ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot CRM Pricing | Costbench

ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot CRM

Marketing Automation pricing comparison · 2026

ActiveCampaign pricing ranges from $15–$145/month, while HubSpot CRM ranges from $0–$150/user/month. HubSpot CRM is typically 24% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Option A

ActiveCampaign

$15–$145
/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Option B

HubSpot CRM

$0–$150
/user/month
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan ActiveCampaign HubSpot CRM
Starter $15 /month Free /user/month
Plus $49 /month $20 /seat/month
Pro $79 /month $100 /seat/month
Enterprise $145 /month $150 /seat/month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

ActiveCampaign

3 scenarios
$180/year
Solo Marketer (1,000 contacts, Starter plan)
$588/year
Small Business (1,000 contacts, Plus plan)
$948/year
Growing Team (1,000 contacts, Pro plan)

HubSpot CRM

6 scenarios
$10,500 Year 1 ($6,000 licenses + $1,500 onboarding + $3,000 integrations)
Small Team (5 users, Professional)
$54,300 Year 1 ($30,000 Sales Hub + $10,800 Marketing Hub + $1,500 onboarding + $12,000 implementation)
Mid-Market (25 users, Professional)
$121,500 Year 1 ($90,000 Sales Hub + $18,000 Marketing Hub + $3,500 onboarding + $10,000 implementation)
Enterprise (50 users, Enterprise)
See all 6 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

ActiveCampaign

Median annual cost
$10,548
Average negotiated discount
20%

HubSpot CRM

Median annual cost
$26,275
Average negotiated discount
18%
Based on
804 deals

What Users Say

ActiveCampaign

G2
4.5/5 (14,629)
Trustpilot
2.7/5 (1,367)
Top complaints
  • Aggressive year-over-year price increases for existing customers
  • Contact-based pricing becomes extremely expensive as list grows
  • Difficult cancellation process with unauthorized charges after cancellation

HubSpot CRM

G2
4.4/5 (12,400)
Trustpilot
1.8/5 (1,040)
Top complaints
  • Feature paywalls and expensive tier pricing
  • Restrictive annual contracts with no flexibility
  • Email deliverability issues and spam problems

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

ActiveCampaign 6 hidden costs

high
Contact-Based Pricing Escalation 100-500% of base license costs
high
Year-Over-Year Price Increases 25-35% of license costs
high
Difficult Cancellation and Unauthorized Charges $84-$2,600
medium
SMS and Add-On Costs $15-$159/month
medium
Feature Lock Requiring Tier Upgrades $30-$100/month
See all ActiveCampaign hidden costs →

HubSpot CRM 6 hidden costs

high
Tiered Feature Paywalls and Rapid Price Escalation $3,000-$10,000+ annually in forced upgrades
medium
Mandatory Onboarding and Implementation Fees $5,000-$15,000 in implementation costs
high
Email Deliverability and Technical Issues 5-10% of license costs
critical
Restrictive Annual Contract Terms $3,000-$50,000 depending on plan
critical
Free Tier Data Lockout $240-$1,800 annual forced upgrade cost
See all HubSpot CRM hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term ActiveCampaign HubSpot CRM
Auto-renewal Yes Yes
Cancellation Must cancel before renewal date; refund window is 30 days from charge Must provide notice before annual renewal; difficult to cancel mid-contract
Minimum commitment Monthly or annual billing available 1 year
Price escalation Year-over-year price increases of 25-35% reported by multiple long-term customers. One user documented costs rising from $2,700 to $4,700 over three years.
Can downgrade Yes No