ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot CRM Pricing | Costbench
Compare / ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot CRM
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Team size
25 seats

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.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit ActiveCampaign pricing Affiliate partner — does not affect ranking.
Compare
2 products · Marketing Automation
Side-by-side · live
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is a marketing automation and email platform offering automation workflows,
verified 18d ago
$11K $26K
View pricing →
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM pricing ranges from free to $150 per seat per month as of March 2026.
verified 18d ago
$11K $26K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
ActiveCampaign saves $16K vs HubSpot · 25 seats
Cheapest $11K
Spread 60%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Plus
$14K/yr
year 1 license · $49/seat
Professional
$30K/yr
year 1 license · $100/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$11K/yr
Vendr · n=0 · limited data avg 20% negotiated
Median annual
$26K/yr
Vendr · n=804 avg 18% negotiated
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 20 sourced facts
13 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 3 review platforms
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 18 sourced facts
12 hidden-cost · 2 contract · Vendr median · 3 review platforms
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Contact-Based Pricing Escalation
    100-500% of base license costs
    3 sources
  • Year-Over-Year Price Increases
    25-35% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Difficult Cancellation and Unauthorized Charges
    $84-$2,600
    3 sources
  • SMS and Add-On Costs
    $15-$159/month
    1 source
  • Feature Lock Requiring Tier Upgrades
    $30-$100/month
    2 sources
5 documented
  • Tiered Feature Paywalls and Rapid Price Escalation
    $3,000-$10,000+ annually in forced upgrades
    4 sources
  • Mandatory Onboarding and Implementation Fees
    $5,000-$15,000 in implementation costs
    1 source
  • Email Deliverability and Technical Issues
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
  • Restrictive Annual Contract Terms
    $3,000-$50,000 depending on plan
    2 sources
  • Free Tier Data Lockout
    $240-$1,800 annual forced upgrade cost
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

ActiveCampaign
HubSpot
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
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
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
8.3/5 (936)
Trustpilot
2.7/5 (1,367)
G2
4.5/5 (14,629)
Best for
Small businesses getting started with email marketing
Watch out
Aggressive year-over-year price increases for existing customers
TrustRadius
8.4/5 (5,358)
Trustpilot
1.8/5 (1,040)
G2
4.4/5 (12,400)
Best for
Small teams getting started with basic sales tools
Watch out
Feature paywalls and expensive tier pricing
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit ActiveCampaign pricing Affiliate partner — does not affect ranking.
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
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)
TrustRadius
8.3/10 (936)
Capterra
4.6/5 (2,556)
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)
TrustRadius
8.4/10 (5,358)
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

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