HubSpot Marketing or Mailchimp?
By CodexierPublished 5 min read
HubSpot and Mailchimp both send newsletters and automated emails. The difference is where the email tool lives. Mailchimp is primarily an email tool with contact lists. HubSpot is a CRM where email marketing is one part, and every open and click lands on the same contact record your sales team works from. This guide compares the two on segmentation, automation, cost as your list grows, sales visibility and what it takes to move between them, with the Swedish and GDPR details that matter.
Standalone email vs CRM email
| Aspect | Mailchimp | HubSpot marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Email tool with an audience list | CRM with email as one channel |
| Contact data | Lives in the email tool | Shared with sales, service and deals |
| Best for | Newsletters, e-commerce, B2C | B2B with a sales process |
| Integration with sales | Via connectors, often one-way | Built in |
| Learning curve | Low | Higher, more to configure |
Segmentation and automation
Both tools can segment by tags, sign-up source and email behaviour, and both can run automated sequences such as a welcome series. The difference shows when segments depend on sales data. In HubSpot you can send a sequence to contacts whose deal is in a certain stage, or who have not been contacted by a salesperson in 60 days, because that data sits in the same system. In Mailchimp you need to sync that data in first.
- Webshop audience: Mailchimp and similar tools integrate well with Shopify and WooCommerce for purchase-based segments.
- B2B lead nurturing: HubSpot's lifecycle stages and lead scoring are built for handing leads to sales at the right moment.
- Swedish alternatives such as Rule, APSIS or Ungapped are worth comparing if you want EU-based providers and Swedish support.
Cost by list size
Both price mainly by the number of contacts, and both change their price lists regularly, so check the current levels before deciding. The pattern is stable though: standalone email tools are usually cheaper per contact, while HubSpot charges more for marketing contacts but includes the CRM. HubSpot lets you mark contacts as non-marketing, so you only pay for those you actually email.
| Cost driver | What to check |
|---|---|
| Number of contacts | Is the price based on all contacts or only those you email? |
| Sends per month | Is there a cap on emails per month? |
| Automation | Are sequences and workflows included in the plan you are looking at? |
| Users and seats | Do sales users need paid seats to see engagement? |
| Onboarding | Is there a mandatory setup fee on higher tiers? |
Sales visibility of engagement
This is the deciding question for B2B companies. When a prospect opens the pricing email three times and clicks through to the case study, a salesperson who sees that can call at the right moment. With a standalone tool that signal stays in the marketing tool unless someone builds an integration. Our guide to getting website leads into the CRM covers the same logic for forms.
A GDPR note: tracking opens and clicks per person is processing of personal data. Describe it in your privacy notice, and be aware that Mailchimp is US-owned and relies on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework for transfers, while HubSpot offers EU data hosting. Some Swedish organisations prefer EU-based tools for that reason.
Moving between them
- Export contacts with consent status, consent date and source.
- Export unsubscribed and bounced addresses separately and import them as suppressed, so nobody who opted out gets mail again.
- Map tags and segments to the new tool's structure before importing.
- Rebuild automations; they rarely transfer.
- Warm up sending gradually from the new tool to protect deliverability, and check SPF, DKIM and DMARC for your domain.
Our CRM implementation covers setting up HubSpot with marketing, forms and sales pipeline, including migration from Mailchimp. Prices are on our pricing page. When you do not need HubSpot: if you send a monthly newsletter and have no sales team following up, Mailchimp or a Swedish email tool is simpler and cheaper, and we will say so. Book a call if you are unsure.
Frequently asked questions
Can I connect Mailchimp to HubSpot and use both?
Yes, there are connectors. It works, but you maintain contacts in two places and sync rules can cause confusion. Most companies are better off choosing one.
Is HubSpot's free plan enough for email marketing?
It covers basic sends with HubSpot branding and limited automation. Our guide to HubSpot's free CRM limits explains where you hit the ceiling.
Do I need consent to send newsletters in Sweden?
To private persons, generally yes, with an exception for existing customers about similar products if they could opt out when you collected the address. B2B contacts need a legal basis under GDPR and an easy unsubscribe.
Which is better for a webshop?
Usually a standalone email tool with a strong webshop integration. HubSpot makes more sense when there is a B2B sales process.
Choosing between HubSpot and an email tool?
Book 15 minutes. Tell us how leads flow and who follows up, and we will recommend the simplest setup that covers it.
Book a free 15-minute call