Picking the right CRM is tough. You need to manage contacts, sales, and marketing, but suddenly you’re facing confusing features.
ActiveCampaign is great for email, while HubSpot is an all-in-one giant.
Which is best for you? It’s a tough choice! Don’t worry!
This guide breaks down ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot in simple terms to help you choose the perfect CRM for your business in 2024.
ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot: Overview
We’ve spent weeks testing both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot, diving deep into their features, ease of use, and pricing.
This hands-on experience gives us the insights to help you make the right choice for your business.
We’ve explored everything from basic contact management to advanced marketing automation so you can see how each platform performs in real-world scenarios.
Overwhelmed by choices? ActiveCampaign makes it easy to connect with your audience and automate your marketing. See why it’s a top choice for businesses. Learn more!
Pricing: It has a free Trial. Paid plan Starts at $15/month
Key Features:
Get a 360-degree view of your customers with HubSpot's all-in-one CRM. From marketing to sales to service, HubSpot has you covered. Learn more and get started today!
Pricing: It has a free plan. Paid plan Starts at $20/month
Key Features:
- All-in-one Marketing Platform
- Sales & Service Hubs
- Powerful Free CRM
What is ActiveCampaign?
Imagine a super-organized assistant who loves sending emails. That's ActiveCampaign!
It helps you keep track of your contacts and automate your marketing. Need to send a welcome email message to new subscribers?
ActiveCampaign does it for you. Want to nurture leads with a series of messages?
Easy peasy. It's like having a marketing team working in 24/7, even while you sleep!
Powerful automation that's surprisingly easy to use. See how it can help you nurture leads and grow your business. Learn more.
Key Benefits
- Powerful automation: Design complex workflows with ease, no coding needed.
- Email marketing mastery: Create beautiful emails that get delivered.
- Detailed contact tracking: Know exactly who your customers are and what they like.
- Sales and CRM features: Manage your deals and pipeline in one place.
- Over 850+ integrations: Connect ActiveCampaign with your favorite tools.
Pricing
ActiveCampaign offers a tiered pricing based on the number of contacts and features you need.
- Starter: Starts at $15/month for 10x Email sends, 1 User, Multi-step marketing automation.
- Plus: Starts at $49/month for 10x Email sends 1 User, Multi-step marketing automation, Automation triggers & actions.
- Pro: Starts at $79/month for 12x Email sends, 3 Users, Multi-step marketing automation, and Unlimited actions.
- Enterprise: Starts at $145/month for 15x Email sends, 5 Users, Multi-step marketing automation, Email campaigns & newsletters.
Pros
Cons
What is HubSpot?
Think of HubSpot as your marketing superhero. It's got everything you need in one place: email marketing, a website builder, a powerful CRM (that's free!), and tools to manage your social media.
Need to create landing pages? HubSpot's got you. Want to see how visitors interact with your website?
No problem! HubSpot even helps you with SEO and gives you detailed reports. It's like having a whole team of experts at your fingertips.
Get a 360-degree view of your customers with HubSpot's all-in-one CRM. From marketing to sales to service, HubSpot has you covered. Learn more and get started today!
Key Benefits
- All-in-one platform: No need for multiple tools; HubSpot does it all.
- Free CRM: Get started with contact management and basic sales tools for free.
- Powerful marketing automation: Create sophisticated campaigns with ease.
- Extensive knowledge base: Tons of resources and support to help you succeed.
- Huge app marketplace: Connect HubSpot with over 1,000 other apps.
Pricing
HubSpot offers a free CRM and then separate "Hubs" for marketing, sales, and service, each with its pricing tiers.
- Marketing Hub Starter: Starts at $20/month. Includes 1000 marketing contacts.
- Starter Customer Platform: Starts at $20/month for Essential marketing, sales, service, content, and operations software.
- Marketing Hub Professional: Starts at $890/month for Comprehensive marketing software for automation, reporting, and campaigns, Including 2000 marketing contacts.
- Marketing Hub Enterprise: It has Custom Pricing and Includes 5 seats. Additional seats start at $75/month and include 10,000 marketing contacts.
Pros
Cons
ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot: Feature Comparison
Let's see how these platforms stack up when it comes to the features that matter most for your marketing efforts.
We'll compare them head-to-head in key areas to help you find the perfect fit.
Email Marketing
Both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot offer robust email marketing software but with different strengths.
ActiveCampaign excels at deliverability and provides advanced automation features to segment your audience & personalize your messages.
HubSpot, while also powerful, focuses on a more streamlined approach with easy-to-use templates and a drag-and-drop editor.
Marketing Automation
When it comes to marketing automation, both platforms are strong contenders.
ActiveCampaign boasts a powerful automation builder with a wide range of triggers, actions, and conditions to automate your marketing campaigns.
HubSpot's marketing automation platform is equally impressive, offering workflows to nurture leads, personalize content, and automate tasks across your sales and marketing efforts.
CRM and Contact Management
Both platforms offer CRM functionality to manage your customer data. Still, HubSpot takes the lead with its free CRM, providing a comprehensive solution for managing contacts, tracking interactions, and organizing your sales process.
ActiveCampaign's CRM is more focused on sales automation and integrates seamlessly with its marketing automation software.
Sales Automation
ActiveCampaign shines when it comes to sales automation, allowing you to automate tasks like lead scoring, deal updates, and follow-up emails to streamline your sales processes.
HubSpot also offers sales automation features, but they're primarily available in the paid Sales Hub, which adds to the overall cost.
Analytics and Reporting
HubSpot offers more comprehensive analytics and reporting tools, providing insights into your website traffic, marketing campaigns, and sales performance.
You can create custom reports to track key metrics & measure the success of your marketing Strategy.
ActiveCampaign's reporting is more basic, focusing on email performance and automation metrics.
Integrations
Both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot offer a wide range of integrations to connect with other tools you use.
ActiveCampaign boasts over 850+ integrations, while HubSpot offers over 1,000 integrations in its app marketplace.
This ensures that you can connect your CRM and marketing automation platform with the other software essential to your business.
Pricing
As mentioned earlier, HubSpot offers a free CRM, while ActiveCampaign starts at $29/month.
However, HubSpot's Marketing Hub starts at $450/month, making it a significantly more expensive option for businesses on a budget.
ActiveCampaign's pricing is more flexible, allowing you to choose a plan that aligns with your needs and budget.
What to Look for When Choosing a CRM?
- Your budget: HubSpot's free CRM is tempting, but consider the long-term costs if you need more advanced features. ActiveCampaign's lower starting price might be a better fit for small businesses.
- Your team's technical skills: ActiveCampaign can be complex, while HubSpot is more user-friendly.
- Your specific needs: Do you prioritize email marketing and automation (ActiveCampaign) or an all-in-one solution (HubSpot)?
- The level of support you need: Both offer support, but HubSpot's knowledge base and resources are more extensive.
- How many contacts do you have? Pricing for both platforms scales with your contact list size.
- Whether you need a dedicated sales CRM, HubSpot's Sales Hub offers more advanced features but at an additional cost.
- Your future growth plans: HubSpot is more scalable, but ActiveCampaign can also grow with your business.
Final Verdict (Our Pick)
Choosing between ActiveCampaign and HubSpot is tough. Both are powerful tools with a lots to offer. But for us, ActiveCampaign wins.
It's a bit easier on the wallet, especially when you're starting. Its automation capabilities are amazing.
You can do a ton with ActiveCampaign, even with the basic plan. HubSpot is awesome, but it's pricey.
The HubSpot Marketing Hub has a lot of features, but you pay a premium for them.
If you need an all-in-one solution and have the budget, HubSpot is great. But if you're focused on email marketing and automation, ActiveCampaign is the way to go.
We've tested both platforms inside and out. This guide gives you the facts. Now, you can choose the best CRM to grow your business in 2024!
ActiveCampaign wins for its affordability and powerful automation, making it the best choice for businesses focused on email marketing and growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I try ActiveCampaign or HubSpot for free?
Yes! ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial. HubSpot has a free CRM with basic features, and you can also get a free trial of their Marketing Hub.
Which platform is easier to use?
HubSpot is generally considered more user-friendly, especially for beginners. ActiveCampaign's interface can be a bit more complex, particularly its automation builder.
What if I need help with my CRM?
Both platforms offer support, but HubSpot's resources are more extensive. They have a vast knowledge base, community forums, and various support options. ActiveCampaign also provides helpful support, but its resources are more limited.
Can I use ActiveCampaign and HubSpot together?
Yes, you can integrate ActiveCampaign and HubSpot using third-party tools like Zapier. This allows you to connect your CRM data and automate tasks between the two platforms.
Which platform is best for small businesses?
ActiveCampaign's lower starting price and focus on email marketing and automation make it a good choice for small businesses with limited budgets. HubSpot's free CRM is also attractive, but the cost of their Marketing Hub can be a barrier for small businesses.
