ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot: How We Compared Them
Based on our analysis of both platforms across 8 evaluation criteria, this comparison reflects hands-on testing, current 2026 pricing, and real-world performance data. The data shows that both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot are top-tier marketing automation platforms, but they serve distinctly different audiences.
ActiveCampaign excels at affordable, deep automation for small-to-mid-sized businesses. HubSpot offers an all-in-one growth platform with native CRM and broader marketing suite capabilities. Your ideal choice depends on your budget, team size, and how many tools you want under one roof.
See how both stack up against the full field in our best marketing automation platforms roundup.
Pricing Comparison
Pricing is where the biggest gap between these platforms appears. Based on our analysis of 2026 pricing for common contact list sizes:
ActiveCampaign Pricing (Annual Billing)
| Plan | 1,000 Contacts | 5,000 Contacts | 10,000 Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $15/mo | $49/mo | $79/mo |
| Plus | $49/mo | $99/mo | $149/mo |
| Pro | $79/mo | $149/mo | $249/mo |
| Enterprise | $145/mo | $259/mo | $399/mo |
HubSpot Marketing Hub Pricing (Annual Billing)
| Plan | Contacts Included | Monthly Price | Onboarding Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Up to 1M (2K email sends) | $0 | None |
| Starter | 1,000 marketing contacts | $20/mo | None |
| Professional | 2,000 marketing contacts | $890/mo | $3,000 |
| Enterprise | 10,000 marketing contacts | $3,600/mo | $7,000 |
The Verdict on Pricing: ActiveCampaign is dramatically more affordable at every tier. The data shows that a growing business with 5,000 contacts pays approximately $99/month on ActiveCampaign Plus versus $890/month on HubSpot Professional. That's nearly a 9x price difference for comparable automation features.
However, HubSpot's free tier is genuinely useful for startups, and the Starter plan at $20/month is competitive — though it lacks advanced automation.
Email Marketing and Automation
Both platforms offer robust email and automation capabilities, but with different strengths.
ActiveCampaign Automation
- Visual automation builder with 135+ trigger/action combinations
- Conditional content blocks within emails
- Split testing within automations (not just A/B on emails)
- Predictive sending optimization
- Goal tracking within automations
- Site tracking and event-based triggers
HubSpot Automation
- Visual workflow builder with drag-and-drop interface
- Branching logic with if/then conditions
- Multi-channel workflows (email, SMS, internal tasks, property updates)
- AI-powered smart content
- Programmable automation via custom code actions (Pro+)
- Deep integration with CRM deal stages
The Verdict: ActiveCampaign wins on automation depth and affordability. The data shows its automation builder offers more granular control, especially for complex multi-step sequences. HubSpot's automation is excellent but locked behind the $890/month Professional tier for most advanced features.
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CRM and Sales Features
This is where HubSpot's all-in-one approach shines.
ActiveCampaign CRM
- Built-in sales CRM included on all plans
- Deal pipelines with automation triggers
- Lead scoring based on engagement and fit
- Task management for sales teams
- Limited reporting compared to dedicated CRMs
HubSpot CRM
- Industry-leading free CRM with unlimited contacts
- Advanced deal tracking with custom pipelines
- Meeting scheduling built in
- Conversation intelligence (AI call analysis)
- Native integration across Marketing, Sales, and Service Hubs
- Extensive reporting and custom dashboards
The Verdict: HubSpot wins decisively on CRM capabilities. Based on our analysis, HubSpot's CRM is a standalone product that competes with Salesforce, while ActiveCampaign's CRM is a useful add-on but not a replacement for a dedicated sales platform.
Ease of Use
Both platforms are well-designed, but target different user skill levels.
ActiveCampaign: Moderate learning curve. The automation builder is powerful but requires time to master. The interface is functional rather than elegant. Best suited for marketing teams comfortable with technical configuration.
HubSpot: Lower learning curve for basic features. The UI is polished and intuitive. HubSpot Academy provides excellent free training. However, the Professional and Enterprise tiers introduce complexity that requires dedicated administration.
The Verdict: HubSpot is easier to get started with, especially for non-technical teams. ActiveCampaign requires more initial investment in learning but rewards that investment with deeper control.
Deliverability and Performance
Email deliverability directly impacts your ROI from automation.
Based on our analysis and third-party deliverability tests, both platforms perform well:
- ActiveCampaign: Consistently ranks in the top 3 for email deliverability across independent tests. Offers dedicated IP options on higher plans.
- HubSpot: Strong deliverability with dedicated IP available on Professional+. Benefits from a large sending infrastructure.
The Verdict: ActiveCampaign has a slight edge in deliverability based on consistent test results, but both platforms perform above industry averages.
Integrations and Ecosystem
ActiveCampaign: 900+ integrations via native marketplace plus Zapier. Strong e-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce). API access on all plans.
HubSpot: 1,600+ integrations in the App Marketplace. Deeper native integrations with enterprise tools (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics). Custom objects and API access. HubSpot's Operations Hub adds advanced data sync.
The Verdict: HubSpot wins on ecosystem breadth and depth. The data shows its marketplace has nearly double the native integrations, and enterprise-grade connections are more mature.
For another enterprise comparison, see our Marketo vs HubSpot analysis.
Reporting and Analytics
ActiveCampaign: Standard email and automation reporting on all plans. Campaign performance dashboards. Custom reports available on Enterprise plan only. Limited attribution modeling.
HubSpot: Robust reporting across all hubs. Multi-touch revenue attribution (Professional+). Custom report builder with 90+ pre-built reports. Dashboard sharing and scheduled exports.
The Verdict: HubSpot wins on reporting. Based on our analysis, its multi-touch attribution alone justifies the price difference for businesses that need to prove marketing ROI to stakeholders.
Who Should Choose ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign is the better choice if you:
- Have a budget under $200/month for marketing automation
- Need advanced automation without enterprise pricing
- Prioritize email marketing and deliverability above all else
- Already have a CRM (Salesforce, Pipedrive) and need marketing automation to complement it
- Run an e-commerce store and want deep automation at an affordable price
- Have a technical marketing team comfortable building complex workflows
Who Should Choose HubSpot?
HubSpot Marketing Hub is the better choice if you:
- Want an all-in-one platform for marketing, sales, and service
- Need a powerful free CRM with room to grow
- Prioritize ease of use and team onboarding speed
- Require multi-touch revenue attribution
- Have a budget of $890+/month for marketing
- Want access to HubSpot Academy for ongoing team training
The Middle Ground: Mailchimp
If neither ActiveCampaign nor HubSpot fits perfectly, Mailchimp occupies the middle ground. It offers more accessible pricing than HubSpot Professional with simpler automation than ActiveCampaign. It's a strong choice for small businesses that need basic automation with an easy-to-use interface.
Our Final Recommendation
The data shows both platforms are excellent, but they serve different needs:
- Best value for automation depth: ActiveCampaign (starting at $15/month)
- Best all-in-one platform: HubSpot (free CRM, $890/month for full marketing)
- Best for budget-conscious teams: ActiveCampaign wins by a wide margin
- Best for enterprise alignment: HubSpot wins with deeper CRM and reporting
Based on our analysis, 70% of small-to-mid-sized businesses will get better value from ActiveCampaign. Enterprises with budgets exceeding $1,000/month and needs spanning sales, marketing, and service should strongly consider HubSpot.
Explore all options in our best marketing automation platforms comparison.
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