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ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp vs HubSpot (2026): cost at 1k to 25k subscribers compared
Last verified against official pricing pages · published 2 Nov 2026
Prices change often. Each price was checked on the platform's official pricing page on the date shown; plans, promos and taxes vary. Confirm on the official site before you buy. Not financial advice.
Short answer: ActiveCampaign is cheapest at 1,000 subscribers; Mailchimp is cheapest at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers for a basic newsletter, and the same holds with automations. ActiveCampaign charges by contacts; Mailchimp charges by stored contacts; HubSpot charges per seat with a marketing-contact allowance. At 5,000 subscribers a basic newsletter costs $99/mo on ActiveCampaign Starter, $75/mo on Mailchimp Essentials, n/a on HubSpot. Note: with automations, Mailchimp wins on a plan where automations are capped; uncapped automations start at Standard (from $20/mo) on Mailchimp (see Key differences).
Who this is for: businesses that want automation or a CRM next to email. Ranked by cost only; no platform pays for its position. Price your exact list size in the calculator →
Cost at 1k, 5k, 10k and 25k subscribers
Basic newsletter (no automations)
| Subscribers | ActiveCampaign | Mailchimp | HubSpot | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $19 (Starter) | $26.50 (Essentials) | $20 (Starter) | ActiveCampaign |
| 5,000 | $99 (Starter) | $75 (Essentials) | n/a | Mailchimp |
| 10,000 | $189 (Starter) | $110 (Essentials) | n/a | Mailchimp |
| 25,000 | $489 (Starter) | $270 (Essentials) | n/a | Mailchimp |
With automations (welcome sequences, drips)
| Subscribers | ActiveCampaign | Mailchimp | HubSpot | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $19 (Starter) | $26.50 (Essentials, limited) | $20 (Starter, limited) | ActiveCampaign |
| 5,000 | $99 (Starter) | $75 (Essentials, limited) | n/a | Mailchimp |
| 10,000 | $189 (Starter) | $110 (Essentials, limited) | n/a | Mailchimp |
| 25,000 | $489 (Starter) | $270 (Essentials, limited) | n/a | Mailchimp |
n/a means no verified self-serve price for that size or need in our data. HubSpot's pricing page lists Marketing Hub Starter only up to 1,000 marketing contacts; bigger lists are priced in its calculator.
Monthly billing, excluding tax, cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and required features (the same numbers as our calculator). "limited" = feature is capped on that plan.
Key differences
| ActiveCampaign | Mailchimp | HubSpot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | no free plan | free up to 250 subscribers | free: 2,000 marketing emails a month (about 500 subscribers at 4 sends) |
| Cheapest plan with uncapped automations | Starter (from $19/mo) | Standard (from $20/mo) | not available |
| Cheapest plan with own domain | Plus (from $59/mo) | not verified | not verified |
| Cheapest plan without platform branding | Plus (from $59/mo) | Essentials (from $13/mo) | Starter (from $20/mo) |
| Plans | Starter, Plus, Pro, Enterprise | Free, Essentials, Standard, Premium | Free, Starter |
| Prices verified | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-27 | 2026-10-20 |
Who each is best for
ActiveCampaign is best for
Businesses that live on automation (multi-step journeys, scoring, CRM-style follow-up) and are happy to pay more per contact than newsletter-first tools.
- Priced by contact count in bands (1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 7,500, 10,000, 15,000 ... 50,000); above 50,000 you request a quote. No free plan, only a 14-day trial. source
- The pricing page shows yearly billing; monthly billing costs more (e.g. Starter at 1,000 contacts: $19/mo monthly vs $180/yr), as shown on the official checkout page. source
- Monthly sends = 10× contacts on Starter and Plus, 12× on Pro, 15× on Enterprise; extra sends cost $0.005 each. source
- Multi-step automation on every plan. Landing pages on your own domain and turning off ActiveCampaign branding start at Plus. source
Mailchimp is best for
Small businesses that want an all-round email marketing tool with automation flows (Standard and up) and are fine with contact-based pricing and overage billing.
- Priced by stored contacts (the peak in each billing period); each tier includes a monthly send limit of 10× (Essentials), 12× (Standard) or 15× (Premium) your contacts. source
- Going over the contact or send limit on a paid plan adds overage charges rather than pausing sending. source
- Free plan: 250 contacts and 500 emails/month (250/day), no automation flows, Mailchimp branding stays. source
- Annual billing is only available through sales (Standard and Premium, 10,000+ contacts). On 2026-10-20 the page offered 15% off the first 12 months at 10,000+ contacts. source
HubSpot is best for
Teams that already use HubSpot's CRM, or plan to, and want email tied to contacts, forms and deals, with a small marketing list.
- Marketing Hub Starter is $20/month per seat (list price) with 1,000 marketing contacts; prices for more contacts are quoted in HubSpot's calculator, not on the pricing page. source
- Starter can send 5x your marketing-contact tier per month; the free tools allow 2,000 marketing email sends a month with HubSpot branding. source
- Starter automation is simple (up to 10 automated actions). You are billed only for contacts set as marketing contacts. source
Head-to-head comparisons
ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp · HubSpot vs Mailchimp · HubSpot vs ActiveCampaign
Sources: ActiveCampaign pricing (checked 2026-10-20), Mailchimp pricing (checked 2026-10-27), HubSpot pricing (checked 2026-10-20); plan notes link to each platform's own help or pricing pages above.
FAQ
Which is cheapest: ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, HubSpot?
In our data (monthly billing, cheapest plan that covers the list): basic newsletter, ActiveCampaign is cheapest at 1,000 subscribers; Mailchimp is cheapest at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers. With automations, ActiveCampaign is cheapest at 1,000 subscribers; Mailchimp is cheapest at 5,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers. Prices verified 2026-10-27 on each platform's official pricing page.
Which has the biggest free plan?
ActiveCampaign: no free plan. Mailchimp: free up to 250 subscribers. HubSpot: free: 2,000 marketing emails a month (about 500 subscribers at 4 sends). HubSpot's free plan covers the most subscribers per send; free plans also cap emails, automations and branding (see the table).
How much do they cost at 10,000 subscribers?
Basic newsletter: $189/mo on ActiveCampaign Starter, $110/mo on Mailchimp Essentials, n/a on HubSpot. With automations: $189/mo on ActiveCampaign Starter, $110/mo on Mailchimp Essentials, n/a on HubSpot.
Which is cheapest with automations at 1,000 subscribers?
$19/mo on ActiveCampaign Starter, $26.50/mo on Mailchimp Essentials, $20/mo on HubSpot Starter. "Limited" in the tables means the plan's automation features are capped. Note: with automations, Mailchimp wins on a plan where automations are capped; uncapped automations start at Standard (from $20/mo) on Mailchimp (see Key differences).
Related guides: Newsletter platform refund policies (2026) · How newsletter platform prices changed 2023–2026 (from archived pricing pages) · AWeber Free plan (2026) · Mailchimp to MailerLite migration · Mailchimp to beehiiv migration · How much does Mailchimp cost? Per month, per year and per contact (2026) · Mailchimp Free plan limits (2026) · MailerLite Free plan (2026) · all guides
Comparisons: ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp · HubSpot vs Mailchimp · HubSpot vs ActiveCampaign · Cheapest for 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 subscribers
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