HubSpot vs Mailchimp
HubSpot starts as a free CRM and grows into a full marketing, sales and service platform. Mailchimp focuses on email marketing and keeps it approachable for small lists. The right choice depends on whether email is one channel for you — or the whole job. Pricing notes are editorial summaries; check current plans before buying.
| Feature | HubSpot | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Growing teams that need CRM + marketing | Small businesses focused on email |
| Free plan | Free CRM with generous core features | Free tier for very small lists |
| Email marketing | Full email suite inside Marketing Hub | Simple, familiar campaign builder |
| Automation depth | Advanced multi-step workflows | Good basic journeys; depth on higher tiers |
| CRM | Full CRM at the core | Basic audience/contact management |
| Pricing approach | Per-seat hubs; costs rise as you scale tiers | Priced by contacts; costs rise with list size |
| Ease of use | More to learn, more power | Quickest to send a first campaign |
| Biggest reason to pick it | One platform for CRM, marketing and sales as you grow | Affordable, focused email marketing without CRM complexity |
| Biggest reason to skip it | Costs climb steeply with seats, contacts and hub tiers | Not a real CRM; outgrown once you need sales pipelines |
Verdict in one line
Choose HubSpot if you want CRM and marketing in one growing platform; choose Mailchimp if you mainly need simple, reliable email.
Read the full reviews
Go deeper before you decide:
Full HubSpot review — pricing, pros and cons
Full Mailchimp review — pricing, pros and cons
Guide: best email marketing tools for growing lists