MailerLite vs HubSpot: email tool or full CRM platform

The practical difference

HubSpot says its email marketing software is part of Marketing Hub and is automatically integrated with its CRM, so emails can use CRM data. You can start free, and HubSpot sells premium features in the Starter, Professional and Enterprise editions of Marketing Hub.

MailerLite is an email marketing platform: campaigns, automations, signup forms, landing pages, websites and digital products in one account, with a Free plan for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month.

Contacts and records

If sales or service teams work from the same contact records, HubSpot's CRM is the reason to look at it. MailerLite organizes subscribers into groups, which change only when you, an automation step or an integration moves someone, and segments, which update themselves from rules such as signup date, time zone, campaign activity or purchases. It connects to other tools through more than 100 integrations.

Seats and team access

MailerLite Free includes 2 user seats, Comfort 3 and Power unlimited, and custom user permissions come with Comfort and Power. Check HubSpot's seat terms for the edition you would buy.

Cost

Billed monthly at 1,000 subscribers, MailerLite Comfort is $19 a month and Power $39; at 10,000 subscribers they are $89 and $129. HubSpot's paid editions are priced on its own site, and this page gives no HubSpot price.

Moving contacts between them

To move contacts into MailerLite, export a CSV and import only people who opted in, leaving unsubscribed, spam-complaint and inactive contacts behind. Groups made at import can then start automations.

Which option should you choose?

Choose HubSpot when sales, service and marketing share one CRM and the team will use it. Choose MailerLite when the job is email: newsletters, automations, forms and landing pages, starting free.

A small team can trial MailerLite for 14 days before weighing it against HubSpot, and no card is needed.