Brevo is the best value for most small teams, HubSpot is the strongest all-in-one growth suite, Mailchimp is the easiest mainstream option for simple newsletters, and GetResponse is best when webinars and funnels matter. If you only need email campaigns, automation, and fair pricing, start with Brevo. If sales CRM and marketing reports must sit in one place, HubSpot wins. If you want quick newsletter creation with minimal setup, Mailchimp still does that well.
TLDR: Brevo is the practical pick for budget-conscious businesses because pricing is based more on email volume than contact count. HubSpot is powerful but can get expensive fast; a 5-person sales and marketing team can easily move from a low monthly bill to several hundred dollars once automation and CRM features grow. For example, an online store with 12,000 contacts sending 40,000 emails per month may save money with Brevo, while a B2B agency tracking 300 leads through sales calls may get more from HubSpot. Mailchimp is best for basic campaigns, while GetResponse suits creators selling through webinars, landing pages, and email funnels.
Quick comparison
| Platform | Best for | Main strength | Main annoyance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo | Small businesses, ecommerce, startups | Affordable email, SMS, automation, CRM basics | Some templates feel less polished than rivals |
| HubSpot | B2B teams, agencies, sales-led companies | CRM, reporting, automation, sales tools | Pricing climbs quickly |
| Mailchimp | Newsletters, beginners, small brands | Simple campaign builder and brand familiarity | Automation and pricing can feel restrictive |
| GetResponse | Creators, coaches, course sellers | Funnels, webinars, landing pages | The interface can feel busy |
Brevo: best value for email plus SMS
Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, is built for businesses that care about costs and usable features. Its pricing model is a major reason people switch to it. Many platforms charge based on how many contacts sit in your database. Brevo focuses more on how many emails you send, which can be cheaper if you have a large list but do not email everyone daily.
Brevo includes email marketing, SMS, WhatsApp campaigns, signup forms, landing pages, automation, transactional email, and basic CRM tools. That mix is rare at the lower price levels. It is especially useful for ecommerce shops that send order confirmations, abandoned cart emails, discount campaigns, and customer reactivation messages.
The automation builder is clear enough for common tasks. You can create welcome flows, birthday offers, lead scoring rules, and purchase-based campaigns without needing a technical person. Deliverability is also solid if your list is clean and properly warmed up.
The weak point is design polish. Some email templates are fine, but they do not always feel as slick as Mailchimp’s. The editor works, yet small layout adjustments can take a few extra clicks. It drives me crazy that a simple spacing tweak can feel slower than it should. Still, for the price, Brevo gives you a lot.
HubSpot: best for sales and marketing in one system
HubSpot is not just an email marketing platform. It is a CRM, sales tool, service hub, CMS, reporting system, and automation suite. That makes it powerful for teams that need to track the full customer journey from first form submission to closed deal.
HubSpot shines when email is only one part of your process. You can see contact activity, assign leads to sales reps, track calls, build pipelines, create lists, score prospects, and send automated follow-ups. For B2B companies, this visibility is a big deal. A sales rep can open a contact record and see which emails were opened, which pages were viewed, and which forms were submitted.
The email builder is clean. The templates are solid. The reporting is much richer than most entry-level email tools. You can connect campaign results to revenue, deal stages, and sales activity. That helps teams stop arguing about which campaign “felt” successful.
The catch is price. HubSpot’s free tools are generous, but the paid tiers can jump hard once you need advanced automation, custom reporting, or larger contact limits. For small businesses with simple email needs, HubSpot may be too much tool and too much bill.
Mailchimp: best for simple newsletters
Mailchimp remains one of the most recognizable names in email marketing. It is approachable, friendly, and easy to use for basic campaigns. If your goal is to send a weekly newsletter, promote a sale, or build a simple welcome email, Mailchimp gets you moving quickly.
The campaign builder is one of its best features. Beginners can pick a template, edit text, add images, and send a clean email without much training. The platform also includes audience segmentation, landing pages, basic automation, surveys, and ecommerce connections.
Mailchimp works well for bloggers, local businesses, nonprofits, and small shops that do not need complex branching workflows. Its reporting is easy to read, with open rates, clicks, unsubscribes, and ecommerce performance shown in a clear format.
Still, Mailchimp is not always the bargain it appears to be. Pricing can rise as your audience grows, and some useful features are locked behind higher plans. Automation can also feel limited compared with HubSpot or GetResponse. Honestly, it feels like Mailchimp wants to stay simple while also charging like a more advanced platform. That tension shows up once your marketing gets more complex.
GetResponse: best for funnels, webinars, and creators
GetResponse sits between classic email marketing and online selling tools. It includes email campaigns, autoresponders, automation, landing pages, forms, conversion funnels, ecommerce tools, and webinars on certain plans. That makes it attractive for creators, consultants, educators, and course sellers.
The webinar feature is a key difference. Instead of paying for a separate webinar platform, you can run registration, reminders, live events, follow-ups, and sales emails from one place. If webinars fuel your sales process, this can save money and reduce admin work.
GetResponse also has strong automation. You can build flows based on signups, purchases, clicks, webinar attendance, abandoned carts, and lead behavior. Its funnel tools help users build simple paths from landing page to email sequence to sale.
The downside is that the platform can feel crowded. There are many tools, menus, and campaign types. New users may need more time to feel comfortable. Expect to waste time on setup if you try to use every feature in week one. Start with email and one landing page, then add automation later.
Pricing and value
Pricing changes often, so the smartest comparison is not just “Which plan is cheapest?” Ask what the bill looks like after your list grows by 50%. That is where differences become clear.
- Brevo is usually the strongest value if you send a moderate number of emails to a large contact list.
- HubSpot offers the best value when CRM, sales tracking, and marketing attribution are needed together.
- Mailchimp is reasonable for small lists, but costs can feel less friendly as contacts increase.
- GetResponse gives good value if you would otherwise pay separately for landing pages, funnels, or webinars.
Automation, design, and reporting
For automation, HubSpot is the most advanced overall, especially for sales-driven workflows. GetResponse is strong for marketing funnels and event-based sequences. Brevo covers most small business needs well. Mailchimp is fine for simple journeys but less flexible for complex logic.
For design, Mailchimp is the easiest for polished newsletters. HubSpot also performs well, especially for branded business emails. Brevo is practical, though not always beautiful out of the box. GetResponse gives plenty of options, but the editing experience can feel heavier.
For reporting, HubSpot wins. It connects marketing activity to contacts, deals, sales reps, and revenue. Mailchimp is easiest for basic email metrics. Brevo gives useful campaign and deliverability data. GetResponse is good for funnels and conversion tracking.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose Brevo if you want affordable email marketing, SMS options, automation, and transactional email without paying heavily for each contact.
- Choose HubSpot if your team needs CRM, lead tracking, sales pipelines, and deep reporting in one system.
- Choose Mailchimp if you mainly send newsletters and want the shortest path from draft to send.
- Choose GetResponse if webinars, landing pages, funnels, and automated selling are central to your business.
The best platform is the one that matches your next 12 months, not your dream setup three years from now. Brevo is the sensible default for price and breadth. HubSpot is the serious growth machine. Mailchimp is the familiar newsletter tool. GetResponse is the funnel-friendly option for sellers who use content, events, and email to turn attention into revenue.
