HubSpot is the gold standard for inbound marketing — but at $800+/month for the Marketing Hub, it's out of reach for most small and mid-sized teams. Here are the best alternatives depending on what you actually need.
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | Email automation | $29/month |
| Brevo | Simple email + CRM | Free |
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | Creators & newsletters | Free |
| Monday.com | Project + CRM | $12/user/month |
| Mailchimp | Email simplicity | Free |
| Pipedrive | Sales CRM | $14/month |
1. ActiveCampaign — Best for Marketing Automation
ActiveCampaign is the closest true alternative to HubSpot's marketing automation. The visual automation builder is one of the best in the industry, and the CRM integration is tight.
Why it beats HubSpot for small teams: The pricing scales better. At $29/month (up to 1,000 contacts), you get automation capabilities that would cost $800+ on HubSpot.
Trade-offs: Less powerful reporting than HubSpot; no built-in blog or landing page builder at lower tiers.
ActiveCampaign
The best marketing automation platform for growing businesses. 14-day free trial.
2. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — Best Free Option
Brevo offers email marketing, SMS, and basic CRM in a free plan up to 300 emails/day. For startups and small teams just getting started, it's the most generous free tier available.
Best for: Early-stage startups, nonprofits, and businesses with small contact lists
Price: Free up to 300 emails/day; paid from $25/month
3. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Best for Creators
If you're a content creator, blogger, or newsletter operator, Kit is purpose-built for you. HubSpot's strength is B2B lead nurturing; Kit's strength is audience building and monetization.
Standout features: Creator network for audience growth, commerce tools for selling digital products, excellent deliverability.
Price: Free up to 10,000 subscribers; paid from $25/month
4. Monday.com — Best for Project + CRM
Monday.com started as project management but has built a capable CRM on top. If your team needs project management AND basic CRM in one place, Monday is more cost-effective than paying for HubSpot + a separate PM tool.
Best for: Teams that blend client management with project delivery
Price: From $12/user/month
Monday.com
Project management + CRM in one platform. Flexible for any team structure.
5. Mailchimp — Best for Email Simplicity
Mailchimp is the most beginner-friendly email marketing tool. If you just need to send newsletters and don't need complex automation or CRM, Mailchimp's free plan (up to 500 contacts) is hard to beat.
Why people leave HubSpot for Mailchimp: Simplicity and cost. HubSpot has more features, but most small businesses don't use them.
Price: Free up to 500 contacts; paid from $13/month
6. Pipedrive — Best Sales CRM Alternative
If you're primarily buying HubSpot for the CRM (not the marketing tools), Pipedrive is a more focused, affordable alternative. The visual pipeline is excellent, and the setup time is much shorter than HubSpot CRM.
Best for: Sales-led teams, B2B companies with active outbound
Price: From $14/user/month
When to Stick With HubSpot
HubSpot makes sense when:
- You need deep CRM + marketing + sales + service integration in ONE platform
- Your team has 10+ people using the platform daily
- You need enterprise-grade reporting and attribution
- You're already invested in the HubSpot ecosystem
For everyone else, one of the alternatives above will likely deliver 80% of HubSpot's value at 20-30% of the cost.
ActiveCampaign — The #1 HubSpot Alternative
Powerful automation, built-in CRM, and email marketing at a fraction of HubSpot's price.