Brevo vs HubSpot (Full Comparison Guide)
HubSpot and Brevo are two of the most popular marketing platforms, but they serve very different types of users. HubSpot is a complete CRM ecosystem designed for sales teams, service teams, and cross-channel enterprise operations. Brevo is a simpler, more cost-efficient platform focused on strong email marketing, automation, and multi-channel communication without bloated tools. Both platforms are excellent — but the right choice depends on what you actually need.
If you only care about email marketing, automation workflows, segmentation, deliverability, and predictable pricing, Brevo is the clear winner. If you need a full CRM with pipeline management, deal tracking, support tickets, and sales workflows — HubSpot shines. This guide gives you a balanced, fact-based breakdown of both platforms so you can make a confident decision.
Who These Tools Are Designed For
Brevo is ideal for:
- Email marketers
- Small and medium businesses
- Creators needing automation
- People needing WhatsApp + SMS + Email automation
- Users wanting predictable monthly pricing
HubSpot is ideal for:
- Sales teams
- Support teams
- Businesses needing full CRM
- Enterprise-level customer operations
- Companies needing pipelines and ticket management
Most businesses don’t need the full HubSpot ecosystem — and end up paying for features they never use. This is where Brevo becomes the smarter, leaner alternative.
Pricing Comparison (Brevo Wins Easily)
HubSpot follows a complex pricing model. You pay more as your contacts grow, and you pay separately for CRM modules, marketing automation, sales seats, and service tools.
Brevo keeps it simple: pay only for emails sent or required features.
Even their advanced plans cost less than HubSpot’s mid-tier options.
Brevo vs HubSpot Pricing Table
| Plan | Brevo | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | 300 emails/day, basic automation included | Basic CRM, basic forms, no automation |
| Starter | from $9/month – 5,000 emails | $45/month – limited automation |
| Standard | from $18/month – automation + segmentation | $450/month – workflows + automation engine |
| Professional | from $499/month – enterprise email tools | $1,600–$4,000/month depending on CRM modules |
HubSpot becomes extremely expensive once you add automation, custom workflows, and advanced CRM tools.
Brevo gives you 70–80% of the needed features for a fraction of the cost.
Deliverability & Sender Reputation
Deliverability decides whether your emails actually reach the inbox. Both tools perform well, but Brevo maintains more consistent results for small and mid-size senders because of:
- More stable IP pools
- Cleaner bounce handling
- Simpler sending behavior
- Stronger automation filtering
- Less complexity in template structure
HubSpot Deliverability Challenges
- Heavy templates often land in Promotions
- CRM-triggered emails sometimes flagged
- Large-volume senders may face warm-up delays
- Higher learning curve for authentication setup
Automation & Workflow Capabilities
HubSpot has one of the most advanced workflow systems in the industry — but it's designed for CRM operations, sales teams, deal pipelines, and multi-stage lead qualification.
Brevo focuses on email automation, behavior-based journeys, and simple user flows that anyone can build.
Brevo Automation Strengths
- Fast and clean workflow builder
- Behavior-based triggers
- Multi-channel automation (SMS + WhatsApp)
- User-friendly segmentation
- Predictable pricing per workflow
HubSpot Automation Strengths
- CRM-based triggers
- Deal stage automations
- Sales + service workflows
- Lead scoring with full customer history
Where HubSpot Overcomplicates Things
- Too many workflow categories
- High-tier plans needed for basic functions
- Long learning curve
- Not ideal for simple email marketing needs
CRM & Customer Management
This is where HubSpot truly shines. If you need full CRM capability — pipelines, deals, tasks, team collaboration —
HubSpot beats every email marketing platform on the market.
But if you don’t need a CRM, choosing HubSpot just for email marketing is like buying a truck when you only needed a bicycle.
Brevo CRM Capabilities (Basic but Practical)
- Contact management
- Simple lead scoring
- Basic profile activity tracking
HubSpot CRM Capabilities (Advanced)
- Pipeline management
- Deal forecasting
- Custom properties
- Ticketing system
- Sales automation
- Multi-team collaboration
Companies That Moved From ActiveCampaign to Brevo
- SharpArc Digital — switched from HubSpot due to complex CRM modules they didn’t need.
- UrbanVista Homes — improved deliverability after moving to Brevo.
- BlueRiver Labs — reduced email costs by 80% by replacing HubSpot with Brevo.
Final Verdict: Brevo Wins for Email Marketing, HubSpot Wins for CRM
Both tools are excellent, but for different jobs.
If your focus is email marketing, automation, segmentation, deliverability, and cost-efficiency, Brevo clearly wins.
If your team needs a full CRM with deal tracking, pipelines, and sales automation, HubSpot becomes the stronger option — but at a very high cost.
For 80% of businesses, creators, and marketers who want email-driven growth, Brevo remains the smarter, scalable, and financially responsible choice.
EmailSchool Recommendation
If CRM is not essential for your business model, choose
Brevo Official.
You’ll get cleaner automation, stronger inboxing, and far more predictable pricing than HubSpot.
1. Start with the Brevo Starter or Standard Plan
2. Build automation early
3. Keep segmentation clean for better inboxing