ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Email: Full Comparison (2026)
Quick Answer
ActiveCampaign is a fraction of HubSpot's cost with comparable email automation. HubSpot's CRM is more powerful but the $890/mo Professional tier creates one of the steepest pricing cliffs in SaaS. ActiveCampaign wins on value; HubSpot wins on CRM breadth.
ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Email at a Glance
| Dimension | ActiveCampaign | HubSpot Email | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease Of Use | 7.5/10 | 8.0/10 | HubSpot Email |
| Features | 8.5/10 | 9.0/10 | HubSpot Email |
| Overall | 8.2/10 | 7.0/10 | ActiveCampaign |
| Pricing | 7.0/10 | 4.0/10 | ActiveCampaign |
| Support | 8.5/10 | 8.0/10 | ActiveCampaign |
Pricing Comparison
| Plan | ActiveCampaign | HubSpot Email |
|---|---|---|
| Starter / Free Tools | $15/monthly | $Custom/monthly |
| Plus / Starter | $49/monthly | $20/monthly |
| Pro / Professional | $79/monthly | $890/monthly |
| Enterprise | $145/monthly | $3600/monthly |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | HubSpot Email |
|---|---|---|
| Analytics/reporting | Yes | Yes |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| Automation workflows | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic content | Yes | Yes |
| SMS marketing | Yes (Add-on) | No (Via integrations only) |
| Transactional email | Yes | Yes |
| A/B testing | Yes | Yes |
| CRM/contact management | Yes | Yes |
| Deliverability tools | Yes | No |
| Email builder (drag-drop) | Yes | Yes |
| Email templates | Yes | Yes |
| Forms/popups | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan available | No | Yes |
| Landing pages | Yes | Yes |
| List management | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-user/teams | Yes | Yes |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Ecommerce integrations | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations marketplace | Yes | Yes |
Ease Of Use: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Email
HubSpot's interface is polished and well-documented. ActiveCampaign is slightly more complex but offers more power per screen.
Features: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Email
HubSpot's CRM, sales pipeline, and reporting are best-in-class. But most of the email-specific features are locked behind Professional ($890/mo). ActiveCampaign includes CRM and automation on much cheaper plans.
Overall: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Email
ActiveCampaign delivers 80% of HubSpot's email marketing value at 10% of the cost. HubSpot makes sense only if you need the full CRM/sales/marketing suite and have the budget for Professional or Enterprise.
Pricing: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Email
ActiveCampaign Pro at $79/mo includes features that require HubSpot Professional at $890/mo. The pricing gap is enormous — 11x more for HubSpot at comparable automation depth.
Support: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Email
Both have excellent support. ActiveCampaign's support is included on all plans; HubSpot gates phone support behind Professional.
Our Recommendation
ActiveCampaign for businesses that want powerful email automation without the enterprise price tag. HubSpot only if you need its full CRM suite and can justify the Professional tier cost. The $890/mo jump from Starter is brutal.