The best HubSpot email marketing software options for 2026
HubSpot's email marketing lives inside its Marketing Hub, and it shines when you want email tied directly to a CRM, deal pipelines, and sales follow-up. It is powerful but gets expensive fast once your contact count climbs, so it is best for growing businesses that need the full CRM, not solo creators sending a weekly newsletter. Below I rank HubSpot against five alternatives and say plainly who each one is for.
HubSpot Marketing Hub
HubSpot is the pick when your email and your sales pipeline need to be the same system. Every contact record shows opens, clicks, form fills, and deal stage in one place, and the automation builder can trigger emails off almost any CRM property. The catch is pricing that scales with marketing contacts, so a list of 20,000+ on a Professional plan can run into four figures a month once you add the features most teams actually want. The free tier is genuinely usable for a small team testing the waters.
Learn more →| # | Tool | Best for | Free plan | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HubSpot Marketing Hub | Businesses that want email fused to a CRM | Free CRM + 2,000 email sends/mo | ~$20/mo (Marketing Hub Starter, as of 2026) | Try free |
| 2 | Beehiiv | Creators & newsletters that want to grow and earn | Up to 2,500 subscribers | ~$39/mo (Scale, as of 2026) | Try free |
| 3 | AWeber | Small businesses wanting simple, reliable email | Up to 500 subscribers | ~$15/mo (Lite, as of 2026) | Try free |
| 4 | Brevo | Budget teams that need email plus SMS | 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts | ~$9/mo (Starter, as of 2026) | Try free |
| 5 | Mailchimp | Small businesses wanting an all-in-one marketing suite | Up to 500 contacts | ~$13/mo (Essentials, as of 2026) | Try free |
| 6 | ConvertKit (Kit) | Creators selling digital products | Up to 10,000 subscribers | ~$25/mo (Creator, as of 2026) | Try free |
HubSpot Marketing Hub
Businesses that want email fused to a CRMHubSpot is the pick when your email and your sales pipeline need to be the same system. Every contact record shows opens, clicks, form fills, and deal stage in one place, and the automation builder can trigger emails off almost any CRM property. The catch is pricing that scales with marketing contacts, so a list of 20,000+ on a Professional plan can run into four figures a month once you add the features most teams actually want. The free tier is genuinely usable for a small team testing the waters.
Pros
- Email, CRM, and sales tools share one contact record with no syncing
- Free plan includes a full CRM and 2,000 sends per month
- Automation and reporting are deep enough for real marketing ops
Cons
- Marketing-contact pricing climbs steeply as your list grows
- Overkill and overpriced for someone who only sends a newsletter
Beehiiv
Creators & newsletters that want to grow and earnBeehiiv was built by people from the Morning Brew team, and it shows in the growth and monetization tooling. You get a referral program, recommendation network, a built-in ad network that pays you, and paid-subscription support without bolting on a third-party tool. Analytics are clear and the editor is fast. It is not a CRM and it has no real sales-pipeline features, so a product business managing deals will find it too narrow.
Pros
- Free plan up to 2,500 subscribers with real sending, not a trial
- Referral program, ad network, and paid subs are built in
- Genuinely fast, clean editor and reliable deliverability
Cons
- No CRM, deal tracking, or sales-side automation
- Advanced automation is lighter than HubSpot or Brevo
AWeber
Small businesses wanting simple, reliable emailAWeber has been doing small-business email since the late 1990s, and that maturity shows in dependable deliverability and support that actually answers. The free plan handles up to 500 subscribers with landing pages and basic automation, which is plenty to launch. Templates look a little dated next to newer tools, and the automation logic is basic compared with HubSpot, but for a plumber, coach, or local shop that wants to send reliably without a learning curve, it fits.
Pros
- Strong, consistent deliverability with a long track record
- Free plan covers 500 subscribers with landing pages included
- Responsive live-chat and phone support
Cons
- Templates and editor feel dated versus newer tools
- Automation is basic and won't satisfy advanced marketers
Brevo
Budget teams that need email plus SMSBrevo prices on emails sent rather than contacts stored, so if you have a big list you email occasionally, it is dramatically cheaper than HubSpot. It bundles email, SMS, WhatsApp, and a lightweight CRM, which covers most small-business needs in one bill. The free plan allows unlimited contacts with a 300-email daily cap. The interface can feel busy, and deliverability on the lowest tiers has been inconsistent for some senders, so warm up your sending carefully.
Pros
- Send-based pricing is cheap for large, low-frequency lists
- Includes SMS, WhatsApp, and a basic CRM in one platform
- Free plan allows unlimited contacts
Cons
- Interface is cluttered and takes time to learn
- Deliverability can be uneven on the lower tiers
Frequently asked questions
How much does HubSpot email marketing actually cost in 2026?
HubSpot's free CRM includes email marketing with a 2,000 send-per-month cap. Paid Marketing Hub starts around $20/mo for Starter, but the useful automation and reporting live in Professional, which starts near $800/mo and scales with your marketing-contact count. Budget carefully, because adding contacts is where the bill grows fastest.
Does HubSpot have a free email marketing plan?
Yes. The free HubSpot CRM includes email marketing, forms, landing pages, and up to 2,000 email sends per month with HubSpot branding on emails. It is a real working tier, not a time-limited trial, which makes it a fair place to test whether the CRM-plus-email approach suits you before paying.
Is HubSpot or Beehiiv better for a newsletter?
For a pure newsletter, Beehiiv is the better tool and far cheaper. It has referrals, an ad network, and paid subscriptions built in, plus a fast editor. Choose HubSpot only if that newsletter needs to feed a sales CRM and be part of a broader marketing operation.
Can I migrate my list from HubSpot to another tool?
Yes. You can export contacts from HubSpot as a CSV and import them into Beehiiv, AWeber, Brevo, Mailchimp, or Kit. What does not transfer cleanly is HubSpot-specific data like automation workflows and deal properties, so rebuild those in the new tool and re-verify your sending domain to protect deliverability.
What is the cheapest solid alternative to HubSpot for email?
Brevo is the most cost-effective for large lists because it charges by emails sent, starting around $9/mo, with unlimited contacts on the free plan. For small businesses wanting simplicity, AWeber at roughly $15/mo is a dependable pick, and Beehiiv's free plan handles up to 2,500 subscribers at no cost.
Which one should you pick?
If your email needs to sit on top of a real CRM with sales and marketing sharing one contact record, HubSpot is the strongest fit and worth its price. If you mainly send newsletters and want to grow and monetize an audience, Beehiiv will serve you better for far less money. Small businesses that want dependable automation without CRM complexity should look hard at AWeber or Brevo.
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