The big difference: how you pay

Brevo and HubSpot are built for different jobs. Brevo started as an email sending service and grew into a marketing tool. HubSpot started as a marketing platform and grew into a full business system with a CRM at its heart.

That shows up in how they charge. Brevo charges for the emails you send each month. You can store a big list without paying more. HubSpot charges for seats (the people who log in) and for marketing contacts, which are the contacts you are allowed to email. Your monthly email limit on HubSpot is a multiple of your marketing contacts. On HubSpot’s pricing page in October 2026, Starter allows 5 times your marketing contact tier each month, Professional 10 times and Enterprise 20 times.

So the first question is simple. Do you mainly need to send email, or do you need a full CRM that your whole team will live in? If it is email, Brevo usually wins on price. If it is a CRM, HubSpot is the stronger product.

Free plans compared

Both tools have a real free plan, not just a trial. Neither asks for a card to start.

Free plan	Brevo	HubSpot
Email limit	300 emails a day	2,000 email sends a month
Contacts	Up to 100,000 stored	Free CRM contacts; email limits apply
Users	One user	Up to 2 users
Branding	Brevo logo on emails	HubSpot logo on emails
Automation	Yes, up to 2,000 contacts in workflows	1 automated action

Brevo’s 300 a day adds up to about 9,000 a month, which is more than HubSpot’s 2,000. But Brevo’s limit is daily, so you cannot send one big newsletter to 1,000 people in one go. HubSpot’s monthly limit lets you send in one burst, but the total is smaller. If you send small amounts often, Brevo gives you more. If you send one newsletter a month to under 2,000 people, HubSpot’s free plan can work.

For more on Brevo’s limits, read Brevo free plan limits explained.

Paid plans and real costs

Brevo’s paid plans start at about $9 a month (Starter) and about $18 a month (Standard) for 5,000 emails, based on Brevo’s pricing at the time of writing. The price rises in steps as you send more. Your list size does not change the price. See our full Brevo pricing guide for each step.

HubSpot Marketing Hub Starter is listed at $20 per seat per month on HubSpot’s pricing page, with limited-time discounts for new customers. It includes 1,000 marketing contacts. More marketing contacts cost extra, in bands. The next plan, Professional, starts at about $800 a month on HubSpot’s pricing page. That is a very big jump, and it is where HubSpot’s strongest marketing tools live.

Here is the pattern. For a small team that sends a newsletter to a few thousand people, Brevo will usually cost much less. HubSpot’s costs grow with seats and marketing contacts, and many advanced features only come with Professional. If you think you will need those features, price Professional before you commit.

CRM and sales tools

This is HubSpot’s home ground. Its CRM is one of the best known in the world. You get contact records, deals, tasks, email tracking, meetings and reports, and it all connects to marketing and customer service. For a growing sales team, that is hard to beat.

Brevo also includes a CRM, with deals, pipelines, tasks and a meeting booker. It is light. It is closer to an organised spreadsheet with automation than to a full sales system. For a small business that tracks leads in a sheet today, it is a real step up and costs nothing extra. For a sales team with ten people, HubSpot is the better fit.

Email and automation

Brevo is strong on email. Its editor is fast, and its automation builder includes branches, waits, lead scoring and webhooks, even at low prices. It also sends SMS and WhatsApp messages in the same flows. Transactional email, like receipts and password resets, comes in the same account.

HubSpot’s email tools are good and easy to use. But on the free plan you only get one automated action, and Starter allows up to 10. Full workflows with many steps need Professional. So if automation matters to you and your budget is small, Brevo gives you more for your money.

Want to compare Brevo with another email-first tool? Read Brevo vs Mailchimp.

Who should pick which

Pick Brevo if you are a small business, shop or creator who mainly needs email. You want automation, SMS and receipts in one place, and you want the price to stay low as your list grows.

Pick HubSpot if you have a sales team, you want one system for leads, deals, marketing and support, and you are ready to pay for seats and contacts. HubSpot shines when the CRM is the centre of your business.

Some businesses use both. They keep HubSpot as the CRM and use Brevo to send email cheaply. That can work, but it means two tools to set up and keep in sync. Start with the one that solves your biggest problem today.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

Is Brevo cheaper than HubSpot?

For email marketing, almost always. Brevo charges by emails sent and starts at about $9 a month. HubSpot charges by seats and marketing contacts, and its Professional plan starts at about $800 a month. HubSpot can be worth it if you need its full CRM.

Does HubSpot have a free email marketing plan?

Yes. HubSpot’s free tools include email marketing with 2,000 sends a month, HubSpot branding and up to 2 users. Check HubSpot’s pricing page for current limits.

Does Brevo have a CRM?

Yes. Brevo includes a light sales CRM with deals, pipelines, tasks and meetings. It is good for small teams, but it is not as deep as HubSpot’s CRM.

Can I use Brevo and HubSpot together?

Yes. Some businesses keep HubSpot as their CRM and send email with Brevo to save money. It works, but you have two tools to set up and keep in sync.

Which is easier to use?

Both are friendly. HubSpot is very polished and well explained. Brevo has more areas in one menu, so the first few hours can feel busy, but its email editor is quick to learn.