HubSpot is a comprehensive marketing automation and CRM platform best for larger businesses requiring sophisticated lead nurturing and sales alignment, while Mailchimp is a simpler, more affordable email marketing tool ideal for small to medium-sized businesses prioritizing ease of use and cost-effectiveness.
Mailchimp vs HubSpot — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
All-in-one email marketing and CRM platform with advanced automation and multi-channel capabilities.
Enterprise-focused CRM with comprehensive AI, extensive integrations, and all-in-one platform capabilities.
Primary Focus. Monthly Cost at 10,000 Contacts. Automation Complexity. CRM Integration. Best For Business Size. SMS Marketing Support. Learning Curve
Choose Mailchimp if you're a small business or startup needing an affordable, easy-to-use email marketing platform with recently added SMS capabilities and don't require advanced CRM features. Choose HubSpot if you're managing complex marketing campaigns, need sophisticated lead scoring, require CRM alignment with sales, and justify the investment for enterprise-grade automation and inbound marketing capabilities.
Mailchimp: Yes (500 contacts) | HubSpot: Yes
Mailchimp: 7 (moderate to high) | HubSpot: 8 (steep)
Mailchimp: Sophisticated data-driven rules | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Yes, varies by plan | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Yes, with international expansion | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Free on all plans | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Basic (Customer Journey Builder) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: A/B testing and design testing (free) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: More extensive platform coverage | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Basic contact management | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Beginner-friendly | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Limited (abandoned cart via integrations) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Yes - charges per contact/send overages | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Comprehensive campaign performance and subscriber insights | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 1,200+ | HubSpot: 1,000+ integrations
Mailchimp: Basic personalization features | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Available but less intuitive setup | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Full SMS suite with 2026 international expansion | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Legacy interface, steep learning curve | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Full native CRM platform integrated | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 300+ (general purpose) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Limited core features only | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Extensive design variety and customization | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Standard audience segmentation | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Basic contact data syncing | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: No (API integration only) | HubSpot: Yes, full CRM suite included
Mailchimp: Yes (added 2026, supports international markets) | HubSpot: Yes (available but less prominent)
Mailchimp: 45 minutes | HubSpot: 1-2 weeks
Contact List Size Limit (Standard Pricing)
Mailchimp: Unlimited growth with pro-rated pricing | HubSpot: Unlimited growth with pro-rated pricing
Mailchimp: 1,000 emails/month | HubSpot: 2,000 emails/month
Mailchimp: Capped by contact tier multipliers | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 12+ million users | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Full CRM suite with advanced segmentation | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Limited e-commerce via integrations | HubSpot: N/A
Price Scaling Factor at 5,000 Subscribers
Mailchimp: Steep 3-4x multiplier | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 500 contacts | HubSpot: 500 contacts
Mailchimp: Basic add-on CRM | HubSpot: Native unified CRM
Mailchimp: Manual segmentation only | HubSpot: Advanced behavioral & predictive scoring
Mailchimp: Email, basic social | HubSpot: Email, SMS, social, landing pages, ads
Mailchimp: Minimal (intuitive interface) | HubSpot: Steep (comprehensive platform)
Mailchimp: Standard quarterly updates | HubSpot: 13 new features + 86 enhancements (Spring 2026)
Mailchimp: Yes, full CRM suite | HubSpot: Included standard
Mailchimp: Email, SMS, landing pages, ads | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Moderate, marketing-focused | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 300,000 (based on plan) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: $13/month (Essentials) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: $800/month (100,000 contacts) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Full-featured free plan | HubSpot: Yes (1 user, 5 contacts)
Mailchimp: Yes (up to 500 contacts) | HubSpot: Yes (up to 3 users)
Mailchimp: Modern and professional | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Advanced automation included | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Third-party integrations | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Transactional email and small business | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Yes (drag-and-drop, AI-assisted) | HubSpot: Yes (drag-and-drop, mobile-responsive, A/B testing)
Mailchimp: Full CRM with customer profiles | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: All paid plans | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 500 (free) / 5,000 (paid) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 0.08 months (1 hour) | HubSpot: 20-40 hours
Mailchimp: 3 (Salesforce, HubSpot, custom) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Behavioral segmentation only | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Email-based, no SLA | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Basic (list segmentation only) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: ~5 basic automations | HubSpot: Complex multi-step workflows with conditions
Mailchimp: No (Zapier third-party only) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 1 (beginner-friendly) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 500 free contacts | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: None (requires third-party solutions) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Unlimited (with 10k contacts max) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Not applicable (subscriber-based) | HubSpot: N/A
Starter Tier Monthly Cost (50k contacts)
Automation Workflow Steps (Free/Starter Tier)
Mailchimp: Unlimited (standard feature) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Unlimited (with pricing increase) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Limited basic sequences | HubSpot: Unlimited with visual builder
Mailchimp: 10 | HubSpot: 500 calls/15 sec (43,200/day)
Mailchimp: 0% (you handle payments) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Advanced (conditional, behavioral triggers) | HubSpot: Unlimited
Mailchimp: No (third-party required) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Yes (subject lines, send time) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Included in paid plans | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 30+ (payment processor + Mailchimp config) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: $0 (free tier) or $20 (Pro) | HubSpot: $45
Mailchimp: Not offered (email-focused) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 5 (Email, SMS, Social Ads, Landing Pages, Postcards) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 1-2 (self-service) | HubSpot: 3-7 days
Mailchimp: Limited (up to 5-10 per plan tier) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: $0.01-0.05 per SMS | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 100+ templates | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: $2–$7 (plan-dependent) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 0.5–1 hour (UI-based) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Advanced (subject, send time, content) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Manual review required | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Full CRM with segmentation, tagging, custom fields | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: $200–$350 (based on tier) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: $0.01 (SMS add-on) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 500 | HubSpot: 1,000,000 contacts
Mailchimp: 1 day (no-code signup) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 12M+ users (2025) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Unlimited steps | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 1,000+ templates | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: No (paid add-on) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Paid add-on | HubSpot: Yes, paid add-on ($600/month minimum)
Mailchimp: 0% (SaaS model) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 20 (1K-contact plan) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 500+ templates including AI-generated | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: $20 additional per month | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Advanced abandoned cart, product recommendations, dynamic pricing | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Basic automation on free plan | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Advanced AI copywriter with subject line optimization | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Limited - basic integration support only | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Advanced visual builder included | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: List management only | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Yes - iOS and Android | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Yes (drag-and-drop) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Available at higher tiers | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 24/7 on paid plans | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Advanced (100+ triggers, unlimited branching) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 0 (Third-party only) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 5+ (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, others) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Basic contact segmentation, limited tagging, no pipeline management | HubSpot: Contact management, deal pipelines, activity tracking, custom fields, lead scoring
Mailchimp: None—email-focused platform only | HubSpot: Phone calling, meeting scheduling, document tracking, forecasting, sequences
Mailchimp: Automations available on free plan with customer journey builder | HubSpot: Limited automations; multi-step workflows in paid tiers
Mailchimp: Requires API/Zapier connectors | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 4 (email, SMS, ads, landing pages) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Limited on starter plans | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Premium+ ($350/month minimum) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: $200+ (plan dependent) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 5-10 (UI-based) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Advanced (journey builder, behavioral triggers, A/B testing) | HubSpot: Comprehensive
Mailchimp: 10 (REST API) | HubSpot: 300+ requests/sec (Enterprise)
Mailchimp: Not available (segmentation only) | HubSpot: Predictive AI-powered scoring
Mailchimp: Third-party (Zapier) only | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Unlimited free tier available | HubSpot: 14
Mailchimp: 1 (last-click only) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 500 (free), unlimited (paid) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: No, not available | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: 500 contacts | HubSpot: No free CRM
Mailchimp: Unlimited | HubSpot: Unlimited
Mailchimp: 2 (basic contact mgmt) | HubSpot: 8 (deals, pipelines, scoring, etc)
Mailchimp: 160 (email support all plans) | HubSpot: 168 (24/7 phone, chat, email)
Mailchimp: Email only (no phone) | HubSpot: Limited (Professional+ only)
Mailchimp: Yes (paid plans only) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Limited (ad campaigns only) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Behavioral, demographic, purchase history, engagement | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: Standard (orders, products) | HubSpot: N/A
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: All tiers (Breeze)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Full suite (email, automation, journeys)
Monthly Cost (50-person team, full suite)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 15 million (unlimited practical)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Comprehensive (email, lead scoring, workflows, forms, landing pages)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (Service Hub)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Functional (secondary focus)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Activity logging available
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: UI Extensions, expanded API capabilities, object settings navigation
Starting Price (per user/month, billed annually)
Professional Tier Price (per user/month)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: High - requires training
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 6+ (CRM, Marketing, Sales, Service, Content, Operations)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Good secondary feature
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 14-day free trial
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: $100-120/month
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 4 (Sales, Marketing, Service, CMS)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Nearly identical ratings
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited contacts
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 3 (email, chat, phone only)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Separate add-on ($45/month)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Native HubSpot Chatbot
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited (Professional+)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Comprehensive iOS/Android apps
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Basic predictive content
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: HubSpot Starter at $20
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: HubSpot Professional at $50
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Dedicated ecosystem integration
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: HubSpot AI - advanced automation and predictive
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Third-party integrations required
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 4.7/5 - intuitive interface
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Good option - established in India
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (via add-on)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Third-party Integration
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 1 to 1000+ people
Professional/Standard Plan Monthly Price
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 28% of average
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Native full CRM platform
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Mid-market to enterprise
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Chatspot add-on; requires manual training and configuration
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Native with A/B testing, sequences, and workflows
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Deal pipelines, team pipeline visibility, activity feeds
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: $120/month base (not per-agent)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 3 channels (email, chat, ticketing)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Full (360° CRM with pipelines, deals, forecasting)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (email sequences, workflows, forms, landing pages)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: ChatSpot AI (content generation, workflow automation, analysis)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 1000+ integrations
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 1,000,000+ (Enterprise)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Full-featured automation
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 5/10 (Basic rules-based)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 3,000+ certification courses
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Full pipeline with forecasting
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Basic (secondary feature)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 10+ years in service
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 120 requests/min
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 4.7/5 (42K reviews)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: ChatSpot (25% deflection)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: $50 (Marketing Hub Starter)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Limited (50 rules in Standard tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Third-party connector (2-4 hr delays)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Yes, all plans
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 74% (Predictive Lead Scoring)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Month-to-month available
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: No (enterprise add-on only)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Advanced with forecasting and stages
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited users (freemium model)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: No (requires CallRail $50-300/month)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 1.4 million (free tier only)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 4.4/5 (3,800 reviews)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 3 (free tier) / Unlimited (paid)
CRM Contact Storage Limit (Free/Entry Tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 5 (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok)
AI Sentiment Analysis / Social Listening
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Basic keyword monitoring only
Team Members Supported (Free/Standard Tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Unlimited on free tier
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: $800 (Marketing Hub Pro)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 1,000 contact limit (capped)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Moderate (workflows, limited coding)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: No, third-party integration required
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Full suite with workflows, landing pages, forms
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 400+ integrations
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Yes, unlimited users
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 3+ (Phone, Chat, Email, Academy)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Full CRM with pipeline, deals, tasks, and analytics
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 10-1000+ (growing to enterprise)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: iOS and Android
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Requires add-on
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Copilot AI, content generation, predictive scoring
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Full marketing automation with workflows
Monthly Cost Per Agent/User (Entry Level)
Monthly Cost Per Agent/User (Professional Tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 1,200+ native & app partners
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Higher tiers only
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: $50-$120 (varies by tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 2 users (Starter tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Limited per tier (1,000-10,000)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: No, requires Sales Hub Professional ($100+/user)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Included in Marketing Hub tiers
Starting Monthly Price (Single User/Starter Tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Available, requires separate setup
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Full suite with A/B testing and workflows
Price for 10-Person Support Team (Annual)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: $540/year (Starter) or $9,600+ (Professional)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: $45/month (Starter plan, up to 2 users)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Free tier included (unlimited contacts)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Gmail, Outlook, web interface, Apple Mail
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Predictive lead scoring, AI chatbots, email insights
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 14 days (with free tier option)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 4.4 stars (7,200 reviews)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Intermediate (predictive in Enterprise tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 1-500 employees
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 120-180 seconds
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 1,000+ templates
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Via third-party integration only
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 200,000+ customers
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 4.6/5 (45,000 reviews)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Yes - email campaigns, workflows, landing pages, ads
Customer Support Response Time (Paid Plans)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 1-24 hours depending on plan
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Limited on Starter tier
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Advanced (unlimited workflows)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (basic conversational)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (with AI predictive scoring)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: $45 (paid Professional plan; $0 free tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Full-featured CRM included
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Basic monitoring only
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Limited platform support
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: AI content assistant in higher tiers
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: $120+ (Professional tier)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Advanced with forecasting
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 7+ channels (email, SMS, ads, chat, tickets, calls, social)
Monthly Cost (Single User, Standard Plan)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: 3 users (full CRM)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Call recording analysis, predictive scoring, email optimization
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Yes (all paid plans)
Mailchimp: N/A | HubSpot: Limited (fixed layouts, standard structure)
How to choose between Mailchimp and HubSpot
Mailchimp vs HubSpot — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Mailchimp vs HubSpot. Contains 432 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Mailchimp vs HubSpot — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Mailchimp vs HubSpot.
Is Mailchimp or HubSpot better for small business?
For small businesses focused primarily on email marketing, Mailchimp is the better starting point — its free tier (up to 500 contacts) and affordable paid plans are purpose-built for email campaigns, automations, and list management without a steep learning curve. For small businesses that also need a CRM to track sales pipeline and customer interactions across email, calls, and meetings, HubSpot's free CRM + Starter Marketing Hub ($20/month) provides more integrated data at a comparable entry price. The decision depends on whether you need email-only or email + CRM.
Mailchimp has a free plan that allows up to 500 contacts and 1,000 emails per month, with basic templates and single-step automations. The free plan includes the Mailchimp brand footer on all emails and limited customer support (email only for 30 days after signup). For more contacts, multi-step automations, A/B testing, and premium support, Mailchimp Essentials starts at $13/month (500 contacts) with pricing scaling by contact count. HubSpot's CRM is free with unlimited users and unlimited basic contact storage; its Marketing Hub tools (landing pages, email beyond basic) start at $20/month.
HubSpot can replace Mailchimp's email marketing functionality — Marketing Hub includes email campaigns, automation workflows, landing pages, A/B testing, and contact segmentation. HubSpot also adds CRM, sales pipeline, deal tracking, and customer service tools that Mailchimp doesn't offer. The trade-off is cost: HubSpot's Marketing Hub Professional ($890/month) is dramatically more expensive than Mailchimp Standard ($20-$350/month depending on list size) if you only need email. Organizations that outgrow Mailchimp's CRM limitations commonly migrate to HubSpot as their primary system of record.
Mailchimp pricing scales by contact count: Free plan supports 500 contacts (1,000 emails/month); Essentials and Standard plans start at 500 contacts with pricing increasing as your list grows ($13-$20/month for 500 contacts, up to $800+/month for 100,000+ contacts). HubSpot's Marketing Hub pricing also scales by contact tier at Professional and Enterprise levels. For organizations with large email lists (50,000+ contacts), comparing the actual per-contact cost between platforms becomes critical — at scale, some enterprise email senders find Klaviyo or Brevo more cost-effective than either Mailchimp or HubSpot.
Mailchimp includes basic contact management — list segmentation, tags, merge fields, and engagement data — that functions as a simple contact database. However, it lacks the deal/pipeline tracking, contact activity timeline across all touchpoints (calls, meetings, sales notes), and integration depth that a dedicated CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce provides. For businesses whose primary go-to-market motion is email marketing and who don't have a dedicated sales team working deals, Mailchimp's contact management is sufficient. For businesses with sales pipelines, HubSpot or another dedicated CRM is needed alongside or instead of Mailchimp.
How to Choose Between Mailchimp and HubSpot
Primary Focus: Mailchimp has Email marketing with basic automation, while HubSpot has Complete marketing automation + CRM platform.
Consider: Monthly Cost at 10,000 Contacts
Monthly Cost at 10,000 Contacts: Mailchimp has $100/month (Standard plan), while HubSpot has $45/month (Starter plan).
Automation Complexity: Mailchimp has Straightforward workflows for simple campaigns, while HubSpot has Advanced workflows with lead scoring and nurturing.
CRM Integration: Mailchimp has Limited native CRM capabilities, while HubSpot has Built-in CRM with full sales pipeline management.
Best For Business Size: Mailchimp has Startups and SMBs (1-50 employees), while HubSpot has Mid-market and enterprises (50+ employees).
SMS Marketing Support: Mailchimp has Recently added SMS with international markets (2026), while HubSpot has SMS available but less prominent feature.
Learning Curve: Mailchimp has Quick setup (hours), minimal training required, while HubSpot has Steeper learning curve (weeks), requires training.
HubSpot is a comprehensive marketing automation and CRM platform best for larger businesses requiring sophisticated lead nurturing and sales alignment, while Mailchimp is a simpler, more affordable email marketing tool ideal for small to medium-sized businesses prioritizing ease of use and cost-effe