Pick / avoid summary (fast)
Skim these triggers to pick a default, then validate with the quick checks and constraints below.
- ✓ Budget is a primary constraint—$49/mo vs $800/mo is a 15x difference
- ✓ You need automation workflows and CRM without content management tools
- ✓ Your team is self-serve and doesn't need mandatory paid onboarding
- ✓ You need content marketing tools (blog, SEO, social) alongside email automation
- ✓ Multi-touch revenue attribution is required for executive reporting
- ✓ Platform consolidation matters—one tool for marketing, sales, and service
- × Email template design and visual builder less polished than Mailchimp's—more functional than beautiful
- × Contact-based pricing still applies: 25,000 contacts on Plus is ~$259/mo; 100,000 contacts is $489+/mo
- × Contact-based pricing escalates fast: 10,000 contacts on Professional is ~$800/mo; 50,000 contacts jumps to $1,750+/mo
- × Free and Starter tiers lack automation workflows—must upgrade to Professional ($800/mo minimum) for real automation
-
CheckActiveCampaign's $49/mo Plus includes CRM and scoring; HubSpot charges $800/mo for equivalent automation
-
The trade-offbest automation value vs broadest platform—the 15x price gap must buy you something specific
At-a-glance comparison
ActiveCampaign
Mid-market email marketing and automation platform with best-in-class conditional workflows, built-in CRM, and lead scoring. Lite from $29/mo; Plus at $49/mo adds CRM and scoring.
- ✓ Best-in-class automation builder: conditional logic, split actions, wait conditions, and goal tracking rival Marketo's depth at a fraction of the cost
- ✓ Lite plan ($29/mo for 1,000 contacts) includes automation; Plus ($49/mo) adds CRM, lead scoring, and SMS
- ✓ Built-in CRM with deal pipelines, task management, and win probability—no separate tool needed for sales
HubSpot Marketing Hub
All-in-one inbound marketing platform with native CRM integration, email automation, landing pages, and multi-touch attribution. Free tier generous; Professional at $800/mo for 2,000 contacts unlocks workflows.
- ✓ Native CRM integration eliminates marketing-sales data silos—every contact, deal, and touchpoint in one system
- ✓ Free tier includes email marketing, forms, landing pages, and ad management for up to 1,000,000 contacts (with HubSpot branding)
- ✓ Professional ($800/mo for 2,000 contacts) unlocks automation workflows, A/B testing, and custom reporting
What breaks first (decision checks)
These checks reflect the common constraints that decide between ActiveCampaign and HubSpot Marketing Hub in this category.
If you only read one section, read this — these are the checks that force redesigns or budget surprises.
- Real trade-off: Mid-market automation depth at $49/mo versus enterprise all-in-one platform at $800/mo—a 15x price gap for overlapping features.
- Email Simplicity vs Automation Depth: Map your current automation needs: simple drip sequences vs multi-branch conditional flows
- Contact-Based vs Send-Based Pricing: Calculate total contacts vs average monthly sends to model cost on both pricing models
- E-commerce Native vs General Purpose: Determine if revenue-per-email and order-level attribution are must-have metrics
Implementation gotchas
These are the practical downsides teams tend to discover during setup, rollout, or scaling.
Where ActiveCampaign surprises teams
- Email template design and visual builder less polished than Mailchimp's—more functional than beautiful
- Contact-based pricing still applies: 25,000 contacts on Plus is ~$259/mo; 100,000 contacts is $489+/mo
- No native e-commerce revenue attribution—Klaviyo and Omnisend are better for Shopify ROI tracking
Where HubSpot Marketing Hub surprises teams
- Contact-based pricing escalates fast: 10,000 contacts on Professional is ~$800/mo; 50,000 contacts jumps to $1,750+/mo
- Free and Starter tiers lack automation workflows—must upgrade to Professional ($800/mo minimum) for real automation
- Mandatory onboarding fee for Professional ($3,000) and Enterprise ($6,000) adds upfront cost
Where each product pulls ahead
These are the distinctive advantages that matter most in this comparison.
ActiveCampaign advantages
- ✓ Automation + CRM + lead scoring at $49/mo—15x cheaper than HubSpot Professional
- ✓ No mandatory onboarding fees—self-serve setup in 1-2 weeks
- ✓ More flexible conditional automation builder with deeper branching logic
HubSpot Marketing Hub advantages
- ✓ Unified inbound platform: blog, SEO, social, landing pages, email, CRM in one tool
- ✓ Multi-touch revenue attribution for executive ROI reporting (Enterprise tier)
- ✓ Mature CRM with custom objects, computed properties, and advanced pipeline management
Pros and cons
ActiveCampaign
Pros
- + Budget is a primary constraint—$49/mo vs $800/mo is a 15x difference
- + You need automation workflows and CRM without content management tools
- + Your team is self-serve and doesn't need mandatory paid onboarding
- + Automation depth per dollar is your evaluation metric
- + You don't need multi-touch attribution or enterprise-grade reporting
Cons
- − Email template design and visual builder less polished than Mailchimp's—more functional than beautiful
- − Contact-based pricing still applies: 25,000 contacts on Plus is ~$259/mo; 100,000 contacts is $489+/mo
- − No native e-commerce revenue attribution—Klaviyo and Omnisend are better for Shopify ROI tracking
- − Landing page builder is basic compared to HubSpot's or dedicated tools like Unbounce
- − CRM is capable but less mature than HubSpot CRM or Salesforce for complex sales processes
- − Reporting and analytics are solid but lack the depth of HubSpot Enterprise or Marketo attribution
- − Professional tier ($149/mo) needed for predictive sending, split automations, and site messaging
HubSpot Marketing Hub
Pros
- + You need content marketing tools (blog, SEO, social) alongside email automation
- + Multi-touch revenue attribution is required for executive reporting
- + Platform consolidation matters—one tool for marketing, sales, and service
- + Custom objects and advanced CRM features are needed for complex data models
- + You're ready to invest $800+/mo and mandatory onboarding to get unified platform value
Cons
- − Contact-based pricing escalates fast: 10,000 contacts on Professional is ~$800/mo; 50,000 contacts jumps to $1,750+/mo
- − Free and Starter tiers lack automation workflows—must upgrade to Professional ($800/mo minimum) for real automation
- − Mandatory onboarding fee for Professional ($3,000) and Enterprise ($6,000) adds upfront cost
- − Annual contracts required for Professional and Enterprise—no monthly billing flexibility
- − Reporting depth behind Marketo for complex B2B attribution models and custom objects
- − Template design less flexible than dedicated email tools like Mailchimp for creative campaigns
- − Add-on costs for transactional email, additional API calls, and custom reporting limits
Keep exploring this category
If you’re close to a decision, the fastest next step is to read 1–2 more head-to-head briefs, then confirm pricing limits in the product detail pages.
FAQ
How do you choose between ActiveCampaign and HubSpot Marketing Hub?
ActiveCampaign wins on value: comparable automation, CRM, and scoring at $49/mo vs HubSpot's $800/mo. HubSpot wins on breadth: content tools, attribution, and a unified platform that scales to enterprise. The 15x cost difference forces a clear question: do you need what HubSpot's premium buys?
When should you pick ActiveCampaign?
Pick ActiveCampaign when: Budget is a primary constraint—$49/mo vs $800/mo is a 15x difference; You need automation workflows and CRM without content management tools; Your team is self-serve and doesn't need mandatory paid onboarding; Automation depth per dollar is your evaluation metric.
When should you pick HubSpot Marketing Hub?
Pick HubSpot Marketing Hub when: You need content marketing tools (blog, SEO, social) alongside email automation; Multi-touch revenue attribution is required for executive reporting; Platform consolidation matters—one tool for marketing, sales, and service; Custom objects and advanced CRM features are needed for complex data models.
What’s the real trade-off between ActiveCampaign and HubSpot Marketing Hub?
Mid-market automation depth at $49/mo versus enterprise all-in-one platform at $800/mo—a 15x price gap for overlapping features.
What’s the most common mistake buyers make in this comparison?
Upgrading to HubSpot Professional when ActiveCampaign Plus covers 90% of your automation needs at a fraction of the cost.
What’s the fastest elimination rule?
Pick ActiveCampaign if automation + CRM at $49/mo covers your needs—most mid-market teams find it does
What breaks first with ActiveCampaign?
Contact-based pricing at 50,000+: $489+/mo on Plus; compare Brevo's send-based model at $25–65/mo. Reporting gaps at scale: teams needing multi-touch attribution outgrow ActiveCampaign's analytics. CRM limitations: complex B2B sales processes with custom objects need HubSpot or Salesforce.
What are the hidden constraints of ActiveCampaign?
API rate limits: 5 requests per second on Lite/Plus; can bottleneck data-heavy integrations. CRM deal pipeline limited to basic fields on Lite—custom fields need Plus tier. SMS requires additional credits purchased separately; not included in base pricing.
Share this comparison
Sources & verification
We prefer to link primary references (official pricing, documentation, and public product pages). If links are missing, treat this as a seeded brief until verification is completed.