If choosing a CRM feels like picking a favorite chocolate chip cookie, you’re not alone. Some are crunchy, some are soft, and some promise “organic” but still taste like cardboard. In the CRM world, HubSpot is the classic Oreo—famous, versatile, and the standard everyone compares to. On the other hand, ActiveCampaign is like that surprisingly good small-batch cookie from the local bakery—less known, but shockingly powerful.
This hubspot: ActiveCampaign review will break it all down so you don’t have to scroll through endless product pages or jargon-heavy articles. I’ve spent time using both tools—testing features, clicking through dashboards, building automations, and even breaking things (accidentally, of course). I’ll share my honest experience with you, like I would to a friend over coffee.
Here’s what we’ll unpack in this detailed review:
- What makes these CRMs stand out in 2025
- Real differences and similarities you should know
- Who each CRM is best for
- Personal takes on UX, AI, automation, and more
- Clear winner based on needs—not hype
A Quick Look: What These CRMs Bring to the Table
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, here’s a table that compares both tools at a glance. It’ll give you a feel for where each shines.
| Feature | HubSpot | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard Customization | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly modular | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Clean and simple |
| Automation Tools | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Slight learning curve | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Intuitive and robust |
| Email Marketing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good, branding costs extra | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent with free design help |
| CMS Flexibility | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ All-in-one content builder | ⭐⭐⭐ Basic forms and pages |
| Reporting Power | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Deep and customizable | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong, especially for eCommerce |
| AI Features | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Smart insights and enrichment | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ AI copilot and campaign tips |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐⭐ Flexible per user | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Scales per contact |
| Onboarding Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Paid add-ons | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Free migration and training |
In short, both CRMs are elite tools. It’s less about which is better overall and more about which is better for you.
First Impressions: A Tale of Two Dashboards
When I first logged into HubSpot, I was greeted by a sleek interface. Everything had its place. It felt like walking into a tidy coworking space with whiteboards, post-its, and coffee brewing nearby. I could customize reports, set my favorite tabs, and even save different dashboards depending on the department. Sales team? Marketing team? Each had its own vibe.
In contrast, ActiveCampaign felt more like a cozy studio apartment. Compact but smartly arranged. The dashboard gave me quick wins—automate a process here, build a pipeline there. What impressed me was how easy it was to move widgets, hide what I didn’t need, and get straight to my to-dos. You don’t need to be a techie to figure it out.
If customization is your jam, HubSpot wins here. You can build dashboards from scratch, stack them with drag-and-drop widgets, and even integrate external reporting tools. But for simplicity and instant productivity, ActiveCampaign is solid gold.
Reporting That Actually Makes Sense
I’ll be honest—most CRM reporting makes my eyes glaze over. Too many filters. Too many acronyms. But not here.
HubSpot’s reporting tools feel like a superpower. Imagine building a custom graph that shows how leads from Facebook ads convert to revenue, then breaking it down by sales rep—using drag and drop. No formulas. No head-scratching. Just visuals that speak your language. You can track funnels, deal progression, and even customer journeys in real time. Need a pie chart or a table? Done. Want to see how many deals John closed this month? Easy.
ActiveCampaign also impressed me. The Marketing Revenue report is a hidden gem—it shows you the actual dollars your emails are generating. For eCommerce marketers, this is gold. You can also report on things like automation engagement, deal win rates, and sales velocity.
If analytics is your playground, go with HubSpot. But if you want fast, insightful reports focused on actionable email and automation data, ActiveCampaign delivers.
CRM Automation: The Real Game-Changer
Let’s talk automation. This is where most CRMs either shine or break your brain. Spoiler: both tools do it well, but they take different paths.
With ActiveCampaign, automation feels like Lego—you snap blocks together, and it just works. Want to send a welcome email, tag a contact, and notify your sales rep all at once? You can build that in under five minutes. They also offer automation recipes, which are like pre-built blueprints. No guesswork, no code. Bonus: their AI suggestions actually help instead of confuse.
HubSpot, on the other hand, has more depth. You can automate multi-step workflows that span across departments. Trigger a sequence based on a deal stage, send tasks to different teams, and even include webhooks or HTML code if you need them. It’s powerful but takes a little more getting used to.
So if you’re a small team or a beginner, ActiveCampaign’s simplicity wins. But if you’re running a large operation and need cross-platform orchestration, HubSpot’s power can’t be beat.
Marketing Magic: Who Does Email Better?
Email marketing is still the king of ROI—and both tools know it. But here’s where things split.
ActiveCampaign is the clear leader in email. The editor is clean, drag-and-drop, and comes with smart blocks, pre-designed templates, and segmentation tools. What really impressed me was their free email design service. You send them your brand assets, and they build templates for you. Who does that?
Plus, it syncs beautifully with automations. A user clicks a product? Boom—follow-up email. They don’t open it? Boom—resend with a different subject.
HubSpot also has strong email tools, with solid templates and A/B testing. But the branding removal costs extra, which feels unnecessary at this price point. And while it’s tied closely to CRM contacts and lifecycle stages, it’s just not as email-first as ActiveCampaign.
If email is your main marketing channel, ActiveCampaign wins—no contest.
Content Creation and CMS Flexibility
Here’s where HubSpot starts flexing.
HubSpot’s CMS is a full-on content engine. You can build landing pages, blog posts, pop-ups, ads, and even social media posts—all from one place. And yes, you can automate it all. Want to post a blog, trigger a newsletter, and share on LinkedIn in one go? Done.
It’s ideal for inbound marketing teams who rely on SEO, content, and lead capture to grow.
ActiveCampaign, in contrast, keeps things lean. You can build forms and landing pages, but that’s about it. It’s more focused on email-centric workflows and lead funnels than full content ecosystems.
So if content is your growth engine, HubSpot is your playground.
AI: The Smartest Assistant in the Room
Both CRMs bring AI into the mix, and not in a gimmicky way.
ActiveCampaign uses AI to suggest audience segments, optimize send times, and help you report on campaigns faster. Their automation builder AI assistant actually helps you build workflows based on your goals. It’s smooth, subtle, and helpful.
HubSpot’s Breeze AI, though, feels like a true business assistant. It enriches your contact data, suggests personalized content, and even shows which companies are browsing your site. It’s creepy (in a good way) and incredibly insightful for B2B teams.
If you’re looking for smarter outreach, HubSpot’s AI toolkit edges ahead. But if you want AI that makes email and automation easier, ActiveCampaign does it better.
HubSpot’s Content Management System: A Marketer’s Playground
If you’re serious about content, HubSpot’s CMS is one of its most powerful selling points. Unlike ActiveCampaign, which keeps things pretty minimal in this department—limiting content creation mostly to forms and landing pages—HubSpot lets you go wild. You can create blog posts, manage entire websites, run A/B tests, and even schedule social posts.
Imagine you’re running a campaign. With HubSpot, you can build a blog, link it to a sales funnel, embed forms, and track analytics—all in one platform. ActiveCampaign simply doesn’t offer that kind of deep integration with content. It’s great for emails and pages, but if you want a true all-in-one platform that powers marketing at scale, HubSpot is miles ahead.
Also, HubSpot’s SEO optimization tools are next-level. You’ll get real-time suggestions, keyword ranking insights, and internal linking tips while writing. For content creators and inbound marketers, that’s like having a smart editor sitting next to you.
Email Marketing: ActiveCampaign’s Sweet Spot
When it comes to email marketing, ActiveCampaign wears the crown. If email is your bread and butter, this is the CRM for you. From beautifully designed templates to list segmentation, automated drip campaigns, and open rate analytics, everything feels like it was made with marketers in mind.
ActiveCampaign even offers free design services. That’s not something you see often. The drag-and-drop builder is intuitive and clean, perfect for small businesses or solopreneurs who don’t have a design team.
HubSpot, on the other hand, does have solid email tools—but only if you’re willing to pay. Branding removal, for instance, is locked behind a paywall, and certain features only come with premium tiers.
Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison:
| Feature | ActiveCampaign | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-drop email builder | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Free branded email designs | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| List segmentation | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Standard |
| A/B testing | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (Pro+) |
| Spam testing | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Branding removal | ✅ Included | ❌ Paid add-on |
In short, if your main focus is email marketing and automation, ActiveCampaign wins without question.
Support and Onboarding: Who Has Your Back?
Let’s talk support—because getting started with a CRM can feel overwhelming. If you want white-glove service without hidden costs, ActiveCampaign is a better pick. Their onboarding resources, live training sessions, and data migration are free. And yes, there’s actual human support, not just endless help docs.
HubSpot’s onboarding is more like building IKEA furniture with a premium instruction book. It’s sleek and detailed, but the best guidance costs extra. They do offer excellent tutorials and guides, and their community is massive, but personal help requires upgrading or paying for an onboarding specialist.
If you’re new to CRMs or switching from another platform, ActiveCampaign’s hand-holding approach might save you time and stress.
AI Tools: Smart Features That Actually Work
Both HubSpot and ActiveCampaign have rolled out some impressive AI-powered features—and they’re not just gimmicks.
ActiveCampaign’s AI helps with segmentation suggestions, automation flows, and performance predictions. You also get a campaign copilot that can suggest improvements based on previous data. It’s like a personal assistant for your marketing campaigns.
HubSpot’s Breeze AI (formerly Clearbit) is more focused on enriching contact profiles, tracking behavior, and offering dynamic responses based on user intent. For example, if someone visits your pricing page three times, Breeze can flag them as a high-intent lead and trigger a personalized follow-up.
In essence, both are powerful—but in different ways. ActiveCampaign helps automate your work. HubSpot helps you better understand and engage your audience.
Pricing: Understanding the Real Costs
Pricing is often the final deciding factor—and here’s where things get tricky. ActiveCampaign prices based on contacts, while HubSpot prices based on users and the tools you want access to.
If you have a small team but a large email list, ActiveCampaign could be cheaper. At 2,500 contacts, you’ll pay:
- Starter: $39/month
- Plus: $95/month
- Pro: $149/month
- Enterprise: $255/month
HubSpot, on the other hand, starts cheaper per user but gets expensive fast. For Sales Hub:
- Starter: $20/user/month
- Professional: $100/user/month
- Enterprise: $150/user/month
Also, many of the advanced features—like branding removal, custom reporting, or CMS access—are locked behind higher tiers or paid add-ons.
So here’s the real deal:
- Small businesses, solo founders, or email-driven teams may find ActiveCampaign more cost-effective.
- Larger teams or businesses scaling fast with diverse marketing needs may find HubSpot’s ecosystem more future-proof, despite the higher price tag.
HubSpot: ActiveCampaign Review – Which CRM Is Right for You?
You’ve made it this far, and now you’re probably asking the big question: So, which one is better?
Well, that depends on your needs.
Choose ActiveCampaign if:
- You prioritize email marketing and automations.
- You want free onboarding and support.
- You like having a simple yet powerful dashboard.
- Your team is small, and your list is large.
Choose HubSpot if:
- You want a true all-in-one CRM and marketing platform.
- You care about custom dashboards and robust reporting.
- You need advanced CMS tools.
- You’re planning to scale quickly and want room to grow.
Think of ActiveCampaign as the expert tool for focused, high-impact marketing. And HubSpot? That’s your big, flexible Swiss Army knife—ready for anything from blogs to sales pipelines.
FAQs: HubSpot vs. ActiveCampaign
1. Is ActiveCampaign easier to use than HubSpot?
Yes, especially for beginners. ActiveCampaign’s interface is more straightforward, while HubSpot has more advanced features that come with a steeper learning curve.
2. Which CRM has better automation tools?
ActiveCampaign wins for ease of use and intuitive flows. But HubSpot offers more integrations and flexibility if you’re technically inclined.
3. Can I use both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot together?
Technically yes, but it’s rarely practical. They overlap in too many areas, which can lead to confusion and higher costs.
4. Does HubSpot offer better support?
HubSpot’s support is great—but premium features often require paid onboarding. ActiveCampaign includes more support options in its plans.
5. Which CRM has better AI tools?
Both are excellent. ActiveCampaign’s AI focuses on automation and predictions, while HubSpot’s Breeze AI is better for contact enrichment and lead scoring.
6. Is HubSpot worth the price?
Yes—if you’re using its full suite of tools. Otherwise, it might feel overpriced for simple marketing or sales needs.
7. What if I outgrow ActiveCampaign?
You can always migrate to HubSpot later. ActiveCampaign is great for startups, but larger companies may eventually need HubSpot’s broader feature set.
Final Thoughts
Choosing between these two giants isn’t easy. But here’s the good news: You really can’t go wrong.
If you’re a startup, coach, or small eCommerce brand, ActiveCampaign gives you everything you need—without the bloat or price tag. But if you’re building a scalable business and want to centralize your sales, marketing, service, and content—HubSpot is your long-term partner.
At the end of the day, your CRM should feel like a business partner, not a tool. Test both. Take your time. Then go with the one that makes your work feel effortless.