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Last updated: October 29, 2026
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Mailchimp vs HubSpot (2027): Which Should You Choose?
Choose Mailchimp if you mainly need email marketing: newsletters, campaigns and simple automations, priced by contacts, with a free plan for 250 contacts and paid plans advertised from $13 a month (a 12-month introductory price). Choose HubSpot if you want email marketing connected to a full CRM, sales pipeline and customer service on one database: the free plan covers 2 users and Marketing Hub Starter costs $7 per seat a month on annual billing. For a small business that only sends newsletters, Mailchimp is simpler. For a team that wants marketing and sales to share every customer record, HubSpot fits better, but its Professional tier costs $800 a month.
- Mailchimp free: 250 contacts, 500 emails/month (max 250 a day).
- Mailchimp paid: Essentials $13, Standard $20, Premium $350 per month for the first 12 months (50% off), then about double.
- HubSpot free: up to 2 users, 2,000 email sends/month with HubSpot branding.
- HubSpot Marketing Hub Starter: $7/seat/month (annual), $20 monthly, 1,000 marketing contacts.
- HubSpot Professional: $800/month (annual) with 3 seats and 2,000 marketing contacts, plus $3,000 onboarding.
At a glance
| Mailchimp | HubSpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Core product | Email marketing platform | CRM platform with marketing, sales and service hubs |
| Free plan | 250 contacts, 500 emails/month | 2 users, 2,000 sends/month (branded) |
| Entry paid price | Essentials $13/month (intro, 12 months) | Starter $7/seat/month (annual) |
| Priced by | Contacts | Seats plus marketing contacts |
| Automation | Up to 4 flow steps on Essentials; up to 200 flows on Standard | Up to 10 actions on Starter; unlimited actions on Professional |
| CRM | Audience management | Full CRM with deals and pipelines |
| Best for | Newsletters and ecommerce email | Teams aligning marketing and sales |
Pricing compared
Mailchimp
| Plan | Advertised price (first 12 months) | Regular price implied | Monthly sends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 500 |
| Essentials | $13 | about $26 | 10× contacts |
| Standard | $20 | about $40 | 12× contacts |
| Premium | $350 | about $700 | 15× contacts |
Prices rise with your number of contacts. See Mailchimp pricing.
HubSpot Marketing Hub
| Plan | Price (annual billing) | Price (monthly billing) | Marketing contacts | Onboarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Not listed | None |
| Starter | $7/seat/month | $20/seat/month | 1,000 | None |
| Professional | $800/month (3 seats) | $890/month | 2,000 | $3,000 one-time |
| Enterprise | $3,600/month (5 seats) | Not listed | 10,000 | $7,000 one-time |
See HubSpot Marketing Hub pricing.
Cost examples
| Scenario | Mailchimp | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, 250 contacts | Free | Free (with branding) |
| 1 user, 1,000 contacts, basic automation | Essentials or Standard, intro price then about double | Starter $7/month (annual) for 1 seat |
| 3 users, 2,000 contacts, advanced automation | Standard at 2,000 contacts | Professional $800/month + $3,000 onboarding |
HubSpot Starter is cheap for one or two users; costs climb sharply if you need Professional features such as unlimited automation actions. Mailchimp's intro prices end after 12 months, so budget for the regular rate.
Email marketing features
Mailchimp has a mature email editor, many templates, segmentation, A/B testing and ecommerce integrations. HubSpot's email tools are solid and benefit from CRM data: you can personalize with deal stage, owner or company details. Both offer landing pages and forms.
Automation
Mailchimp's Standard plan supports up to 200 automation flows, enough for welcome, abandoned cart and post-purchase journeys. HubSpot Starter limits workflows to simple actions; branching workflows and lead scoring arrive with Professional. See email automation and what is marketing automation.
CRM and sales
This is HubSpot's main advantage. Contacts, companies, deals, pipelines, tasks, email tracking and meeting links are part of the free CRM, and marketing activity appears on every record. Mailchimp manages audiences for marketing but isn't a sales CRM. If your sales team needs a pipeline, Mailchimp would require a separate CRM. See best CRM software.
Ease of use
Mailchimp is quicker to learn for people who just want to send emails. HubSpot takes longer to set up because it does more, but each hub follows the same layout.
Which should you choose?
| If you... | Choose |
|---|---|
| Mainly send newsletters and promotions | Mailchimp |
| Run an online store and want ecommerce email | Mailchimp (or Klaviyo, Omnisend) |
| Want marketing and sales on one record | HubSpot |
| Have a sales team with a pipeline | HubSpot |
| Need advanced automation on a small budget | Neither: consider ActiveCampaign |
Start HubSpot free → CRM and email marketing for 2 users · Affiliate link
Alternatives to consider
- MailerLite: free for 250 subscribers with 3 automations; Comfort from $12/month.
- ActiveCampaign: advanced automation with a built-in CRM, Starter about $15/month at 1,000 contacts (annual).
- Klaviyo: ecommerce email and SMS, free for 250 active profiles.
- Brevo: priced by emails sent, 300 emails/day free.
See Mailchimp alternatives, HubSpot alternatives and ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot.
Switching from Mailchimp to HubSpot (or the reverse)
Both tools import contacts from CSV files. Before moving, export your audience with tags and consent status, recreate key automations by hand and rebuild your best templates. Run both tools in parallel for a few weeks while you test deliverability and forms, then cancel the old plan. Moving from HubSpot to Mailchimp is similar, but you'll need a separate CRM for deals and pipelines.
Integrations
Both connect with major ecommerce platforms, form tools and thousands of apps through Zapier or Make. HubSpot's own marketplace is large and many integrations sync data both ways with the CRM. Mailchimp's ecommerce integrations make product recommendations and purchase-based segments straightforward.
Support and learning
Mailchimp offers email and chat support on paid plans and extensive guides. HubSpot has a large free learning library (HubSpot Academy) and support that expands on higher tiers.
Deliverability and compliance
Both platforms handle unsubscribe links, bounce management and sender authentication for your domain. Your results depend more on list quality and content than on the tool. Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC in either platform, send only to people who opted in and clean inactive contacts regularly. See our email deliverability guide for the steps. One practical difference: HubSpot ties email consent to CRM records, which helps teams where sales and marketing both email the same contacts.
Our verdict
Mailchimp is the better choice for businesses that mainly need email marketing and want a familiar, easy tool. HubSpot is the better choice when marketing and sales must share customer data, and its free CRM and $7 Starter seats make it affordable to start. Watch Mailchimp's intro pricing ending after 12 months and HubSpot's steep jump to Professional.
How we compared
We compared plans, limits and prices on the official pricing pages, checked October 29 to 30, 2026, and looked at email, automation and CRM features for small teams. Some links are affiliate links; see our affiliate disclosure.
FAQ
Is HubSpot better than Mailchimp?
For combined CRM and marketing, yes; for simple email marketing, Mailchimp is easier.
Is Mailchimp cheaper than HubSpot?
For email-only needs, often; HubSpot Starter is cheaper for one or two users, but Professional costs much more.
Can HubSpot replace Mailchimp?
Yes. Marketing Hub sends emails, builds forms and landing pages and runs automations.
Does Mailchimp have a CRM?
It manages marketing audiences but lacks a sales pipeline and deal tracking.
Do Mailchimp prices go up after a year?
Yes. Advertised prices are 50%-off introductory rates for 12 months.
Which is better for small businesses?
Mailchimp for newsletters; HubSpot if you also need a CRM.
Can I use Mailchimp and HubSpot together?
Yes. An integration can sync contacts, but many teams eventually choose one to avoid duplicate data.
Which has better email templates?
Mailchimp has a wider template library; HubSpot's templates are simpler and tied to CRM personalization.
Does HubSpot's free plan include email marketing?
Yes. The free plan lets you send up to 2,000 marketing emails a month with HubSpot branding, alongside the free CRM for up to 2 users.
Why do some teams leave HubSpot?
Most often because of cost when they need Professional features: Marketing Hub Professional costs $800 a month on annual billing plus a $3,000 onboarding fee. Teams that only need email marketing often move to cheaper tools such as Mailchimp, MailerLite or ActiveCampaign.
Sources
Official pricing pages of Mailchimp and HubSpot, checked October 29 to 30, 2026; MailerLite, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo and Brevo pricing pages for alternatives.
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