Most SMEs start with Mailchimp because it is simple, cheap, and gets basic email newsletters out quickly. Over time, as the customer base grows, these businesses want deeper automation, better segmentation, and real visibility into the full customer journey, not just email opens and clicks Can HubSpot Replace Mailchimp.
At that stage, tools like HubSpot become attractive because they bundle email marketing with CRM, pipelines, and advanced automation in one ecosystem. The real question is not just “Can HubSpot send emails like Mailchimp?” but “Can HubSpot become the central growth engine for marketing, sales, and customer relationships for an SME?”.
Core Differences: HubSpot vs Mailchimp for SMEs
Here is a compact view of the key differences that matter to SMEs looking beyond basic email marketing.
| Aspect | Mailchimp (SME view) | HubSpot (SME view) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Standalone email marketing, simple automations. | All‑in‑one CRM + marketing + sales + service platform. |
| CRM capabilities | Basic audience lists, tags, and limited CRM features. | Full CRM with deals, pipelines, tasks, and contact timelines. |
| Automation depth | Good for welcome series, basic journeys, simple triggers. | Advanced workflows across email, CRM, sales tasks, and more. |
| Ease of use | Very easy for beginners and non‑marketers. | Steeper learning curve; better suited to teams ready to invest time. |
| Pricing pattern | Lower starting price, strong for tight budgets. | Free tier exists, but real power comes in higher‑priced plans. |
| Best fit | Small businesses with simple email needs. | SMEs wanting integrated marketing, sales tracking, and scaling. |
For an SME that only wants newsletters, promotions, and a few automations, Mailchimp remains easier and more cost‑effective. For SMEs that see email as part of a broader growth engine—website, CRM, sales nurturing, and long buyer journeys—HubSpot quickly becomes more attractive.
Where HubSpot Can Fully Replace Mailchimp
1. Email creation and campaigns
HubSpot offers a modern drag‑and‑drop email builder with templates, personalization, and A/B testing, similar to Mailchimp’s campaign builder. Because HubSpot emails are integrated with CRM data, SMEs can personalize content based on lifecycle stage, past interactions, or deal stage in a way that is harder to replicate in Mailchimp alone.
An SME selling B2B services, for example, can build emails that change automatically based on whether a contact is a new lead, a marketing‑qualified lead, or an open opportunity in the pipeline. This turns every campaign into a more context‑aware touchpoint instead of a generic blast.
2. Automation and workflows
Mailchimp handles basic automations like welcome series, abandoned cart flows, and simple time‑based nurtures. HubSpot, on the other hand, builds full workflows that can update fields, assign tasks, move deals, enroll contacts in sequences, and branch logic deeply based on behavior.
For SMEs with longer buyer journeys—say a software company offering demos and trials—HubSpot’s automation can coordinate emails, internal sales follow‑ups, and lead scoring from one place. This is a key reason many growing SMEs migrate from Mailchimp to HubSpot when they outgrow basic automations.
3. CRM‑driven segmentation
Mailchimp segmentation is strong for email behavior and simple attributes like tags, purchase activity, and interests. HubSpot brings a full CRM database, so segments can mix website activity, form submissions, deal stages, support history, and custom properties.
An SME can segment “decision‑stage contacts who visited the pricing page twice in the last week and have an open deal over a certain value,” then send a tailored follow‑up campaign only to them. This level of insight is hard to achieve if email and CRM live in separate silos.
Where Mailchimp Still Wins for Some SMEs
1. Budget and simplicity
Mailchimp remains more budget‑friendly for small lists and simple use cases, with low starting prices and a very approachable interface. Many micro‑businesses, solopreneurs, and early‑stage SMEs simply do not need the overhead of a big CRM‑driven platform yet.
If your marketing is primarily newsletters, occasional promos, and straightforward e‑commerce flows, the extra cost and complexity of HubSpot may not deliver proportional ROI immediately. In that scenario, Mailchimp is not only “enough” but a better strategic fit.
2. Learning curve and team capacity
HubSpot’s power comes with more configuration options and a steeper learning curve. SMEs without a dedicated marketing resource may struggle to fully use workflows, lifecycle stages, and analytics in the beginning.
Mailchimp, by contrast, allows a small team—or even a single founder—to launch campaigns the same day without training. For many SMEs that are still validating their offers or building a list from scratch, speed and simplicity beat sophistication.
Migration: Moving from Mailchimp to HubSpot
When SMEs decide that HubSpot should replace Mailchimp, the migration process is an important consideration. HubSpot supports list and contact import, but the business still has to think through tags, custom fields, historical engagement data, and active automations.
Experts suggest planning the switch in phases: first migrate lists and basic segments, then rebuild key automations, and finally sunset Mailchimp once HubSpot workflows are fully tested. Many SMEs also partner with certified HubSpot consultancies to speed up the transition and avoid data loss or broken journeys.
For a detailed professional breakdown of when HubSpot truly replaces Mailchimp, SMEs can review HubSpot’s own comparison page, which outlines how its CRM‑driven approach goes beyond simple email campaigns.
How to Decide: A Simple SME Checklist
You can think of the decision in terms of stages of growth rather than tools in isolation.
Choose Mailchimp if:
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You mainly send newsletters, promos, and basic automated emails.
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Your budget is tight and pricing is a top constraint.
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You have no immediate need for a full CRM and sales pipeline.
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You want something that any non‑technical team member can operate quickly.
Choose HubSpot if:
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You want marketing, sales, and CRM data in one place, not just email.
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Your buyer journeys have multiple touchpoints and longer decision cycles.
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You need advanced automation, lead scoring, and lifecycle‑based segmentation.
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You are ready to invest time and budget for a platform that can grow with you.
For many SMEs, the natural path is to start with Mailchimp, validate the list and offers, then move into HubSpot when complexity, team size, and revenue justify a unified platform. At that point, HubSpot does not just replace Mailchimp; it reframes email as one component of a broader, scalable growth system.
More Article: Can HubSpot Replace Mailchimp for E‑Commerce Email Marketing Campaigns?
Final Verdict: Can HubSpot Replace Mailchimp for SMEs?
Yes, HubSpot can replace Mailchimp for SMEs that are looking beyond basic email marketing and want a central hub for CRM, automation, and sales alignment. The switch makes the most sense when you outgrow simple campaigns and need deep segmentation, multichannel workflows, and a shared view of every contact across marketing and sales.
If your SME is still early, price‑sensitive, and focused on straightforward email campaigns, Mailchimp remains the more practical and efficient choice. But once your strategy shifts from “send emails” to “build full‑funnel relationships,” HubSpot has the features to fully take over and become your long‑term growth platform.