Free Plan
Up to 1,000 contacts, 2,000 emails/month
Up to 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/month
Paid Plan Starting Price
~$800/month (Marketing Hub Starter is ~$20/mo but very limited)
~$13/month (Essentials, up to 500 contacts)
Built-in CRM
Yes — full-featured, native CRM included
Basic audience profiles only, no true CRM
Marketing Automation
Advanced multi-step workflows, lead scoring, branching logic
Basic automations on paid plans; limited branching
Email Templates
Hundreds of templates + drag-and-drop editor
100+ templates, polished drag-and-drop editor
A/B Testing
Subject line, content, send time — on paid plans
Subject line & content testing on paid plans
Landing Pages
Yes, built-in with smart content personalization
Yes, basic landing pages included
Native Integrations
1,000+ including Salesforce, Slack, Shopify
300+ including Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva
Deliverability
Strong; dedicated IP available on enterprise plans
Industry-leading; top-tier shared IP reputation
Reporting Depth
Revenue attribution, multi-touch, funnel reports
Open/click/audience reports; limited attribution
Customer Support
Email & chat on Starter; phone on higher tiers
Email/chat on paid; phone only on Premium ($350+/mo)
Learning Curve
Steep — expect days of onboarding, not hours
Gentle — most users send their first campaign same day
Worth knowing
- HubSpot's free CRM is genuinely unlimited for users — the email marketing limits are what push you to paid.
- Mailchimp pioneered the 'forever free' email marketing model back in 2009 and still rides that goodwill.
- HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional starts at ~$800/month — a price that makes small business owners faint.
- Mailchimp's deliverability consistently ranks among the best in the industry due to its massive sending volume and strict anti-spam policies.
- HubSpot offers a free certification academy that's actually respected on LinkedIn résumés.
Mailchimp's logo monkey, Freddie, has his own internal style guide at the company — more brand rules than some Fortune 500 CEOs.
If you wantYou want an all-in-one CRM + marketing stack for a growing B2B team
HubSpot's native CRM and advanced automation mean your sales and marketing teams finally speak the same language.
→ Pick HubSpot Marketing Hub If you wantYou're a small business, freelancer, or creator on a tight budget
Mailchimp gets you professional-looking emails out the door fast, without needing a corporate credit card.
→ Pick Mailchimp If you wantYou run an e-commerce store and need simple abandoned cart flows
Mailchimp's Shopify and WooCommerce integrations are plug-and-play, and the price won't eat your margins.
→ Pick Mailchimp If you wantYou need revenue attribution and want to prove ROI to stakeholders
HubSpot's multi-touch attribution and funnel reporting actually show which emails closed deals — Mailchimp can't touch that.
→ Pick HubSpot Marketing Hub Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.