HubSpot
Free CRM / Marketing Starter ~$15 per seat/mo
Mailchimp
Free / from ~$13 per mo
HubSpot is a unified CRM and marketing platform that scales across sales, marketing, and service. Mailchimp is an email-marketing-first tool with a light CRM. HubSpot wins as an all-in-one platform that grows with you; Mailchimp wins for simpler, email-focused needs.
Pick HubSpot if you want a unified CRM and marketing platform that scales across sales, marketing, and service as you grow.
Pick Mailchimp if your main need is email marketing and automation and you want a simpler, email-first platform.
HubSpot and Mailchimp overlap on marketing but come from different directions. HubSpot is a unified platform: a CRM at its core with marketing, sales, and service tools layered on, designed to scale as a business grows. Mailchimp started as email marketing and remains email-first, with automation, audience tools, and a lighter CRM, which suits businesses whose main need is email campaigns.
On price, HubSpot has a free CRM and a Marketing Starter plan around $15 per seat a month (rising with contacts and features), while Mailchimp has a free tier and paid plans from around $13 a month (scaling with contacts). The choice is mostly an all-in-one platform that grows with you (HubSpot) versus a simpler, email-first tool (Mailchimp).
We compare CRM, email marketing, automation, price, and scale.
| Quick facts | HubSpot | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Core strength | All-in-one CRM + marketing | Email marketing |
| Price | Free CRM / Starter ~$15/seat/mo | Free / from ~$13/mo |
| CRM depth | Strong | Light |
| Scales across sales & service | Yes | Limited |
| Best for | Growing all-in-one needs | Email-first marketing |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | H HubSpot | M Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing & automation | Strong | Best-in-class |
| Built-in CRM | Strong | Light |
| Sales & service tools | Yes | Limited |
| Audience segmentation | Strong | Strong |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Scales with a growing business | Best-in-class | Moderate |
| Ease for email-only needs | Good | Best-in-class |
| Pricing scales with contacts | Yes | Yes |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed June 2026.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
HubSpot is more powerful and unified, but it gets pricier and more complex as you add hubs and contacts.
Mailchimp is simpler and email-first, but its CRM and broader marketing tools are lighter than HubSpot's.
Both scale pricing with contacts, so model your real list size before committing.
The average person juggles a dozen subscriptions and forgets at least one. Subkept is a privacy-first subscription tracker: add HubSpot, Mailchimp, and everything else, then get renewal reminders, price-hike alerts, and a clear monthly total, with no bank connection, ever. Free for up to 5 subscriptions, no time limit.
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