ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Marketing
A detailed, side-by-side comparison of ActiveCampaign and HubSpot Marketing. We compare features, pricing, ease of use, and value for money to help you make the right choice in 2026.
Reviewed by the Ikaroa team · Last updated: March 2026
Quick Verdict
ActiveCampaign edges ahead overall with a rating of 4.4/5. However, HubSpot Marketing (4.4/5) may be the better fit if you prioritise Mid-size businesses wanting powerful marketing automation with native CRM integration. Read on for the full breakdown.
ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Marketing at a Glance
ActiveCampaign
★ 4.4ActiveCampaign blends email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM into one platform. Known for its sophisticated automation builder and excellent email deliverability.
Starting from: £12/month
Best for: Businesses prioritising email marketing and sophisticated automation
Read full review →HubSpot Marketing
★ 4.4HubSpot Marketing Hub is the marketing automation arm of the HubSpot platform. It offers email marketing, landing pages, social media, SEO tools, content management, and advanced marketing automation. Known for its inbound marketing methodology, powerful automation workflows, and seamless CRM integration.
Starting from: £0/month
Best for: Mid-size businesses wanting powerful marketing automation with native CRM integration
Read full review →ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Marketing Feature Comparison
Here is how ActiveCampaign and HubSpot Marketing compare across the features that matter most. We have tested both platforms extensively across client implementations.
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | HubSpot Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan Available | No | Yes |
| Starting Price | £12/month | £0/month |
| Best For | Businesses prioritising email marketing and sophisticated automation | Mid-size businesses wanting powerful marketing automation with native CRM integration |
| Our Rating | 4.4/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Mobile App | Limited | Limited |
| Email Marketing | Yes | Yes |
| Automation | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting | Yes | Basic |
| Integrations | Extensive | Limited |
| API Access | Limited | Limited |
| Ikaroa Exclusive Discount | N/A | N/A |
ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Marketing Pricing
Pricing is often the deciding factor. Here is a full breakdown of what each platform charges at every tier:
ActiveCampaign Pricing
Starter
£12/month
- ✓Email marketing
- ✓Marketing automation
- ✓Inline forms
- ✓Site tracking
Plus
£42/month
- ✓Everything in Starter
- ✓CRM
- ✓Lead scoring
- ✓Landing pages
- ✓SMS marketing
Pro
£135/month
- ✓Everything in Plus
- ✓Predictive sending
- ✓Split automation
- ✓Attribution
Enterprise
£225/month
- ✓Everything in Pro
- ✓Custom objects
- ✓Single sign-on
- ✓Dedicated account rep
HubSpot Marketing Pricing
Free
£0/month
- ✓Email marketing
- ✓Forms
- ✓Landing pages
- ✓Ad management
Starter
£18/month
- ✓1,000 contacts
- ✓Remove HubSpot branding
- ✓Email automation
- ✓Landing pages
Professional
£720/month
- ✓2,000 contacts
- ✓Full automation
- ✓Custom reporting
- ✓A/B testing
- ✓SEO tools
Enterprise
£3,000/month
- ✓10,000 contacts
- ✓Predictive lead scoring
- ✓Adaptive testing
- ✓Custom objects
Not sure which to pick?
Our team has implemented both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot Marketing for clients. We can help you decide based on your specific needs.
ActiveCampaign Pros and Cons
✓Pros
- •Best-in-class marketing automation
- •Excellent email deliverability
- •Sophisticated automation builder
- •Good CRM functionality
- •Strong segmentation capabilities
✗Cons
- •CRM is secondary to marketing features
- •Can be complex for beginners
- •Contact-based pricing escalates
- •Reporting could be more visual
- •Limited social media features
HubSpot Marketing Pros and Cons
✓Pros
- •Seamless CRM integration
- •Powerful marketing automation workflows
- •Excellent content management system
- •Strong inbound marketing tools
- •Generous free tier for starting out
✗Cons
- •Professional tier is extremely expensive
- •Per-contact pricing escalates quickly
- •Steep learning curve for advanced features
- •Many features locked behind Professional tier
- •Contract commitments on higher tiers
Our Verdict: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot Marketing
Both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot Marketing are solid options, but they serve different needs. Having implemented both for multiple clients, here is our recommendation:
Choose ActiveCampaign if you need Businesses prioritising email marketing and sophisticated automation. With a starting price of £12/month and a rating of 4.4/5, it offers best-in-class marketing automation.
Choose HubSpot Marketing if you need Mid-size businesses wanting powerful marketing automation with native CRM integration. Starting at £0/month with a 4.4/5 rating, it excels at seamless crm integration.
Still not sure? Talk to the Ikaroa team. We have helped hundreds of businesses make this exact decision, and we are happy to point you in the right direction.
🎁 Get either product at a discount through Ikaroa Partners
Consider Open Doors Instead
Why choose between ActiveCampaign and HubSpot Marketing? Open Doors gives you the best features of both in one platform, for less. It is an all-in-one CRM with email marketing, SMS, funnels, booking, invoicing, automation, and more, starting at just £97/month with unlimited contacts.
Need implementation help?
Ikaroa can set up ActiveCampaign or HubSpot Marketing for your business, migrate your data, and train your team. We have done it dozens of times.
Free consultation. No obligation.