HubSpot Email Marketing vs Mailchimp
HubSpot Email Marketing and Mailchimp are both popular choices in the all-in-one marketing platform space. Mailchimp has been around since 2001, giving it a 5-year head start over HubSpot Email Marketing (founded 2006). HubSpot Email Marketing starts at $20/seat/mo, while Mailchimp starts at $13/mo. Their pricing is not measured the same way, so we don't rank them on price. Both offer free plans to get started.
Quick Verdict
HubSpot Email Marketing wins on deliverability, rating, integrations.
Best for most users: HubSpot Email Marketing (b2b).
HubSpot Email Marketing
Email marketing powered by CRM data
HubSpot's email marketing is part of its complete Marketing Hub. While the free and Starter tiers offer competitive email marketing, the real power comes with Professional tier and above, where HubSpot's CRM data feeds into sophisticated automation and personalization.
Mailchimp
Turn emails into revenue
Mailchimp is the most widely recognized email marketing platform, used by millions of businesses worldwide. Acquired by Intuit in 2021, it offers a full suite of marketing tools but has become increasingly expensive compared to alternatives.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | HubSpot Email Marketing | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.4/5 | 4.3/5 |
| Starting Price | $20/seat/mo | $13/mo |
| Free Plan | 2,000 emails/month | 250 contacts, 500 emails/month |
| Founded | 2006 | 2001 |
| Email Templates | 80 | 100 |
| Integrations | 1,500 | 300 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97% | 96% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | Yes |
| A/B Testing | Yes | Yes |
| Landing Pages | Yes | Yes |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | Yes | Yes |
| SMS Marketing | Yes | Yes |
| Ecommerce Features | Yes | Yes |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | Yes | Yes |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | Yes | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | Yes |
HubSpot Email Marketing: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Best-in-class CRM integration
- + 1,500+ integrations (largest ecosystem)
- + Powerful marketing automation
- + All-in-one marketing, sales, and service platform
- + Excellent analytics and attribution
Cons
- − Professional plan is very expensive ($890/mo)
- − Annual commitment required for higher tiers
- − Complex pricing structure
- − Steep learning curve
- − Email features alone don't justify the cost
Mailchimp: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Most recognized brand in email marketing
- + Excellent drag-and-drop editor
- + 300+ integrations with third-party tools
- + Strong analytics and reporting
- + Good for beginners with guided setup
Cons
- − Free plan severely limited (500 contacts, 1,000 sends)
- − Premium plan is expensive ($350/mo)
- − Charges for unsubscribed contacts
- − Affiliate marketing restricted
- − Deliverability has declined in recent years
The Verdict
HubSpot Email Marketing and Mailchimp are closely matched — both score within 0.1 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality. On deliverability, HubSpot Email Marketing reports 97% compared to 96% for Mailchimp — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | HubSpot Email Marketing | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $20/seat/mo | $13/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97% Winner | 96% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.4/5 Winner | 4.3/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 1500 Winner | 300 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose HubSpot Email Marketing if…
- + You're a b2b
- + You're a saas
- + Best-in-class CRM integration
Choose Mailchimp if…
- + You're a small businesses
- + You're a beginners
- + Most recognized brand in email marketing