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Marketing Automation

ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot: Which Marketing Platform Fits Your Business in 2026?

Deep, affordable email automation vs. a full CRM-plus-marketing suite. Here is how the cost scales as your contact list grows.

Bill BelcaminoBy Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 12, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
ActiveCampaign logoFrom $15/mo (1,000 contacts)

ActiveCampaign

VS
HubSpot logoFree tier, from $20/seat/mo

HubSpot

Run the cost calculator Compare pricing tiers
ActiveCampaign vs HubSpotVerified Sep 12, 2026
Bill Belcamino
Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Is ActiveCampaign or HubSpot the better buy as my list grows?

ActiveCampaign costs far less than HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional, so HubSpot only earns its price when sales and marketing need to work from one native CRM.

At 1,000 contacts ActiveCampaign Pro is $79/mo on annual billing, against $800/mo billed annually for HubSpot Professional plus a $3,000 onboarding fee, and at 10,000 contacts HubSpot Enterprise is $3,600/mo plus $7,000 onboarding. The catch on the cheap side: since November 2025 ActiveCampaign bills new customers for unsubscribed and bounced contacts too. That turns list hygiene into a billing issue, not just a deliverability one. Export your unsubscribes and hard bounces as a suppression file, then delete them from the account, so you stop paying for people you can't email and never re-import them by accident. Price both tools on the list you'll keep after that purge.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 12, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

Verified data

ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot: quick facts

At a glanceActiveCampaignHubSpot
CategoryMarketing Automation
Entry priceFrom $15/mo (1,000 contacts)Free tier, from $20/seat/mo

Is ActiveCampaign cheaper than HubSpot?

ActiveCampaign is priced at From $15/mo (1,000 contacts) and HubSpot at Free tier, from $20/seat/mo. See the full breakdown below for what is included at each tier.

Verified data

ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot at a glance

CategoryActiveCampaignHubSpot
Entry price (1,000 contacts)$15/mo (Starter, billed annually)Free — 2 users
Mid tier (1,000 contacts)$49/mo (Plus, billed annually)$20/seat/mo (Starter, standard price)
Pro tier (1,000 contacts)$79/mo (Pro, billed annually)$800/mo (Professional) + $3,000 onboarding
At 10,000 contacts$149 (Starter), $189 (Plus), $375 (Pro) or $589 (Enterprise) per month, billed annually$3,600/mo (Enterprise) + $7,000 onboarding
Automation depthDeep, largely unlimited actions on higher tiersCapped around 300 workflows (Professional)
Native CRMBolt-on, capable but secondaryNative, deeply integrated with Sales Hub
Ecommerce integrationsNative BigCommerce/Magento/Shopify (Pro+)Thinner, more reporting-focused
Billing model changeNov 2025: now bills for unemailable/bounced contacts tooUsage-credit layer added on top of seats
G2 rating4.4/5 (~15,000 reviews)4.4/5 (~14,284 reviews)

Verified September 12, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Editorial assessment

How they actually differ

ActiveCampaign publishes its prices on its own pricing page: four tiers (Starter, Plus, Pro, Enterprise) that scale steeply with contact list size. At 1,000 contacts they start at $15, $49, $79 and $145/month, billed annually (re-checked on ActiveCampaign’s pricing page September 21, 2026). Every tier rises with each contact band; the 10,000-contact figures in the table above were recorded on the date shown there, so confirm them on the vendor’s contact slider for your list size.

A billing change worth knowing about

As of November 2025, ActiveCampaign started charging new customers for unsubscribed and bounced (“unemailable”) contacts too, not just active ones: a real shift in the cost model that can meaningfully change your bill if your list has a lot of churn.

Where HubSpot pulls ahead

HubSpot’s Marketing Hub is free to start and cheap at Starter, but the jump to Professional ($800/month, 2,000 contacts, plus a mandatory $3,000 onboarding fee) is steep. What you get for that price is a marketing platform natively wired into HubSpot’s CRM and Sales Hub, which is valuable if marketing and sales need to work off the same contact records and reporting.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

ActiveCampaign

Pros

  • Deeper, more flexible automation builder on comparable tiers
  • Far cheaper than HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional ($800/mo billed annually)
  • Native ecommerce integrations (BigCommerce, Magento, Shopify)
  • AI Automation Builder added on paid tiers

Cons

  • Every tier rises with each contact band, so list growth drives the bill
  • Nov 2025 change now bills for unemailable/bounced contacts
  • CRM is a capable bolt-on, not as deeply native as HubSpot’s
  • Menu/settings complexity cited by some reviewers

HubSpot

Pros

  • Free tier, and cheap Starter tier to begin with
  • Native CRM deeply integrated with Sales Hub and Service Hub
  • Cleaner onboarding UI, well rated for ease of use
  • Breeze AI Copilot bundled into most tiers

Cons

  • Professional tier jumps to $800/mo plus $3,000 onboarding fee
  • Workflows capped around 300 at Professional
  • Costs scale fast with both contacts and seats
  • Ecommerce features thinner than dedicated marketing tools
Verified data

Cost calculator: estimated monthly spend by list size

ActiveCampaign

 
$0/mo

HubSpot

 
$0/mo
 

ActiveCampaign figures are its published annual-billing prices for the contact tier that covers your list, checked September 17, 2026 (Starter is offered up to 25,000 contacts; lists over 50,000 are quoted). HubSpot figures are Marketing Hub list prices at their included marketing contacts; HubSpot prices extra contacts separately. Excludes HubSpot onboarding fees ($3,000 Professional, $7,000 Enterprise).

Choose ActiveCampaign if…

You’re a solopreneur, agency, or SMB marketer who wants deep, affordable email/automation power and doesn’t need marketing and sales unified in one platform.

Choose HubSpot if…

You want marketing, sales, and service running on one native platform and your budget can absorb the jump to Professional as your contact list and team grow.

Total cost over time

Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.

Ready to pick your marketing platform?

Both offer a free trial or free tier. See current pricing directly from the source.

Try ActiveCampaign Try HubSpot Free
Verified data

ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot: security, offline & remote work

How ActiveCampaign and HubSpot compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedActiveCampaignHubSpot
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsource
ISO/IEC 27001Not publishedNot published
Other certificationsNot publishedSOC 1 Type II, SOC 3, HIPAA attestation, EU Cloud Code of Conduct, TRUSTe Certified Privacysource
HIPAA (BAA)BAA availableEnterprisesourceBAA availableEnterprisesource
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceDPA offeredsource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesEnterprisesourceYesProfessionalsource
SCIM user provisioningNot publishedYesProfessionalsource
Two-factor authenticationYesEnforcement: StartersourceYesEnforcement: Free (optional to require); mandatory on Starter, Professional, Enterprisesource
Admin audit logNot publishedYesStartersource
Data residency choicesUS, EU, APACsourceUS, EU, Canada, AustraliaStartersource
EncryptionNot publishedAES-256 at rest; TLS 1.2 or 1.3 in transitsource
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modePartialThe Forms for iPad app can collect form sign-ups offline and adds them to the account once back online; the main ActiveCampaign mobile app needs an internet connection.sourcePartialCRM records cannot be created, edited, or viewed in the mobile app without a connection; only Mobile Notetaker can record meetings offline and link them to CRM records once back online.source
Desktop appsNot publishedBrowser onlysource
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, Androidsource
Offline limits—Offline meeting recording (Mobile Notetaker) is available on Sales Hub or Service Hub Professional and EnterpriseSales Hub / Service Hub Professionalsource
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingNot publishedYesStartersource
Device & session controlsYesIdle-session timeout with customizable session length; MFA required to use the mobile app.sourceYesAll plansAdmin-set inactive session timeout (15 minutes to 3 days); users can review and remotely log out their own sessions on other devices.source
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: both publish a SOC 2 report. Ask each vendor for the report under NDA before you sign; security reviews usually want the latest one.
  • Single sign-on: ActiveCampaign includes it on Enterprise; HubSpot includes it on Professional. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
  • Health data: ActiveCampaign and HubSpot will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement (ActiveCampaign: Enterprise; HubSpot: Enterprise).
  • Working offline: ActiveCampaign and HubSpot work offline only in part. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • Office-only access: HubSpot can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Starter. That suits an office network or a company VPN; fully remote teams need a VPN for it to work.
  • Where your data lives: ActiveCampaign lets you choose US, EU, APAC; HubSpot lets you choose US, EU, Canada, Australia on Starter. This matters for teams hiring across the EU, UK or Australia.

ActiveCampaign: worth knowing

  • SecurityCustomers are assigned to the nearest regional data center by the account's GEO IP address and cannot currently change it. source
  • OfflineThe ActiveCampaign mobile app pulls live data and needs an internet connection. source
  • RemoteMulti-factor authentication is mandatory to sign in to the ActiveCampaign mobile app. source
  • OfficeThe Forms for iPad app (all plans) can capture sign-ups at in-person events or front desks, even without connectivity. source

HubSpot: worth knowing

  • RemoteHubSpot's trusted-IP login restriction also applies to the mobile app, so reps logging in from outside the allowed range on a phone are blocked. source
  • SecurityEach HubSpot account is hosted in one data center (US, EU, Canada or Australia); paid accounts can migrate to another region. source
  • RemoteUsers can see every device, browser and app where they are signed in and log out of lost devices remotely. source

Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Making the switch?

Read our step-by-step migration guides

We mapped out exactly what transfers automatically and what you will need to rebuild by hand, in both directions.

Switching from ActiveCampaign to HubSpot → Switching from HubSpot to ActiveCampaign →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ActiveCampaign?

ActiveCampaign is a marketing automation and email platform combining CRM, email marketing, and customer experience automation.

What is HubSpot?

HubSpot is an all-in-one CRM platform with marketing, sales, and customer service tools for growing businesses.

How much does ActiveCampaign cost compared to HubSpot?

ActiveCampaign starts at $15/mo (Starter, billed annually), while HubSpot starts at Free (2 users). ActiveCampaign costs far less than HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional and suits solopreneurs and email-heavy SMB marketers.

Which has better reviews, ActiveCampaign or HubSpot?

On G2, ActiveCampaign holds a 4.4/5 (~15,000 reviews) rating and HubSpot holds a 4.4/5 (~14,284 reviews) rating, as of the ratings shown in the table above.

Who should choose ActiveCampaign?

You’re a solopreneur, agency, or SMB marketer who wants deep, affordable email/automation power and doesn’t need marketing and sales unified in one platform.

Who should choose HubSpot?

You want marketing, sales, and service running on one native platform and your budget can absorb the jump to Professional as your contact list and team grow.

Related

See more Marketing Automation comparisons

See the full Marketing Automation hub for more comparisons, including GoHighLevel vs HubSpot and Mailchimp vs Klaviyo.

View the Marketing Automation hub →

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.

ActiveCampaignPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›HubSpotPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
Attio vs HubSpotHead-to-head comparisonActiveCampaign vs KeapHead-to-head comparisonActiveCampaign vs KlaviyoHead-to-head comparisonActiveCampaign vs MailchimpHead-to-head comparisonGoHighLevel vs HubSpotHead-to-head comparisonHubSpot vs KeapHead-to-head comparison

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

Cite this page: HelpCompare, “ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot”, helpcompare.com/activecampaign-vs-hubspot/ (updated ).

Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.

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Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.

01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.132 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.264 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 12, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

Read Bill’s story How we verify pricingSpot an error? Tell Bill