Marketing automation tools like ActiveCampaign and HubSpot promise to make your life easier. 

With features like email marketing, CRM, website tools, and more, these platforms aim to be all-in-one solutions.

But which one should you choose – ActiveCampaign or HubSpot?

Don’t worry, I will help you to decide and choose. 

In this post, I will take you through the key things that will help you understand their strengths and weaknesses, by looking into the:

And by the end of this guide, you’ll understand:

So if you’re looking for a HubSpot alternative or want to know if ActiveCampaign is better, you’re in the right place. 

Let’s quickly dive in!

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Features Comparison

When evaluating ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot, one of the most important considerations is their features. 

While both platforms offer robust tools for marketing automation, CRM, and more, there are some key differences in what they provide.

In this section, I’ll compare the main features available in each platform.

Overview of Features

Here is a high-level overview of some of the key features of ActiveCampaign and HubSpot:

FeatureActiveCampaignHubSpot
Email Marketing
Landing Pages
CRM & Contacts Database
Marketing Automation
Forms & Surveys
Website Pop-ups
Social Media Tools
SEO Tools
Ad Management
CMS/Blog

As you can see, HubSpot offers a wider array of digital marketing features, including SEO tools, advertising, content management, and more. However, these advanced capabilities only come with HubSpot’s higher-priced packages.

ActiveCampaign provides a more focused set of tools for email, automation, landing pages, and CRM. 

While HubSpot offers a broader suite, ActiveCampaign handles the core tasks many small businesses need.

Email Marketing

Both platforms provide excellent email marketing capabilities like templates, drag-and-drop editors, A/B testing, automation, and analytics.

ActiveCampaign stands out for its flexibility with unlimited contacts and emails in all paid plans. With HubSpot, you only get up to 2,000 contacts and 20,000 emails per month in the Starter plan.

For those sending high email volumes, ActiveCampaign can be a more cost-effective solution. But HubSpot gives you added features like predictive send-time optimization.

So for core email marketing tasks, both are very capable options. ActiveCampaign provides better value for high-volume emailers.

Landing Pages & Forms

You can create landing pages and forms in both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot with their drag-and-drop builders. They provide ample templates, customization options, and the ability to turn designs into mobile-responsive pages quickly.

HubSpot takes it a step further with its smart content tools. You can create personalized landing page content that adapts based on who’s viewing the page. But this is only included in the more expensive packages.

What you should know: Both platforms make it easy to create conversion-focused landing pages and forms. HubSpot has added smart content features, while ActiveCampaign provides solid options in all plans.

CRM & Contact Management

ActiveCampaign positions itself as an integrated CRM and email marketing platform. It provides complete contact profiles, deal tracking, task management, and sales automation tools.

HubSpot also offers robust CRM capabilities like pipelines, contact/company records, deals, and tasks. One advantage is its seamless integration between HubSpot Sales and Marketing products.

Altogether, both of them help you organize contacts, track deals, automate workflows, and ultimately close more sales. ActiveCampaign provides more pipeline flexibility for sales teams, while HubSpot offers a more rounded media, sales, and service toolbox.

Marketing Automation

This is a core strength of both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot

Their workflow builders allow you to create customized automation involving emails, actions, delays, branching logic, and more.

Some users find HubSpot’s workflow builder more intuitive, while ActiveCampaign offers more advanced options for developers. HubSpot also integrates directly with its sales and service tools.

So the automation capabilities are extensive on both platforms. 

HubSpot may suit those with more complex journeys spanning content, sales, and support. But ActiveCampaign provides all the essentials for marketing-focused teams.

Integrations & Apps

Another important consideration is to know what other apps and software can you connect to.

Both platforms integrate with hundreds of third-party programs via Zapier and their own app ecosystems. You’ll be able to connect other marketing, sales, and business software as needed.

HubSpot has a few unique advantages here. It offers deep out-of-the-box integration between HubSpot Marketing, Sales, Service, and CMS products. And you’ll find more custom integrations native within HubSpot compared to ActiveCampaign.

But ActiveCampaign still makes it easy to connect your essential tools through Zapier or APIs. So for the majority of use cases, both platforms provide ample integration capabilities.

HubSpot’s Added Features

Keep in mind that HubSpot provides added features like:

However, these only come standard in HubSpot’s upper-tier packages (Professional or Enterprise). They are expensive add-ons in the Starter plan.

So while HubSpot offers a broader suite of marketing tools, you’ll pay a premium for access to them. On the other hand, ActiveCampaign provides a leaner and more affordable feature set focused on automation, email, and CRM.

Which Has the Better Features?

Overall, HubSpot likely has the edge for larger marketing teams who can benefit from its full Content Management, Sales, Service, and Marketing hubs. 

The integrated ecosystem provides powerful capabilities across the entire customer lifecycle.

However, solopreneurs, small teams, or sales-focused users may find ActiveCampaign the better choice.  

ActiveCampaign delivers excellent features for email, automation, CRM, and landing pages at an affordable price point.

So who is the winner based on their features?

My answer is: The ideal solution comes down to your budget and specific feature needs. In many cases, ActiveCampaign will be sufficient, but you may want to benefit from HubSpot’s depth if your team is large.

Pricing: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot

One of the most important considerations when choosing marketing software is the cost. 

In this section, I’ll compare the ActiveCampaign and HubSpot pricing plans.

Let’s get it moving!

ActiveCampaign Pricing

ActiveCampaign offers 4 paid packages, plus a free plan for up to 500 contacts and unlimited emails:

PlanPrice Per MonthContactsFeatures
Free$0500Basic automation & emails
Lite$291,000Unlimited emails, sales CRM, basic automation
Plus$492,500Unlimited emails, sales CRM, custom automation
Professional$1495,000Advanced automation, goal tracking
EnterpriseCustomUnlimitedFull feature set, dedicated account rep

Some things that stand out:

Overall, ActiveCampaign is competitively priced for small and mid-size businesses. You get all the core features at relatively low monthly costs.

HubSpot Pricing

HubSpot is a bit more complex, with different tiers for Marketing, Sales, Service, and CMS. Take a look at its pricing tiers.

PlanPrice Per MonthContactsFeatures
Free CRM$0UnlimitedBasic CRM tools
Starter$201,000Core marketing & CRM features
Professional$8902,000Advanced marketing tools
Enterprise$3,60010,000Complete suite of hubs

Some things that stand out:

HubSpot isn’t cheap. Its pricing jumps drastically for the full-featured plans. But the free CRM plan provides a nice entry point.

The Winner?

The winner for pricing is…ActiveCampaign!

While HubSpot offers a free CRM, its Starter plan has limits on emails and contacts. Their useful marketing features come at a steep price.

ActiveCampaign delivers excellent value, with affordable plans packed with great features. 

If you are a budget-conscious user, you will enjoy ActiveCampaign as it provides similar capabilities as HubSpot for less.

However, HubSpot remains a smart choice for larger teams willing to pay for its robust platform and integrated ecosystem. 

Again, your choice comes down to your budget and needs.

But for most small businesses, ActiveCampaign is hard to beat on pricing.

Reporting: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot

To understand the impact of your marketing efforts, you need accurate, customizable reporting. In this section, I’ll compare the reporting capabilities of ActiveCampaign and HubSpot.

Reporting in ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign provides excellent reporting to track your metrics. Some key features include:

Overall, ActiveCampaign provides stellar reporting capabilities out of the box. You get complete visibility into your marketing and sales process within a single dash. …amazing!

Reporting With HubSpot

HubSpot also provides comprehensive reporting and dashboards. Some of the key features include:

HubSpot also provides robust reporting capabilities to track all your marketing and sales activities. The visualizations and scheduled reporting are especially helpful for understanding campaign performance.

Now, Let’s Compare Their Reports

Both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot offer excellent reporting, but there are some key differences:

So in terms of reporting, HubSpot gets the edge for its polished experience, visualizations, and integrated data. But ActiveCampaign still provides powerful customization for Marketing-focused metrics.

The Bottom Line

You can’t go wrong with the reporting in either platform. 

Both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot will provide the visibility you need into sales and marketing performance.

HubSpot is likely a better fit if you want beautiful visualizations and integrated reporting across content, social media, service, and other channels.

But ActiveCampaign gives deep customization possibilities for core email and marketing metrics. 

So kindly choose based on your specific reporting needs.

Pipeline Management: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot

To hit your sales goals, you need a system to manage deals through your pipeline. 

In this section, I’ll take you through the pipeline management capabilities of ActiveCampaign and HubSpot.

ActiveCampaign Pipeline

ActiveCampaign provides complete built-in CRM including pipeline management. Let’s see the core features that you can expect.

The pipeline tool provides complete sales tracking and automation capabilities and they’re also intuitive and easy to use.

HubSpot Pipeline

As a full CRM, HubSpot also lets you manage your sales pipeline.

HubSpot provides robust pipeline management capabilities thanks to its native CRM tools. The Kanban view is especially helpful for visualizing deal flow.

Let’s Compare Their Pipelines

Both platforms provide complete pipeline management, but there are some differences. Let’s see where each of them leads.

So HubSpot gets the edge for its polished experience and integrated sales tools. But ActiveCampaign still offers excellent flexibility in structuring your sales pipelines within its CRM.

My View?

You can efficiently manage your sales pipeline with either ActiveCampaign or HubSpot.

HubSpot is likely the better choice if you want a visual pipeline, integrated emailing, and automatic reporting. But ActiveCampaign provides incredible customization of fields and stages at a lower cost.

So base your choice on your budget, team size, and specific pipeline needs. Again, for larger teams, HubSpot brings more robust CRM and automation features to the table.

Marketing Automation: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot

Marketing automation is essential for nurturing leads, automating campaigns, and aligning sales with marketing. 

Here I’ll compare the automation capabilities of ActiveCampaign and HubSpot.

ActiveCampaign Automation

ActiveCampaign provides powerful marketing automation with its visual workflow builder. The key features include:

With its flexibility and robust features, ActiveCampaign is a top-tier marketing automation tool.

HubSpot Automation

HubSpot also provides powerful marketing automation with its workflow builder. It’s shipped with the following key features too:

HubSpot stands out with its intuitive workflow builder and smart lists that can power personalization.

Shall We Compare Their Automation Abilities?

Both platforms are excellent for marketing automation, but, as usual, one will surely beat the other. Let’s see where they both stand out.

So for simpler automations, HubSpot provides a more beginner-friendly experience. But ActiveCampaign enables highly advanced workflows and customization via code.

So Who is The Winner in Automation?

Well, you can achieve awesome marketing automation with ActiveCampaign or HubSpot.

HubSpot is likely the best pick for users with complex workflows spanning multiple HubSpot products. The visual editor makes automation more accessible.

But ActiveCampaign remains extremely powerful for marketing-focused teams. The customization and flexibility enable sophisticated automation and personalization.

So consider your team’s skill level along with the complexity of your campaigns. 

My Take?

Both are excellent tools – your needs will determine the best fit.

Email Marketing: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot

Email marketing remains one of the highest-converting marketing channels. 

At this junction, let’s explore the email capabilities of ActiveCampaign and HubSpot.

ActiveCampaign Email Marketing

ActiveCampaign is considered one of the top email marketing tools, with features like:

With its excellent deliverability and automation powered by the visual workflow builder, ActiveCampaign dominates email marketing.

HubSpot Email Marketing

HubSpot also provides robust email marketing capabilities, including:

With its intuitive editor and segmentation, HubSpot is also an email powerhouse.

Let’s Compare Them Again!

Both are excellent email marketing platforms, but with some key differences as always.

So ActiveCampaign edges out HubSpot when it comes to core email marketing capabilities and automation. But HubSpot provides deeper integration if you use their suite.

The Verdict

You really can’t go wrong with either platform for email. Both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot will deliver beautiful, automated emails.

ActiveCampaign is the choice if you want email marketing to be your core focus. The automation and deliverability capabilities are industry-leading.

But HubSpot brings its slick templates and tight integration with the rest of its tools. So the ideal solution depends on your needs and marketing stack.

Integrations and Apps: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot

To build a powerful marketing stack, you need to connect and integrate other software with your core platform. 

In this section, I’ll look at the integrations available with both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot.

ActiveCampaign Integrations

ActiveCampaign connects with hundreds of other apps via:

Popular integrations include:

This makes it easy to connect ActiveCampaign with your other marketing, sales, and business systems.

HubSpot Integrations

HubSpot also provides various integration methods:

Some top integrations include:

HubSpot makes it easy to integrate its tools with other systems. Its own ecosystem also plugs many feature gaps.

How They Compare in Integration

HubSpot has an advantage when it comes to native integrations between its own products. However, both platforms provide ample integration options.

The Verdict

Both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot enable hundreds of integrations through their own ecosystems, APIs, and Zapier.

HubSpot stands out for its unified ecosystem tying together its various hubs. But ActiveCampaign still integrates with the vast majority of tools businesses need.

So evaluate your tech stack. But rest assured you can connect your essential systems with either choice.

Differences and Use Cases: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot

Now that we’ve compared features, it’s worth summarizing the key differences between ActiveCampaign and HubSpot, so that you can have a clear view to decide your best shot.

Where Each Stands Out

ActiveCampaignHubSpot
❤️ Affordable pricing💰 Expensive packages
⚡ Powerful email marketing and automation🎨 Broader marketing suite
🎯 Sales-focused platform🎯 Marketing-focused platform
🔧 Highly customizable💡 Beginner-friendly editor
🛠️ Flexible pipelines📊 Visual sales reporting

ActiveCampaign shines with its affordable pricing, customization, and sales-focused features.

HubSpot provides a robust marketing suite spanning different hubs, with more intuitive editing and visual reporting.

Both are excellent choices. Your decision comes down to your budget, team, and specific needs.

When Should You Choose ActiveCampaign?

ActiveCampaign is likely the better fit if:

With its lower costs and sales-oriented platform, ActiveCampaign suits many small businesses. It provides tremendous value without breaking the bank.

When Should You Choose HubSpot?

HubSpot is the better option if:

Larger teams who want a unified suite for the entire customer lifecycle will benefit most from HubSpot. The bigger your needs, the more HubSpot makes sense.

Conclusion and Summary

So which is better – ActiveCampaign or HubSpot?

In this comprehensive feature comparison, we’ve looked at:

The winner depends entirely on your specific needs and constraints:

👉 ActiveCampaign is ideal if you value affordability, sales capabilities, and advanced features.

👉 HubSpot is the best choice for larger teams who need an integrated suite with robust marketing tools.

Both platforms will serve you well – it just comes down to budget, team size, and priorities.

I recommend signing up for a free ActiveCampaign trial and HubSpot’s free CRM to experience them firsthand. 

See which feels like the best fit as you evaluate the platforms using your own data.

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ActiveCampaign vs Hubspot – FAQs

1. What is the biggest difference between ActiveCampaign and HubSpot?

The main difference is that ActiveCampaign focuses on email marketing, automation, and CRM while HubSpot offers a broader suite of marketing, sales, and service tools. ActiveCampaign provides better value for money while HubSpot offers more features.

2. Is HubSpot better than ActiveCampaign?

There is no definitive “better” choice. HubSpot is better for larger teams who want an integrated martech ecosystem. But ActiveCampaign is ideal for small businesses focused on email marketing, automation, and CRM at an affordable price.

3. What does ActiveCampaign offer that HubSpot does not?

ActiveCampaign specializes in email deliverability, advanced automation, flexible CRM and pipelines, and unlimited contacts/emails for less money. It’s a better value for small teams.

4. Does HubSpot have free CRM?

Yes, HubSpot offers a free CRM plan with basic contact management and deal tracking. ActiveCampaign does not have a free CRM option.

5. Can you connect ActiveCampaign and HubSpot?

Yes, you can integrate ActiveCampaign and HubSpot using tools like Zapier. This allows you to connect HubSpot ads and landing pages with ActiveCampaign emails and workflows.

6. Is ActiveCampaign cheaper than HubSpot?

Generally, yes ActiveCampaign is more affordable especially for small to mid-sized businesses. HubSpot pricing jumps drastically for the premium plans with robust features.

7. Which has better templates?

HubSpot provides nicer templates, designs, and themes out of the box. But ActiveCampaign also offers many quality templates – just less stylish than HubSpot.

8. Is ActiveCampaign easy to use?

Yes, ActiveCampaign provides an intuitive user interface and drag-and-drop editor. However, HubSpot is considered a bit more beginner-friendly. Both are easy to use though.