SoftwareGlimpse

ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot

Compare ActiveCampaign and HubSpot on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.

Independently recommendedLast updated Aug 18, 20269 evidence sources29 screenshotsHow we compare

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ActiveCampaign

7.7/10

Email marketing automation ESP with multi-step journeys; CRM pipelines strongest on Plus+; contact-based pricing.

Best for

• Marketing-led SMBs that need automation as the primary email job
• Email-first GTM teams comparing HubSpot or Keap on journeys
• Buyers comfortable with contact-tier packaging who want CRM on Plus+

Starting from $15.00/user/mo

No free plan

Visit ActiveCampaign

VS

Our verdict

No universal winner

No universal winner. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.

ActiveCampaign is better for

✓ Automation

HubSpot is better for

✓ Integrations

Tie

• Templates
• Analytics

Choose ActiveCampaign if: Marketing-led SMBs that need automation as the primary email job

Choose HubSpot if: SMB and mid-market teams wanting free CRM now and room to expand into hubs later

See detailed comparison ↓

HubSpot

7.8/10

CRM platform with free core CRM plus Sales, Marketing, Service, and Content Hubs for growing teams.

Best for

• SMB and mid-market teams wanting free CRM now and room to expand into hubs later
• Organizations aligning marketing + sales + service on one customer platform
• Teams that value Marketplace integrations and AI assistants (Breeze)

Starting from $15.00/user/mo

Free plan available

ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot at a glance

Criterion-level leaders from verified research.

Full scorecard →

Scorecard preview

Criterion leaders based on verified research — open the Scorecard tab for evidence detail.

Starting pricingDepends
ActiveCampaign
HubSpot
Contact / subscriber limitsDepends
ActiveCampaign
HubSpot
Email send limitsDepends
ActiveCampaign
HubSpot
AutomationActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign
HubSpot
TemplatesTie
ActiveCampaign
HubSpot

Which email marketing is better for you?

Quick picks based on fit — not a universal ranking.

→ ActiveCampaign
Best for automation
ActiveCampaign leads on automation (9/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
→ HubSpot
Best for integrations
HubSpot leads on integrations (8/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

The biggest differences

Where the products diverge most clearly on verified criteria.

Starting pricing
Depends
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign researched starting price from $15/mo; HubSpot researched starting price from $15/mo; a free plan is researched. Contact-based packaging can change the real TCO.
HubSpot
ActiveCampaign researched starting price from $15/mo; HubSpot researched starting price from $15/mo; a free plan is researched. Contact-based packaging can change the real TCO.
Automation
ActiveCampaign wins
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign leads on automation (9/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
HubSpot
Trails ActiveCampaign on this criterion
Segmentation
Depends
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot on segmentation is not a scored universal winner in current research — choose by job fit.
HubSpot
ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot on segmentation is not a scored universal winner in current research — choose by job fit.
Analytics
Tie
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign and HubSpot are close on analytics (8/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
HubSpot
ActiveCampaign and HubSpot are close on analytics (8/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Templates
Tie
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign and HubSpot are close on templates (8/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
HubSpot
ActiveCampaign and HubSpot are close on templates (8/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.

Which should you choose?

Choose ActiveCampaign if

Marketing-led SMBs that need automation as the primary email job
Email-first GTM teams comparing HubSpot or Keap on journeys
Buyers comfortable with contact-tier packaging who want CRM on Plus+

Choose HubSpot if

SMB and mid-market teams wanting free CRM now and room to expand into hubs later
Organizations aligning marketing + sales + service on one customer platform
Teams that value Marketplace integrations and AI assistants (Breeze)

Related comparisons

Alternatives to consider

How we compare

A short look at the comparison process. Full methodology

1
Collect
Collect official product information, pricing, and product evidence.
2
Normalize
Map evidence to the same category evaluation criteria for both products.
3
Compare
Evaluate both products against identical criteria — ties and depends are allowed.
4
Explain
Show why each product wins, loses, or ties, with evidence behind the outcome.

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Independent criterion outcomes
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