Brevo vs HubSpot: Best CRM and Marketing Tool Comparison

Deciding between Brevo vs HubSpot? This article breaks down their key features, costs, and user reviews to help you choose the best platform for your business. Both have their strengths, but which one is right for you? Read on to find out.

Key Takeaways

• Brevo is a budget-friendly marketing platform ideal for small to mid-sized businesses, while HubSpot offers extensive features fit for medium to large enterprises.

• Key differences lie in email marketing and automation capabilities: Brevo excels in multi-channel outreach, while HubSpot provides advanced automation and analytics tools.

• Pricing varies significantly; Brevo has a more affordable structure for startups, whereas HubSpot’s costs can escalate quickly, making it less accessible for small businesses.

Overview of Brevo and HubSpot

When evaluating CRM and marketing automation platforms, Brevo and HubSpot often come up as top contenders. Brevo is celebrated for its robust marketing platform, which includes comprehensive CRM and email marketing tools tailored for communication and marketing needs.

On the other hand, HubSpot stands out as a scalable CRM platform integrating sales, marketing, customer service, and operations management tools. These platforms cater to a broad spectrum of businesses. Brevo is designed to meet the needs of solopreneurs, small to mid-size teams, and large enterprises. Meanwhile, HubSpot is recognized for its versatility and scalability, making it suitable for businesses of various sizes and industries.

What is Brevo?

Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, rebranded in 2023 to better reflect its all-in-one marketing platform that includes email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat automation. Tailored primarily for small to mid-sized businesses, Brevo excels in providing budget-friendly email marketing solutions.

Brevo offers a suite of tools such as email and SMS marketing, a built-in CRM, marketing automation, and multi-channel communication through the Brevo marketing platform to enhance user engagement.

What is HubSpot?

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, HubSpot is a user-friendly and scalable CRM platform. It integrates various tools for sales, marketing, customer service, and operations management, all designed to support the inbound marketing methodology.

HubSpot’s mission to make the world more inbound has made it a favorite among marketing managers and sales professionals who appreciate its comprehensive suite of automation tools.

Key Features Comparison

Understanding the key features of Brevo and HubSpot can help you determine which platform aligns better with your business needs. Both platforms offer a comprehensive suite of CRM and marketing automation tools, but their strengths lie in different areas.

HubSpot integrates a range of popular marketing tools and CRM systems, aiding in comprehensive marketing strategies. Brevo, while also robust, has transitioned some of its CRM features from a complimentary to a paid model.

Let’s delve deeper into three critical areas: sales pipeline management, email marketing tools, and automation capabilities.

Sales Pipeline Management

Effective sales pipeline management is crucial for any business looking to streamline its sales process and enhance revenue tracking. HubSpot provides a visual overview of deals, customizable stages, task automation, and robust analytics and reporting, making it a powerful sales platform for large sales teams. It also offers advanced contact management and sales automation features to support a seamless sales process.

Brevo, on the other hand, focuses on lead management, sales forecasting, and customization of deal stages. It allows businesses to track deals across multiple stages effectively. Brevo’s sales pipeline management tool, including sales automation and the ability to import contacts in bulk, make it a viable option for small to mid-sized businesses.

Email Marketing Tools

Both Brevo and HubSpot offer robust email marketing tools, but with distinct differences. HubSpot’s marketing hub includes features like A/B testing for subject lines, drag-and-drop editors, and a variety of free email templates, making it a comprehensive CRM for email campaigns. However, HubSpot’s free plan limits users to 2,000 emails per month, which may not suffice for businesses with larger email marketing efforts.

Brevo stands out in multi-channel outreach. It effectively supports email, SMS, and WhatsApp marketing. Its free plan is particularly generous, allowing users to send up to 300 emails daily. However, issues with inconsistent email deliverability have been noted, which could impact campaign effectiveness. Despite this, Brevo’s email marketing platform remains a strong contender for e-commerce businesses needing to send transactional emails alongside marketing campaigns.

Automation Capabilities

Automation capabilities are a game-changer for growing businesses looking to streamline repetitive tasks and enhance user engagement. Brevo offers automation features for email, SMS, and WhatsApp, leveraging customer behavior for personalized outreach. It includes various automation templates such as welcome series, cart abandonment, and post-purchase follow-ups.

HubSpot, known for its marketing automation, provides a user-friendly platform with extensive tools for sales automation and customer service, including the HubSpot marketing hub. Its automation workflows can trigger actions based on user interactions, ensuring a seamless customer journey. In discussions about marketing tools, many compare HubSpot vs other platforms.

Both platforms offer comprehensive CRM capabilities, but HubSpot’s advanced analytics and dynamic content features give it an edge for larger enterprises.

For a detailed look at how HubSpot compares with Copper, read our comprehensive comparison.

Pricing and Plans

Pricing is a critical factor for businesses when choosing a CRM and marketing automation platform. Brevo stands out for its affordable pricing, making it particularly beneficial for small businesses needing robust features without a large investment. HubSpot’s pricing, while offering extensive functionalities, can escalate quickly, making it more suitable for businesses with a higher budget.

Let’s examine the pricing structures of both platforms to understand their value propositions better.

Brevo Pricing

Brevo provides a scalable pricing model that adjusts based on the number of emails sent. Its free plan allows for sending up to 300 emails a day, making it accessible for growing businesses.

The Starter Plan starts at $9 per month for up to 5,000 emails, while the Business Plan costs $18 per month and includes additional features suited for larger businesses.

HubSpot Pricing

HubSpot’s pricing structure begins with the Marketing Hub at $20 monthly for managing 1,000 contacts. The Sales Hub Starter plan costs $20 per month per user.

However, the gap between the least expensive Starter package ($20) and the Professional plan ($880) is significant, potentially making it prohibitive for startups and small businesses.

User Experience

User experience can make or break the adoption of a CRM and marketing automation platform. Both Brevo and HubSpot aim to offer user-friendly interfaces, but there are distinct differences in their approaches. Brevo’s pricing structure and interface design make it accessible for small businesses, while HubSpot’s extensive features can be overwhelming for new users.

Let’s delve into the specifics of their interface design and ease of use.

Interface Design

Brevo’s interface is functional, focusing on usability rather than aesthetic appeal. It is designed to be user-friendly with strong email marketing capabilities, but some users find it less intuitive compared to HubSpot, which offers a more polished and visually appealing interface.

Ease of Use

Brevo offers a simplified onboarding process, making it easier for new users to get started without any onboarding fees. It provides a comprehensive knowledge base with articles and guides, as well as ticket-based support to track inquiries. These features collectively make Brevo a more user-friendly platform for beginners.

HubSpot, while offering extensive features, has a steeper learning curve due to its comprehensive suite of tools. It provides onboarding assistance and a dedicated support website with tutorials, troubleshooting articles, and community forums to help new users. Despite the initial complexity, HubSpot’s support resources can help users navigate its extensive functionalities effectively.

Integrations and Compatibility

Integrations and compatibility with other tools are essential for a seamless workflow. Both Brevo and HubSpot offer extensive integration options, enhancing their usability across various applications. Brevo facilitates multi-channel communication, integrating email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat functionalities.

Let’s explore the integration capabilities of each platform in more detail.

Brevo Integrations

Brevo integrates with over 150 digital tools, including popular platforms such as WordPress, Mailchimp, Zoho, Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. These integrations enhance its marketing capabilities and make it a versatile marketing platform for businesses looking to leverage multiple channels.

HubSpot Integrations

HubSpot’s App Marketplace offers over 1,500 integrations, including CRMs like Salesforce and Zoho CRM, making it a comprehensive CRM platform for businesses. Its ability to integrate various marketing tools provides a cohesive solution that encompasses content management, analytics, and customer service.

Customer Support and Resources

Customer support is a crucial aspect of any software platform, ensuring that users can resolve issues promptly and continue their operations smoothly. Both Brevo and HubSpot offer multiple customer service tools, but their approaches differ based on the pricing tier and user needs.

Let’s look at the specific support options provided by each platform.

Brevo Support Options

Brevo provides customer support through email and community channels for all users, with additional phone and live chat support for Business and Enterprise tier users. Its support is available in six languages, catering to a diverse user base.

While users have praised Brevo for its excellent customer support and ease of setup, some have noted the lack of live chat options as a potential drawback.

HubSpot Support Options

HubSpot provides 24/7 email and chat support for users on paid plans. Additionally, phone support is accessible for those on Professional and Enterprise plans. Users with paid plans typically receive responses within one business day, ensuring prompt resolution of issues.

This extensive support network makes HubSpot a reliable choice for businesses needing consistent and comprehensive customer support.

Pros and Cons

Every platform has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding these can help businesses make more informed decisions. Both Brevo and HubSpot have notable advantages and disadvantages that affect user experience and suitability.

Let’s summarize the pros and cons of each platform.

Pros of Brevo

Brevo offers advanced email marketing tools, including customizable templates, automation features, and analytics that provide insights into campaign performance. Its competitive pricing structure and user-friendly interface make it accessible for small businesses and beginners.

Brevo excels in providing dynamic content inclusion and enhancing engagement through personalized experiences.

Cons of Brevo

While Brevo excels in many areas, its pricing structure becomes limiting as businesses scale, especially when advanced features are needed. Additionally, Brevo lacks some advanced marketing automation features that other platforms offer, making it less suitable for power users.

Some users also report that its interface can be confusing and not as intuitive compared to competitors.

Pros of HubSpot

HubSpot provides all the necessary tools for organizations at early stages, making it a comprehensive CRM and marketing automation platform. Its extensive feature set, including marketing automation, sales hub, and customer service tools, makes it a versatile solution for businesses.

HubSpot excels in providing robust reporting and analytics tools, which are essential for data-driven decision-making.

For a deeper dive into HubSpot's marketing automation capabilities compared to Act-On, check out our detailed comparison.

Cons of HubSpot

A notable disadvantage of HubSpot for small businesses is its steep learning curve. The extensive features and capabilities, while beneficial, can overwhelm new users, potentially slowing down adoption and productivity.

Additionally, HubSpot’s pricing structure for Professional plans can be prohibitive, especially for startups and smaller businesses.

Ideal Users

Choosing the right platform depends largely on the specific needs and size of your business. HubSpot serves primarily mid to large-sized enterprises, offering a wide range of integrated tools for sales, marketing, customer service, and operations. Brevo, on the other hand, targets small and medium-sized businesses, providing budget-friendly solutions without sacrificing essential features.

Let’s identify the ideal users for each platform.

Who Should Use Brevo?

Brevo is perfect for small and medium-sized businesses. It’s also suited for marketing automation beginners and ecommerce enterprises. Its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing make it accessible for those new to email marketing and automation.

Brevo also includes a free CRM within its free plan, providing essential customer management capabilities for businesses seeking scalability in their email marketing efforts.

Who Should Use HubSpot?

HubSpot is ideal for medium to large companies seeking an all-in-one software package. Its comprehensive suite of integrated tools is perfect for businesses focusing on lead generation and nurturing processes.

Agencies looking for robust reporting and analytics tools often find HubSpot beneficial, making it a preferred choice for medium-sized B2B businesses and agencies.

Summary

In conclusion, both Brevo and HubSpot offer unique advantages tailored to different business needs. Brevo excels in providing budget-friendly solutions with strong email marketing tools, making it ideal for small to medium-sized businesses. HubSpot, with its extensive features and comprehensive suite of tools, is better suited for larger enterprises willing to invest in a robust CRM platform. Understanding your business’s specific requirements and budget will help you choose the platform that best aligns with your goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between Brevo and HubSpot?

The main difference between Brevo and HubSpot lies in their target audiences and pricing; Brevo is more affordable and caters to small to medium-sized businesses, whereas HubSpot provides extensive features at a higher cost, making it better suited for larger enterprises.

Which platform is better for email marketing?

Brevo is the better platform for email marketing, especially for businesses that require multi-channel outreach and higher email quotas. Its features cater well to larger marketing needs.

Is HubSpot worth the investment for small businesses?

HubSpot can be worth the investment for small businesses if they seek a comprehensive suite of tools that support growth. However, its higher pricing may be a concern for those with tighter budgets.

Can Brevo support large enterprises?

Yes, Brevo can support large enterprises with its scalable features, but it may not offer all the advanced functionalities that larger teams typically require.

How do the customer support options compare?

Brevo provides email and community support for all users, while offering phone and live chat support only for higher-tier plans. In contrast, HubSpot offers 24/7 email and chat support for paid plans, along with phone support for Professional and Enterprise plans.