HubSpot vs Mailchimp
HubSpot vs Mailchimp: Which Is Better for UK Small Business Marketing?
HubSpot is a full CRM and marketing platform. Mailchimp is email-first with lightweight CRM. Here's how they compare for a UK SMB in 2026.
HubSpot
All-in-one CRM, marketing, sales and service platform.
Best for:
Businesses with a sales pipeline that want CRM + marketing in one place.
Pricing:
Free CRM / from £15/month marketing
Pros
- + Real CRM built in
- + Powerful automation
- + Great reporting
- + Scales with the business
Cons
- − Expensive fast once paid tiers kick in
- − Overkill for pure email senders
- − Steep learning curve
Mailchimp
Email marketing platform with basic CRM and landing pages.
Best for:
Small businesses focused on newsletters, promotions and basic automations.
Pricing:
Free / from £10/month
Pros
- + Easy for non-marketers
- + Cheap to start
- + Good templates
- + Solid deliverability
Cons
- − CRM is thin
- − Automation is limited on lower tiers
- − Pricing jumps hard with list size
The verdict
HubSpot if you need CRM and sales tracking. Mailchimp if you mostly need to send email well.
RIOT's take
For most UK service businesses under 2,000 contacts, Mailchimp (or Brevo) does the job for a fraction of the cost. HubSpot pays off once you have a sales team logging deals.
FAQs
Can I move from Mailchimp to HubSpot later?
Yes — contact export/import is straightforward. Rebuilding automations takes longer, budget a week.
Is HubSpot's free CRM really free?
Yes, forever — but marketing features you'll actually want (automation, A/B testing, reporting) sit behind paid tiers.
Which has better deliverability?
Both are strong. Deliverability depends more on your list hygiene and sender reputation than the platform.
Need help choosing?
We've built on every platform here. 15-minute call, no sales pitch.
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