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Most buyers should pick HubSpot Marketing Hub.
Choose HubSpot Marketing Hub if you want campaigns, content, and lead data connected to HubSpot’s CRM, plus reporting across the funnel. Choose Mailchimp if you need email and SMS marketing with defined plan limits and a lower entry cost for multiple seats: Essentials is listed at $13 per month for three seats under a 12-month promotion. Mailchimp’s free plan is capped at 250 contacts and 500 emails monthly. HubSpot also has a free plan, but its limits aren’t specified here.
01Side by side
| HubSpot Marketing Hub | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $7 per seat/month, per pricing page | $13/month promo for Essentials |
| Free plan | Free plan; limits not specified | 250 contacts; 500 emails/month |
| Best for | CRM-connected marketing teams | Email and SMS marketers |
| Core strength | CRM-linked campaigns and funnel reporting | Email, SMS, and campaign testing |
| Learning curve | Ease score: 5 | Ease score: 6.5 |
| Integrations/data | CRM records and two-way sync with dozens of apps | Real-time behavioral audience data |
| Team/seat costs | Seat-based pricing; extra seats billed per user | Essentials includes 3 seats for $13/month promo |
| Support | Starter lists email and in-app chat support | Essentials lists 24/7 email and chat support |
HubSpot Marketing Hub Choose HubSpot Marketing Hub if
- Choose HubSpot Marketing Hub if CRM-linked campaigns matter.
- Choose HubSpot Marketing Hub if you need funnel reporting.
- Choose HubSpot Marketing Hub if you want two-way app sync.
Mailchimp Choose Mailchimp if
- Choose Mailchimp if you need email and SMS campaigns.
- Choose Mailchimp if you want three Essentials seats at entry.
- Choose Mailchimp if defined free-plan limits suit your list.
02Pricing compared
Both products have free plans, but Mailchimp’s published limits make its entry tier easier to price. Its Free plan allows 250 contacts and up to 500 emails per month, with one seat and one audience. Essentials is listed at $13 per month for three seats and up to 10 times your contact count in monthly sends; that rate is a 12-month promotion, and a 14-day trial is listed.
HubSpot’s Free plan is $0, but the published pricing details don’t specify its usage limits. Starter is listed at $7 per seat per month, Professional at $90, and Enterprise at $175. The page defaults to annual billing, and the published prices don’t break out monthly-versus-annual differences. That makes HubSpot’s per-seat cost important to check as a team grows. Mailchimp’s Standard is $20 per month under a 12-month promotion; Premium is $350. Its listed prices are monthly rates billed for 12 months, and standard month-to-month rates may be higher.
03Features and depth
HubSpot’s main advantage is the connection between marketing activity and its CRM. Marketing Hub covers email, social, ads, forms, SEO/AEO tools, and analytics, with lead data kept alongside campaigns. The published overview also lists content, nurture, and campaign AI agents: they can generate on-brand content, tailor nurture emails using CRM data and behavior signals, and plan campaigns from a goal, audience, brand, and past performance. Advanced reporting includes multi-touch attribution and customer journey analytics, per the homepage.
Mailchimp is more focused on email and SMS campaigns, automations, audience segmentation, and campaign design. Its homepage describes behavioral data and AI-assisted opportunities to re-engage inactive customers. The pricing page lists A/B and multivariate testing and predictive segmentation on Premium. Plan limits matter: Essentials includes up to four automation flow steps; Standard lists up to 200 automation flows and generative AI features. Mailchimp can handle automations, but the published details don’t establish the same CRM-connected reporting depth as HubSpot.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Our review scores give Mailchimp a higher ease-of-use rating than HubSpot: 6.5 versus 5. That is a directional signal, not proof that every team will find it simpler. Mailchimp’s defined audience, send, seat, and automation limits make plan fit relatively concrete, though the promotional pricing needs checking before renewal.
HubSpot connects more parts of marketing to CRM records, reporting, and automation. That broader scope may suit teams already organizing campaigns and lead data in HubSpot, but there are more plan tiers and per-seat costs to account for. The published review describes it as feature-rich and well integrated, while warning that seat pricing and contact add-ons can rise faster than teams expect. Its free-plan limits aren’t specified in the published pricing details.
Questions people ask
Can you do automations in Mailchimp?
Yes. Mailchimp lists marketing automations driven by customer data. Essentials includes up to four automation flow steps, while Standard lists up to 200 automation flows. Those are different measures, so check the plan details against the specific automation you need before choosing.
What are companies similar to HubSpot?
Mailchimp is one alternative for businesses focused on email and SMS campaigns, audience segmentation, and marketing automation. Our comparison doesn’t establish a full list of HubSpot alternatives. HubSpot’s Marketing Hub also connects campaigns and content to CRM data, so compare scope as well as price.
What is the most effective email marketing campaign strategy in HubSpot Academy?
The published material doesn’t describe a HubSpot Academy lesson or identify one universally effective strategy. HubSpot’s Campaign Agent is described as planning a campaign from its goal, brand, audience, and past performance. Those inputs offer a grounded starting point for planning, but the sources don’t provide performance results.
Which is better, Substack or Mailchimp?
The published material doesn’t include Substack’s features or pricing, so it can’t establish which is better overall. Mailchimp’s listed Free plan allows 250 contacts and 500 emails per month; its paid plans add features such as testing and predictive segmentation. Compare Substack’s current terms before deciding.