Ready to send better email?
Brew is the AI-native ESP. Define your brand once, ship on-brand email in minutes.
Brew is the AI-native ESP. Define your brand once, ship on-brand email in minutes.
HubSpot vs Mailchimp compared head-to-head. We break down pricing, features, automation, ease of use, and which platform wins for different business types.
HubSpot vs Mailchimp is the most common comparison in email marketing. Both platforms dominate the market, but they serve fundamentally different needs—and choosing wrong costs you time, money, and results.
This guide compares HubSpot and Mailchimp across every dimension that matters: pricing, features, ease of use, automation, and who each platform actually serves best. By the end, you'll know exactly which one fits your business.
| Feature | HubSpot | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free (limited) / $20/mo | Free (limited) / $13/mo |
| Best For | B2B, growing companies | Small businesses, creators |
| CRM | Full-featured, built-in | Basic, built-in |
| Automation | Advanced workflows | Good, improving |
| Learning Curve | Steeper | Easier |
| Email Builder | Powerful, complex | Simple, intuitive |
Mailchimp prices based on contacts and features:
The catch: Prices scale aggressively with list size. A 50,000 contact list costs $350-$700/month depending on tier.
HubSpot uses a tiered model:
The catch: The jump from Starter to Professional is significant. Many features require Professional tier.
For small lists (<5,000 contacts): Mailchimp is typically cheaper.
For growing businesses: HubSpot's free CRM adds significant value, but costs rise quickly at Professional tier.
For budget-conscious teams: Consider Brew—Starter at $49/month includes 1,000 contacts and AI-powered email creation that eliminates design and copywriting time.
Mailchimp's drag-and-drop editor is beginner-friendly:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
HubSpot offers more power at the cost of complexity:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Choose Mailchimp if you want to create emails quickly without technical knowledge.
Choose HubSpot if you need deep personalization and don't mind the learning curve.
Choose Brew if you want professional emails without building them manually—describe what you want, and AI creates it in seconds.
Mailchimp's "Customer Journeys" handle common automation needs:
Limitations: Complex branching logic is difficult. Multi-step sequences with conditions can be frustrating to build.
HubSpot's workflows are significantly more powerful:
Limitations: Full workflow features require Professional tier ($890/month).
For simple automation: Mailchimp handles the basics well.
For complex nurture sequences: HubSpot's workflows are industry-leading—if you can afford Professional tier.
For teams wanting powerful automation without complexity, Brew lets you build workflows from simple prompts.
Mailchimp added a basic CRM, but it's limited:
It works for email marketing but isn't a true CRM for sales teams.
HubSpot's CRM is genuinely world-class—and free:
This is HubSpot's major advantage. The free CRM alone justifies evaluation.
If you need a real CRM: HubSpot wins decisively.
If you just need email marketing: Mailchimp's basic CRM (or Brew's basic CRM, similar to Mailchimp's) is sufficient.
Mailchimp prioritizes accessibility:
Most users can send their first email within an hour.
HubSpot is more complex:
Expect 1-2 weeks to feel comfortable, longer to master.
For beginners or small teams: Mailchimp is easier to start.
For teams with resources to invest in learning: HubSpot's power is worth the curve.
For teams wanting professional results without the learning curve: Brew eliminates complexity—create emails with simple prompts.
Both HubSpot and Mailchimp require significant time to create emails manually. Brew takes a different approach—AI generates complete, on-brand emails from simple descriptions.
How Brew compares:
| Feature | HubSpot | Mailchimp | Brew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email creation time | 30-60 min | 20-40 min | < 2 min |
| Design skills needed | Some | Some | None |
| AI generation | Limited | Limited | Full |
| Pricing | Free-$890+/mo | Free-$350+/mo | Free-$199/mo |
Brew pricing:
For most small businesses: Mailchimp offers the best balance of features and affordability.
For growing B2B teams: HubSpot's CRM and automation justify the investment—if you can afford Professional tier.
For teams who want results without the work: Brew delivers professional email marketing powered by AI.
Ready to skip the learning curve? Try Brew free and create your first AI-powered email in under 60 seconds.
Deliverability is not a platform feature you can skip. Gmail still wants authentication and a low spam rate. CAN-SPAM still wants an honest subject and a working unsubscribe. Segmentation is how either tool stops sounding like one blast.
To contact us about this article, write Brew support.
HubSpot is a CRM-heavy suite that also sends email.
Mailchimp is an email-first tool that added broader marketing later.
The better pick is the one that matches your CRM, sending volume, and who will live in the UI.
For example, a team that already lives in a CRM may pay more to keep email next to the contact record.
| Move | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Compare sending and lists | Themes are the easy part |
| Authenticate either way | Gmail still judges the domain |
US commercial mail still follows the FTC CAN-SPAM guide and 16 CFR 316.3. Bulk sending still has to meet Gmail's sender requirements. To contact us about this article, use the support link above.
Pick Mailchimp if you are a small business or solo creator, budget is tight, you need simple campaigns, and you do not need a sales CRM. Setup is faster. The builder is easier. Costs stay lower on small lists. You will feel the limits when you want complex branching or a real pipeline.
Pick HubSpot if you are a growing B2B team, sales and marketing need the same records, and you can pay for Professional workflows. The free CRM is the real draw. Email is one piece of a larger suite. Expect a longer setup and more options to learn before the first send feels natural.
Mailchimp prices by contacts and features, from a limited free tier through Essentials, Standard, and Premium. HubSpot has free tools, Starter, then a large jump to Professional and Enterprise. Mailchimp is usually cheaper under a few thousand contacts. HubSpot's cost rises fast once you need the workflow tier.
Mailchimp's Customer Journeys cover welcome, cart, dates, and purchase follow-up. Complex conditions get frustrating. HubSpot workflows add branching, lead scoring, and CRM triggers, and the full set sits on Professional. For a walkthrough of the flows themselves, see the automation guide.
No. Gmail's sender requirements follow the sending domain, not the logo in the editor. CAN-SPAM still judges the message. Authenticate, keep spam complaints down, and put a working unsubscribe on commercial mail whichever tool you pick.
