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HubSpot vs Keap: The Best Choice in 2026?

by | Last updated Jun 12, 2026

Winner
keap
4.2
  • All-in-One CRM + Marketing
  • Built-in Payments & Invoicing
  • If-This-Then-That Automation
  • Top-Rated Mobile App
  • Shorter Learning Curve
  • 14-Day Free Trial
  • Plans from $79/month
Runner Up
Hubspot
4.0
  • Free CRM Tools Included
  • Advanced Reporting & Analytics
  • AI-Powered CRM Features
  • Scales by Adding Hubs
  • Large Integration Library
  • Free Plan Available
  • Paid Plans from $15/seat/mo

⚡ Quick Verdict:

  • Pricing: Keap plans start around $79/month, while HubSpot offers free CRM tools and paid plans from $15/seat/month.
  • Best for: Keap suits small businesses wanting all-in-one simplicity. HubSpot caters to growing teams needing advanced marketing.
  • Key difference: Keap is the marketing automation tool with built-in payments. HubSpot is the feature-rich CRM platform.
  • Our pick: Keap for most small teams. It bundles sales and marketing into one intuitive CRM at a flat price.
HubSpot vs Keap Comparison

Most small business owners hit the same wall.

They want one tool for sales and marketing, not five.

The Keap vs HubSpot decision usually decides that question.

Both promise customer relationship management with built-in marketing automation.

But they solve different problems for different business needs.

This HubSpot vs Keap guide breaks down both, so you pick right.

Overview

This HubSpot vs Keap comparison covers pricing plans, key features, and ease of use.

We also break down who each CRM platform works best for.

Our writers signed up for both Keap and HubSpot directly.

Those notes appear in the “What Our Team Noticed” sections below.

We also reviewed documentation, pricing pages, and G2 reviews for both.

What is Keap?

Keap is a CRM software built for small businesses.

It bundles contact management, email marketing, and sales automation in one place.

The platform helps you automate manual tasks and close sales faster.

Keap was once called Infusionsoft, a name many marketers still recognize.

It now focuses on simple automation for solo owners and small teams.

Keap Introduction

Here’s a quick walkthrough of how the platform works.

Keap

⭐ 4.2/5 | 💰 Plans from $79/month

An intuitive CRM with built-in payments and easy automation. Keap helps small teams run lead follow-ups, appointments, and invoicing from one dashboard.

Keap Pricing

Here’s what Keap costs in 2026. Let’s break down the paid plans.

PlanPriceBest For
Pro (entry)From $79/month (up to 500 contacts)Solopreneurs and small teams
Advanced$249/month or moreTeams needing deeper automation
Listed plan (annual billing)$299/monthFull all-in-one access on file

Pricing verified June 2026.

Keap Pricing

Free trial: Yes. Keap offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card needed to start.

Money-back guarantee: Keap provides a money-back window on new paid plans. Check current terms at checkout.

📌 Note: Every Keap paid plan bundles the CRM, email marketing, and automation tools together. There are no separate hub purchases.

⚠️ Pricing discrepancy: Our data on file lists Keap at $299/month (annually billed). Published starting tiers may run lower (around $79/month for 500 contacts). Verify the current Infusionsoft pricing structure on Keap’s site before you buy.

Key Benefits of Keap

Here’s what makes Keap worth considering:

  • All-in-One Platform: Keap blends a sales CRM with email marketing and automation. You manage customer relationships without juggling separate marketing tools.
  • Built-in Payments: Keap includes payment processing and invoicing. You collect money inside the same CRM platform you use for lead tracking.
  • Easy Automation: Keap workflows automate manual follow-ups using simple if-this-then-that logic. Automated follow up emails fire without extra setup.
  • Top-Rated Mobile App: The Keap mobile app manages your sales pipeline and processes payments on the go.
  • Landing Pages & Web Forms: A built-in landing page builder and web forms help with lead generation and growing customer data.
  • Shorter Learning Curve: Keap has a shorter learning curve than HubSpot. The intuitive CRM lines up key features on one navigation menu.
Keap Top Benefits

What Our Team Noticed

Our writer signed up for Keap in May 2026 and spent several days exploring the dashboard. Here’s what stood out:

Lifecycle Keap CRM

Keap Pros & Cons

✅ Pros
  • All-in-one CRM with sales and marketing in one place
  • Built-in payments and invoicing close the sales cycle
  • Easy if-this-then-that automation for lead follow-ups
  • Highly-rated mobile app for pipelines and payments
❌ Cons
  • Basic reporting compared to HubSpot’s depth
  • No free plan, only a 14-day free trial
  • Fewer native integrations than the HubSpot platform

What is HubSpot?

HubSpot is a CRM platform for sales and marketing teams.

It started with inbound marketing and grew into a full suite.

The HubSpot CRM connects a Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub.

You can start small and scale by adding modules over time.

HubSpot offers free CRM tools, then paid plans for advanced marketing.

What is Hubspot

Watch the platform in action before we dig into the details.

HubSpot

⭐ 4.0/5 | 💰 Free CRM + Paid from $15/seat/month

A feature-rich CRM platform with a powerful free plan. HubSpot pairs advanced marketing and reporting with a large library of native integrations.

HubSpot Pricing

Here’s what HubSpot costs in 2026. The pricing plans split by hub.

PlanPriceBest For
Free Tools$0/monthTesting the free CRM tools
Marketing Hub Starter$15/seat/monthSolo marketers starting out
Starter Customer Platform$15/seat/monthSmall teams bundling hubs
Marketing Hub Professional$800/seat/monthScaling teams needing advanced marketing

Pricing verified June 2026.

HubSpot Pricing

Free trial: Not needed. HubSpot has a genuine free plan with no time limit on its core CRM features.

Money-back guarantee: Paid plans bill monthly or annually. Refund terms depend on your contract type.

📌 Note: HubSpot uses both bundled pricing and individual pricing for each hub. You can mix Marketing, Sales, and Service Hubs to fit your marketing efforts.

⚠️ Warning: HubSpot pricing gets expensive fast. Costs can climb past $800/month once you add advanced marketing features and extra seats.

Key Benefits of HubSpot

Here’s what makes HubSpot worth considering:

  • Powerful Free CRM: HubSpot’s CRM gives you free CRM tools with contact management and AI-powered features. Many small businesses start here at no cost.
  • Advanced Marketing: The Marketing Hub handles email marketing, landing pages, and social media management. It links your social media accounts so you can create targeted campaigns from one screen.
  • Scalable Analytics: HubSpot provides superior reporting with a Google Analytics tracking ID for attribution. The data scales as your team grows.
  • Sales Tools: The HubSpot Sales Hub manages your sales pipeline, lead management, and customer interactions in one CRM platform.
  • Integration Capabilities: HubSpot has more integrations with popular apps than Keap. A large library connects your favorite marketing tools.
  • Support & Resources: A deep knowledge base, phone support, and a dedicated customer success manager help on higher plans.

What Our Team Noticed

Our writer set up a HubSpot account in May 2026 and tested the free CRM tools. Here’s what stood out:

Personal experience with Hubspot

The short clip below shows more of that hands-on walkthrough.

HubSpot Pros & Cons

✅ Pros
  • Powerful free CRM with AI-powered tools
  • In-depth reporting and campaign management
  • Large library of native integrations
  • Scales by adding Marketing, Sales, and Service Hubs
❌ Cons
  • Pricing gets expensive very fast
  • Some key features are missing on lower plans
  • Steeper learning curve than Keap

Feature Comparison

Ready for a detailed look at HubSpot vs Keap? We’ll cover ten key features so you can match each platform to your business needs.

FeatureKeapHubSpot
Starting Price~$79/month$15/seat/month (paid)
Free Plan❌ (14-day trial)
Marketing Automation
Built-in Payments
Landing Page Builder
Advanced Reporting❌ Basic
Native IntegrationsLimited✅ Large library
Mobile App✅ Top-rated
Best ForSmall business all-in-oneGrowing teams scaling up

1. Marketing Automation & Workflows

Keap: Keap is the marketing automation tool built for small business simplicity. As marketing automation software, its automation builder uses easy if-this-then-that logic. These workflows automate manual lead follow-ups, appointments, and payments without coding.

Keap CRM Automation Builder

HubSpot: HubSpot offers powerful automation capabilities through its workflow tools and AI. The marketing automation platform suits advanced marketing across multiple channels. It rewards teams ready to learn deeper automation features.

HubSpot AI Automation

⚠️ Warning: HubSpot’s strongest automation tools sit on higher-priced plans. Keap bundles its automation features into every tier.

2. CRM & Contact Management

Keap: Keap’s sales CRM keeps customer data and company records in one tidy view. The contact management dashboard tracks every deal, note, and task. The interface resembles Pipedrive, with key features on the navigation menu.

Keap CRM

HubSpot: HubSpot’s CRM handles contact management and customer relationships at scale. Company records, customer interactions, and lead tracking all sync across hubs. The user friendly interface opens each hub with a single click.

How To Organize Customer Data In HubSpot CRM

3. Email Marketing

Keap: Keap’s email marketing ties straight to your contact records. You build targeted campaigns and let automated follow up emails run on a schedule. It works as a focused email marketing platform for small teams.

Keap EMAIL MARKETING

HubSpot: HubSpot’s Marketing Hub pairs email marketing with broader campaign management. You create targeted campaigns, run A/B tests, and track marketing campaigns against revenue. Its marketing features run deeper than Keap’s.

HubSpot Marketing Platform

4. Email & Text Messaging

Keap: Keap adds text messaging alongside email in the same automation flow. You reach leads by SMS and email without leaving the CRM. This helps small businesses run lighter marketing activities from one tool.

Email Text for Keap CRM

HubSpot: HubSpot focuses more on inbound marketing channels than native SMS. It leans on integrations for text outreach. For email-led marketing efforts, the HubSpot platform stays strong.

5. Landing Pages & Web Forms

Keap: Keap’s landing page builder and web forms feed leads straight into the CRM. New contacts trigger automation instantly. It covers everyday lead generation for a small business without extra apps.

Landing Pages for Keap CRM

HubSpot: HubSpot pairs landing pages with content management and SEO tools. You build landing pages, web forms, and blog content in one place. This supports a wider inbound marketing strategy.

HubSpot Content Arrangement

6. Sales Pipeline Management

Keap: Keap’s sales pipeline management keeps deals moving with drag-and-drop stages. You see each sales process step at a glance. The top-rated mobile app lets you update the pipeline and take payments anywhere.

Sales pipeline for Keap CRM

HubSpot: The HubSpot Sales Hub adds sales automation, deal scoring, and forecasting. It maps a longer sales cycle for growing teams. Sales and marketing data stays connected across the platform.

7. Lead Management & Tracking

Keap: Keap handles lead management and lead tracking with tags and simple scoring. Every new lead lands in the CRM and starts an automation. This keeps small teams on top of follow-ups.

Keap lead management and tracking

HubSpot: HubSpot’s lead tracking ties to its reporting and Google Analytics tracking ID. You see where each lead came from and how campaigns perform. The data scales as your CRM systems grow.

8. Pipeline & Deal Stages

Keap: Keap’s pipeline management lets you build custom deal stages for your sales process. Automation moves contacts between stages based on their actions. This trims manual data entry for busy owners.

Keap pipeline management

HubSpot: HubSpot supports multiple pipelines for different teams and products. Reporting on each stage feeds the campaign management platform. Larger teams get the structure they need to grow.

9. Reporting & Analytics

HubSpot: HubSpot provides in-depth reporting with custom dashboards and revenue attribution. You track marketing efforts down to each campaign. This is where the HubSpot platform pulls clearly ahead of Keap.

HubSpot Reporting & Analytics

Keap: Keap’s reporting function is basic next to HubSpot’s. It shows core sales and email metrics, which is enough for most small teams. Heavy data users may want HubSpot’s depth.

10. E-Commerce, Payments & AI

Keap: Keap includes built-in e-commerce tools such as payment processing and invoicing. Keap AI drafts emails and suggests copy. This all-in-one setup helps small businesses sell without bolting on extra software.

Keap AI

HubSpot: HubSpot handles e-commerce through integrations and its commerce tools. Advanced e-commerce often needs more complex setups than Keap’s built-in option. Its AI-powered features still add value across the CRM.

HubSpot E-Commerce Management

11. Pricing & Cost

Let’s compare the pricing plans side by side.

PlanKeapHubSpot
Free❌ (14-day trial)✅ Free CRM tools
Entry paid~$79/month$15/seat/month
Mid / Advanced$249/month+Varies by hub
Top tier$299/month (annual)$800/seat/month

Keap: Keap has a better pricing structure for bundling. One flat plan includes all the key features small teams need, with all the tools in one place. There are no per-seat surprises, which helps a tight small business budget.

HubSpot: HubSpot starts free and scales by the seat. The free plan is generous, but paid plans rise quickly. You pay more as you add hubs and advanced marketing tools.

Different Scenarios

If You Need…ChooseWhy
All-in-one simplicityKeapBundled CRM and marketing
A free planHubSpotFree CRM tools, no time limit
Built-in paymentsKeapInvoicing inside the CRM
Advanced reportingHubSpotIn-depth analytics
Easy automationKeapIf-this-then-that workflows
Room to scaleHubSpotAdd hubs as you grow

💰 Your Budget

Keap is often more cost-effective for tight automation. Its flat pricing plans bundle the tools that many CRMs sell separately.

🔌 Your Tech Stack

HubSpot has stronger integration capabilities and more integrations with popular apps. Keap covers the basics but connects to fewer marketing tools.

📣 Your Marketing Activities

HubSpot wins for advanced marketing and campaign management. Keap covers everyday email marketing and automated follow up emails for small teams.

🎓 Your Experience Level

Keap is more intuitive with a shorter learning curve. HubSpot is more feature-rich but takes longer to master.

🆓 Free Trials and Demos

HubSpot has a free plan, while Keap does not. Keap offers a 14-day free trial so you can test it first.

🛟 Support Options

Both offer a knowledge base and phone support on paid tiers. HubSpot adds a dedicated customer success manager on higher plans.

Switching Guide

Already using one of these tools? Here’s what to expect if you switch.

🔄 Switching from Keap to HubSpot?

✅ What you’ll gain:

  • A free plan and free CRM tools to start
  • In-depth reporting and better customization options
  • A larger library of native integrations

❌ What you’ll lose:

  • Built-in payments and invoicing
  • The shorter learning curve and flat pricing
  • The top-rated mobile app for payments

📋 How to switch:

  1. Export your contacts and company records from Keap
  2. Create a free HubSpot CRM account
  3. Import contacts and rebuild your workflows in HubSpot
🔄 Switching from HubSpot to Keap?

✅ What you’ll gain:

  • Built-in payments and invoicing in the CRM
  • Flat, bundled pricing with no per-seat costs
  • A simpler, more intuitive CRM to learn

❌ What you’ll lose:

  • The free plan and free CRM tools
  • In-depth reporting and analytics
  • The large set of native integrations

📋 How to switch:

  1. Export your customer data from HubSpot
  2. Start a 14-day Keap free trial
  3. Import contacts and set up your automation

What Our Review Didn’t Cover

This comparison focused on small businesses and growing teams. We didn’t test enterprise rollouts, custom API builds, or HubSpot’s customer portal at scale. Our notes reflect the June 2026 versions of each CRM platform. If you manage a large sales team, your priorities around the sales cycle may differ from what we’ve covered here.

Final Verdict

CategoryWinner
💰 Pricing & ValueKeap
🆓 Free EntryHubSpot
📊 Reporting & AnalyticsHubSpot
⚙️ Ease of AutomationKeap
🔌 IntegrationsHubSpot
👶 Ease of UseKeap
🛒 Built-in PaymentsKeap
🏆 Overall WinnerKeap

🏆 WINNER: KEAP

Keap wins 4 out of 7 categories.

Best for: Small business all-in-one CRM, built-in payments, easy automation

HubSpot and Keap solve the same goal in different ways.

The HubSpot Keap matchup really comes down to scale versus simplicity.

Keap is best for small teams wanting one intuitive CRM. It bundles sales and marketing with built-in payments at a flat price.

HubSpot is excellent for teams looking to grow and scale. Its free CRM tools, advanced marketing, and reporting are hard to beat.

If you want depth and room to expand, the HubSpot platform is the safer long-term pick.

But for most small businesses chasing simple, all-in-one automation, Keap edges it.

More of Keap Compared

Here’s how Keap stacks up against other CRM systems:

Keap vs ActiveCampaign

Keap wins on: Built-in payments, simpler setup, all-in-one small business focus

ActiveCampaign wins on: Deeper email automation, cheaper entry tiers, more reporting detail

Keap vs Pipedrive

Keap wins on: Built-in email marketing, payment processing, marketing automation in one tool

Pipedrive wins on: Lower starting price, cleaner deal view, lighter sales-only focus

Keap vs GoHighLevel

Keap wins on: Easier learning curve, top-rated mobile app, cleaner contact management dashboard

GoHighLevel wins on: Agency features, white-label options, broader campaign management platform tools

More of HubSpot Compared

Here’s how HubSpot stacks up against other CRM software:

HubSpot vs Salesforce

HubSpot wins on: Easier onboarding, free CRM tools, friendlier interface for small businesses

Salesforce wins on: Deeper customization, enterprise scale, broader third-party marketplace

HubSpot vs Monday CRM

HubSpot wins on: Stronger inbound marketing, richer reporting, mature marketing hub

Monday CRM wins on: Flexible boards, lower cost, simpler project-style workflows

HubSpot vs Freshsales CRM

HubSpot wins on: Larger app marketplace, advanced campaign tools, scalable analytics

Freshsales wins on: Lower pricing, built-in phone, faster setup for sales-only teams

4 Best and Professional HubSpot Alternatives for your Business

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is HubSpot’s biggest competitor?

Salesforce is widely seen as HubSpot’s biggest competitor. Keap, ActiveCampaign, and Zoho also compete, especially for small businesses wanting marketing automation.

What is Infusionsoft called now?

Infusionsoft is now called Keap. The company rebranded to focus on simple, all-in-one CRM and automation for small businesses.

Does Infusionsoft have a CRM?

Yes. Under the Keap name, the former Infusionsoft includes a full sales CRM with contact management, pipelines, and built-in automation.

What is the purpose of Infusionsoft?

Infusionsoft, now Keap, helps small businesses automate manual tasks, manage leads, and close sales faster from one CRM platform.

Is HubSpot or Keap better for small businesses?

Keap suits small teams wanting simple all-in-one automation. HubSpot fits businesses needing advanced marketing and free CRM tools to scale.

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