp compare for contact segmentation?
Users often praise HubSpot for using CRM properties and interaction history to create detailed audience segments. Mailchimp reviewers value its audience tools for organizing contacts and targeting campaigns, but some note that managing audiences and contact data can require extra care. For segmentation based on a broad customer history, HubSpot is usually the stronger fit; for simpler campaign targeting, Mailchimp may be sufficient.
Which platform is better for small businesses?
Mailchimp is frequently described in reviews as approachable for small teams that need email campaigns and basic automation without adopting a larger marketing platform. HubSpot can be attractive to small businesses that want email automation connected to sales and customer-management tools, but reviewers caution that its wider capabilities may be more than a lean team needs. The better choice depends on whether the business wants email-first tools or a connected CRM-led system.
Which is more affordable for email automation?
Reviewers often see Mailchimp as an accessible starting point, while describing costs as something to watch as contact counts or feature needs grow. HubSpot’s cost can also rise as teams need more advanced capabilities or scale their usage. Because pricing and plan limits change, compare the current plan details against your contact volume, automation requirements, and any add-ons—not just the entry-level price.
Which platform offers better CRM integration?
HubSpot is usually the clear choice for teams that want email automation closely connected to a built-in CRM. Reviewers value having campaign activity, contact records, and sales workflows in one system. Mailchimp supports integrations with other business tools, but users who want a unified CRM-centered workflow may need to connect additional products and manage data across them.
Which is better for email templates and campaign creation?
Mailchimp reviews often highlight its email builder, templates, and straightforward campaign creation as convenient for marketing teams. HubSpot also provides campaign-building tools, and reviewers appreciate having them alongside its broader marketing features. If speed and a familiar email-first workflow are the priority, Mailchimp is often favored; if campaigns need to sit within a larger CRM and marketing process, HubSpot may be more convenient.
Which platform provides better reporting and analytics?
HubSpot is commonly praised for connecting email performance with CRM and broader marketing activity, which can help teams assess how campaigns relate to customer journeys. Mailchimp provides campaign-level reporting that many reviewers find useful for standard email metrics. Teams needing a wider view across marketing and sales may prefer HubSpot, while teams focused mainly on email results may find Mailchimp’s reporting adequate.
How do HubSpot and Mailchimp compare for integrations?
Reviewers value both platforms’ ability to connect with other business tools. HubSpot’s advantage is that many marketing and sales activities can be managed within its own ecosystem, reducing the need for separate connections. Mailchimp is often used alongside external storefronts, CRMs, and other apps, though the experience can depend on the specific integration and how reliably data syncs. Check that your essential tools support the workflows you need.
Who should choose HubSpot, and who should choose Mailchimp?
Review sentiment points to HubSpot for teams that need advanced automation, detailed segmentation, and close alignment between email, CRM, and sales processes. Mailchimp is often a better match for teams prioritizing accessible email marketing, quick campaign creation, and relatively simple customer journeys. A recurring trade-off in reviews is breadth versus simplicity: HubSpot offers a more connected toolkit, while Mailchimp can feel more focused for email-first use.
