ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot
Updated
ActiveCampaign or HubSpot: which should you pick?
Automation-first vs CRM-first. Free plans, pricing basis, automation and transactional email from each vendor's pricing page, plus who should pick which.
- ActiveCampaign free plan
- No free plan
- ActiveCampaign free plan
- HubSpot free emails
- 2,000/mo
- HubSpot free emails
- Lumail free emails
- 3,000/mo
- Lumail free emails
TL;DR
ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot side by side
Every ActiveCampaign and HubSpot cell comes from the vendor's public pricing page, verified on August 17, 2026. Lumail is the third column, as the alternative.
| ActiveCampaign | HubSpot | Lumail (alternative) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No permanent free plan; trial available | 2,000 emails/month with HubSpot branding and one automated action | $0, 3,000 emails/month |
| Paid from | Calculated by contact count, plan, and currency | Starter from $20/month per seat | $20/month, 40,000 included, then $0.60/1,000 |
| Pricing basis | Contact tier and plan | Edition, seats, and marketing-contact tier; the send cap is a multiple of that tier | Unlimited subscribers; pricing follows email volume |
| Automation | Five actions per automation on Starter; broader on higher tiers | One action on Free, up to 10 on Starter, full workflows from Professional | Graph workflows with triggers, branches, goals, exits, and A/B paths |
| AI and developer access | Active Intelligence plus Claude and ChatGPT connections | Built-in Breeze AI, AI agents billed in credits, and a remote MCP | ChatGPT OAuth, MCP, skills, CLI, SDK, REST API, and visual editor |
| Transactional email | Available as an add-on | Paid add-on for Professional and Enterprise plans only | Included through API, SMTP, SDK, CLI, and agent tools |
| Publishing | Forms and landing pages on applicable plans | Forms, landing pages, website pages, ads, and social posting | Capture pages and custom web domains; not a general website builder |
| Best for | Marketing teams with complex customer journeys and CRM requirements | Inbound teams that want email as one channel on HubSpot CRM | Teams that want campaigns, workflows and transactional email priced by volume |
Choose ActiveCampaign if
- You want sophisticated journeys without moving to a full CRM suite
- Attribution and cross-channel orchestration are essential
- You want transactional email as an add-on to your automation tool
Choose HubSpot if
- Your sales and marketing already run on HubSpot CRM
- You want a free tier to start, with 2,000 emails a month
- You want Breeze AI and AI agents grounded in CRM records
Where Lumail fits
Both price by contacts, and HubSpot also by seats. If email is the job rather than CRM, a send-based plan with workflows on every tier is usually much cheaper.
Lumail prices by emails sent, with unlimited subscribers on every plan: $0 for 3,000 emails a month, Premium at $20 a month for 40,000 emails then $0.60 per 1,000, and Business at $200 a month for 400,000 emails then $0.40 per 1,000. Campaigns, graph workflows and transactional email (API and SMTP) live in one account, and agents can run it through MCP, the CLI or the SDK.
Read the full Lumail vs ActiveCampaign and Lumail vs HubSpot breakdowns, or the long-form ActiveCampaign and HubSpot articles.
Sources
- ActiveCampaign pricing, verified on
- HubSpot Marketing Hub pricing, verified on
Frequently asked questions
Does ActiveCampaign have a free plan like HubSpot?
No. ActiveCampaign offers a trial, not a permanent free plan. HubSpot's free tier includes 2,000 emails a month with HubSpot branding and one automated action.
Which has better automation on entry plans?
ActiveCampaign Starter allows five actions per automation. HubSpot Starter allows up to 10 actions, with full workflows from Professional.
Do ActiveCampaign and HubSpot include transactional email?
ActiveCampaign: Available as an add-on. HubSpot: Paid add-on for Professional and Enterprise plans only.
Is there an alternative to ActiveCampaign and HubSpot that prices by emails sent?
Lumail. It is $0 for 3,000 emails a month, then $20 a month for 40,000 emails and $0.60 per extra 1,000, with unlimited subscribers on every plan. Campaigns, workflows and transactional email share one account.
Where do these numbers come from?
From each vendor's public pricing page (ActiveCampaign pricing and HubSpot Marketing Hub pricing), last verified on August 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Keep comparing
Not sold on ActiveCampaign or HubSpot?
3,000 emails a month free. Unlimited subscribers on every plan. Campaigns, automations and transactional email on one domain.