ActiveCampaignvsHubSpot
- Pick it if you are:
- Businesses with complex automation needs
- Top complaint:
- Charged after cancellation - billing continues despite confirmation
- Price:
- From $15/mo
HubSpot
Saas
- Price:
- Free plan, paid from $20/mo
Score Comparison
Signals Comparison
ActiveCampaign
- Charged after cancellation - billing continues despite confirmation(10/10)
- Now charges for ALL contacts including unsubscribed and bounced(9/10)
- Cannot downgrade plans - stuck at higher tier forever(8/10)
- Additional features like Conversations cost extra(7/10)
HubSpot
- Pricing compounds across multiple dimensions(9/10)
- 2024 pricing changes caused 5x-20x cost increases(10/10)
- Mandatory onboarding fees of $7,000-$10,000(9/10)
- Annual contract lock-in with no early termination(8/10)
- Unexpected charges when exceeding contact limits(9/10)
ActiveCampaign
- Support quality declined dramatically - now takes days(8/10)
HubSpot
- Customer service issues - slow and generic responses(8/10)
ActiveCampaign
- Email editor has persistent formatting bugs(7/10)
- Steep learning curve - not beginner friendly(6/10)
- Automations don't behave as expected(7/10)
- Documentation and tutorials outdated(5/10)
- AI features buggy and don't work correctly(6/10)
HubSpot
- Steep learning curve and complex navigation(6/10)
- Email handling lacks control settings(5/10)
ActiveCampaign
- Platform slowdowns when handling large datasets(6/10)
HubSpot
No signals
ActiveCampaign
- Third-party integrations cumbersome to set up(5/10)
HubSpot
No signals
ActiveCampaign
No signals
HubSpot
- Data import is extremely complicated(7/10)
ActiveCampaign
No signals
HubSpot
- Limited customization without expensive add-ons(5/10)
Pricing Comparison
ActiveCampaign
Users: 1 user
Storage: Not specified
Limits: 1 user, basic features only, no landing pages, no CRM, limited automation
Users: 3 users
Storage: Not specified
Limits: Limited CRM, basic reporting, some automation triggers locked
Users: 5 users
Storage: Not specified
Limits: Phone support costs $79 extra. Some enterprise features locked.
Users: 10+ users
Storage: Not specified
Limits: Expensive for what you get. Custom pricing means less transparency.
HubSpot
Users: Unlimited users
Storage: Limited
Limits: No automation workflows, Limited reporting, HubSpot branding everywhere, No phone support, Limited email sends
Users: 2 users included
Storage: Standard
Limits: Basic automation only, Limited A/B testing, No advanced reporting, Limited sequences
Users: 5 users included
Storage: Large
Limits: Onboarding fee non-negotiable, Annual contract lock-in, Limited to 5 users before extra charges
Users: 10 users included
Storage: Enterprise
Limits: Multi-year contracts often pushed, Implementation takes months, Requires dedicated admin
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Email campaigns All plans | ||
| Core | ||
| Free CRM Genuinely useful free tier | ||
| Automation | ||
| Marketing automation All plans, advanced on Plus+ | ||
| Visual automation builder Industry-leading | ||
| Marketing | ||
| Email marketing Limited on free, full on Starter+ | ||
| Landing pages Plus and above | ||
| SMS marketing Add-on cost | ||
| A/B testing Professional tier+ only | ||
| CRM | ||
| Built-in CRM Plus and above | ||
| Sales | ||
| Sales pipeline All tiers | ||
| Predictive lead scoring Enterprise only ($3,600/mo) | ||
| Reporting | ||
| Custom reporting Professional tier+ only | ||
| Integrations | ||
| 900+ integrations Native + Zapier | ||
| 1000+ integrations Via App Marketplace | ||
| Audience | ||
| Advanced segmentation Pro and above | ||
| Learning | ||
| HubSpot Academy Free courses and certifications | ||
| Testing | ||
| A/B testing in automations Pro and above | ||
| Customization | ||
| Remove HubSpot branding Starter tier+ only | ||
| Support | ||
| Phone support $79 extra cost | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Pay-per-email pricing Profile-based only | ||
| Downgrade flexibility Cannot downgrade | ||
| Monthly billing option Annual contracts required for most plans | ||
| Transparent pricing Complex 4-dimension pricing model | ||
| Security | ||
| SSO/SAML Enterprise only | ||
| Onboarding | ||
| Free onboarding Mandatory paid onboarding $3K-$10K | ||
| Easy data migration Data import is extremely complicated | ||