HubSpot Marketing Hub vs. ActiveCampaign, Encharge, and Brevo: Which marketing automation platform actually delivers ROI?

You are likely reading this because you are staring at a HubSpot quote that looks like a mortgage payment and wondering, "Is this actually worth it?"

Or perhaps you are using a tool like Mailchimp that is bursting at the seams, and you know you need to "grow up" into a real marketing automation platform.

We get it. For mid-sized B2B businesses, especially for companies in asset-intensive or service-heavy industries, marketing budgets are scrutinised. The Operational Leader wants efficiency. The CFO wants clear ROI. The Technical Lead wants integrations that do not break.

We have evaluated, implemented, and migrated clients across the entire spectrum of marketing automation tools. We have seen the glossy demos and we have cleaned up the messy realities.

This is an honest review comparing the industry giant, HubSpot Marketing Hub, against three formidable challengers: ActiveCampaign, Encharge, and Brevo (formerly Sendinblue). We will break down where the money actually goes and help you decide which tool fits your specific operational complexity.

What we are reviewing

We are comparing the "Professional" or equivalent tiers of these platforms. Why? Because in the mid-market space (€5M–€100M revenue), you need advanced automation, A/B testing, and reporting. The "Starter" or "Free" plans will not cut it for your needs.

• HubSpot Marketing Hub (Professional): The all-in-one ecosystem play.

• ActiveCampaign: The dedicated automation specialist.

• Brevo: The budget-friendly, volume-based contender.

• Encharge: The behaviour-based tool for SaaS and digital products.

1. HubSpot Marketing Hub: The expensive standard

HubSpot is the tool everyone compares themselves to. It is the "safe" bet, but it is also the most expensive bet.

The Pros: Why people pay the premium

• The Single Source of Truth: This is HubSpot's superpower. If you use the HubSpot CRM, having your marketing data in the exact same database as your sales data is priceless. There are no sync errors. No API lags. When a prospect clicks an email, your sales team sees it instantly.

• Board-Ready Reporting: For the Commercial Decision Maker (CEO/CFO), HubSpot’s reporting requires zero export-to-Excel work. You can attribute revenue directly to specific marketing emails or campaigns.

• Ease of Use: It is built for marketers, not developers. The interface is intuitive, and onboarding new staff takes days, not weeks.

The Cons: The pricing trap

• The Cost: Marketing Hub Professional starts around €890/month. That includes 2,000 marketing contacts.

• Contact Pricing: This is where they get you. You pay for "Marketing Contacts" in tiers. If you have a database of 50,000 contacts but only email 5,000, you can manage costs. But if you need to email all 50,000, your bill can easily jump to €2,500+ per month.

• Onboarding Fees: You are effectively forced to pay for professional onboarding (starting at €2,760) unless you work with a partner.

Is it worth it?

Yes, if you use the full platform. If you just want to send newsletters, it is a waste of money. If you want to run complex account-based marketing (ABM) campaigns and prove revenue ROI to your board, it is the best in class.

2. ActiveCampaign: The automation powerhouse

ActiveCampaign built its reputation on having the best visual automation builder in the business.

The Pros

• Automation Logic: ActiveCampaign’s "Recipes" allow for incredibly complex split-testing and logic branches that HubSpot struggles to match without Enterprise tiers.

• Price: For 5,000 contacts on their "Plus" plan, you are looking at roughly €135/month. That is a fraction of HubSpot's cost.

• CRM Included (Sort of): They have a built-in CRM, though it is much lighter than HubSpot's.

The Cons

• The CRM Gap: While they have a CRM, it is not robust enough for complex B2B sales cycles (like aviation or large-scale property management). You will likely need to integrate it with Salesforce or Pipedrive, which reintroduces data silos.

• Reporting: The reporting is functional but lacks the "revenue attribution" polish of HubSpot. You will likely need to export data to Excel or PowerBI to get the deep insights your CFO wants.

• Usability: It is slightly more technical. The learning curve is steeper than HubSpot.

Is it worth it?

If you already have a CRM you love (like Salesforce) and just need a powerful engine to send emails and nurture leads, ActiveCampaign is a smarter financial choice than HubSpot.

3. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): The value player

Brevo flips the pricing model on its head. They charge based on the number of emails you send, not the number of contacts you store.

The Pros

• Unlimited Contacts: You can store 100,000 contacts for free. You only pay when you email them. This is huge for businesses with large, dormant databases (like past customers or seasonal lists).

• Transactional Email: Brevo started as a transactional email service. If you need to send system notifications alongside marketing emails, this is built-in.

• Cost: The "Business" plan starts around €60/month. It is incredibly affordable.

The Cons

• Simplicity: The automation builder is basic compared to HubSpot and ActiveCampaign. It handles linear sequences well, but struggles with complex, multi-path journeys.

• Support: It is harder to get a human on the phone compared to HubSpot’s 24/7 support.

• Native Integrations: The ecosystem is smaller. You might need to use tools like Zapier (which adds cost and complexity) to connect it to your other systems.

Is it worth it?

Brevo is the ideal choice for businesses with large lists but simple automation needs. If you are a B2C company or a high-volume B2B sender who does not need complex behavioural tracking, this wins on TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).

4. Encharge: The SaaS specialist

Encharge is a newer player specifically designed for digital products and SaaS companies.

The Pros

• Behavioural Triggers: Encharge excels at triggering emails based on what people do inside your software app. (e.g., "User clicked feature X but didn't finish setup").

• HubSpot Integration: Interestingly, Encharge positions itself as a companion to HubSpot CRM. You can use HubSpot’s free CRM for sales and Encharge for marketing automation, getting a powerful combo for a lower price.

• Price: Starts around €100/month for decent volume.

The Cons

• Niche Focus: If you are a property developer or in manufacturing, this tool isn't for you. It is built for software screens.

• Maturity: It lacks the enterprise governance features of HubSpot.

Is it worth it?

Only if you are selling a digital product or membership platform. For general B2B services, it is too niche.

Comparison Matrix: The "At a Glance" View

Who should use what? (And who shouldn't)

This is the part where we help you make a decision based on your profile.

Choose HubSpot Marketing Hub if:

• You need to align Sales and Marketing: You want one system where marketing sees closed deals and sales sees email opens.

• You are reporting to a Board: You need robust ROI reporting without spending 10 hours in spreadsheets.

• You have a budget: You can afford €12k+ per year and value time-savings over cash-savings.

• You are scaling fast: You need a system that will not break when you double in size next year.

Choose ActiveCampaign if:

• You have a complex CRM already: You are locked into Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics and just need a marketing layer.

• You love complex automation: You want to build intricate "if/then" journeys that span months.

• Budget is a constraint: You need 80% of HubSpot's power for 20% of the price.

Choose Brevo if:

• You have a massive list: You have 50k+ contacts but only email a portion of them regularly.

• You are cost-conscious: You want a reliable tool that just works without the bells and whistles.

• You send transactional emails: You want one platform for marketing newsletters and system notifications.

The ROI Verdict: Calculating the real cost

When calculating ROI, do not just look at the licence fee. You must calculate the "Time Tax."

HubSpot is expensive, but it saves hours of integration work, data cleaning, and reporting time.

• Example: If your Marketing Manager is paid €60k/year (€30/hour) and spends 5 hours a week fixing data sync issues between ActiveCampaign and Salesforce, that costs you €7,800/year in lost productivity.

Suddenly, the gap between HubSpot and ActiveCampaign shrinks.

Our Final Recommendation:

For the mid-market, operationally complex B2B buyer described in our profiles... HubSpot Marketing Hub is usually the winner if you commit to using the CRM as well. The operational efficiency of a unified platform outweighs the subscription cost.

However, if cash flow is your primary buying trigger right now, ActiveCampaign is the most capable alternative that won't embarrass you professionally.

Next Steps

Still unsure which platform fits your specific complexity?

Book a short strategy call and find out which solution fit your business needs the most.