Switching from ActiveCampaign to HubSpot
Businesses moving from ActiveCampaign’s email-marketing-first platform to HubSpot’s broader CRM and marketing suite are usually doing so as sales and marketing teams need to work off the same system of record.
Why teams switch from ActiveCampaign to HubSpot
Unified CRM for sales and marketing
HubSpot gives sales and marketing a shared contact and deal record, which ActiveCampaign’s lighter CRM add-on doesn’t fully replicate.
Bigger integration and reporting ecosystem
HubSpot’s app marketplace and custom reporting go beyond what ActiveCampaign offers, especially at scale.
Room to grow into sales tooling
Businesses that outgrow ActiveCampaign’s sales CRM can move into HubSpot’s Sales Hub without switching platforms again.
Switching Cost & Friction Estimator
Estimate the real hidden cost of moving from ActiveCampaign to HubSpot — not just the subscription price.
How to migrate your data
There’s no dedicated ActiveCampaign connector in HubSpot, so this migration runs through CSV import and manual automation rebuilding.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Export from ActiveCampaign | Export contacts, tags, and custom fields from ActiveCampaign as CSV. |
| 2. Clean and remap fields | Match ActiveCampaign tags and custom fields to HubSpot’s contact and deal properties. |
| 3. Set up your HubSpot account | Create and configure your HubSpot portal, including pipelines and custom properties. |
| 4. Import contacts via CSV | Use HubSpot’s native CRM import tool for contacts (and deals, if applicable); there’s no dedicated ActiveCampaign connector. |
| 5. Rebuild automations | Recreate ActiveCampaign’s automation sequences as HubSpot workflows, since automation logic doesn’t transfer. |
| 6. Test and validate deliverability | Confirm sending domain authentication and test rebuilt email automations before full cutover. |
Pricing during the transition
ActiveCampaign’s contact-based pricing tends to undercut HubSpot at small list sizes, but the gap narrows or reverses as HubSpot tiers add more built-in seats and features.
| Plan | ActiveCampaign | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No free tier (14-day trial) | $0 (Free CRM) |
| Entry paid tier | Around $15/mo (Starter, 1,000 contacts, annual billing) | $7/seat/mo billed annually, $20 monthly (Marketing Hub Starter), as of September 2026 |
| Mid tier | Around $49-$79/mo (Plus/Pro, 1,000 contacts, annual billing) | Around $800/mo (Marketing Hub Professional, includes 3 seats, plus a one-time onboarding fee) |
ActiveCampaign’s contact-based pricing (roughly $15-$79/month at 1,000 contacts depending on tier) tends to be cheaper at small list sizes than HubSpot’s Marketing Hub, which jumps to around $800/month at Professional — the two platforms price very differently as you scale.
Feature-parity checklist
HubSpot broadens the CRM and reporting picture; ActiveCampaign’s email specialization is the main trade-off.
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | HubSpot equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Automations/workflows | Precise, email-focused automation | Powerful workflow automation but concentrated in paid tiers, a lateral move rather than a clear upgrade at the Starter level |
| CRM/pipeline | Lightweight sales CRM | Deeply built-out CRM, free at the base tier, a genuine upgrade for sales visibility |
| Funnels/landing pages | No native builder | Landing pages available, fuller with CMS Hub, a mild upgrade |
| Email/SMS marketing | Specialized, strong deliverability tooling | Solid but less specialized email, a mild downgrade for advanced segmentation/deliverability tuning |
| Reporting | Strong email/engagement analytics | Custom report builder and cross-object reporting, a genuine upgrade for full-funnel visibility |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does HubSpot have a native ActiveCampaign importer?
No — contacts import via HubSpot’s standard CSV-based CRM import tool.
Will my ActiveCampaign automations transfer?
No, they need to be manually rebuilt as HubSpot workflows.
Is HubSpot better for sales teams?
Yes, generally — HubSpot’s CRM and Sales Hub are more built out than ActiveCampaign’s CRM add-on.
Will switching cost more?
Likely yes once you’re past HubSpot’s free CRM tier and into Marketing Hub Professional, which is priced well above most ActiveCampaign plans.
How long does this take?
Contact import is quick; rebuilding automations and validating deliverability realistically takes one to three weeks.
Canonical data for the tools on this page
Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page — with the date each figure was last verified.