HubSpot and Mailchimp get compared a lot, but they are really different tools. Mailchimp starts as an email platform and adds light CRM features. HubSpot starts as a full CRM and adds email. Picking the right one comes down to how much you need the rest of HubSpot.
The verdict
Mailchimp is the better standalone email tool. HubSpot is the better choice when you want a full CRM and sales platform with email built in. If email and basic automation is most of what you need, Mailchimp is simpler and significantly cheaper. If you want deal pipelines, contact timelines, and a sales team working in the same system, HubSpot earns its price.
| HubSpot | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes (CRM + basic email, 2,000 sends/mo) | Yes (500 contacts, 1,000 emails/mo) |
| Starting paid price | $15/mo/seat (Starter) | $13/mo (Essentials, 500 contacts) |
| Best for | B2B companies wanting CRM + marketing in one place | Small businesses needing email-first marketing |
| Deliverability | Strong | Strong |
| Ease of use | Moderate to complex, deep feature set | Easy to moderate |
| CRM | Full CRM with deals, pipelines, contact history | Basic contact tagging and groups |
| Automation | Deep, cross-channel workflows | Good for email sequences |
| Support | Chat + email (Starter); phone on higher plans | Email + chat (paid); limited on free |
Pricing
Mailchimp is far cheaper for pure email at small to mid list sizes. HubSpot can start free for the basic CRM, and the free plan includes 2,000 marketing email sends per month. But the marketing and automation features people actually want sit on paid tiers. HubSpot Starter is $15 per seat per month, and the Marketing Hub plans that unlock real automation start at $800 per month. You are paying for the whole platform, not just email.
For a small team that only needs email, HubSpot is expensive. For a company that would otherwise pay for a CRM, a marketing platform, and a sales tool separately, HubSpot can actually be cheaper when you consolidate.
CRM and sales features
This is HubSpot's home turf. Contact records, deal pipelines, sales sequences, meeting scheduling, and reporting are deep and well integrated across the platform. Mailchimp's CRM features are basic by comparison: you can tag contacts and build segments, but there are no deal stages, no pipeline views, and no sales activity tracking.
If sales and marketing need to share one source of truth and you want to see a contact's full history from the first email to the closed deal, HubSpot wins clearly.
Email features
For straightforward newsletters and campaigns, Mailchimp is quicker and friendlier. HubSpot's email editor is capable and gets more powerful as you combine it with CRM data and lifecycle stages, but setup takes longer. If email is all you are doing and you are not connecting it to a CRM pipeline, Mailchimp is the more efficient choice.
Templates & design
Mailchimp has a much larger template library. HubSpot's email templates are solid and customizable, but the library is smaller. For teams that want a lot of starting-point design options, Mailchimp has more to choose from.
Automation & segmentation
HubSpot's workflow builder is one of the most powerful in the industry when you have access to the right tier. You can trigger automations based on CRM events, deal stage changes, form submissions, page views, and more. Mailchimp covers email-centric automation well but cannot trigger off CRM events because it does not have a full CRM.
Deliverability
Both platforms are reputable senders. Deliverability is not a meaningful differentiator between HubSpot and Mailchimp. List quality and sending practices are what matter.
Free plan
HubSpot's free CRM is genuinely useful and includes basic email sending. Mailchimp's free plan is email-only with a 500-contact limit. For a company that wants to start with a CRM before paying anything, HubSpot's free tier is the stronger starting point.
Support
HubSpot's Starter plan includes chat and email support. Phone support unlocks on higher-tier plans. Mailchimp offers email and chat support on paid plans with no phone option. HubSpot also has one of the most comprehensive knowledge bases in SaaS.
Who should pick which
- Pick Mailchimp if you mostly need email marketing and want it simple and affordable. Great for small businesses, newsletters, and solo operators.
- Pick HubSpot if you want a full CRM and sales platform and the email tool is one piece of a bigger system. Best for B2B companies with active sales teams.
FAQ
Is HubSpot cheaper than Mailchimp?
For email only, no. Mailchimp is significantly cheaper as a standalone email tool. HubSpot becomes cost-competitive when you factor in everything it replaces: a CRM, a sales tool, a marketing platform, and a support desk. If you are buying all of those anyway, HubSpot can save money.
Can I use HubSpot just for email?
Yes, but it is overkill. HubSpot is designed to be a full growth platform. Using it only for email campaigns means paying for a lot of infrastructure you are not using. If all you need is email, Mailchimp or MailerLite will serve you better at a lower price.
Can I migrate from Mailchimp to HubSpot?
Yes. HubSpot has a Mailchimp integration that can sync your contacts and lists. You can also import a CSV export from Mailchimp directly. HubSpot's migration documentation covers both paths.
Which has better automation, HubSpot or Mailchimp?
HubSpot, at comparable paid tiers. Its workflow builder is more powerful and can trigger off CRM events, deal stages, and cross-channel activity that Mailchimp simply cannot access. For email-only automation, Mailchimp is comparable at a much lower price.
Is HubSpot good for small businesses?
The free CRM is genuinely useful for small businesses. The paid Marketing Hub tiers designed for serious marketing automation are expensive for early-stage teams. Many small businesses use HubSpot's free CRM alongside a cheaper email tool like Mailchimp until they need the full stack.
A third option if you sell B2B: Bobb
Both tools above are built to send email. If the job of your newsletter is to sell (book meetings, surface buyers, move pipeline), that is a different job, and it is the one Bobb was built for. Bobb finds the people in your list most likely to buy, writes and sends for you, and books the meeting when someone raises a hand. You send from a pre-warmed platform domain, so you land in the inbox from day one with no domain to warm.
If your newsletter is purely content or consumer e-commerce, pick the winner above. If it is supposed to generate pipeline, start free and see the difference on your own list.