HubSpot vs Zoho Campaigns
We give HubSpot a 3.2 GPA and Zoho Campaigns a 3.0, out of 4.0. HubSpot grades higher on features and ease of use. Zoho Campaigns grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HubSpot
Free CRM at the center of a marketing, sales and service suite
Zoho Campaigns
Email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns that tie into Zoho's apps
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAHubSpotVery good | 3.0GPAZoho CampaignsVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter lists at $20 a seat, mid-pack for the CRMs here, and new customers get it from $7. Then it jumps: Sales Hub Professional is $90 a seat plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee, when Zoho CRM starts at $14 a user. Ordinary at the bottom, dear at the top. | AStandard is $3 a month for 500 contacts on yearly billing, or $4 monthly, well under 60% of the cheaper quarter of email tools. Even Professional is $4.50, and Standard is $49 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree with no end date for 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with deal pipelines, email tracking, live chat, a meeting link and dashboards. One person really could live on that. But 1,000 contacts is a wall you'll hit, and HubSpot's logo sits on your chat and marketing emails. | BForever Free covers 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails a month and 5 users, with templates and AI writing help. That's three emails a month to a full list, which one person could live on. No automated workflows, though. |
| Features | AThe CRM job in full, then marketing, service and content tools all reading from the same customer record, which no other CRM here matches. Email tracking, calling, workflows, dashboards, an AI assistant and more than 2,000 integrations. The depth is spread across tiers, mind. | BA drag-and-drop editor, workflows triggered by sign-ups and email actions, A/B tests, the Zia AI for copy and send times, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns, and syncs with Zoho CRM, Desk and Books. That's the whole job. Cart emails and pop-ups need Professional. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 15,700 App Store ratings, which is the best score any CRM here has from that many people. It runs in a browser with nothing to install, and adding a contact fills in the company details for you. | CNo App Store rating on record and no phone app. If you already use Zoho it slots right in, but otherwise it's a web app with lists, workflows and templates to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with a Chrome extension for Gmail and an add-in for Outlook, but no desktop app. More than 2,000 integrations and an API, which is the longest list in this category by a mile. | BWeb only, with Zoho CRM and Bigin, Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, WooCommerce, Eventbrite and Zapier, and an API. No desktop or phone app keeps it at a B. |
| Best for | small businesses starting with a free CRM | email marketing for businesses on Zoho |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HubSpot and Zoho Campaigns. How we grade
Where they differ
- HubSpot starts at $20 per seat / month for Starter (new customers: from $7, billed annually). Zoho Campaigns starts at $3 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed yearly.
- Only HubSpot lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only HubSpot lists a browser extension.
- HubSpot also covers booking links, sales pipeline and workflow automation.
- Zoho Campaigns also covers forms, email campaigns and business texting.
At a glance
| HubSpot | Zoho Campaigns | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per seat / month for Starter (new customers: from $7, billed annually) | $3 per month for up to 500 contacts, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Free tools for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts with no expiry date: contact management, deal pipelines, tasks, email tracking, live chat, a meeting link and reporting dashboards. Live chat and marketing emails carry HubSpot branding. | Forever Free plan: up to 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails a month and 5 users, with templates, generative AI and basic reports. No automation workflows. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of HubSpot's paid sales tools; the free tools themselves do not expire | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | HubSpot, Inc. | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | hubspot.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
HubSpot
- Small teams that want to start on a free CRM and add paid tools later
- Companies that want marketing, sales and service working from one customer database
- Startups and nonprofits that qualify for HubSpot's discount programs
Zoho Campaigns
- Businesses already using Zoho CRM or other Zoho apps
- Small lists that fit within the free 2,000-contact plan
- Online stores wanting cart and purchase follow-ups at a low price
Worth knowing
HubSpot
- The free tools stop at 2 users and 1,000 contacts, and free live chat and marketing emails carry HubSpot branding.
- Sales Hub Professional and Enterprise each require a one-time onboarding fee ($1,500 and $3,500) on top of the seat price.
- Paid tiers are split across a Starter bundle, Smart CRM and separate hubs, so the total depends on which products and how many seats you buy.
- The $7 Starter price is a limited-time offer for new customers against a $20 list price, and HubSpot's CRM product page shows a different new-customer price, from $15 per seat.
Zoho Campaigns
- The free plan has no automated workflows and stops at 6,000 emails a month.
- Standard tops out at 100,000 contacts; larger lists need Professional, up to 500,000.
- SMS and WhatsApp are paid for with separate credits, and a dedicated IP costs $360 a year.
- Abandoned-cart, purchase follow-up and pop-up forms need Professional.
Key features
HubSpot
- Free CRM tools
- Contact management, deal pipelines, task and activity tracking, CRM import and reporting dashboards are free for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with no expiry date.
- Sales email and meeting tools
- Email tracking, templates and a meeting scheduler work inside HubSpot or from the inbox, through a Chrome extension for Gmail and an Office 365 add-in for Outlook.
- Workflows and sales automation
- Workflows automate follow-ups and record updates. Sales Hub Professional allows up to 300 fully customizable workflows; lower tiers have fewer triggers and actions.
- Breeze AI and HubSpot Credits
- Breeze Assistant answers questions from CRM data, and agents run on HubSpot Credits. Paid tiers include 500, 3,000 or 5,000 credits a month, and unused credits do not roll over.
- Calling and conversation tools
- Calls can be placed and logged from the CRM, with a monthly allowance of calling minutes that grows by tier. Sales Hub Professional adds call transcription and playbooks.
- Connected hubs and integrations
- The CRM shares one customer database with HubSpot's marketing, service, content and data hubs, and HubSpot lists more than 2,000 integrations.
Zoho Campaigns
- Drag-and-drop editor and templates
- Pre-designed templates, HTML import and dynamic content blocks; Standard adds over 120 templates, attachments and A/B tests.
- Automated workflows
- Triggered by form sign-ups, list entry, segments and email actions. Professional adds date, tag and open triggers, abandoned cart and purchase follow-ups.
- Zia AI
- Writes campaign copy from your subject line and audience, recommends subject lines and products, and times sends. You can also bring your own AI model.
- SMS and WhatsApp
- Text and WhatsApp campaigns and workflow steps on paid plans, paid for with separate credits.
- Zoho suite integrations
- Syncs with Zoho CRM, Bigin, Desk, Books, Survey and Backstage, plus Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, WooCommerce and Zapier.
Plans
HubSpot
Free Tools$0
Up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with contact management, deal pipelines, live chat and reporting dashboards. No credit card required.
Starter$20
per seat / month; new customers from $7, billed annually
A bundle of the Starter editions of the marketing, sales, service, content and data hubs. Removes HubSpot branding and includes 500 HubSpot Credits.
Smart CRM Professional$45
per seat / month, annual commitment ($50 billed monthly)
CRM-only tier with up to 100 pipelines, 100 custom reports, 75 dashboards and 3,000 HubSpot Credits.
Smart CRM Enterprise$75
per seat / month
CRM-only tier with up to 350 pipelines, 500 custom reports, 200 calculated properties and 5,000 HubSpot Credits.
Sales Hub Professional$90
per seat / month, annual commitment ($100 billed monthly)
Sales Hub only: up to 300 customizable workflows, call transcription and playbooks. A one-time $1,500 onboarding fee is required.
Sales Hub Enterprise$150
per seat / month
Sales Hub only: adds forecasting across team hierarchies and more advanced automation. A one-time $3,500 onboarding fee is required.
Zoho Campaigns
Forever Free$0
2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails a month, 5 users, drag-and-drop and HTML templates, and basic reports.
Standard$3
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed yearly ($4 monthly)
Unlimited emails, 10 users, A/B tests, basic workflows and priority support; up to 100,000 contacts. $49 a month billed monthly at 10,000 contacts.
Professional$4.50
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed yearly ($6 monthly)
Advanced segments, scoring, dynamic content, pop-ups, cart and purchase workflows, 20 users; up to 500,000 contacts. $81 a month billed monthly at 10,000.
Ways to pay less
HubSpot
- Other savings
New-customer Starter offer: from $7 per seat
For a limited time, new customers pay $7 per seat a month billed annually, or $10 billed monthly, instead of the $20 list price for Starter. HubSpot gives no end date.
- Annual discount
Lower seat price with an annual commitment
Sales Hub Professional is $90 per seat a month on an annual commitment versus $100 paid monthly. Smart CRM Professional is $45 versus $50.
- Startups
HubSpot for Startups: up to 90% off
Startups with pre-seed to Series A funding can get 90% off in year one, 50% in year two and 25% in year three. Others tied to an approved partner get 30%, then 15%. Professional and Enterprise products only.
- Nonprofit
40% off for eligible nonprofits
New customers registered as nonprofits in North America, Australia or New Zealand get 40% off Professional and Enterprise products on a one-year contract. Starter is excluded.
Zoho Campaigns
- Annual discount
Save 25% with yearly billing
Zoho Campaigns' pricing page takes 25% off paid plans billed yearly: Standard at 500 contacts is $3 a month instead of $4.
